Computer Hangs

First check the memory - with memtest86 e.g.
Then check the CPU stability - prime95 is good for testing, but you can also use something like burncpu - also locks up the system if it isn't hw-stable.

'heavy program makes the cpu fan run faster' <- are you using cool & quiet? Try disabling it.

To test the ide subsystem you can try extracting data from already recorded dvds to the harddisk (using IsoBuster, etc.)

To summerize: try to isolate the problem to a small portion of the system

Double Post:

Originally Posted by Snowknight

Make sure that both IDE controllers are set to DMA mode, not PIO. Other than that, do general "house cleaning," I suppose.

If the system is currently in PIO-mode and it locks up, switching to DMA doesn't seem wise to me because it would increase instability.
At least its an indicator that their is trouble with the cpu (PIO transfers all data through the cpu).

cya
liquid

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Snowknight

I find it more likely that being in PIO mode would cause things to hang, since the CPU is too... inundated with data--it's too busy. DMA isn't going to decrease stability, really; PIO is simply slower, since the CPU does need to be the liason for all memory access operations, or so to speak. (Plus, I've had similar issues before on IDE devices; having both IDE controllers in PIO mode makes all sorts of intensive things crawl.)

You're right that data transfers in PIO mode put a whole lot of stress on the CPU, but the CPU shouldn't fail when under stress. If your system was locking up using PIO - and DMA seems to resolve this, you're not really solving the problem because it shouldn't lock-up in the first place.

@Sharath: No, leave it in DMA and start testing the system.

cya
liquid

There's nowhere I can't reach.