Stability problem after heavy case modding

[spldart]

I'm building a new server. Old one is 200mhz pentium that handled usb to cable modem, winroute to other computers and built in router, abyss web server on win 98 on 96meg.
New computer is atx mobo with k6 2 500, 392meg, win xp, and will interace with cable modem through nic instead of usb.
The new machine was also suppossed to get the extra monitor out of the room by having a built in 5.6" monitor in the cd slots. I was going to cut a case to pieces to do this anyway so I took an AT case and chopped it up to accept the different mobo and to mount the monitor. I also turned the power supply sideways so the extra length of the mobo could be accomadated. I made numerous other small mods as well. Lots of metal was cut, bent and drilled. These pics detail the end result:

http://24.243.159.133:91/newserver/newserverperspective1.jpg

http://24.243.159.133:91/newserver/newserverperspective2.jpg

http://24.243.159.133:91/newserver/newserverviewinside.jpg

http://24.243.159.133:91/newserver/newserverviewtop.jpg

http://24.243.159.133:91/newserver/newserverviewfront.jpg

http://24.243.159.133:91/newserver/newserverviewback.jpg

http://24.243.159.133:91/newserver/newserverviewbackmonitor.jpg

http://24.243.159.133:91/newserver/newserverpowersupplyclearance.jpg

http://24.243.159.133:91/newserver/newserverhsfclearance.jpg

http://24.243.159.133:91/newserver/newservermicromanview.jpg


My problem is this...Whenever I put the cover on the machine gets unstable and inevitably crashes. No wires contact the cover and the mobo isn't close to the cover. I have rerouted wires but no help there. This mobo worked perfectly screwed to a wood board for a month. Now that I'm covering it it's like it's own EMI is disrupting it.
Any ideas?

[Drake]

Heat. Is there any airflow through the case?

[spldart]

The problem can happen dead cold. And there is multiple fans in the case. Some of my mods were improving airflow as well but that didnt' get a chance to become an issue.

[Tom T]

I'm with Drake. There a monitor in that case that is probably putting off a lot of heat, possible power supply is dropping below the 5% safety and causing instability. There sure is a lot of stuff in that case, although I think it looks cool!!!:D

[Drake]

What about individual components? The fan infront of my 2 HDs died and I only had about 3 hours before windows became unstable and corrupted due to heat.

Or maybe the power supply?

Bad RAM?

Love the screen mod, BTW :D

[spldart]

New mobo, ram and cpu. All ran fine screwed to peice of wood for a month before I finally started this case project. The power supply was also in the test config for one month so I know it's stable with this combo.

Update...
I made a piece of metal the right size to fit over the small area of the mobo that is exposed at the top near the cpu socket to the mouse/keyboard plugs. Just placing that peace of metal over that area (about 3/4" away) causes the mobo to start jelly wiggan. At times it wont even post and the cpu fan will not spin up. If I dink with it enough it will eventually boot up but will lock randomly sometime later.
I have it stripped down and and am shaking the board out good in case a metal shaving fell into it somewhere. I've rerouted every wire and moved the hardrives and that made no difference.
BTW: This last no post was dead cold boot. Power supply voltages are as solid as they have always been over the last month with no case.

[spldart]

Back together after thoroughly cleaning out the board making sure there wasn't any metal filings in it and everything is up and running smooth even with the little piece of metal in it. I'll wait a bit and if it's fine i'll throw the cover back on and see how it does.

[Ruantic]

From waht i can tell it the post the monitor is CRT, not LCD, Just a thought but a CRT monitor radiates a relatively strong EMF, plus a fair amout of RF, It doesn't look like you have much, if any shielding. Suggest you try and shield the monitor as much as possible and retry.

[Drake]

Just a thought but a CRT monitor radiates a relatively strong EMF, plus a fair amout of RF, It doesn't look like you have much, if any shielding.Didn't even think of that. Do you have stability problems using a traditional monitor with that one off?

[spldart]

It's LCD...I would never try to throw a CRT in a compy case.
Case cover has been on for a couple hours now and it's rock solid stable. I'll just assume that I had a metal filing hiding in the board somewhere and now it's fixed. Thanks.

Server upgrade:
66 fsb > 100 fsb
200mhz > 500mhz
96meg > 392meg
Win98 > WinXP Pro
1 HD > 2HDs
1nic 10mbs > 2nics 10/100mbs
Pci vid > Agp vid
Ati Rage > Geforce 4 mx
And built in monitor

I know it's still an old slow compy but yah don't need much to handle interent/firewall and web serving on a cable modem only managing between .750mbs to 2.2mbs :)

[Ruantic]

Glad you got it running, Sorry, couldn't quite tell from the pics what it was. Where did you find that small of an LCD, and is it VGA or composite? if composite i have a pretty good idea....

[spldart]

It's composite. I bought it at a stereo shop...It's a headrest monitor.

god I forgot how much of a pain in the azz setting up the router/firewall/server :mad:
I got ip addys and tcp ports coming out my ears :eek: Hopefully the pics will be up again shortly

[spldart]

Need a quick confirmation....Are the pics in my first post showing up again?

[Ruantic]

not showing up for me.

[Cabal]

i dont see them either

[spldart]

Well this has me beat :(
It's serving across the lan but not getting out to the web. Firewall is punched out and isn't logging any blocks from the server.
Ugh

[spldart]

They should be back up now. I gots teh bandwidth going out registering left and right :p

[Farabomb]

They're back ;)

How much was that LCD?

I have a place or two I could put one. :)

[spldart]

I got a special discount. A friend owns stereo shop. This was suppossed to be in a set of two but it was broke up and it was missing a few of the peaces of hardware it suppossed to come with.
75$

[WesM63]

Hey spldart,
Glad you got everything working right. I love the LCD :D I've actually been thinking about doin one like that myself, but the one I was gonna get was an actual LCD for a compy. But anywase, my server has been up ready to go for a while, just waiting to see if i can get highspeed wireless internet out here in the boondocks.

Well good luck with it and let us know if you have any other problems.