This is a weird one. I'm working with a "Jetway" motherboard that's been working (mostly) trouble-free for years that has now been placed into a new computer for some 24/7 operation. The issue is that at times, the computer will just stop sending stuff to the screen. I'm fairly sure the computer is still running otherwise okay because it can be accessed by other computers on the network and stuff like that, but it's just not sending anything to the screen (as far as the display can tell, it's like the computer is off, and yes, the connections to the screen are solid). No screensavers or power-saving features are enabled (video is normally being sent to the display 24/7).
This computer generally runs for anywhere from a couple days to a couple weeks on end before this issue manifests. When it does, the only way to turn it off (since it is hard to tell where the controls are on the screen without being able to see it) is to hold the power button until it turns off. After this, another issue (perhaps related, perhaps not) occurs: The USB devices that are connected do not initialize right away on power-up. This would ordinarily not be a problem, but since the keyboard is usb and the BIOS will not let the computer start without one, it throws up a keyboard error and halts booting. I can turn the computer on and off many times, but it just doesn't want to let me by.
I found that this second (related or unrelated) issue can be bypassed by either disconnecting power briefly and trying again (which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't) or by connecting a PS/2 keyboard temporarily. Interestingly enough, even though the USB devices still don't initialize, the presence of the PS/2 keyboard is good enough, and it proceeds with booting. Here's the kicker: by the time Windows is nearly finished booting, the USB devices do finally initialize (I can tell that this has happened when the little "check mark" on the keyboard blinks and the optical mouse begins to shine) and everything is good.
So my question(s) is/are this: What could be causing the computer to spontaneously stop sending video to the display? and What could be causing USB peripherals to not initialize right away on startup after a hard shutdown?
This computer generally runs for anywhere from a couple days to a couple weeks on end before this issue manifests. When it does, the only way to turn it off (since it is hard to tell where the controls are on the screen without being able to see it) is to hold the power button until it turns off. After this, another issue (perhaps related, perhaps not) occurs: The USB devices that are connected do not initialize right away on power-up. This would ordinarily not be a problem, but since the keyboard is usb and the BIOS will not let the computer start without one, it throws up a keyboard error and halts booting. I can turn the computer on and off many times, but it just doesn't want to let me by.
I found that this second (related or unrelated) issue can be bypassed by either disconnecting power briefly and trying again (which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't) or by connecting a PS/2 keyboard temporarily. Interestingly enough, even though the USB devices still don't initialize, the presence of the PS/2 keyboard is good enough, and it proceeds with booting. Here's the kicker: by the time Windows is nearly finished booting, the USB devices do finally initialize (I can tell that this has happened when the little "check mark" on the keyboard blinks and the optical mouse begins to shine) and everything is good.
So my question(s) is/are this: What could be causing the computer to spontaneously stop sending video to the display? and What could be causing USB peripherals to not initialize right away on startup after a hard shutdown?