Re: Compiling with gcc, sig 11, I've got the answer(?)

George Bonser (grep@oriole.sbay.org)
Mon, 13 Apr 1998 22:54:42 -0700 (PDT)


On Mon, 13 Apr 1998, Perry Harrington wrote:

> I've noticed that I'm getting sig 11 a lot with my 486 machines.
> Isuspect that this is related to 486's and write back caches.
> My Cyrix 486 and Intel dx4 both get sig11's. They both have
> write back caches. However, I never had this problem with my AMD
> and it has a write back cache. I suspect that AMD has a better
> cache manager. Anyhow, I'm strongly leaning towards the wrback
> cache being the problem.
>
> --Perry

I just went through a bout of this on my 486. Go to a local Radio Shack
or anyplace else that sells electronic components (Fry's out west) and buy
a tube of silicone heatsink compound. This is a type of grease designed to
be applied to the part of the heatsink that contacts the CPU. It improves
heat transfer up to 10x by filling microscopic irregularities in the
heatsink and CPU surface and it is extremely heat conductive. Do not
confuse this with the rubber-like silicone caulking or clear silicone
grease. This is very white and difficult to get off of your fingers. Apply
a SMALL dab of it to the back side of the heatsink and spread it out with
a cotton swab or your fingers then apply the heatsink to the CPU. The tube
should clearly state that it is designed as a heatsink compound or
"transistor grease". I have a tube of Tech Spray part number 1977-DP in a
2oz tube that will probably last me for the rest of my life that cost
$4.99 at a local electronics hardware store.

Also, check to see that the CPU fan has not gone slow with age. Some of
them tend to gum up with dust and other grime over time and can get very
slow.

In my experiance, Sig11 faults have almost always been related to heat or
bad RAM. Usually it is heat.

George Bonser

If I had a catchy quip, it would be here.

http://www.debian.org
Debian/GNU Linux ... the maintainable operating system.

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