cpu - Segmentation fault while installing any linux distro (or windows)

I'm need of a little help from you.

I'm having troubles while installing any distribution of Linux (or even Windows) in a computer .. I never had troubles installing an operating system in this computer (I assembled this computer while I was in college.. circa year 2004)

• Motherboard: PC Chips m863g v. 7


• Processor: AMD Sempron 2400+ (1.6 Ghz)


• RAM: 1 GB


• GPU: Nvidia GeForce FX 5500 (256 MB RAM)

Originally, to make my motherboard to detect my Processor as an AMD Sempron 2400+ I had to set the CPU frequency at 166 Mhz. It worked OK this way for several years.

Some months before, I started to have some troubles with the computer, as I had Windows on it. Since then, I have tried to install Gentoo, Debian, Ubuntu and some other Linux distros with no success.

When I try to install any Linux distribution, I get an Segmentation fault error just after the boot screen / splash screen of the installation media. .

I tried to run MemTest images and it completes successfully every time (so I discarded the RAM module as the source of the problem)

The funny thing is that, if I reduce the CPU frequency to 133 Mhz, the errors don't appear anymore, and let me install the operating system (despite the resulting installation is quite slow).

So my questions are:

• Why would the PC throw segmentation faults on CPU Frequency @ 166 Mhz but working fine at @ 133 Mhz?


• Is there any software tool useful for diagnose this kind of errors in hardware?