5i25/7i77 communications error 7 and 14

my machine is turning off here and there. I'm using a pci riser for the 5i25 and it seems to fit very loosely for my taste. When I wiggle it the machine will shut down although the error messages are a different than when I just let it go and it shuts down. Is there a way to make the riser fit better? Also I am reading about using the dmesg output but I'm not sure how to get there. I'm using axis 2.7.7 and all the hardware is less than a year old...and I do have a 5v power supply hooked up to the 7i77....any suggestions?

If all all possible physically, I would test for a while without the riser just to eliminate it as a possible cause of the issue
I would also clean all contact fingers and PCI slots with 99% isopropyl alcohol

bypassing the riser isn't possible without removing the motherboard. there is a 2nd slot on the riser I'll try but I have a feeling the connection to the motherboard is where the problem is. I'm researching now on how to get the dmesg output but not finding it yet...if you have link that'll help..I'll post the output once I get that done too. What is the best way to clean out the pci slots...Q-tip?

Edit: I started linuxcnc in the terminal and I will type sudo dmesg -c after the comm error happens again........is this correct? or dmesg > hm2.txt?

I normally clean PCI slots with a bit of card stock (thin cardboard) dipped in isopropyl alcohol

to get an error log do this

sudo dmesg -c (clear the log)
start linuxcnc and wait for error
then
dmesg > error.txt

error message attached.

[ 5798.838536] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: Watchdog has bit! (set the .has-bit pin to False to resume)

Likely means you have lost communication with the 5I25 card so probably riser/PCI slot/5I25 card issue

(you will lose all sserial coms after a watchdog bite so the subsequent sserial errors don't really mean anything)

Where did you get the one that worked?

I have the type with two slots and it's so tall I think its hitting the pc cover. I think the one slot will fix it. I wedged the card in place with some cardboard and let it run idle for several hours with the pc cover off....no error. I just put the cover back on and started back up so we'll see. There is a strip of foam tape along the side of the riser and I think the cover is pushing down with more force than it probably should.