Mysterious system crash

[waverdr9]

I have been having a very strange problem with my computer. I recently built the computer a few months ago. A few weeks after, while I was using my computer, it crashed (the hard drive made a clicking sound like it was continuously shutting down and starting up). I waited a minute, restarted my computer and it worked fine for a while. A day later or so it happened again. I reformatted my hard drive several times, thinking it may be a software issue. It still kept crashing. I thought it may be a hardware issue, so I got a new hard drive, ram, processor, and even motherboard. I am still getting the same crashing issue! All of the components are compatible with each other and there are no driver conflicts. I use Norton AntiVirus and Internet Security all the time!

Does anyone have any idea what the problem could be?
Any comments or suggestions will be GREATLY appreciated! :)

[saphalline]

Welcome to http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/pcgubb.gif forums!

We may need more info about your hardware and perhaps OS, but off-hand I'd say the culprit is a cheap-a$$ power supply. Did you get a cheapo $14 power supply or did you just get whatever came with your case?

[waverdr9]

I am just using the power supply that came with the case. It is a 420W power supply though, so I figured it was good for now. I didn't think it could be the power supply since my computer runs for a while, then just crashes. The screen stays on and I can move the mouse for a few seconds before it turns into an hour glass then freezes. If you really think it may be the power supply, I will purchase a new one. What brands do you recommend?

[waverdr9]

Here is a breakdown of what's in my computer:
OS - Windows XP - SP1
Motherboard - Intel D845GEBV2L (w/ on-board lan, graphics, usb 2.0, video, and audio)
Processor - Intel Pentium 4 2.0AGHz
2 sticks of Memory - Kingston PC2100 256MB DDR
Hard Drive - Western Digital 120GB w/ 8MB buffer
CDRW - Sony 48x/24x/48x
DVD ROM - Sony 16x
Floppy - Teac

[pave_spectre]

Do you know if you are doing anything in particular when the crashes occur?
Do they occur at roughly the same amount of time after booting?

What are the system and CPU temps?
Do you know what the amp ratings on the power supply voltage lines are?
Is the power supply fan going?

[ski]

Start in Safe mode.
If the crashing stops, then do a clean boot to troubleshoot it:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310353

If it crashes in Safe mode, then there's a hardware problem.
If there's still a clicking noise before crashing, then disconnect the floppy and CD-ROM drives.
If the crashing stops, then reconnect each drive one at a time until the crashing restarts. The drive that was reconnected immediately prior to the crashing is the cause. Replace it.

[waverdr9]

As far as I can tell, CPU temps are always around 100 F, and fans never sound like they stop running. I am not sure about amps though, because I never know when to monitor them since my computer crashes at seemingly random times. Crashing even occurs when the only programs running besides system processes are my Norton Antivirus and Internet Security. Before I replaced the motherboard last week (which was found to be defective), it was crashing in safe mode. But, I took a look at all of the hardware connections last night after posting my initial thread. I noticed that I accidentally switched the IDE cable connections. Here is how it was set up before the motherboard switch:
Primary Channel
Master: Hard Drive
Slave: None

Secondary Channel
Master: CDRW drive
Slave: DVD ROM drive

After the motherboard switch, I accidently switched the connection so it was set at:
Primary Channel
Master: CDRW drive
Slave: DVD ROM drive

Secondary Channel
Master: Hard Drive
Slave: None

This is the only potential problem that I could find, so I switched the cable connections back to their original settings. I haven't had time yet to let my computer run long enough to see if it still crashes, but so far it hasn't. Would a simple thing like that cause my computer to occasionally crash?

[BigBlue66]

I don't think switching the cables around would make a difference, but stranger things have happened.

The system will boot from the C: drive, so it will go looking for it and as long as both IDE channels are enabled, it will eventually find it.

I think this is a software problem. As for your antivirus and internet security, do you disable them before you install new software? Is virus protection in BIOS enabled or disabled?

Do you have System Restore and Auto Update enabled in the OS? If so, disable both of them and see if that makes a difference. If they are enabled, could it be that you don't have the internet security set up correctly to allow for the auto update function to go out to the net?

Your temps sound fine and I doubt if this is a PSU problem. Let's muck around with some software settings first, before we start buying new hardware items. K?

[waverdr9]

I don't know if it could really be a software problem though. My only reasoning behind that is that one of the first times I reformatted my hard drive (back when I thought it was a software problem too), the computer actually crashed (in the same way as described previously) during the reformatting process. And that would probably point to some kind of hardware problem, right?

[gwallen4]

Try a minimal boot: disconnect all drives except your boot drive from their data and power cables - floppy, CD burner, DVD, and remove all cards from their slots except your video card.

If you still crash, try booting with one stick of RAM at a time.

I am pretty sure this is a hardware problem. The procedure above will narrow the search for the bad component.

[ski]

You may very well have a dying HD.
Did you look around its manuf's site for diagnostic software to check it?

[Budfred]

Ok, you said you replaced almost everything except the power supply, you have reinstalled your hardware and software.... It sounds to me like the power supply is the most likely culprit.... If you look on the side or top of the PS, it will list the amps for each voltage leg. A lot of cheap supplies claim to produce large wattages, but don't have the power needed on the legs where they are needed. Post what you find about the amps and we can let you know if that is the likely problem. Also, if you can find a brand name, that would be helpful too. My guess is you are going to need a new one, but you might as well check before buying anymore parts...:)

[ski]

Whoops, you did say that you replaced the HD.
I missed that in your initial post.

[waverdr9]

I went out and bought a new power supply. Its a 400W Antec power supply (very nice), so I will have plenty of wattage if I ever want to add anything to my computer. Hopefully this will fix the problem.

I have one more question before I am completely confident that I have gone to almost every length to find the problems with my computer. Since I replaced the motherboard (same exact model as I had previously), do I need to reformat my hard drive, or should it be fine? One of my friends suggested that I may want to reformat since the hard drive is now connected to a different motherboard, even though it is the same model and everything.

[pave_spectre]

If the motherboard is the exact same model as the original then you shouldnt need to format since all the chipset drivers etc should still work.

If it doesnt boot, then with XP you can just do a repair installation rather than having to go through a full reinstall.

[digger2003]

Did you try booting with 1 stick of ram? I see this was already suggested but just checking to see if this has been ruled out.
Is there good air circulation around your ram; DDR does get hot.

[waverdr9]

I have had a new power supply (Antec 400W) and for a few days now and I have had no problems whatsoever, so I am hoping that that has been the problem all along. We will see though. :)