Pc Prob ... any suggestion ?

[Dudeguy]

Hi there, here is what I've done ... ... any suggestion of what it could be would be nice !

First off, my problem is ... fairly simple ! my computer Freeze ... it just freeze , and it a hard one i think (num lock doesn't change if i press it after)

Secon off my Hardware WAS :
- Amd Athlon 2800+ Barthon
- Ati Radeon 9800 pro 128mb
- Western Digital 180Gb 16mb cache
- 2 x 512 mb Corsair ddr400 pc3200
- Sound Blaster Audigy 2 OEM
- PS = Thermalake 480Watts (double fan)
- A7N8X-E Deluxe
(i have 2 dvd/cd-rom, no floppy, and a PCI to USB card)



- It isn't windows, it locked up in Memtest.
- I doubt (I can be that ...) that it is my video card... I don'T any glitch or texture problem, and it doesn'T overheat
- Also ! my computer freeze when it run almost nothing (... only azureus ...(bittorent) which use alot of RAM , cpu , and HD)
- I was able to run memtest ... and my ram was ok (locked up 1 time, and second was fine)
- I runned Chkdsk on all my drive, no problem , no bad cluster found.
- When it lock up ... my Temperature is fairly low, and my voltage look okay (from asus probe)
- Playing a game that take alot of juice doesn't make my computer freezing faster
- The time between freeze look like random..

Other place sayed it was my ram ! ... i though it was maybe that and made some test...
with both of them it frozed...
with one of them and another one (taken from my other comp) frozed..
same with the other one...
and with the 512mb of my other comp (which run fine) ... it also locked ...
so my ram was fine
.. i thought it was my MB ... so .. i bought a new MB !, and also some ram (wanted more)

So now ... my comp has changed for that
MB = A7V880
Ram = 2 x 1gb inspire


Because i changed my Mb ... i formatted and reinstalled windows !.
and my computer still lock up ...
any suggestion of what to do ... :'(

Edit :
also , i checked for bios upgrade (on both MB) ... (both of them was at their latest update)
For my comp .. every part is about 2year old ... (Exepct for the new one i bought)
and also sometimes about 1 year ago , one of my 2 corsair got corrupt (was giving something else then what it was written on it, so i bought another one ... and it worked fine for 1 year ;P until the lock up started !

[Whyzman]

Troubleshooting works best when the number of variables is smallest. This makes trying to isolate the culprit easier.

I would suggest a barebones boot with the motherboard outside of the case on a non-conductive surface. RAM (one stick), video card, CPU/heatsink/fan, keyboard...

I would also have the BIOS defaults loaded...

See if you can make it through POST. If successful, I would reboot and enter Setup, locate the CPU and motherboard temps and let the system idle for as long as you are comfortable while monitoring the temps...

If everything looks good, I would suggest adding the floppy and then run MemTest...

Question: Is the RAM you are swapping around all compatible with your motherboards?

Only introduce another variable (component) when you are thoroughly convinced that all is well...

I would suggest that you also download Sylvander's flow charts which would assist with basic troubleshooting measures...

Oops, almost forgot...Welcome to Forums!

[Dudeguy]

Question: Is the RAM you are swapping around all compatible with your motherboards?

hummm for that i doubt (my new ram)
for the last one (a7n8x-e deluxe) it was.

Currently I've disabled my audio card... i will check if it will lock up tommorow...
i think it may be my Sound card though ... my first prob started with some sound glitch .... and now i can't really upgrade the driver (... the auto update say i have driver to update :P and when i run them it say i don'T have a compatible sound card) lol

I will test the more I can.

And yeah good idea I guess i will run test tommorow to isolate the prob

But there is one ... bad thing in that...

It freeze up ... randomly ... can take up to 1 hour ... or even 36 hour ...
so I can'T really locate the prob ... i will try something about that thought ..
I have another comp ... i will switch 2 thing from one another ... first one to crash will be in the comp (so if i switch to the other comp a piece ... that make it crash .. it will be this one)

Any idea which one I should start first ?

... for the sound card ... i doubt but i will try :P (how can a soundcard be used in memtest.... lol anyway)

btw, thx for the welcome

(sorry for my bad spelling ... I'm writting a bit fast so i don't reread myseft )

[Whyzman]

It freeze up ... randomly ... can take up to 1 hour ... or even 36 hour ...
so I can'T really locate the prob

Yes, it may take some time...but keep the variables to an absolute minimum...

Disabling your audio card is part of setting up for a barebones boot...Remove everything ...PCI cards, harddrives...pull power and IDE/SATA cables... except for the hardware I mentioned above for the barebones...

Drivers at the barebones level are BIOS level only...anything Windoze level is not even involved...

[rond36]

We have almost the same amount of hardware in our systems.

- PS = Thermalake 480Watts (double fan)

Is that PSU a Thermaltake W0014RU 480W W/O PFC?

I had one of those in my system for about a year and a half.

About six weeks ago my computer started doing the same thing as yours random hard lockups and spontainous reboots.

Three weeks ago I went to bed with the computer on (I can't go to bed without my 92mm vantec tornado fan singing me to sleep ) when I woke up the computer was off and the LED on the motherboard was not lit.

The power supply unit was dead I couldn't even kick it on by jumping the ATX connector green to black.

I replaced the PSU with a better Enermax unit and all of the problems stopped.

[Dudeguy]

hummmmm
the ps could be the problem so .... if it can make random problem like that ...
and yeah ... i've got about the same one you have.
Not sure of the model, a disc one, that i bought 2 year ago ... 2 fan that I can control with a bearing (faster/slower)

unfortunatly it about the only part i can'T test out lol

even with my soundcard disabled it locked up.
i will check that out.

When you're computer was locking up , what did you do for 6 week ? lol .... enduring the pain ?

Yes, it may take some time...but keep the variables to an absolute minimum...

Disabling your audio card is part of setting up for a barebones boot...Remove everything ...PCI cards, harddrives...pull power and IDE/SATA cables... except for the hardware I mentioned above for the barebones...

Drivers at the barebones level are BIOS level only...anything Windoze level is not even involved...

hum hummmm, how can i live with a computer on the bios for 2 days :'(

[Whyzman]

hum hummmm, how can i live with a computer on the bios for 2 days :'(

I would say about the same as you've been living with it in its current condition...

rond could be on the right track with the power supply...if you've known good supply you might want to try swapping that first and see how things go...

[odannyboy000]

Have you tried running a virus scan by any chance? Sometimes virus's will lock up your computer by looping so much your computer cannot function (hence freezing).

[rond36]

When you're computer was locking up , what did you do for 6 week ? lol

At first it only did it once every 2 or 3 days but before the PSU quit it became more frequent like 2 or 3 times a day. I thought it was video or sound drivers but updating them didn't help.

odannyboy000

His locks up in Memtest which is run from a boot floppy, not many viruses infect floppies anymore.

Once mine even locked up in BIOS setup

[Dudeguy]

ya , memtest is on a cd for me though ;P

( i don'T have any floppy)

humm for the PS ... yeah i should test .... tommorow is a work free day i guess i will try to swap ... but the ps is the last thing I would like to swap but i will try !

i'm pretty sure it is that !

I also have a UPS ... would it be the cause (can it be ? ) )



But one thing i hate though ...
if I run azureus ... the time it will lock up increase ..
like ... i mean ... the more activity it does ... the less time it take to lock up :S

But i will switch the PS tonigh and see the result !

Thx alot for your reply rond36, i didn'T though about the PSU


Also , yeah ... first it was doing it like 1-3 time a week ... now it become more frequent ! .... and sometimes it shutdown completly ... maybe it only the voltage that switch too rapidly ... so pouf .. (but a small bit .. not much enought to shut down it)

On asus probe .. .the voltage Change frequently ! but not much .. i mean :
12v = 12.544 - 12.48, and it change OFTEN between those 2
5v = 4.945 - 4.919 (also change often)
3.3v = ... 3.392 doesn't change at all
Vcore = 1.744 - 1.728 (also change often)

also ... if i check the voltage monitor .. i can see some minor spike in the 12v ... i mean a line ... but with small ^ at some place (like it was noticable)

... is it normal that it change like every minute maybe more often ?

[Dudeguy]

heh !
switched PS ...
my other ps is a 420W ... and he doens'T give enought !
my 3.3v is only at 3.0v !!! ... heh .... really unstable ! .

lol i will wait until my second comp crash :P ( i guess ?)

[Dudeguy]

so... i bought a Antec TruePower 480Watts,
I will give ya news on how it go

Edit : Now i got problem that is shutdown itselft

Currently running memtest ... (been 20 min running now)
Maybe it windows in this case .... sight
... problem after problem :P lol computer can almost be like cars sometimes

[Whyzman]

Well, let the old memtest run a while and let us know the results...

[Dudeguy]

hummmm
pretty weird

I've runned memtest, after 1 pass (2h, 15 min) no crash .. nothing ... work perfectly...
Now.... i've gone to windows for 1 hour doing nothing (idle) ... was also fine
....
i'Ve runned Hot Cpu tester for 3 hour ... and also fine !...

...
One thing i changed thereafer .... is my UPS ...
I mean ... after the shutdown ect, i plugged my Power supply directly on the wall (and not on the UPS)
could it be that my ups give wrong power tu my PSU ?... so it make it fails ?

[Dudeguy]

yup my pc doesn'T lock up anymore
the only prob now ;P

VPU recovery....

it saying that there and there .... (more often in WoW)