Computer freeze - tried a lot already

Hi InnerCX, unfortunately I only have a 300w old PSU which I believe will be insufficient. I just ordered a TX650 Corsair .. which I probably will receive already by tomorrow. Let's see if it makes a difference ..

Lars
 
Aaaaarrrgggh!! I just fitted a new PSU (Corsair TX650) ... and had three new freezes. So the PSU is also not the problem. Heeeelp!!! New motherboard???

Lars
 
Buckhandle said:
Aaaaarrrgggh!! I just fitted a new PSU (Corsair TX650) ... and had three new freezes. So the PSU is also not the problem. Heeeelp!!! New motherboard???

Lars
Click to expand...

No, PSU and motherboard don't sound like they've got anything to do with the problem. Anyone who told you to replace your PSU clearly isn't familiar with computers.

First step: Make sure all devices in device manager are indicating as working properly.

Secondly: Check the HDD health using any trial or free software, e.g. hard disk sentinel.

Thirdly: Check for any error codes and hardware compatibility issues; maybe you're using a bus device, which is fully functional. In such case, disabling that one device can put a stop to the problem.

There are a number of problems which could cause the system to hang; to check it yourself, it'll take a lot of time. If you show it to an expert; they'll probably have it diagnosed within an hour (if at all that long).
 
Hi Mr Green,

Sorry for my late reply - today was just another frustrating day with my computer. I had to re-install everything all over. XP is re-installed on a 'new' Harddrive - and even with only the new and fully updated XP (+ all Envidia motherboard and GPU drivers installed) - the computer froze.

All devices are listed to be fully functional. Only some system devices are without drivers - but there are no yellow markings on the devices stating a problem to be present. (???)

Hard Disk Sentinel shows no problems.

RegScrubXP, Puran Defrag and Free Registry Defrag did also not solve the freeze problem.

As I re-installed XP on a 'new' Harddrive - I also tried disconnecting the original OS Harddrive. No difference. So, the old harddrive should be ok then.

Man .... what to do?

Lars
 
At this point I'd look at the RAM. You'll want to test it with a bootable version of memtest86+

Let it run overnight. If it reports any errors at all, you have faulty RAM.
 
Hi Linkin,

I started the MemTest86+ earlier today. So far the test has passed 6 cycles (duration 6 hours and 30 min) with no errors ...

RAM seems not to be the problem either ..

Lars
 
Install all missing drivers first and fore most and see if that clears up your issues. If they don't:

Do the freezes happen randomly, or when doing certain things (for example when in games, watching videos or listening to music)?

Have you recently (apart from the power supply) changed any hardware?

Have you recently installed any new software?

What brand hard drive do you have? Use the specific manufacturer's tool rather than a generic one. Either look it up on their site, or post up who the manufacturer is, and I'll give you a link to the tool that you need. If it is Western Digital, the specific model is needed too, or at least the family.

When your computer freezes, do you ever get Blue Screen's, or does it just hang? If you get Blue Screens, follow this guide

What you mentioned earlier about L1 cache by the way, that is normal, your processor has only 64KB of L1 cache. It may seem small, but it is like that on all processors, a Core i7 950 for instance has 256KB of L1 cache
 
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Buckhandle said:
Hi Mr Green,

Sorry for my late reply - today was just another frustrating day with my computer. I had to re-install everything all over. XP is re-installed on a 'new' Harddrive - and even with only the new and fully updated XP (+ all Envidia motherboard and GPU drivers installed) - the computer froze.

All devices are listed to be fully functional. Only some system devices are without drivers - but there are no yellow markings on the devices stating a problem to be present. (???)

Hard Disk Sentinel shows no problems.

RegScrubXP, Puran Defrag and Free Registry Defrag did also not solve the freeze problem.

As I re-installed XP on a 'new' Harddrive - I also tried disconnecting the original OS Harddrive. No difference. So, the old harddrive should be ok then.

Man .... what to do?

Lars
Click to expand...

Install any missing drivers before doing anything else; missing system drivers are a major cause of a random system hang.
 
I am not sure if i understand the driver issue correctly. When looking through the device manager, the Direct Memory Controller is stated to be without a driver (on the front page). However when looking at the driver tab, the driver is stated to be Driver 5.1.2600.5512. Is this correct?

I have re-installed the Nvidia nForce driver package for both motherboard and GPU. The Direct Memory Control driver did not change during this driver update process.

Lars
 
Hi Aastii, thank you for your comments and guidance!

I truly believe that I have now updated all drivers but I am waiting to get registered at DriverMax (there is some kind of reg issue). DriverMax will be my final attempt to solve driver issues. I am currently testing the two hard drives by the use of manufaturer specific test software. So far no problem. Let's see what happens.

The computer freezes (hangs) only. I never have a blue screen issue. All hangs/freezes happens randomly either when gaming, surfing, installing software or even when idling.

Lars
 
Hi Mr Green, You mentioned

'Thirdly: Check for any error codes and hardware compatibility issues; maybe you're using a bus device, which is fully functional. In such case, disabling that one device can put a stop to the problem.'

How do you suggest me doing so? Via the Device Manager?

Lars
 
Sounds like a hardware issue in my opinion.

Symptoms that a motherboard failing can appear as:

The system begins to boot up but then powers down
An error message displays during the boot. Investigate this message.
The system becomes unstable, hangs or freezes at odd times
Intermittent Windows or hard drive errors occur
Components on motherboards or devices connected to it don't work

It could also be a video card problem. Is there a video card you can replace your present one with to trouble shoot?

Mixing Random Access Memory Module Speeds
There are some motherboards that are really picky with memory. If two different modules of RAM are mixed it can possibly cause problems. Are the RAM modules the same make and model in your system?

Another possible problem is an overheating processor. An overheating central processing unit can be caused by a bad fan attached to the heat sink. See if the heatsink fan is spinning when the computer is turned on. An improperly mounted heat sink or a heat sink clogged with dust will not cool the processor properly. The heat sink can become hot to the touch if the processor is overheating.
 
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Buckhandle said:
Hi Aastii, thank you for your comments and guidance!

I truly believe that I have now updated all drivers but I am waiting to get registered at DriverMax (there is some kind of reg issue). DriverMax will be my final attempt to solve driver issues. I am currently testing the two hard drives by the use of manufaturer specific test software. So far no problem. Let's see what happens.

The computer freezes (hangs) only. I never have a blue screen issue. All hangs/freezes happens randomly either when gaming, surfing, installing software or even when idling.

Lars
Click to expand...

Download HWMonitor from here:

ftp://ftp.cpuid.com/hwmonitor/hwmonitor_1.16-setup.exe

install it, then run it. What temperatures are you getting? If you aren't sure what you are looking at, you can print screen it and post up a picture:

1. Hit Print scree
2. Paste into MS Paint
3. Save it
4. Go to http://photobucket.com/ . Log in, or if you don't have an account, sign up
5. Upload your picture
6. put the IMG code into a post here
 
Hi 2048 .... please see my comments (!!!!) below...

Sounds like a hardware issue in my opinion.

Symptoms that a motherboard failing can appear as:

The system begins to boot up but then powers down
An error message displays during the boot. Investigate this message.
The system becomes unstable, hangs or freezes at odd times
Intermittent Windows or hard drive errors occur
Components on motherboards or devices connected to it don't work

It could also be a video card problem. Is there a video card you can replace your present one with to trouble shoot?
!!!! Video card has been replaced. Same problem.


Mixing Random Access Memory Module Speeds
There are some motherboards that are really picky with memory. If two different modules of RAM are mixed it can possibly cause problems. Are the RAM modules the same make and model in your system?
!!!! The problem started after 1½ year. The RAM have been the same all along. I have also taken out the RAM blocks one by one to see if it would make any difference. It did not.


Another possible problem is an overheating processor. An overheating central processing unit can be caused by a bad fan attached to the heat sink. See if the heatsink fan is spinning when the computer is turned on. An improperly mounted heat sink or a heat sink clogged with dust will not cool the processor properly. The heat sink can become hot to the touch if the processor is overheating.
!!!! The heat sink between the CPU and the fan has been replaced twice. The CPU temp is 45 dgr C at the most (HWMonitor).
 
Did you completely disconnect the old hard drive from your system? You re-installed your new operating system on a new hard drive, but the old drive could possibly be giving you problems if it is defective.

If disconnecting the drive doesn't solve your issue then the motherboard is defective then. The only other problem other than a new hard drive in my opinion is a defective processor and I highly doubt that is the problem. Less than a 1 percent chance of the processor being the problem.

After troubleshooting the hard drive issue contact the motherboard manufacturer for a return merchandise authorization.
 
Hi 2048, I disconnected the 2'nd harddrive. The one and only drive installed was the secondary (data) drive earlier. So it has always been in the PC.

However I purchased HardDiskSentinel Pro and tested the drive thoroughly. Both the surface READ test, the hardware SelfTest and the temp/performance test were all completed successfully with NO fails (bad clusters etc)

I imagine I need to look for a new motherboard.

Lars
 
Hi. I'm not a computer expert but I can offer some advice from my uncle. He had a problem similar to yours....He did almost everything suggest (but replace the PSU) so he decided to disconnect everything NOT needed to run a computer (CD Drive, 2nd HDD, SD slot readers thing, 2nd video card, etc) and run the computer connecting one thing at a time, restarting everytime. Eventually we got to the hardware that made it lock and freeze....the SD Slots. Just went through and connected everything back up, waiting for a freeze after a while, nothing happend til the SD's were back in.

So just something to consider, but It took us a LONG time, about 2 days to find it. Just a suggestion.....:good:
 
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