Most Bizarre PC Problem I've Ever Seen!!!

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shaX 07

New Member
Cliffnotes-

I have an HP Media Center M8430F Desktop PC (Intel Quad 2.4ghz Processors, 4GB RAM, 64 bit Windows 7, 750GB HD, Brand new 550W power supply, GeForce 6800XT Graphics Card).

1. My first problem I had was the monitor would say "No Input Signal" and the PC wouldn't boot. After countless trial and error, I replaced the power supply & video card. A co-worker of mine reset the BIOS and that seemed to resolve the issue.

2. After I resolved that issue, the PC would freeze constantly, like every 2 minutes and I had to shut down it turn it back on and it would just keep freezing.

3. Brought the PC to work, and the problem Does NOT happen! I ran the PC all day at work and it doesn't freeze, but when I take it home and hook it up it starts in on the freezing frenzy!


I started to wonder what was different between work and home, so I brought all of my components to work (monitor, mouse, keyboard, cords) and all of this stuff together works while I am at work, but when I bring it all home it freezes constantly!


The only way for me to stop the freezing is to disable the video card driver and run without one, then there is no freezing (But I don't have to disable it at work).


The only other thing I could think of was a power problem with the outlets in my house but I can't see that being it, because I've tried multiple outlets, power strips, etc.. At work I have no issues with freezing, what on earth could this be?!
 
You may want to check the voltage in your house with a volt meter if you know how. Do you have problems with any other electronics in the house?
 
memory said:
You may want to check the voltage in your house with a volt meter if you know how. Do you have problems with any other electronics in the house?
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Nope, everything seems to be running fine.

PS- the freezing happened before I even put in my new power supply.
 
I would still suspect the issue with the receptacle maybe. you might have tried another but it may have been on the same circut. take it maybe to the tv receptacle that works. then try. if it does i would check 1st connection at the breaker. if its tight and you know the breaker is closing properly then i would suspect the 1st junction where the branch take place. ya need testers. the breaker may be closed but that does not mean its good. it might be a high resistance internal on the breaker.
 
i can say i had a problem one time where my computer would just randomly restart itself and some other problems. I like never had a computer problem i could not fix until i came to this one. I tried thinking about all possibilities imagineable and one day I went to turn on my air conditioner and i noticed that the light in my room went slightly dim and i looked over at my computer and it rebooted. Then restarted it and did it again and messed with the air conditioner and once again it did it, i would have lock ups and freezes with my computer too at random. I will tell you from experience with weird computer problems like this that i would check the house voltage like the other guys said. Your computer obviously works just fine somewhere else with all the same components which would obviously point out to me that there is absoloutely nothing wrong with anything inside your computer or parts that connect to it. Its either the voltage at your house or a problem somehow with the surge protector or something else in that room interfering with the power going to it somehow.These guys are definately on the right track in my opinion.
 
dtbguy81 said:
i can say i had a problem one time where my computer would just randomly restart itself and some other problems. I like never had a computer problem i could not fix until i came to this one. I tried thinking about all possibilities imagineable and one day I went to turn on my air conditioner and i noticed that the light in my room went slightly dim and i looked over at my computer and it rebooted. Then restarted it and did it again and messed with the air conditioner and once again it did it, i would have lock ups and freezes with my computer too at random. I will tell you from experience with weird computer problems like this that i would check the house voltage like the other guys said. Your computer obviously works just fine somewhere else with all the same components which would obviously point out to me that there is absoloutely nothing wrong with anything inside your computer or parts that connect to it. Its either the voltage at your house or a problem somehow with the surge protector or something else in that room interfering with the power going to it somehow.These guys are definately on the right track in my opinion.
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I agree. In my room I am running a 19" TV, DVD Player, Modulator, Desk lamp, Air purifier, Mini fridge, Laptop, Phone charger, digitial camera battery charger, 2 sets of computer speakers (1 for the PC, 1 for the TV), PC monitor, the PC itself, external hard drive.. So I am definitely cranking out A LOT of voltage and I'm guessing it has to be a power issue.
 
shaX 07 said:
I agree. In my room I am running a 19" TV, DVD Player, Modulator, Desk lamp, Air purifier, Mini fridge, Laptop, Phone charger, digitial camera battery charger, 2 sets of computer speakers (1 for the PC, 1 for the TV), PC monitor, the PC itself, external hard drive.. So I am definitely cranking out A LOT of voltage and I'm guessing it has to be a power issue.
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No, electricity doesnt work like that.

The typical outlet in North America runs at a rated 110-125V or Volts, this should not change with how much load there is, what does change on load is the amps or A that are drawn. Most fuses/circuit breakers are rated for 15A, you multiply voltage by amperage to obtain wattage so 120V x 15A = 1800W per fuse. So yes your room is taking a fair amount of wattage or amperage.

Decent power supplies with active PFC dont even use a voltage selection switch for switching between 115V and 230V input, they instead have a range of approximately 90V-250V depending on the supply, so that shouldnt be a problem. Even older/less expensive passive PFC supplies (With switches) dont need "spot on" voltage to run

Now if the power in your room isnt "clean" (Imperfect sine wave or other anomalies) it can mess with delicate electronics such as your computer, as a desk lamp or other analog devices dont require "perfect" power.

Try a multimetre and check the voltage output (You can generally find multimetres at hardware stores like Home Hardware or Home Depot or electronics stores like Radio Shack) if it's below 110V or above 120V or fluctuates rapidly or over a large range (Over a volt or two) then you could have a problem. If so you can try to find a power conditioner or a UPS (Uninterruptable power supply) and run your computer on that and see if it helps.
 
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