madtherchot

Hi. I had been running on Win XP SP2 for over a year (personal best), but some programs continuously started crashing (media players, web browsers, games, even yahoo messenger) while lesser demanding ones like Total Commander seemed to work fine. Eventually, the system would crash or abruptly restart itself (similar to physically pressing the restart button).

I formatted + reinstalled 3-4 times, but the same problems persist + might have even gotten worse. I even tried installing Mcafee's new SecurityCenter but even it crashes. The only somewhat recent change I've made to my PC is replacing a Pioneer DVD-writer with an Asus, something I assume won't have a drastic effect on the power supply.

I really don't know where to start with the diagnosis + would appreciate any help. If you need more information, please let me know what you need since I don't know where to start.

Warm regards.

madtherchot

Hi there again.

Sorry for double posting or making a new thread (in case there was an existing one already), but I've tried a few things after looking around a bit. I did an XP ScanDisk (the one where it scans your hard drive when you reboot) + tried running in safe mode (with networking). ScanDisk said I've a 'clean disk' and I'm still running on safe mode now. My web browser hasn't crashed yet, which is fine but my media player (vlc) just crashed.

Please help me out cause this is quite frustrating. + searching on the net hasn't done me any good either.

Regards.

speedster123

You need to list your complete system specs including your power supply and ram.
Does it do this with the side off?

Check your device manager for any yellow alerts.
In the manager click "view", then click "show hidden devices"

madtherchot

Will do, but I'm still checking out how long the system + web browser and other programs run in safe mode - but I'm sure they haven't been working fine for this long. What do you mean by "side off"?
As I said, still running on safe mode with networking. Only devices with yellow alerts are under "Other devices" and are the "Multimedia Controller" and "Multimedia Video Controller". I'm guessing this is my GeForce FX 5200 - is this correct? I used to use NVidia Driver 78.01 and am now using 93.71, but the computer has crashed before I've even installed any NVidia Driver.

I'll post my system specs in a bit.

madtherchot

^^ Few corrections.

The yellow alerts were from my old BT878 card. Installed the driver and all devices (even hidden) are working fine. I'm booted on normal now and everything's been running fine so far.

Some specs:
350 W PSU
320 MB RAM
1.67Ghz AMD processor (I think that's an AMD 1800 or 2000, not sure).
40 GB Hard Drive (Maxtor 6L040J2)
Samsung CD ROM (SAMSUNG SC-152L)
Asus DVD Writer (ASUS DRDW-1608P3S)
NVidia GeForce FX5200
Creative AudioPCI (audio card)
Conexant BTPCI Video + Audio Captures

I'll let you know the exact details of the mother board + PSU as soon as I open her up. But, she seems to be running fine ... which would be really weird since I never would have thought something as miserly + forgettable as an old TV-card would cause such havoc. I'll keep it running and tell if the problems persist.

EDIT: Nope ... Mozilla just crashed

madtherchot

Opened her up and found tons of dust. Took time cleaning everything but here are the specs.

PSU: JNC MODEL: LC-B350ATX ... 350W. I should say I had a 500W PSU earlier *~two years ago*. Computer wouldn't start (when you turn it on, it would have lasted a max of 5 secs) and took it to a computer guy who said the PSU was at fault and that he replaced it.

Mother Board: Didn't know exactly what to look for. "Mercury KOB KT133a FSX" was the biggest inscription on the board together with "CE". Other labels I saw where on what looked like the ROM with this written on it (KOB KT133a FSX 805; Pheonix Bios; D686 BIOS) and a VIA chip (VT82C686B)

Let me know if you need any other info.

Also, on XP's System Properties, under computer, "Unknown CPU Type; 1.67GHz, 320MB of RAM" though it has always said that even when working fine.

speedster123

You will need to address the conflicts in your device manager.
It might be looking for this driver "Conexant BTPCI Video + Audio Captures"
Have the drivers ready, uninstall the yellow alerts, and reboot.
Did you install the motherboard chipset drivers?

madtherchot

I found the Conexant drivers and all the devices in Device Manager (including view -> hidden) are working fine. So no yellow alerts in Device Manager. Do I need to install the motherboard chipset drivers? I never did before and it worked fine ... thought the BIOS handles that.

speedster123

I would install them.

madtherchot

What is a chipset driver, if I may. Does it modify the BIOS? I searched and found this.

dai

the first part is a bios update
the second is the via 4 in 1 driver update

madtherchot

But is it really the problem, since my computer (+ BIOS in particular) worked fine without this update/driver ... I'm just lost as to why the BIOS could be the problem since it worked fine before.

dai

the only time you update the bios is when it offers something you need,otherwise leave it alone
the 4 in 1 drivers are via chipset drivers,providing your m/b has the via chipset these could need updating

madtherchot

a) what are the 4 in 1 drivers?
b) how do I know if my motherboard has the via chipset?

dai

did you get a m/b setup cd with the computer
if yes then you have to run it after formatting the computer as soon as you have the operating system installed
your manualwill tell you what chipset is in there from memory i think it is a via chipset but check

madtherchot

I looked for my mother board's setup CD + manual but couldn't find it yet (that was a long time ago). However, weird thing is, after cleaning up the insides (PSU, CPU + graphics card fans), and most of the inside, the computer has been running fine. Infact, nothing's crashed + I haven't rebooted since turning it on right after cleaning it up (more than 24 hours ago). Could this have been the problem or will they reemerge?

Will continue looking for the mb cd + manual.

dai

yes that could be the cause,you must have installed the chipset drivers or you would have yellow exclamation marks all over the device manager

madtherchot

Thanks. My computer's working fine. I found it interesting, to say the least, that computers appreciate tidiness ... more work for women then, with all due respect, of course