Freezing Problems

ZipCrash · 05-18-2005, 10:52 AM

Hey guys, long time no see, need your help agian.

Monday night my media machine started freezing in the middle of the playback of a avi file. One time it actually flashed a blue screen and restarted. Since then the problem has just gotten worse. I tried to format my C drive this morning and reinstall windows, just to see if that would help and it froze right in the middle of the format. Everytime I restart and try to do something it freezes faster and faster. One time on post, it gave me an error saying there was something wrong with the power setup and to enter setup and fix it. It froze right after and I couldn't get into setup. If I shut it off for an hour or so I can do some stuff agian but the more I try to use it or do anything the quicker is freezes. At first when it was just freezing in Windows I thought it was a hard drive problem, since it is one I have been using for awhile, but now it's freezing on post. I'm thinking a memory problem but it's somewhat new, crucial memory. If it was really a power problem wouldn't it shut off? Always has in my experience. All of the parts expect for the primary hard drive and sound card are pretty new (like fall last year).

I don't have any spare parts to troubleshoot with so I was hoping maybe some of you guys had some ideas.

**Sarkast** · 05-18-2005, 11:00 AM

Well it would probably help to know the systems specs - by the sound of it i'd suspect
a) power issue
b) overheating

You saying that things happen faster and faster kind of sound like b) - but it could still be the PSU not being able to keep up with whatever your system demands.
If you can take a look at the HW monitor in the BIOS - just leave it there untill it freezes up and see if the voltages behave oddly.
Of course also make sure the CPU fan is running etc...

ZipCrash · 05-18-2005, 03:19 PM

alright I will do that, here are the specs:

Asus A7V Motherboard
AMD Athlon XP 2800
Crucial 512MB DDR
PNY GeForce FX 5500
Creative Sound Blaster Live!
Primary HD - 30GB Western Digital
Secondary HD - 250GB Western Digital

**Sarkast** · 05-18-2005, 03:22 PM

And the power supply is ?

ZipCrash · 05-18-2005, 03:42 PM

I don't really know what the brand is, I looked around but couldn't find it. lol It's a 530W. I watched the Temp and Voltage for awhile. The voltage seemed to be pretty steady. I haven't done alot with Althon XP cpus but the tempatues seemed pretty bad to me. It got up to 140F and stayed around that area until I decided to shut it off, never froze but I didn't want to run any longer. The mobo temp was around 80F.

I probably need a better CPU fan, I have a thermaltake in my PC but the media machine just has one that came with the CPU/Mobo combo. I also have 3 case fans, one front, one back, one side, as well as two in the power supply. I probably need to find a better way to arrange that for better airflow. Any suggestions? What's a good, quite fan for that CPU?

Thanks for all your help.

**Sarkast** · 05-18-2005, 05:25 PM

Well if the temperature reported was in the BIOS then 140F is a bit much (thats about 60C) - considering that at that point the CPU is IDLE. Imagine how far it might go up once you stress it.

I dont know if you need to replace it - did you use the standard thermal pad with it or AS5 ? To use Arctic Silver 5 can in some cases lower your temps 10 degrees celcius.

When it comes to case airflow - try to get everything really cleaned up, maybe use rounded cables instead of flat .

I have to look around for a Athlon XP heatsink or ask one of our more AMD oriented techs to give you some advice.

ZipCrash · 05-18-2005, 05:28 PM

thanks, I did use some artic silver, haven't blow out the comp in awhile, that might help.

ZipCrash · 05-18-2005, 07:45 PM

ok I blew it out and made my side fan blow out instead of in so it would increase airflow, got the CPU temp down to 102F but it still freezes. Next idea? :)

ZipCrash · 05-18-2005, 08:14 PM

I ran a program called Memtest, I found it on the AMD forum. It hasn't even completed yet but it found over 2,000 errors. I think it's a safe bet, that's my problem. :)

**Sarkast** · 05-18-2005, 09:17 PM

Yes indeed. Time to replace the RAM. Good troubleshooting.

ZipCrash · 05-19-2005, 09:31 AM

It found over 6,000 errors before I decided to shut it off. I'm overnighting it to Crucial today and they are sending me a new stick. Thank god for warrantys. :) Thanks for all of your help Sarkast.

**Sarkast** · 05-19-2005, 10:40 AM

Let us know if your system runs stabil again once you have the new RAM.

ZipCrash · 06-01-2005, 09:18 AM

I finally got my new memory last night and my comp still freezes during format. I'm trying to find a good disk diagnostic program to run now.

I think the memory was certianly messed up, but I'm thinking the hard drive is messed too.

**Sarkast** · 06-01-2005, 09:27 AM

The tool for your western digital drives (data lifeguard diagnostic) is really good. Run a check and see what it comes up with.

http://support.wdc.com/download/inde...cxml=n&pid=999

ZipCrash · 06-01-2005, 11:21 AM

Yea I ran the extended test and it froze after the quick test part and it didn't find a thing. I wrote zeros to the drive just fine.

ZipCrash · 06-01-2005, 06:29 PM

I switched the memory stick to another slot and now it seems to be working peferctly fine. I loaded up a fresh install of windows and my drive letters are wack. I've seen drive letters get messed up before but not this bad. The c drive is now F and the D drive is now C. Even the cd-roms are messed. I went through administrator tools and fixed everything but I can't change F to C, obviously becuase windows is on it. Does anybody know a way to fix this? Maybe a way to change it in DOS and than edit the boot.ini?

ebackhus · 06-01-2005, 06:31 PM

Sounds like it may be a physical issue in regards to how they are actually plugged in. Check your cables.

ZipCrash · 06-01-2005, 09:01 PM

Nope, not a thing has changed since last time.

05-18-2005, 10:52 AM	#1 (permalink)
ZipCrash Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Great Northwest Posts: 62 OS: WinXP & RedHat	Freezing Problems Hey guys, long time no see, need your help agian. Monday night my media machine started freezing in the middle of the playback of a avi file. One time it actually flashed a blue screen and restarted. Since then the problem has just gotten worse. I tried to format my C drive this morning and reinstall windows, just to see if that would help and it froze right in the middle of the format. Everytime I restart and try to do something it freezes faster and faster. One time on post, it gave me an error saying there was something wrong with the power setup and to enter setup and fix it. It froze right after and I couldn't get into setup. If I shut it off for an hour or so I can do some stuff agian but the more I try to use it or do anything the quicker is freezes. At first when it was just freezing in Windows I thought it was a hard drive problem, since it is one I have been using for awhile, but now it's freezing on post. I'm thinking a memory problem but it's somewhat new, crucial memory. If it was really a power problem wouldn't it shut off? Always has in my experience. All of the parts expect for the primary hard drive and sound card are pretty new (like fall last year). I don't have any spare parts to troubleshoot with so I was hoping maybe some of you guys had some ideas.

05-18-2005, 11:00 AM	#2 (permalink)
Sarkast TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NY Posts: 2,715 OS: WinXP	Well it would probably help to know the systems specs - by the sound of it i'd suspect a) power issue b) overheating You saying that things happen faster and faster kind of sound like b) - but it could still be the PSU not being able to keep up with whatever your system demands. If you can take a look at the HW monitor in the BIOS - just leave it there untill it freezes up and see if the voltages behave oddly. Of course also make sure the CPU fan is running etc... __________________ P4 2.4@2.9 / XP-90 / Albatron PX865PE Pro V2.0 / Kingston Hyper-X 512MB Dual Channel CL2-2-2-5 / Geforce4 MX440x8 64MB / WD80GB 7200RPM 8MB / Thermaltake 420W PSU --> SEE IT ALL GLOW <-- MBM5 - SpeedFan - PSU Calculator - MemTest86 - ThrottleWatch

05-18-2005, 03:22 PM	#4 (permalink)
Sarkast TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NY Posts: 2,715 OS: WinXP	And the power supply is ? __________________ P4 2.4@2.9 / XP-90 / Albatron PX865PE Pro V2.0 / Kingston Hyper-X 512MB Dual Channel CL2-2-2-5 / Geforce4 MX440x8 64MB / WD80GB 7200RPM 8MB / Thermaltake 420W PSU --> SEE IT ALL GLOW <-- MBM5 - SpeedFan - PSU Calculator - MemTest86 - ThrottleWatch

05-18-2005, 05:25 PM	#6 (permalink)
Sarkast TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NY Posts: 2,715 OS: WinXP	Well if the temperature reported was in the BIOS then 140F is a bit much (thats about 60C) - considering that at that point the CPU is IDLE. Imagine how far it might go up once you stress it. I dont know if you need to replace it - did you use the standard thermal pad with it or AS5 ? To use Arctic Silver 5 can in some cases lower your temps 10 degrees celcius. When it comes to case airflow - try to get everything really cleaned up, maybe use rounded cables instead of flat . I have to look around for a Athlon XP heatsink or ask one of our more AMD oriented techs to give you some advice. __________________ P4 2.4@2.9 / XP-90 / Albatron PX865PE Pro V2.0 / Kingston Hyper-X 512MB Dual Channel CL2-2-2-5 / Geforce4 MX440x8 64MB / WD80GB 7200RPM 8MB / Thermaltake 420W PSU --> SEE IT ALL GLOW <-- MBM5 - SpeedFan - PSU Calculator - MemTest86 - ThrottleWatch

05-18-2005, 07:45 PM	#8 (permalink)
ZipCrash Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Great Northwest Posts: 62 OS: WinXP & RedHat	ok I blew it out and made my side fan blow out instead of in so it would increase airflow, got the CPU temp down to 102F but it still freezes. Next idea? :) Last edited by ZipCrash; 05-18-2005 at 07:52 PM.

05-18-2005, 03:19 PM	#3 (permalink)
ZipCrash Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Great Northwest Posts: 62 OS: WinXP & RedHat	alright I will do that, here are the specs: Asus A7V Motherboard AMD Athlon XP 2800 Crucial 512MB DDR PNY GeForce FX 5500 Creative Sound Blaster Live! Primary HD - 30GB Western Digital Secondary HD - 250GB Western Digital

05-18-2005, 03:42 PM	#5 (permalink)
ZipCrash Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Great Northwest Posts: 62 OS: WinXP & RedHat	I don't really know what the brand is, I looked around but couldn't find it. lol It's a 530W. I watched the Temp and Voltage for awhile. The voltage seemed to be pretty steady. I haven't done alot with Althon XP cpus but the tempatues seemed pretty bad to me. It got up to 140F and stayed around that area until I decided to shut it off, never froze but I didn't want to run any longer. The mobo temp was around 80F. I probably need a better CPU fan, I have a thermaltake in my PC but the media machine just has one that came with the CPU/Mobo combo. I also have 3 case fans, one front, one back, one side, as well as two in the power supply. I probably need to find a better way to arrange that for better airflow. Any suggestions? What's a good, quite fan for that CPU? Thanks for all your help.

05-18-2005, 05:28 PM	#7 (permalink)
ZipCrash Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Great Northwest Posts: 62 OS: WinXP & RedHat	thanks, I did use some artic silver, haven't blow out the comp in awhile, that might help.

05-18-2005, 08:14 PM	#9 (permalink)
ZipCrash Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Great Northwest Posts: 62 OS: WinXP & RedHat	I ran a program called Memtest, I found it on the AMD forum. It hasn't even completed yet but it found over 2,000 errors. I think it's a safe bet, that's my problem. :)

05-18-2005, 09:17 PM	#10 (permalink)
Sarkast TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NY Posts: 2,715 OS: WinXP	Yes indeed. Time to replace the RAM. Good troubleshooting. __________________ P4 2.4@2.9 / XP-90 / Albatron PX865PE Pro V2.0 / Kingston Hyper-X 512MB Dual Channel CL2-2-2-5 / Geforce4 MX440x8 64MB / WD80GB 7200RPM 8MB / Thermaltake 420W PSU --> SEE IT ALL GLOW <-- MBM5 - SpeedFan - PSU Calculator - MemTest86 - ThrottleWatch

05-19-2005, 09:31 AM	#11 (permalink)
ZipCrash Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Great Northwest Posts: 62 OS: WinXP & RedHat	It found over 6,000 errors before I decided to shut it off. I'm overnighting it to Crucial today and they are sending me a new stick. Thank god for warrantys. :) Thanks for all of your help Sarkast.

05-19-2005, 10:40 AM	#12 (permalink)
Sarkast TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NY Posts: 2,715 OS: WinXP	Let us know if your system runs stabil again once you have the new RAM. __________________ P4 2.4@2.9 / XP-90 / Albatron PX865PE Pro V2.0 / Kingston Hyper-X 512MB Dual Channel CL2-2-2-5 / Geforce4 MX440x8 64MB / WD80GB 7200RPM 8MB / Thermaltake 420W PSU --> SEE IT ALL GLOW <-- MBM5 - SpeedFan - PSU Calculator - MemTest86 - ThrottleWatch

06-01-2005, 09:18 AM	#13 (permalink)
ZipCrash Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Great Northwest Posts: 62 OS: WinXP & RedHat	I finally got my new memory last night and my comp still freezes during format. I'm trying to find a good disk diagnostic program to run now. I think the memory was certianly messed up, but I'm thinking the hard drive is messed too.

06-01-2005, 09:27 AM	#14 (permalink)
Sarkast TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NY Posts: 2,715 OS: WinXP	The tool for your western digital drives (data lifeguard diagnostic) is really good. Run a check and see what it comes up with. http://support.wdc.com/download/inde...cxml=n&pid=999 __________________ P4 2.4@2.9 / XP-90 / Albatron PX865PE Pro V2.0 / Kingston Hyper-X 512MB Dual Channel CL2-2-2-5 / Geforce4 MX440x8 64MB / WD80GB 7200RPM 8MB / Thermaltake 420W PSU --> SEE IT ALL GLOW <-- MBM5 - SpeedFan - PSU Calculator - MemTest86 - ThrottleWatch

06-01-2005, 11:21 AM	#15 (permalink)
ZipCrash Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Great Northwest Posts: 62 OS: WinXP & RedHat	Yea I ran the extended test and it froze after the quick test part and it didn't find a thing. I wrote zeros to the drive just fine.

06-01-2005, 06:31 PM	#17 (permalink)
ebackhus Manager, Design Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: SATX Posts: 14,146 OS: WinXP Pro SP3/Windows 7 RTM My System Blog Entries: 28	Sounds like it may be a physical issue in regards to how they are actually plugged in. Check your cables. __________________ ----------------------------- There are no dumb questions, unless a customer is asking them. Help in the fight against cancer and other serious illnesses.

06-01-2005, 06:29 PM	#16 (permalink)
ZipCrash Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Great Northwest Posts: 62 OS: WinXP & RedHat	I switched the memory stick to another slot and now it seems to be working peferctly fine. I loaded up a fresh install of windows and my drive letters are wack. I've seen drive letters get messed up before but not this bad. The c drive is now F and the D drive is now C. Even the cd-roms are messed. I went through administrator tools and fixed everything but I can't change F to C, obviously becuase windows is on it. Does anybody know a way to fix this? Maybe a way to change it in DOS and than edit the boot.ini?

06-01-2005, 09:01 PM	#18 (permalink)
ZipCrash Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Great Northwest Posts: 62 OS: WinXP & RedHat	Nope, not a thing has changed since last time.