PC randomly freezes, need help

lukaspanic · 10-06-2009, 03:52 PM

My PC randomly freezes up completely, the only thing I can do is push the reset button. It started that one day without any change on the system from me.
I used to run WinXP SP2. I now switched to Windows 7 but the problem is still the same so I figure it is not the OS.
I thought it might be a heat problem but it sometimes happens hours after I start working and sometimes during start up after the pc has been turned off for 12 hours. It sometimes freezes as early as the "starting windows" screen.
The problem is not connected to any software package on the system. I can run games, Photoshop and friends, office applications and it randomly freezes...or not.
I thought maybe memory so I got memtest86 and ran it from a floppy. It created an error in bank 0 once but trying to recreate that it hasn't shown an error for the last 6 times I ran the full test. I can not reproduce the error so "scientifically" it is not yet proven that the memory is the problem.

Questions:
1) if memtest shows an error, even only once, does that mean the memory is damaged and likely to be the cause of my troubles?

2) What do I do/test next and how.

I'd hate to start buying components just to see if that was it.

Here are my system specs:

Windows 7 on a AMD X2 3800+
1GB PC 6400 RAM
250GB HD

The system ran fine for about 2.5 years, never had any major problems with it.

Oh and being new here: Hi everyone

Phædrus2401 · 10-06-2009, 06:59 PM

What is your motherboard, graphics card, and power supply?

Was this a computer you built, or one that you bought?

lukaspanic · 10-07-2009, 06:49 PM

It is a computer I build, I build my own computers for about a decade now.
The motherboard is an abit kn9, the graphics card is a radoen x1950 pro with 512mb and the powersupply is a 500W antec bp500u

10-06-2009, 03:52 PM	#1 (permalink)
lukaspanic Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 2 OS: Windows 7	PC randomly freezes, need help My PC randomly freezes up completely, the only thing I can do is push the reset button. It started that one day without any change on the system from me. I used to run WinXP SP2. I now switched to Windows 7 but the problem is still the same so I figure it is not the OS. I thought it might be a heat problem but it sometimes happens hours after I start working and sometimes during start up after the pc has been turned off for 12 hours. It sometimes freezes as early as the "starting windows" screen. The problem is not connected to any software package on the system. I can run games, Photoshop and friends, office applications and it randomly freezes...or not. I thought maybe memory so I got memtest86 and ran it from a floppy. It created an error in bank 0 once but trying to recreate that it hasn't shown an error for the last 6 times I ran the full test. I can not reproduce the error so "scientifically" it is not yet proven that the memory is the problem. Questions: 1) if memtest shows an error, even only once, does that mean the memory is damaged and likely to be the cause of my troubles? 2) What do I do/test next and how. I'd hate to start buying components just to see if that was it. Here are my system specs: Windows 7 on a AMD X2 3800+ 1GB PC 6400 RAM 250GB HD The system ran fine for about 2.5 years, never had any major problems with it. Oh and being new here: Hi everyone

10-06-2009, 06:59 PM	#2 (permalink)
Phædrus2401 Hardware Tech Team Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New Orleans Posts: 3,834 OS: Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 + Ubuntu 9.04 My System	Re: PC randomly freezes, need help What is your motherboard, graphics card, and power supply? Was this a computer you built, or one that you bought? __________________ Good PSU brands: Corsair, SeaSonic, CWT, PC Power and Cooling, Thermaltake Toughpower, CoolerMaster Real Power Pro On 80+ Certification - PSU Information and Selection - Power Supply Myths You don't get what you don't pay for.

10-07-2009, 06:49 PM	#3 (permalink)
lukaspanic Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 2 OS: Windows 7	Re: PC randomly freezes, need help It is a computer I build, I build my own computers for about a decade now. The motherboard is an abit kn9, the graphics card is a radoen x1950 pro with 512mb and the powersupply is a 500W antec bp500u