computer trouble

pianoman35 · Nov 15, 2008

I was playing Unreal Tournament 2004 yesterday, and joined a game online. It automatically started downloading a map for the game for the game I joined and my computer just suddenly froze and I was unable to control alt delete or anything. I had to restart it multiple times and every time it would freeze. The desktop would freeze too. This is usually all within a minute of startup. Safe mode had some trouble as well, but finally was able to get it to work. I ended up doing system restore on it. Unfortunately that didn't seem to help.

Even since doing the restore, my computer has still been acting weird, and then today I decided to turn it off to clean all the dust out of it. Turned the computer on when I was done, and started freezing again. Sometimes IF i got to the desktop it would change resolutions back and forth and finally stay with one. It would sometimes freeze right at the POST and before the Windows XP screen, and sometimes there as well. Eventually I got it to stay running without freezing. Turned it off after saving everything just for the heck of it and the same thing happened a few more times. Also the monitor would sometimes even go into standby mode with just the blinking light.

I have done virus scans. I did a full one yesterday after the restore and it found nothing. I also ran Lavasoft's Ad-Aware and it didn't find anything critical, only temporary internet files and cookies I think, "pricacy objects". I also took a look at my HDD Health program and says my one harddrive will fail today, maybe its a harddrive problem? I just want to make sure.

So yeah, I have no idea whats going on, can someone help me out?

TriggerFinger · Nov 15, 2008

It could be related to your hard drive (did you say you ran HDD diagnostics?).

pianoman35 · Nov 15, 2008

I ran the diagnostic test in your sig for the WD harddrive and it passed, said there was nothing wrong. I dont get it.. So now im thinking either videocard or motherboard??

dai · Nov 15, 2008

what are you running
video card
cpu
m/board
ram
power supply
brand
wattage

check the listings in the bios for voltages and tempretures and post them

pianoman35 · Nov 16, 2008

For some reason, the last couple restarts have had no freezing whatsoever, im not complaining!

GeForce 6600 GT
Intel Pentium 4 2.4 GHZ
Albatron i845GEV/PEV-W83627
2 gb RAM 2 sticks of 1 gb Kingston PC2700

Power supply is I think 350-400 watts, i forget, but i've had this computer since November 2004, same power supply.

System/CPU temp is 38-39*C

CPU Fan Speed 4272 RPM
AUX Fan 2789 RPM

Vcore 1.44 V
+3.3 = 3.24 V
+5V = 5.05 V
+12 = 11.85 V
-12 = -12.11

Ollieboy · Nov 16, 2008

It could be a faulty RAM stick... theyre usually really sensitive to most things, have you bumped your Tower (pc case) at all or anything?

pianoman35 · Nov 16, 2008

I have before but it this hasn't happened all this time till now. I just dusted it out yesterday, it was so dusty it made the GPU temp go down around 10 degrees. :4-thatsba

Riskyone101 · Nov 16, 2008

well to me it sounds like either the power supply or the mother board is at fault.

dai · Nov 16, 2008

the psu will have deteriorated after 4yrs,the 12v line looks to be down slightly
if it reoccurs try another power supply in it
could have been heat and dusting it out could have solved the problem

pianoman35 · Nov 16, 2008

Thanks for your help guys. Also every day on HDD Health it says my hard drive's nearest T.E.C is that day. Yesterday it said the 15th, now it says the 16th. Could my harddrive be ready to go too? Im glad I backed up all my files! :grin:

pianoman35 · Dec 18, 2008

So im back with the same problem still! Computer still freezes and it seems like it likes to freeze the most at POST or at least some point during startup. Sometimes at the desktop like usual as well.

I did some troubleshooting. I replaced the power supply with a new one with the same wattage (350W) and it still did the same thing. Checked the memory sticks and slots by switching them around then using individual sticks, no luck, still froze. Checked the harddrive by pulling out the old one which I thought had tons of problems, yup still froze as I held the unplugged harddrive in my hand. I tested my videocard using dxdiag and there was no issues with it. I really have no idea what it could be.

At one point yesterday, right when I plugged in the ethernet cable into the port, the computer froze immediately. Then while I was rebooting it was going through POST, went through the next screen and when it got to the bottom it said 3com..etc with a bunch of numbers next to it indicating my ethernet device. Im really starting to think this is a motherboard issue. This motherboard is from 2002-2004, somewhere in there and I've had this computer since November 2004.

What do you all think of this? Think its time to replace everything? :sigh:

dai · Dec 18, 2008

you should have used the opportunity to upgrade the psu
it is getting a bit long in the tooth,especially if you are a gamer
does the device manager list anything wrong with the 3com

pianoman35 · Dec 18, 2008

Well this computer has always had a 350W psu and I've never had this freezing problem till now, which is why I just wanted to replace it with a brand new power supply of the same wattage to see what would happen, and it still did the same thing, so thats why I don't think its the power supply.

This happens as well, sometimes it'l be at POST and freeze or whatever and decide to reboot itself, sometimes the monitor would go into stand-by mode and then power back on, or it just wouldn't do anything at all. Then I would restart, same thing happens where the monitor doesn't go on, couple more times and it finally does. This thing is really screwed up. This problem just happened out of nowhere too.:4-dontkno

As for the 3com, says everything is working properly..

Ollieboy · Dec 18, 2008

What about on BIOS? have you enabled "Halt On Errors during Post" and this could provide detailed info what may be the cause.
You never know, it could vbe your hard dricve cable being damaged (maybe thats why it crashes at start up, *during loading your files etc.)

These are just my last idea's

pianoman35 · Dec 18, 2008

Ollieboy said:
What about on BIOS? have you enabled "Halt On Errors during Post" and this could provide detailed info what may be the cause.
You never know, it could vbe your hard dricve cable being damaged (maybe thats why it crashes at start up, *during loading your files etc.)

These are just my last idea's

I'll check it out, I have an extra IDE cable I can use. Also when it freezes during startup, if there is a blinking cursor, that doesn't freeze, just keeps goin.

pianoman35 · Dec 19, 2008

Well I tried a new cable that I had sitting on my desk that came with my new hard drive a while ago. No such luck, still freezes. So then I decided I would take a look at the processor. Got down to it after taking out the heatsink and it looked fine, just a little dusty, so I blew it off. Stuck it back in, put the heatsink back on, and still froze, I wasn't surprised. Im running out of ideas and getting closer and closer to buying the motherboard,processor , videocard and ram that I picked out already...

dai · Dec 19, 2008

did you renew the paste when you refitted the cpu
http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm

pianoman35 · Dec 19, 2008

dai said:
did you renew the paste when you refitted the cpu
http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm

No, I monitored the temperature in the BIOS and it was fine. There seemed to be some stuff on it and I also have a good heatsink. Its not a huge loss anyway if anything happens, which shouldn't, because i'll probably have to replace everything anyway at this rate. :wave::4-dontkno

dai · Dec 19, 2008

it has to be cleaned off and reapplied every time you disturb it
cmos reset
turn the computer off
remove the power lead from the back
take the side off
remove the cmos battery
move the cmos jumper from pins 1 and 2 to pin 2 and 3 and the back to pins 1 and 2
reinsert the battery
put the side on
replug in the power lead
boot the computer

there can be 2 solder points you touch with a screwdriver
2 pins you touch with a screwdriver or use a jumper
a cmos clear switch or button
there will be a diagram and instructions in your manual

in the device manager uninstall the video card
reboot tapping f8 and choose vga mode
when windows finishes rebooting
disable a/virus
install your drivers
reboot the computer

run memtest on the ram 1 stick at a time
http://www.memtest.org/

pianoman35 · Dec 19, 2008

I'll have to print that out. I'll give it a shot. While I'm at it maybe i'll pick up some thermal paste, I don't have any at the moment. I'll post the results as soon as I get the time.

computer trouble

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