Hello, this is my first time posting. I was going to try to solve this problem myself, but years of effort has not paid off. A friend referred me to this site because of its helpful reputation.
First, the specs:
Windows XP SP2
Athlon 3800+ single core
an MSI motherboard
160GB Seagate IDE hard drive
onboard sound
GeForce 7600 GT KO video card
2 GB RAM
DVD burner
My problem is that whenever I use certain 3D applications--an MMORPG, certain FPSes, even Warcraft 3's map editor--the computer unexpectedly stops responding for anywhere between about 20 and 180 seconds. This happens anywhere from 5 seconds into the game to much later (e.g., 30 minutes). After that, the computer either comes back to life or restarts on its own. Often, the app comes back to life a few times before the freeze causes the computer to restart.
There are four components in my system I suspect:
1. video card
2. RAM
3. power supply
4. installed software: OS and background programs
I'll go through each one, mainly on the video card.
1. At first glance, it seems like (to me at least) it's related to an infinite loop problem in the video card drivers or maybe an overheating in the GPU. This happened on my ATI Radeon 9200 on my old computer, using base drivers, latest drivers and drivers in between versions. Currently, this problem also happens on my 7600 GT, ever since I installed it. I tried base drivers, the latest drivers and other drivers.
I monitored the GPU temperature today. It seemed normal. It went from 55 C to 65 C when I was playing 2moons, an MMORPG. It made my computer restart anyway.
Some time ago when I was playing Quake 4, this happened a lot. One time an error message actually popped up, saying something about a video card driver.
How could the same problem occur with two different cards? I'll now look into other possiblye causes.
2. My friend told me that I need to match the speed of the RAM with the DIMM. I don't really know what that means, but I do have 2x either Kingston or Corsair dual traffic (?) 1GB sticks. They give me no problems whatsoever (unless this problem is caused by RAM). I don't know how to check the speeds, and I don't think it is too relevant, but I will post it anyway.
3. I have a 400W PSU powering up 1 hard drive, 1 DVD burner, the 7600 and the mobo. I think it's enough, but I don't have another PSU to test. Back then, I had a 350W powering up the same but with the Radeon 9200.
4. I tried booting up Windows XP with all startup programs disabled. 2moons only hung the system once in about 1 hour. So, it probably has nothing to do with the stuff I usually run on XP. If it's a background program, it's something Windows needs. Now, I have unnecessary programs like Adobe Gamma Loader unchecked. At least the computer itself is running much faster. BTW, this happens no matter the graphics settings in game: low resolution, window mode, high resolution, check/uncheck graphic options, adjust graphic quality...
I have also installed a different version of XP a while ago, but the problem remains.
I think it's also worth mentioning that back when I had my Radeon, even Firefox would freeze in certain websites and either come back or restart on its own. However, I had overclocked the card before. None of the components in my current system has ever been OC'd.
I've also tried adjusting the video and audio hardware accelerations to no avail.
My years of research and experiments have failed to correct the problem. It appears that I am the only one who has had this problem two systems in a row. The only thing that is unchanged between the systems is the hard drive and what is inside. I have no malware. I've run hijackthis and seen nothing suspicious.
I have no idea what to do but to ask you for help.
Thanks for reading this wall of text. If you are looking for a technical challenge, this is it
First, the specs:
Windows XP SP2
Athlon 3800+ single core
an MSI motherboard
160GB Seagate IDE hard drive
onboard sound
GeForce 7600 GT KO video card
2 GB RAM
DVD burner
My problem is that whenever I use certain 3D applications--an MMORPG, certain FPSes, even Warcraft 3's map editor--the computer unexpectedly stops responding for anywhere between about 20 and 180 seconds. This happens anywhere from 5 seconds into the game to much later (e.g., 30 minutes). After that, the computer either comes back to life or restarts on its own. Often, the app comes back to life a few times before the freeze causes the computer to restart.
There are four components in my system I suspect:
1. video card
2. RAM
3. power supply
4. installed software: OS and background programs
I'll go through each one, mainly on the video card.
1. At first glance, it seems like (to me at least) it's related to an infinite loop problem in the video card drivers or maybe an overheating in the GPU. This happened on my ATI Radeon 9200 on my old computer, using base drivers, latest drivers and drivers in between versions. Currently, this problem also happens on my 7600 GT, ever since I installed it. I tried base drivers, the latest drivers and other drivers.
I monitored the GPU temperature today. It seemed normal. It went from 55 C to 65 C when I was playing 2moons, an MMORPG. It made my computer restart anyway.
Some time ago when I was playing Quake 4, this happened a lot. One time an error message actually popped up, saying something about a video card driver.
How could the same problem occur with two different cards? I'll now look into other possiblye causes.
2. My friend told me that I need to match the speed of the RAM with the DIMM. I don't really know what that means, but I do have 2x either Kingston or Corsair dual traffic (?) 1GB sticks. They give me no problems whatsoever (unless this problem is caused by RAM). I don't know how to check the speeds, and I don't think it is too relevant, but I will post it anyway.
3. I have a 400W PSU powering up 1 hard drive, 1 DVD burner, the 7600 and the mobo. I think it's enough, but I don't have another PSU to test. Back then, I had a 350W powering up the same but with the Radeon 9200.
4. I tried booting up Windows XP with all startup programs disabled. 2moons only hung the system once in about 1 hour. So, it probably has nothing to do with the stuff I usually run on XP. If it's a background program, it's something Windows needs. Now, I have unnecessary programs like Adobe Gamma Loader unchecked. At least the computer itself is running much faster. BTW, this happens no matter the graphics settings in game: low resolution, window mode, high resolution, check/uncheck graphic options, adjust graphic quality...
I have also installed a different version of XP a while ago, but the problem remains.
I think it's also worth mentioning that back when I had my Radeon, even Firefox would freeze in certain websites and either come back or restart on its own. However, I had overclocked the card before. None of the components in my current system has ever been OC'd.
I've also tried adjusting the video and audio hardware accelerations to no avail.
My years of research and experiments have failed to correct the problem. It appears that I am the only one who has had this problem two systems in a row. The only thing that is unchanged between the systems is the hard drive and what is inside. I have no malware. I've run hijackthis and seen nothing suspicious.
I have no idea what to do but to ask you for help.
Thanks for reading this wall of text. If you are looking for a technical challenge, this is it
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