Computer Shuts Off When Under Strain!

[Coldkilla]

Alright.. Weard situation.

Facts:
-To start, PC just shut-off when under strain.
--Lamp next to computer turned off when PC shut off.
---Plugged PC into it's own outlet instread of a surge protector.
----PC then just kept locking up when under strain.
-----PC will freeze during a full sys virus scan, or run an intensive game, cannot system restore.
------PC has run an ad-aware quick scan & hijack this!, nothing major at all came up.
-------Ever since I had this problem, I bought a new PSU.. Same damn thing. Still locks up..
--------GFX/Sound/Monitor/Processor/HDD.. all updated.

Specs:
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester 2.2GHz Socket 939
Video: MSI 7900GTX
RAM: GeIL Value 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel
Mobo: ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 Socket 939 ULi M1695 ATX AMD
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 320GB
Monitor: BenQ FP93GX Black 19" 2ms LCD
Power: Enhance ENP-5150GH 500W ATX12V Rev.2.2 (24/20+8/4+6), 80+ RoHS, Quiet PSU

I cannot run any intensive games or even a download without the PC freezing. Here's the sytem log information:

Error List
sfsync05 Error
sfsync04 error

I did a search for sfsync04. I came up with some "Starforce" program. Like Securom, it is a CD copy-wright protector. However, I bought a came in Czech (Armed Assault), it came with this program to run the game.

I ran a virus checker a few days ago and apparently this was deleted. Now my PC don't work. I found a "Starforce remover program" but nothing worked..

Any ideas?

 

[pcgeek11]

Go to the administrative tools and check the logs. See if there are any indicators there.

 

[Coldkilla]

hmm

 

[Coldkilla]

I tried system restore.. It froze there too.

 

[Coldkilla]

Any Ideas?

 

[SparkyJJO]

That PSU should handle it I would think... but do you have any other PSU to test with?

 

[Coldkilla]

yes. I have a 450w Fortran. Stable, good. I bought a new PSU because of this problem, my old PSU should have been able to handle it.. but 80 dollars and 2 weeks later.. nothing changed.

 

[Gautama2]

Just in case, run memtest86+

 

[Coldkilla]

I'll try it.. any other ideas?

 

[krotchy]

Any chance your wall's power cant handle the strain?

 

[AlgaeEater]

Assuming you believe this is hardware related, have you considered backing up your important data and doing a fresh format?

One of my computers a long time ago (Now retired of course) had the same exact problem and I thought it was a power supply / bad sector / faulty ram / overheating problem. Turns out there was a severe I/O conflict with a CD writing program and my CD-Rom drive. Windows was trying to do one thing to the drive while the program was trying to do another, and every time that happened the computer would hard lock or reboot instantaneously.

Try removing your opitcal dirve first. (DVD/CD-Rom drive) If your system is stable, it's a driver/resource conflict or Starforce really messing up your system.

If not, the power from your wall outlet (Since you said your lamp turned off too) may be overloaded and is giving you spikes of energy. If that's the case, swich to a new outlet, or more drastically, buy a UPS and plug your computer into that so you always have a reliable constant flow of energy.

 

[benplaut]

Maybe you have a bad mobo?

 

[John]

Originally posted by: Coldkilla
Alright.. Weard situation.

Facts:
-To start, PC just shut-off when under strain.
--Lamp next to computer turned off when PC shut off.
---Plugged PC into it's own outlet instread of a surge protector.
----PC then just kept locking up when under strain.
-----PC will freeze during a full sys virus scan, or run an intensive game, cannot system restore.

I cannot run any intensive games or even a download without the PC freezing.
Any ideas?

That really is a weird issue. Reboot to safe mode w/ networking, download some files, start your virus scanner, and open a bunch of apps. If everything works fine you have software issue(s) to fix in Normal mode.

 

[Coldkilla]

Memtest ran for a few hours running 3 passes. No errors.

Just did a safe mode test; ran 4 virus checkers, and a bunch of programs. The computer never froze.

edit: may have fixed it. Not sure. Unplugged all appliances in my room and have been able to run a 600mb download, run a hard looking virus scan, and play medieval 2 with no freezes for over 10 minutes.

edit 2: NOPE. Froze after 15 minutes this time. This was after the download had finished, and the virus checker was only at 92% and I still had the game running. Two applications, and it froze..

 

[AlgaeEater]

I feel for you, I know how annoying these errors can be when you don't know where they're coming from at all. Most of the time people try to avoid fixing something they know is broken, but when you don't even know what's broken it's annoying.

Still, I opt for trying a fresh format once your options are exhuasted to see if it really is a hardware problem all along or not.

 

[Coldkilla]

Yea.. Sadly. Sucks too because I have a very organized HDD using 310 of the 320GB's... lol, it's going to be a party if I have to format..

 

[Boo025]

Originally posted by: Coldkilla
--Lamp next to computer turned off when PC shut off.

Try plugging less stuff into wall's power outlet or try different outlet

 

[Coldkilla]

Did even better, I unplugged everything on the same circut and just ran the monitor and pc... no luck

 

[pcy]

Hi,

I'd have sead heat, but that should have caused problems in MemTest.

Even so, if this is something that has come on gradually over time, I'd make sure that all the fans are spinning freely, and that the heastinkd underneath them are no clogged up with dust.


Peter

 

[imported_goku]

Get a decent PSU and then check back with us.

 

[gsellis]

Let's assume that the unexpected shutdown caused the surge that tripped to surge circuit in the power strip. That explains the lamp.

For this case, if main mem seems OK, it is cache that is bad or the processor itself. I think memtest is rather small, so many never overwrite cache. It does not sound like the PSU. It sounds like cache on the processor, cache attached to the motherboard, or the chipsets on the mobo that are doing this dirty deed.

 

[Coldkilla]

PSU is fine, its brand new.. Also, this didn't happen over time. It never happened..

I'll format tonight I guess since that's what I always end up having to do.

 

[ojai00]

Sounds like it could be an overheating issue if your computer shuts down while under strain. Try leaving your case open and blowing a fan at it. If it runs fine, then try removing your heatsink from the CPU and reapplying some thermal grease.

Also, a new PSU doesn't always mean that it will work. If it is a crappy PSU it could fail right out of the box.

 

[Coldkilla]

Well I really wish we could take PSU out of the equation. Here's why:

Previous PSU: 400w, Fortron. Decent, worked for a long time. 7900GTX PSU wattage req were 400w. PC froze like it did now.
I buy a 80$ PSU 500w, still same problem. Well over 7900GTX minimum.

PC case has been open for a few days, still locks up. If I am on the internet simply browsing, it hardly ever freezes. Only when PC is under strain. It could happen at startup when PC has been off over 20 hours, it could happen in 4 hours.. Theres no telling when it will do it next.

 

[biostud]

Try to remove starforce:
http://www.onlinesecurity-on.com/protect.phtml?c=55

can you run two instances of prime95?

also try monitoring CPU temps