Going to Smash my Computer........

[sugajay]

I'm starting to go nuts with my computer, I really have no idea what is making it so unstable. It's a 1.6a/asus p4b266-c, 256mb samsung pc2700, MSI geforce 4 ti4200, Enermax 303. The Temps are not the problem, under idle/light use they stay in celsius the 30's and under max have never gone past the high 40's. I can't see the power supply being the problem, I have monitored the voltages in 1 second intervals and it has never gone out of spec when it crashes or screws up. I really don't know what else I can do...please help out I'm already starting to regret upgrading my computer. It will crash in Internet explorer, games, the video goes blank and I get green lines at the top, it will shutout out of nowhere like it has gone into sleep mode, It has restarted by itself, and this all happens without anything overclocked. I've been running it at stock speeds but it's no better then if I run it overclocked. Please give me suggestions I don't think I can take this anymore.

 

[ST4RCUTTER]

Well, if your powersupply isn't at fault I'd recommend isolating for bad RAM or a bad video card. Green lines say video card problem to me, but I've never experienced a video card failure (only bad TV's) so I could be wrong. What OS are you running? If 2K or XP, what does your Application log say?

 

[sugajay]

I'm running windows ME (I know) I had the system running before on a generic 250watt power supply with a radeon 8500le, It was unstable at that time but I could pretty much attribute it to the power supply. I didn't get the same or as many problems as I get now since I upgraded. I really hope It isn't the video card though cause the place I bought it from won't be good for returns. These were all running on fresh installs aswell.

 

[ledzepp98]

the first place i would start is drivers... make sure you have installed the newest drivers for your hardware and that they are the right ones for your OS (i'm not familiar with your mobo but they are probably the most often overlooked drivers)

if that doesn't help or apply, i would systematically check for either a hardware problem or conflict... start by running with only the bare minimum (no pci cards, only video card). if it's stable, add one card at a time and test for a while till you find what is causing a problem. also, try swapping ram if possible (either new modules or run one at a time if you have more than 1 stick)

lastly, you mentioned this is an upgraded system... did you do a clean install of the OS or did you keep the install with the new parts? a fresh install is recommended when doing a major upgrade (mainly if you upgrade the motherboard).

as a side note, you will have better results if you calm down and think things out patiently (i know, easier said than done)...

 

[UlricT]

Well... ME does not have the best reputation for stability. You might want to try upgrading your OS while you are at it. Better than smashing you rcomputer, I would say

 

[Thor86]

Did you re-install your OS after upgrading or just kept your existing stuff on and upgraded your motherboard? If the later, then do what ledzepp suggested and install the basic, and re-install your motherboard drivers at the very minimum. If you did do a fresh install after your hardware upgrade, then you have a problem. I'd recommend you smash whatever is the cheapest first. LOL! Just kidding.

 

[trenchfoot]

maybe this would work: (a very short list of to-do's)
1. remove all cards except graphics, install just one hdd and one cd drive.
2. fresh wipe/slice/install os and all os updates (including dx 8.1)/ 4-in-1's or app acellerators/latest certified graphics drivers (or known working ones)
3. reset bios to default
4. install your favorite benchmarking/system testing app and run it and save, then run dxdiag
5. tweak the necessary bios settings one by one and alternate w/ benchmarking/sys test app. if all ok yet, then:
6. add cards/hardware one by one until the setup repeats the original prob.

 

[sugajay]

Ok I'm running Windows 2000 pro now, It was all running great at first and as time goes on it seems to get worse and worse. I've got the log file I can show if it would help anyone...I also have a feeling it may be my soundblaster live because I got my first crash after installing that card, but now It is crashing more often and not always when sound is on. It's back to the level it was at on ME.

 

[nortexoid]

sounds like a video related issue, otherwise the memory...i'm going w/ video first...try to swap it for anther card if u can...

 

[Dreadogg]

make sure you do all the windows updates also maybe you should try moving the sound card up or down a slot. Also make sure you are at stock speeds and your memory timing is set correctly!

 

[RemyCanad]

Have you ran any test software on it? Get a fresh install with out any cards than what you require such as a video card. Then run prime 95 over night. See what it says. If that is good download a memory testing program. I have a really good one that boots off of a floppy. If you let run over night it should report any odd occurences with your memory.

 

[sugajay]

It won't be very easy for me to swap video cards since the board only accepts 1.5volt and I upgraded from an older card but I can try. I really hope it isn't the video but a lot of the problems seem to also be around video somehow.

I am running everything stock for the most stability, if possible.

As far as I know I installed all relevant updates for windows.

the errors I was getting In win2k were memory stack dumps the computer would start crashing right away when I first get into windows and load IE or a program.

I had ran prime 95 before but that was at 2.4ghz it did crash once after a while.

I didn't test the memory yet.

Once again if there are any logs I can show from win2k that could help isolate the problem I would apreciate it.

 

[ElDonAntonio]

I'm sorry to tell you a friend of mine had the exact same problem (computer crashing and screen going blank with weird colored lines) when he was loading progs like IE, and it was a faulty video card. Try changing it!
Regardless if the store will take it back or not, you must have an MSI warranty or something?

P.S.: congrats on your upgrade from ME to 2K, it really makes a world of difference, stability wise.