Odd freezing problem

[DougK62]

The computer:

Athlon 64 3200+ AM2
Crucial 2 x 1GB DDR2
Seagate 7200.10 80GB
Lite-On SATA optical
Biostar nForce 430 board

So a REALLY simple build that I did at the end of last year for very cheap bucks. Just something to cruise around on the internet with and VPN in to work. It all went together fine, OS installed fine (dual boot XP and Vista), and it seemed to be working great. Then, for no apparent reason it would freeze while using it. Nothing intensive is going on, just web browsing or file/folder work. I reboot and it hangs at the OS loading. It won't go into Windows for EITHER OS that I have installed. I power down and leave it. Come back a few days later and it starts up and works fine. I use it for several weeks and it's great. Then the same thing - weird freeze when I'm doing nothing, and cycling the power does nothing. I unplug it from the wall and everything - weird.

Any ideas? All components were new. I ran memtest on it for ~72 hours and it was fine. Does this seem like a power issue to anyone else? PSU maybe?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Blain]

Test your HD and PS.
Are there any bulging or leaking capacitors on your MB?

 

[DougK62]

Thanks, I definitely want to test out the PSU and HDD, but I'm unsure on how to. Are there free utilities to do such things?

 

[Blain]

You could try CrystalDiskInfo for some basic diagnostics

 

[Slugbait]

Do you have any Ulead apps installed? I had the exact same issue when I rebuilt my machine a few months ago, and I installed the latest TV tuner app for my VideoMate...which now includes a completely unnecessary Ulead app with no mention of the app, nor option to not install it, during the install wizard. Uninstalling the app fixed it.

 

[Paperdoc]

Go here:

http://www.seagate.com/www/en-...ort/downloads/seatools

and download the Seatools free package from Seagate. There is a ... for DOS version that you install on a floppy or CD,. Then you boot from that and it establishes a mini-DOS and runs itself to do diagnostic tests on your Seagate drive. The ... for Windows version does similar testing, but it has to be used in a running Windows environment, so it is not good if you can't boot from your regular hard drive.

Many of these tests take a long time on a large drive. Moreover, it appears your problem happens only after the system has warmed up and been used for a while. So I suggest you get the ...for DOS version and set it up on a floppy or CD. Set your BIOS to boot from the floppy or CDROM drive first, and hard drive second, so it's ready to go when needed. (With nothing in the removable drive, it will just skip on the your hard drive for a "normal" boot.) When the problem happens, put that disk in its drive and boot from it, then run the tests in a repeating sequence overnight. If this works you'll learn something abut your hard drive. If you can't even boot from the removable drive, then the problem is NOT in your hard drive and you can look elsewhere.

You may have a problem of inadequate cooling. A system that appears to hang after extended use and will not complete a reboot while still warmed up can do this. It will slow down the CPU to a crawl, or stop it completely, if the CPU or some other key component is too hot. Examine closely all the air intake and outlet ports on your computer case. Especially examine any dust filters at intakes or outlets (there really should be filters ONLY on intakes) and be sure they are clean. If you don't find anything obvious there, you should unplug the computer from the wall and open the case to look for lots of dust accumulated. Vacuum it out carefully, so as not to disconnect anything. Carefully reconnect the power cord and keep your hands out of the case while you reboot the machine. Watch ALL of the fans - CPU, GPU, case and PSU - to verify that they all come on. Button up the case and continue using.

If you want to verify the role of dust and cleaning, do a before-and-after check. You may have software that displays on your screen certain temperatures and fan speeds. Alternatively, usually the BIOS has a screen to show these. Call this up and make a note of temps and fans. Next time the machine freezes, do it again. If you have a utility that shows these on the screen all the time as you work, keep that running and note readings from time to time. Then do the cleaning operation and note the new temperatures afterward. If key temps have dropped significantly, you probably fixed the problem.

 

[WildHorse]

If you've altered the stock cpu & ram settings in bios (overclocking?) try restoring them back to default values.

I've had the same experience you described during the process of testing various overclocking settings for new rigs, and in my case the cause of that same problem you describe has been suboptimal ram timing settings.