Random freezing/lockups

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Eli Liechty

Junior Member
Nov 5, 2004
13
0
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Please forgive the long post. I've read through some other threads here and haven't found the answer to my problem yet. I've had a lockup problem for quite sometime and a month or 2 ago, somebody on here recommended a new PSU. Well, my new PSU is nice, but I need more help.

My machine just sorta "freezes" at random times. The graphics lock up, mouse and keyboard both stop working and I am forced to hard boot. I have replaced a bunch of hardware and nothing fixes my problem. My current setup is:

Asus K8N-E Deluxe Motherboard
Athlon 64 3200+
Asus V9520 Video Card (FX 5200/128MB)
OCZ 520ADJ PSU
1 GB Corsair PC3200 RAM + 512 MB Samsung PC3200
WD 36GB Raptor
XP Pro/SP1

My story is a bit long, but please bear with me. I really need help! Nothing is overclocked. I stared by replacing the PSU, my old one was Nexus 4090. That didn't change anything, so I swapped out the video card. I tried a Visiontek 9600 Pro. It didn't fix the problem, so I went back to my cheaper Asus video card. I originally had 2x 512 MB Samsung PC3200. I replaced one of the DIMM's with the Corsair just to increase the RAM. Again, the system did not perform any differently with this change. My original hard drive was a WD 250 gig. After one of my "freezes" windows came back corrupt and I had to reformat, so I added 2 Raptors in RAID 0 and used the 250 to store documents. I decided 1 Raptor was enough, so I now use it as my primary drive and the 250 is still storage. All through this, no change in stability.

Now, just today I swapped out the mobo. My original was also an ASUS K8N-E Deluxe, but I thought maybe I got a bad one or damaged it, so I replaced it with a brand new one---no improvement.

Cooling? Well, I also swapped out the Nexus heat sink and fan with a Zalman CNPS7700-Cu (Monster!) It's all in a Lian-Li PC-V1100 case with (2) 120mm fans. I haven't seen the CPU or Mobo temps go above 34 C.

So what's left? I don't know what else to check/change. The freezing is completely random. Sometimes it will freeze when I"m scrolling through files in explorer, sometimes I'll be typing in Word, or watching a Divx. It's completely unpredictable. Has anybody seen this problem before? Please help!

Also, nothing is logged in my event viewer when this happens.
 
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AtlantaBob

Golden Member
Jun 16, 2004
1,034
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For lack of a better description, it's a program that tests your RAM to make sure that it doesn't store information incorrectly. More about what it does can be found here. Anyway, bad RAM can cause all sorts of strange problems, including causing the computer to lock up.

You can download it from http://www.memtest.org. Directions are there on how to install and run it. (Note, you'll have to have a floppy disk drive or burn an ISO CD image to run the program).

You should let it run all of the tests, and see if it reports any errors. A search for "memtest" in this forum will bring up some more detailed responses. Good luck, and make sure to ask if you have any other questions.
 
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Duvie

Elite Member
Feb 5, 2001
16,215
0
71
I agree I would look at the memory.....I have only seen two things that corrupt an install of windows...A harddrive going bad (and you replaced them) and ram....you added to the ram, but you have truly never replaced them right???
 
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Edward Lee

Senior member
Dec 11, 2004
477
0
0
I"m willing to be 99% chance that you haven't downloaded the latest MotherBoard Drivers for your system. I would also update the rest of your drivers while you're at it. It's so elementary yet so many folks forget or neglect to do this.
 
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Edward Lee

Senior member
Dec 11, 2004
477
0
0
grrr... You have to download the dirvers for you chipset. GO TO NVIDIA.COM AND DOWNLOAD THE NFORCE3 CHIPSET UNIFIED DRIVERS. Listen to me now thank me later.
 
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Geforcer

Member
Sep 19, 2004
178
0
0
does it happen quite often? like hourly, daily, etc? you might try removing ALL the non-needed hardware, and leave just the basics (mobo/ram/cpu/video/1 hard drive). let that run for a while, maybe even run a burnin program while at it to put some stress on it. it'll help narrow down the problem, whether it's one of those basic components causing it, or one of the others. you've swapped out most things and the problem still exists, so it might possibly just be a defected cpu. anyway, try what you will and let us know how it goes.
 
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Eli Liechty

Junior Member
Nov 5, 2004
13
0
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Originally posted by: Edward Lee
grrr... You have to download the dirvers for you chipset. GO TO NVIDIA.COM AND DOWNLOAD THE NFORCE3 CHIPSET UNIFIED DRIVERS. Listen to me now thank me later.
Click to expand...



Does it matter WHERE I get them? Asus has the same drivers on their site. I have been running the latest drivers that Nvidia and Asus have.
 
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Eli Liechty

Junior Member
Nov 5, 2004
13
0
0
Originally posted by: Geforcer
does it happen quite often? like hourly, daily, etc? you might try removing ALL the non-needed hardware, and leave just the basics (mobo/ram/cpu/video/1 hard drive). let that run for a while, maybe even run a burnin program while at it to put some stress on it. it'll help narrow down the problem, whether it's one of those basic components causing it, or one of the others. you've swapped out most things and the problem still exists, so it might possibly just be a defected cpu. anyway, try what you will and let us know how it goes.
Click to expand...



It's really random. Sometimes it will happen 3 or 4 times in a 10 minute span, others it will go for 3 or 4 hrs. I don't think my computer has ever run for more than 6 or 8 hrs in a row.

I'll try to eliminate more hardware.

Is there a way I can verify the CPU? I can't easily swap it out without buying one. I don't know anybody that has a spare CPU or 754 mobo. I just don't see how a CPU could cause this.

Thanks for the help guys. Keep the ideas coming.
 
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Edward Lee

Senior member
Dec 11, 2004
477
0
0
I would get them from Nvidia. The Asus drivers are not the same. And stop asking me questions... Do as I say and your problems should dissapear.

Maybe I should mention I had the same problem.
My problem is solved. I really shouldn't be so persistant since it's not my computer. If you don't want to listen to me I should just leave you to suffer. But I'm not that cruel.
 
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Eli Liechty

Junior Member
Nov 5, 2004
13
0
0
Originally posted by: Edward Lee
Maybe I should mention I had the same problem.
My problem is solved.
Click to expand...

Ah. more info. I was wondering if anybody else had the same problem.

Well, I removed all of my driveres and reinstalled from Nvidia. We'll see how it works.

Regards.
 
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Philippine Mango

Diamond Member
Oct 29, 2004
5,594
0
0
Yea I always default to the manufacturer's drivers (in this case ASUS) but if your STILL having problems with stability, it's always best to go to the chipset manufacturer's website and download thier chipset drivers because the ones you currently have don't work. The chipset driver download at the website always seems to be more stable and probably because they have to make sure it works with ALL boards. It's a little ironic if you think about it.
 
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Eli Liechty

Junior Member
Nov 5, 2004
13
0
0
Yes, I do. I am 100% confident it is not virus/spyware related. I have even formatted and reinstalled windows numerous times.
 
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Eli Liechty

Junior Member
Nov 5, 2004
13
0
0
It might be fixed. I took out what was left of my Samsung memory, leaving just the Corsair. My computer ran through the night under load. So far it looks good, I'll see if it continues to hold up.
 
Fern

Fern

Elite Member
Sep 30, 2003
26,907
174
106
Originally posted by: Eli Liechty
It might be fixed. I took out what was left of my Samsung memory, leaving just the Corsair. My computer ran through the night under load. So far it looks good, I'll see if it continues to hold up.
Click to expand...

Good News! :thumbsup:
 
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