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Something's going to die..

O

Ozzy20

Member
Recently Ive been having problems with my PC, Windows XP freezes randomly, I tried re-formatting and re-installing the OS, nothing has changed, so I figured out its a hardware matter. I started eliminating possibilities:

Ive checked the PSU, its OK
The CPU doesnt overheat, its in normal limits
I pulled out my SBLive card, nothing changed
I've cleaned the video adapter cooler, nothing changed
I scanned the HDD for errors (I got Maxtor 40GB 7200rpm), all the reports were clean, although the tests were made in DOS mode, so I guess the NTFS partition got skipped

So i guess my suspicion is on the HDD mainly ,or the motherboard.Is it possible the disk to be corrupted/damaged besides the positive diagnostic tests? I've noticed that freezing is more often when i copy files or install software (almost always) or play a video or audio, although it doesnt freeze when i install the OS. Any suggestions or opinions?
Thank you forwardly
 
pull and reseat all cards and memory. test memory with memtest86.

you might try setting the hd to a lower dma mode (5 instead of 6) if it seems to freeze more during file xfers.
 
I tried lowering the DMA mode to 5, nothing has changed 🙁 These are the cases i noticed when my system freezes:

- When I play DVD video, the system freezes every time arround 5 mins playback

- I tried playing MPEG files from the disk, there are cases when the whole file can be played without freezing, or the freezing appears after longer playback.(It would freeze sooner if I scan the movie forward and backward)

- When i search for pictures and photos and im in thumbnails viewing mode(shich shows a small picture preview), while browsing them with the scroll down, system always freezes. When I'm in other viewing mode(tiles, icons, list, details) it never freezes.

- The system almost always freezes when i run a game, usualy i cant get to the main menu of the game, it freezes on the intro animation.

- I've done the BST disk test, it showed no errors, system was stable

- I've done all Hot CPU tests at maximum load, system was stable


Does anyone have any idea what is the cause?
Thanks
 
I wonder if you have a bad codec, explorer can call on those when displaying files so it can list video size, duration and such.
 
How did you determine your PS was ok? Mearly seeing voltages within spec does not necessarilly mean all is well. Load conditions can effect PS operation. An unstalbe rail under load can cause a very spooky operating environment. Also you may want to toy with doing a Repair reinstall of the OS. You wouldn't loose any programs installed and it is possible it could fix a damaged OS file.
 
I re-formatted my HDD and re-installed the OS 6 times or so, its not related with it. True, i only checked the votages in AIDA32, these are the values that i got(including cpu temp.):



Temperatures:
Motherboard 39 °C (102 °F)
CPU 48 °C (118 °F)

Cooling Fans:
CPU 4383 RPM

Voltage Values:
CPU Core 1.70 V
CPU Aux 1.22 V
+3.3 V 3.26 V
+5 V 4.97 V
+12 V 12.28 V
-12 V -11.95 V
-5 V -5.20 V
+5 V Standby 4.92 V
VBAT Battery 3.36 V
Debug Info 6A 4C CC B9 CA 24 32 27 FF FF 9A 80 (01)

I think that values are normal, how can i make more advanced test on the PS? I was wondering if there is any good diagnostic tool for the video card.
 
Like deathwalker mentioned, telling us you checked the PSU and it is OK, does not tell us anything.
What brand and model is your power supply? More information on power supplies here: Power Supply 101.

What is the "BST disk test" that showed no errors. I have not heard of that test before.

CrispyFried mentioned to test with memtest. Please do so for at least 12 hours and provide us with the results. The symptoms point to either a power supply or a memory problem.

[*]Memory Tests
[*]Detecting a defective hardware component
  1. Remove or disconnect all hardware components except for the PSU, CPU, RAM, and video card,
  2. Start the system and run memtest for 2 passes minimum and preferably longer than 12 hours,
  3. Connect the system hard drive and run manufacturer diagnostic tests on the hard drive,
  4. Start windows and see if error occurs,
  5. Shutdown the system and add one hardware component,
  6. Start windows and see if error occurs,
  7. Repeat steps 5&6 until component is detected.
 
birdpup, thanks for pointing me up to the power supply guide, i've read it carefuly, as it is pointed there, the +12V rail should support at least 24A, I got only 10A on the +12V rail :Q i guess thats a reason more to suspect on the PS. Its strange that the problems started recently, everything was fine for 2 years.I've done the memory test with memtest for like 2 hours, I'm gonna try doing it for 12 hours and provide you with the information about it.
 
Very good to hear you possibly found the source of the problem.
PSU recommendations would be Fortron or Sparkle (same company).
PCP&C and Seasonic are better but more expensive.
 
OK, this is an update of my situation, I've bought a new PSU, and i thought that I solved the problem, and in few minutes it happened again, system froze during install of windows XP :| so one thing is sure, its not the PSU, I'm quite sure its not the CPU cause it doesnt overheat, system was stable on all burnIn tests, can be the motherboard? is it possible to be the hard drive since it happens while transfering data? although the system didnt fail when i tested the hard drive with several diagnostic tools

Thank you forwardly

 
Look closely at the motherboard.....are any of the capacitors a little 'puffed' looking? If so your motherboard is going bad. Also, please provide us with your full system specs.

good luck! 🙂
 
I looked at the capacitors, they all look normal, I found like black stains on the motherboard arround 3 capacitors, I thought that they might have got burned, but when it was only dirt, it came out as soon as i touched the surface, and it was clean after. My system is:

AMD AthlonXP 1600+
MSI K7T266A Pro2
512MB RAM
inno3D Tornado GeForce2 MX-400
Maxtor 40GB 7200rpm
SBLive! 5.1 (I tried running the system without the SB, nothing changed)
NEC DVD-ROM
LG GSA-4163B DVD-RW

Please let me know if you got any ideas
 
I thought about the video card too, but once the system froze during install Windows XP at the beginning in ANSI mode, before going to graphic mode, while temporary files were copying 😕
 
OK, This is something that can lead to a conclusion of the problem: I tried updating the BIOS with the newer version but that didnt changed anything.. However, I thought about changing the FSB clock speed, so I reduced it from 133Mhz to 100, and it seems that the system is stable, which means the machine has gone slower(from 1.4Ghz to 1.05Ghz). Any ideas about the problem and a possible solution? I'm suspecting on the motherboard
 
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