Computer help: Random Freezes!! Please help!!!
Random Freezes!! Please help!!!
by amyschiff - 8/29/05 11:01 AMA few months ago I built my own computer with the help of a computer friend. Recently, it has been freezing up completely at random to the point where I have to hold down the power button to shut it off. Here are the specs:
Windows XP
ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe Motherboard w/ BIOS 1013
GeForce 6800GT Video Card
AMD Athlon XP 64 4000+ CPU (not overclocked)
2GB (512X4) DDR (400) PC-3200 Mushkin LII V2
Enermax 480W PSU
I first thought it might be a problem with my sound card, but after removing it and uninstalling it, I still got the random freezes. I tried rolling back the video card drivers to a version signed by Microsoft because I thought it might be the "infinite loop error", and I thought that fixed it, but it only worked for about a day without freezing. The freezing happens while gaming, running a single program like WinAMP, or just when the computer is on standby (if I leave it on overnight with windows locked, it is most likely frozen when I wake up the next day). I've tried updating every driver I could but to no avail. I ran Belarc advisor which seemed to show all my hardware as healthy, 3Dmark (free version) which didn't crash my computer during tests, and PCmark(also free) which didn't seem to give much information unless you bought it.
I am completely frustrated and out of ideas and would greatly appreciate any input people might have!
Thanks,
Amy
other info about my problem
by amyschiff - 8/29/05 11:12 AM In reply to: Random Freezes!! Please help!!! by amyschiffI also want to add that I keep up to date with virus definitions for McAfee virus scan enterprise v8.0i and in the event viewer there is never any errors listed at the time that the computer freezes.
freezing
by byker49 - 8/29/05 12:45 PM In reply to: Random Freezes!! Please help!!! by amyschiffTurn off all unneeded programs that are starting in your startup folder. Use msconfig for that.
Turn off screensavers.
Check system for spyware and adware.
spyware/msconfig
by amyschiff - 8/29/05 4:25 PM In reply to: freezing by byker49Thanks for the reply! However, that was one of the first things I did because I know how badly spyware can mess up computers and cause problems like this one, but I've used Ad-Aware and Spybot as well as msconfig and am still having this problem.
How do the temperatures look?
by John.Wilkinson
- 8/29/05 4:38 PM
In reply to: Random Freezes!! Please help!!! by amyschiff
Given that setup (mind trading? ;)), along with the fact that you let it run all night long and usually find it crashed in the morning, I suspect you have a problem with overheating. Check the temps in your system BIOS (if available), or download a utility that you can use to monitor the system temps over the course of a few hours, and see if the computer usually crashes at a certain temp. If there's a pattern, you may want to consider adding extra fans or installing a more advanced cooling system.
Hope this helps,
John
temps
by amyschiff - 8/29/05 7:58 PM In reply to: How do the temperatures look? by John.Wilkinson
ok I am using nvidia's nvmonitor software for tracking the temperatures
while using basic applications such as firefox and instant messenger, the temperatures were as follows
CPU 41-42C
System 36C
GPU 57C
I let the program continue when gaming (World of Warcraft with AIM and firefox still running at the time) and the temps looked like this
CPU 47-50C
System 36C
GPU 58-65C
it will go hours without having a problem and then sometimes it won't be as widely spaced. Could it possibly be a problem with my memory? I thought that usually a memory problem would shut down the computer altogether rather than freeze. As a side note, about a week ago I reformatted and reinstalled XP pro to see if the problem was fixed. I was just confused because it worked fine until recently and I really see no reason why a computer with these specs would have problems freezing...even though it is windows *sigh*
Freezes
by Stan Chambers - 8/29/05 8:05 PM In reply to: Random Freezes!! Please help!!! by amyschiffRandom freezes may be caused by many different issues.
One of the most common and commonly overlooked can be damaged capacitors on the motherboard.
Do a close visual inspection of the capacitors on the board. Here's a link to photos that show what to look for. One bad capacitor can spoil the whole works.
http://www.careyholzman.com/
capacitors
by amyschiff - 9/1/05 9:32 AM In reply to: Freezes by Stan ChambersI did check the capacitors and they all look good.. Still freezing without warning.
Fixed...
by amyschiff - 9/6/05 8:28 AM In reply to: Random Freezes!! Please help!!! by amyschiffJust in case anyone is reading this looking for a resolution to the same issue I was having, I'm going to post what finally worked for me.
I was brainstorming about the problem and realized that I had been using a Netgear ethernet adaptor all summer with no problems. When I moved to my new apartment, however, I started using the motherboard's onboard Marvell Yukon adaptor instead. So, I put the Netgear card back in and started using that. I haven't had any problems since then. The onboard one has all the latest drivers, but it seems that new ones need to be released. At any rate, the moral of the story is check your network adapter first before you go out and spend money on more expensive hardware because you think it may be the culprit.
~Amy
| Forum legend: | |
 |
Locked thread |
 |
Moderator |
 |
CNET staff |
 |
Samsung staff |
 |
Norton Authorized Support team |
 |
AVG staff |
 |
Windows Outreach team |
 |
Dell staff |
 |
Intel staff |
