Mysterious Comp crashed :)...

[Matriarch|Sneakers]

A cupple months ago my p4 comp with WIN XP installed all of sudden started to crash randomly on the descop and on start-ups. I have so few programs installed on this gaming comp so it was quiet simpel to just de install 1 program in a time to see if they were causing the crashes, but no result.

I formated the comp two times in 2 months, last time yesterday but still having the problem. What I can see on startup there are NO error messages at all.

The comp freezes/crashes as said, onm startups directly after the windows sounds ends "diiingdummm daaaaa" or how it sounds
It also crashes randomly when left "stand-by" on the descop, but never any problems if I get any GAME started then it can be on for days with no problems.

I got new motherboard drivers ( VIA ), new GFX drivers ( GF fx5600 ultra ), I got latest updates of windows XP, SP2 etc. Latest drivers of everything really.

Really need some help here, it's annoying to have a crashing comp

 

[TdC]

I'm kind inclined to think it's either your PSU (power unit) or your ram. What kind of PSU do you have? is it a brand one (Enermax, Thermaltake etc) or a no-name OEM one. how many watts is it rated at?

you can test your ram with memory testing programs like this one.

to really diagnose we will need [highlight]exact[/highlight] part names of your computer. things like "a via motherboard" aren't precise enough; we need stuff like "your mobo is an Asus P4V8X-MX". Please tell us these things so we can help you better.

 

[Clown]

The blaster virus used to do that to me

 

[Draylor]

Smells like ye olde virus/spyware/someone stupidly installing random bollocks.

 

[Furr]

sounds more like a hardware problem to be honest

 

[Matriarch|Sneakers]

Ty, you all for the replies, I kinda knew you would need some more info to help me diagnoze it better but since i'm not that intersed myself I couldn't be arsed to look it all through before.

I have tested my RAM the old fashioned way, taken one bar out in a time and still hungs up alot of times on start-up, reboot or when i work on the descop wich for exampel explorer, outlook etc.

The for the ppl saying it's viruses I don't know. I got norton updated and subscribed, 2x firewalls one program monitored and one stationary one. Ofc If DLed somethign that containd the spyware I guess it would still get through since I let it in, but Ihardly DL anything since thats not what I use this comp. for, it's purly a gameing computer.

Could be the PSU ( Power Supply Unit? ) but it always worked before I state what excat computer spec I got, I could mention what programs I got on the comp.

Basically it's a fresh one, almost nothing except the standard WIN XP programs, modified abit - taken away MSN, MSN explorer, "GAMES" ( like the card games and back-gammon etc.)
- Got mIRC
- Battlefield 2
- DivX, mainly for the codecs that I cba to DL for MEDIA PLAYER.
- Also got Ventirlo, the latest version.

After this last format I DLed new drivers for everything I could think of:
Motherboard, GFX, norton, windows patches/drivers, basically anything I could think of


( Gonna list the comp spec in a following post )

bE

 

[Will]

I'm going to chime in to back up what TdC said. It sound like either your PSU, your RAM (though your taking out sticks more or less eliminates that), or overheating (though if it crashes from a cold startup, it probably isn't that).

 

[Matriarch|Sneakers]

Hmm, I hearyou guys but, if it where a hardware problem woulnd't it be more linear/frequent and happend always and not only on start-ups/reboots and on the descop. The comp has NEVER EVER crashed when I been using a program in full screen-mode, lik DAoC or Battlefield II or StarCraft. Isn't that really wierd?

And I doubt it's the RAM either, they are quiet new 3.5 month old as MAX ( bought in the end of the summer ) and i tested 'em the 'ol fashioned way .


( What exact info do you need on the comp to help me diagnose it better? The PSU's brand isn't possible for me to check since the sticker is on the fan and on the fan there is a bar that partly hides whats written on the stick )

All info I could get is that it's a 230 W PSU and the sticker where the bran is stated is light-green

 

[Insane]

im gonna chime in here and re-iterate the facts.

REPLACE YOUR POWER SUPPLY

its possible your computers pulling too much power during post (this is when the most amount of power is pulled during operation) and causing either your 5v or 12v rails to drop well below limit and cause the PC to crash.

worst is, because you've left it these past few months there might be physical damage to your motherboard from power problems.

 

[TdC]

you can find an indication of what your power needs could be with this handy tool that my mate Lazarus told me about.

my pc comes to 437 watts at 100% load, but then I have a lot of stuff in there and an overclocked cpu. that's just an indication though. I have a 430W psu and that works just fine.

as Insane says, you may be right on the edge with power needs, but that's a guess as you haven't told us what's in your pc. 230W is considered to be light weight these days, and while getting a 600W known-brand psu may be a bit ott it is a worthwhile investment. TdC recomends SeaSonic's S12 range because their 600W model has done extremely well in sound very tough tests recently. in fact, I like it so much that I'm getting one myself











btw nice sig Insane I still haven't gotten any you know

 

[inactionman]

You will be surpised at the number of times that pc problems boil down to crappy cheap power supplies! Also when a PSU goes (which crap ones do, they'll pop and you'll smell smoke) it tends to take the rest of the computer with it (Motherboard, Processor, Memory, Graphics, Hard drive)!

Get one from a well known brand (Antec, Tagan, Seasonic, many others), rated at least 400W (it should cost you ~£50). A good rule of thumb is the heavier it is the higher quality it is (due to all the extra components).

Good choice on the Seasonic Teedles, I have it myself, and it's great.

 

[Matriarch|Sneakers]

ah cheers for the added feedback guys, ill try to change the PSU and see if it helps Oo