Internal Computer Troubles

[Chan Martin]

I recently got a BSOD on my new computer. The message "Clock_Watchdog_Timeout" is the one that appears every time I start up my computer and it crashes randomly. I've tried resetting to factory settings (which it didn't do and said "We had a problem loading Windows"), updating drivers, testing for corrupt memory, and even cleaning my ram slots. None of these worked so when I opened up my computer again to take a closer look, I saw this thing unhooked. Can someone tell me what this is, why its unhooked, and if it's the culprit of my BSOD. Thanks in advance.

Also, I might add that I am not expert when it comes to computer "language" so elaboration would be great. And I also only have 8 gb of ram (two sticks) so maybe that's the problem?

 

[Tmagic650]

That's an audio plug... Not a problem as long as you have sound. Can you post any minidumps by going to C:\minidump. Select all the .dmp files, right-click sending these files to a compressed zipped folder. Upload this folder as a file here

 

[Chan Martin]

I can try, but again my computer usually crashes on startup which makes it difficult to try and get on it. I will post the mini dumps when I can get them

 

[Chan Martin]

That's an audio plug... Not a problem as long as you have sound. Can you post any minidumps by going to C:\minidump. Select all the .dmp files, right-click sending these files to a compressed zipped folder. Upload this folder as a file here

 

[Tmagic650]

Minidumps are incomplete and duplicated 20 times. You say that this computer is new. How new? Under warranty?

 

[Cycloid Torus]

"Clock_Watchdog_Timeout" is usually a CPU problem. If it is under warranty, I would not mess with it. It is unlikely to be something you can fix and it was not something you did. It could be caused by rough handling during shipping/delivery, especially if it has a large heatsink. ( http://www.pcgamer.com/intel-skylake-cpus-are-bending-under-the-pressure-of-some-coolers/ )

 

[Chan Martin]

I will check for the warranty. It is about 5 months old and this is the first time the BSOD has started occurring. So it sounds like I should send it back? If so, what is a good computer company that you recommend that sells good budget gaming PCs. (400-900$)

 

[Cycloid Torus]

Who did you buy this from? Look up your records and check the website for the manufacturer. It is probably too late to just get your money back. Warranty work is determined by the warranty offered at time of the sale.

Usually requires some testing and troubleshooting co-ordinated with the maker's support group - typically results in either repair of your system or replacement with a refurbished unit once you have obtained Return Merchandise Authorization ("RMA"), returned the merchandise, they check your system and confirm the problem. Takes weeks. If you bought it from a local maker, just check your records and talk with them. Keep detailed records including copies of any emails.

That's why I build my own..and only deal with warranties at the component level.

 

[Tmagic650]

I got a "Clock_Watchdog_Timeout" in Windows 10 Pro from a bios setting under AHCI settings for my optical drives. I had to disable the setting, boot the computer, restart, enable the setting again and restart once more, to correct the error

 

[Chan Martin]

My computer is from CyberPowerPC. I've heard that they use good processors but put cheap power supplies in it to save money and drive down the cost(I learned this after I bought the computer.)

TMagic, how would I go about disabling the bios setting? I'm not at the computer today so I will try it tomorrow! Thank you both for your help.

 

[Cycloid Torus]

I got a "Clock_Watchdog_Timeout" in Windows 10 Pro from a bios setting under AHCI settings for my optical drives. I had to disable the setting, boot the computer, restart, enable the setting again and restart once more, to correct the error

You could be quite correct - some drivers can produce the error. I think I may have over-reacted to the report of the cut-off mini-dumps (image of CPU cutting off in mid-stroke). If there was a complete mini-dump... or, would the error show up in Event Viewer?

I know both of us would hate to see Chan miss a warranty window.

 

[Chan Martin]

You could be quite correct - some drivers can produce the error. I think I may have over-reacted to the report of the cut-off mini-dumps (image of CPU cutting off in mid-stroke). If there was a complete mini-dump... or, would the error show up in Event Viewer?

I know both of us would hate to see Chan miss a warranty window.

How would I go about disabling the optical drivers setting? Like where would I go to find it. Also, I am going to make sure my drivers are completely up to date tomorrow because I'm not entirely confident in myself that I updated them correctly. My computer is from CyberPowerPC. Thank you both for helping me!

 

[Tmagic650]

Under storage configuration in the bios, SATA3 needed to be disabled, then re-enabled to AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface) so that the optical drives would be detected

 

[Cycloid Torus]

How would I go about disabling the optical drivers setting? Like where would I go to find it. Also, I am going to make sure my drivers are completely up to date tomorrow because I'm not entirely confident in myself that I updated them correctly. My computer is from CyberPowerPC. Thank you both for helping me!

CyberPower website says "All CyberPowerPC computer systems come with three year limited warranty and free lifetime phone support from the invoice date. CyberPowerPC Inc. provides the highest quality computer solutions and guarantees customer satisfaction. Our support staffs are highly trained. We are capable of accurately diagnosing your computer hardware or software related problem."

This support was paid for with the purchase. 3 years is a pretty strong warranty.

They might have experience with the errors you are encountering - whether drivers or hardware - and could be your best bet for an easy solution.

 

[Chan Martin]

I uninstalled the "wifi adapter" thingy (dk what the term for it is; its red and has antennas coming out of the back of the PC). After taking that out and switching to Ethernet, I haven't had any crashes all night. I'm not sure if it's just a stroke of luck or if taking it out actually did something. I'm just trying not to mess with settings at this point because it's working)

 

[bazz2004]

I'd leave it alone for a while and if the problems are definitely gone you know for sure it's the wireless card. That's likely a driver issue so you can take your time and try out some alternative drivers when you have nothing better to do. If you are conveniently placed to the router and the cabling is OK you could just leave it as it is.

 

[Chan Martin]

Spoke too soon I guess. Computer crashes this morning with "attempted_write_readonly_memory" and "kernel_security_check_failure".
This is presenting too many issues for me that I have no idea how to solve. I'm thinking about returning the computer.

 

[Cycloid Torus]

First step, draft a description of all of the errors in sequence of occurrence and submit with request for support from CyberPower - there may be a known solution.

 

[bazz2004]

I agree with that. Your computer is newish and things these days are pretty reliable. Contact the vendor for support in case you invalidate any warranty.

 

[Chan Martin]

Update: Problem Solved. I rolled back my graphics driver and then reset my computer to factory settings. Seems to be working fine now.