windows very unstable/ blue screen /reboot

[chandler132]

hi there,
thanks for any help I can use.

Windows XP home sp2
motherboard : nvidia nforce4-a939 bios updated to 1.1k (latest)
graphic card : nvidia 7950GT
1024 ram crucial (2x512)
Trend Micro ionternet security
I have nothing installed on the computer

I have installed win on a different HD=> same pb

I have reinstalled 10 time windows, and still the same problem.
It quits when ever or reboot itself without warning.Even the safe mode is not working properly ! either it does not boot or after listing all the disabled drivers it reboots ! a real nightmare.
My firefox quits
most of any downloaded files, I get a message " file corruped"
evey time win quits and reboots (when I can) got a box saying "windows ahas recovered from a serious issue" and if I click on the tech info : c:.....min052607-02.dmp and c:....sysdata.xml.
when I install windows I got the blue sceen quite a few time : irql_not_less_or_equal or page_fault_in_nonpaged_area or pnf_list....
When I installed the nvidia driver from cd (provided) got : nforce4 pci express root port, has not passed the XP test....???
It is a real mess !I do not know what to do anymore.
any idea !!!
thanks again.

 

[peterdiva]

Take out one of the sticks of RAM and run with only one and see if it still crashes, if it does then try the other stick by itself.

 

[chandler132]

thanks I will do this.
while I was surfing on the net, I found some stuff :
I have taken off the bios battery => same pb
Cleared the Bios (moved the jumper JP1 to pins 2-3 and put the cap back on the 1-2=> same pb.
I have also moved my 2 stick of ram to 2 other sockets.
I will keep you posted, thanks again for your quick reply.(I am French in France)

also, I forgot:
I ran, sorry I tried to run memtest86 ou the MS memory test from a bootable CD.
and get this :
using 20 pin power supply
CMOS checksum error - defaults loaded

so I cannot run any test, any idea on what it could be ?I have tried to search, but not find anything ....
the power supply is 550w and 300w a is the minimum required according the manual of the motherboard.

Hi PeterDiva
I ran some tests, all the tests have been done with the same file and ran the same way.
Installation of acrobat reader :
with both sticks together=> install failed: impossible to extract files.
With 1 stick alone => install succesfully / and with the other one alone => install succesfully
I have tried with
NVIDIA motherboad driver installation => same statements
Trend Micro internet security => same statements
can also update anti virus without any pb and both sticks are not together.

Whan I had them both, I got a blue screen .I had to choose on how I wanted to reboot windows.I selected normally=> reboot, I tried twice.
and when I finally chose "last know working config" I am getting some boxes at the startup : system has encountered a serious error.....bla bla bla.

So it seems that both sticks cannot work together.What does it tell you?
thanks for your help or anybody else

 

[Xeek]

My windows would reboot/bsod on me on occasion. I thought it was an operating system corruption. I realized my cpu was overheating and as a safeguard it was trying to shut down the system. I applied some thermal grease and bam!, it stopped rebooting/bsod.

 

[chandler132]

thanks for the tip but I dont think it is this.

 

[chandler132]

I managed to run memetest86+
and no error found. 1 pass done

could it be a power supply issue ?
could it be a mobos issue ?

 

[chandler132]

I swithched the 1st stick with the 2nd Ram today.
The pc was on for 2 hours and it crashed :BSOD and mozilla quit.
so after I ran the memtest for 5 hours to check it : no error found.

I am starting to believe the pb may come from the MOBOS. How can I test it ?

is there any nvidia tech reading the forum ?

 

[peterdiva]

Memtest isn't perfect. The second stick may be bad. How long was the first stick in for by itself? Put the first stick back in and see if you can go for a period of time without crashing.

 

[chandler132]

I had the 1st stick in, for over 24h=> no pb
the 2nd one, nothing happened since I ran the memtest !!
weird ?!
how can I test my motherboard ?

 

[Xeek]

thanks for the tip but I dont think it is this.

http://www.pcguide.com/ref/cpu/char/coolProblems-c.html

Why don't you consider the fact that you might be able to fix your problem so easily.

An overheating processor causes logic errors, causing irq errors to hardware/software, data corruption, rebooting, etc. Everything becomes fudge. Welcome to 'why you have to keep a cool computer/processor'.

It causes reboots, it won't boot til it's cool enough. Sound familiar? Stick your finger on the heatsink between the fan and your processor after it reboots on its own or you get a bsod. Push your finger on it, and keep it there. Did it burn you? If it did, your processor is becoming crap, the longer you let it go, the worse it will get.

Here... learn what thermal paste is. Know that it degrades after a while.
http://www.arcticsilver.com/thermal_interface_basics.htm

Improper application of the compound or inferior compound can fry your CPU, damage your motherboard, corrupt data, and cause other problems, such a computer rebooting itself on a hot summer day.

Honestly, thermal paste is $5 - $10 and it's sold everywhere. Consider it.

 

[chandler132]

http://www.pcguide.com/ref/cpu/char/coolProblems-c.html

Why don't you consider the fact that you might be able to fix your problem so easily.

An overheating processor causes logic errors, causing irq errors to hardware/software, data corruption, rebooting, etc. Everything becomes fudge. Welcome to 'why you have to keep a cool computer/processor'.

It causes reboots, it won't boot til it's cool enough. Sound familiar? Stick your finger on the heatsink between the fan and your processor after it reboots on its own or you get a bsod. Push your finger on it, and keep it there. Did it burn you? If it did, your processor is becoming crap, the longer you let it go, the worse it will get.

Here... learn what thermal paste is. Know that it degrades after a while.
http://www.arcticsilver.com/thermal_interface_basics.htm



Honestly, thermal paste is $5 - $10 and it's sold everywhere. Consider it.

I found this software to test CPU and RAM
http://www.ocbase.com/perestroika_en/

I ran a test for each RAM and the result is :
1 RAM seems to be defect, as the test stopped after 1m08s and got a chart with result

I ran the test with the good part and and came out stable.

how can I process to get the mem replace, it is a "crucial" I beleive it is guarantee for life ?!
do you think I need to try to test the defect RAM with MEMTEST for about 10 passes ? what settings shall I use ?