Computers Locking Up, Help!

[Vulcan_Raven]

I built this comp about 8 months ago. It ran perfectly fine for the first few months, but then it started to randomly lock up. Everything locks up, no mouse or keyboard, and you can hear a constant ticking from the speakers when it freezes. This happens at completely random times, sometimes when im playing BF2 or just surfing the net or when the comps completely idle. My first hunch when this started to happen a few months back, was maybe a virus or windows was corrupt. So I reformatted, did a fresh install of XP. The comp ran great for another month or two after the install, then this locking up started all over again. I have no idea what could be the problem.


First off, here's my system.

AMD Athlon 64 3000+
Abit nf8 mobo
Realtek ac-97 onboard sound
Radeon 9800 pro 128 mb
1 Gb Crucial Technology (2 x 512)
80 Gb western digital hdd
cd/rw
350 watt allied psu

I've ran memtest86 to check the RAM, and it ran fine with no errors. I've also checked the comp for overheating and that doesnt seem to be the case as it runs fairly cool. Im really trying to figure this out without having to replace a bunch of parts as I dont have the cash for that. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[DonNagual]

Right click on "my computer" then "manage" then "event viewer".

Browse around in there looking for some error reports to see if you can't get a hint as to what is causing the freezes. Hopefullly it is an NIC driver or something simply like that which would just mean you need to update it.

Another high possibility is that it could be your PSU is just not able to keep up... Download and install "speedfan" and check what your current voltage readings are:
https://www.techspot.com/downloads/547-speedfan.html

 

[Vulcan_Raven]

I checked the event logs, and only found some errors with intellitype pro, and some system errors with dhcp. I also downloaded speedfan, here's the readings..

All the temps are right around 34 C.

The voltage readings...

VCOREA: 1.54v
VCOREB: 2.67v
+3.3v: 3.34v
+5v: 5.13v
+12v: 12.22v
-12v: -7.01v
-5v: -3.84v
+5VSB: 5.59v
VBAT: 3.02v



Thanks for all the help so far, let me know what you think of these readings..

 

[howard_hopkinso]

Hello and welcome to Techspot.

I`m leaning in the direction of your problem being psu related.

While your voltages don`t look that bad. Your psu is suspect.

A good quality psu will achieve around 70% efficiency. A cheap psu will struggle to achieve anywhere near that.

Take a look at this psu wattage calculator HERE

Let us know what wattage it says you need.

Regards Howard :wave: :wave:

 

[Vulcan_Raven]

The wattage calculator said I needed 277 watts to run everything, so I don't know if the power supply is underpowered, but I think it might just be going bad on me... Im gonna go pick up another psu today sometime just to see. Any suggestions on a good psu for a decent price?

 

[DonNagual]

Before you buy a new PSU, read this article. Good luck! I hope it solves your problem!

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=792566

 

[Vulcan_Raven]

Thanks for all the help. I checked out that article, it was really helpful. The psu I have now is on the "bad list" lol, so I'm hoping a new psu will fix my problem. I'm heading to the store now, to pick one up. I'll post after I try it out.

 

[Vulcan_Raven]

Tried a new psu, it locked up after about 3 hours, so I guess the psu wasn't the problem... I have no idea what I should try next.

 

[howard_hopkinso]

Check your temperatures.

If it isn`t a psu problem, then maybe it`s an overheating problem.

It could be your video card is overheating.

Regards Howard

 

[DonNagual]

I checked the event logs, and only found some errors with intellitype pro, and some system errors with dhcp.

Do any of these errors have a RED mark? More importantly, do the times these errors are happening correspond with the times you are freezing?

 

[Finchy]

I agree with Howard

I had freezing problems about a year ago with my 9800 Pro
Turned out the fan was clogged with dust, cleaned it, has ran perfectly ever since

 

[Vulcan_Raven]

I've checked my video card fan a few times, and it seems to be spinning, although not very fast. Speedfan reports my temps at being around 32C which isn't to hot, but the vid card its self could be overheating I guess.

In the event viewer there are some red X's next to Intellitype Pro and MsiInstaller, but those were a few days ago and my comp has frozen a few times since then, so they don't really correlate.

What do you guys suggest to see if the 9800 pro is overheating?

 

[howard_hopkinso]

You could try taking the side panel off of your case, and aiming a desk fan at your videocard.

See if the freezing happens less frequently. If it does, then overheating is likely the cause.

Regards Howard

 

[Vulcan_Raven]

Alright, I'll open the case up tonight and put a fan on it. Thanks for all the help!

 

[Vulcan_Raven]

Well, my computer hasn't froze since I opened the case up, so it does seem to be a heat issue. What does everyone recommend to cool down my vid card? Thanks again for all the help!

 

[howard_hopkinso]

Maybe something like THIS would help.

Regards Howard

 

[Vulcan_Raven]

Im gonna pick up some cooling stuff and that should do the trick. hopefully. Thanks to everybody for all the help!

 

[howard_hopkinso]

Im gonna pick up some cooling stuff and that should do the trick. hopefully. Thanks to everybody for all the help!

Good luck with the cooling solution.

Please let us know how it goes.

Regards Howard