Machine Check Error...please help, brand new computer

[ChiCubs05]

so here is my problem. i just built a brand new computer that i have been saving forever for that cost me $950. all brand new stuff assembled by me and a friend (who has built stable systems before) we configured everything right,cpu tight, mobo screwed down, power connected stable...everything seems good right?

so around a week into running i get a hard drive error, which we fix by stabalizing the hdd with some extra screws. maybe a week later i start getting this fatal blue screen giving me a machine_check_exception error.

i have no clue what to do about this error so i boot into safe mode with networking, and everyhing appears normal so i restart and it boots up fine to my normal desktop. this error keeps happening and i continue to boot into safe mode and then restart, probably did this 4-5 times. now i get the error constantly and sometimes cannot even boot into safe mode. here are my specs:

AMD Athalon X2 3800+
ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 Mobo
WD Caviar 250Gb HDD
G Skill 2GB 184-Pin DDR400 PC3200 Memory
GeForce 7600GT 256MB Graphics
Aspire See-Thru 500w Power Supply

can somebody please tell me what i need to do. run a RAM test, RMA my processor...everything is still within 30 days but will be running out soon, please help me. this is my dream machine and i dont know how to fix it

 

[hewybo]

Screws?

Perhaps I am misunderstanding what you are saying, but I do not see how a "hard drive error" can be fixed with extra screws. When you booted into safe mode, were you able to run chkdisk? I'm not an expert, but it sounds like your hard drive could be a bad one. Does it make any noises? Excessive clicking?

I would also try to run MemTest- one stick at a time. If you can get to them, there are people on this site that can advise you on your "minidumps." (reports windows makes makes when it encounters errors.

Maybe some of the smarter guys will respond, but that is my opinion of where to start checking. One more thing- that PSU doesn't have the best reputation. it could be part (or more) of the problem. I know I haven't been much help, but at least this will bump the thread- maybe smart people will notice and help.

Good luck, man. :knock:

 

[howard_hopkinso]

Hello and welcome to Techspot.

0x0000009C: MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION

This is a hardware issue: an unrecoverable hardware error has occurred. The parameters have different meanings depending on what type of CPU you have but, while diagnostic, rarely lead to a clear solution. Most commonly it results from overheating, from failed hardware (RAM, CPU, hardware bus, power supply, etc.), or from pushing hardware beyond its capabilities (e.g., overclocking a CPU).

Disconnect anything not required to boot your computer and see if you still have the problem.

Check for any shorts between mobo and case.

Check your system temps.

Check your psu is putting out enough power for your system.

Check your ram with Memtest86+

Make sure nothing is overclocked.

I too am a little confused as to what you mean by adding some screws sorted your hard drive problem.

Go HERE and follow the instructions.

Regards Howard :wave: :wave:

 

[nork]

If all the above fails to bring a solution to your problem, then i suggest you take everthing out of the case and run it on a desktop. Only run the minimum needed to boot to windows. See if you can get it running stable that way.
I join the ranks of those who are confused about the hard drive error being fixed by adding screws because i have hard drives running sitting on my desktop all the time and no problems. What was the error message?

Just from what you are saying i suspect a hard drive issue but it could be any of the items already mentioned, including the power supply.

 

[Tedster]

https://www.techspot.com/vb/topic51242.html

 

[ChiCubs05]

i believe the hard drive error was just that it was properly connected, only saw it once. now whenever i try and start my computer to check my pagefile and event log, i get the BSOD within 5 minutes after booting up, safe mode will not work anymore. i hae burned a bootable copy of the MemTest86+ program, and am preparing to to run that, but im not sure how i will post the results of that or some of my mini dumps. my buddy is going to come over tonight and we are going to check and make sure everything is connected and that nothing is shorting, i dont think its a cooling or power issue. so i am baffeled as to what is happening. could somebody explain to me how i should post results after running MemTest or if i need to post my mini dumps on here? thank you all so much
-patrick

 

[ChiCubs05]

ok so i took out the second stick of memory, and windows booted up very quick and everything is going great...i also switched my hard driver from the SATA2 connector to just the regular SATA port. i checked all my power and made sure everything was tight and removed the second stick of memory that i figured to be faulty since it was the hardest to install at the beginning.

so everything is working great. so now what should i do? i think it was that stick of memory, thats atleast my guess...what steps should i take to ensure stability on my machine, and are there any other tests that i need to run to ensure everything is going good? because i burn the memtest as an .iso file and it never boots...burned with nero, power iso, and dvd decrypter...to no avail, should i post my minidumps if they still exist, and where do i find those at?

thanks again for everything guys!!!
-patrick

 

[hewybo]

Ram

What was it that made the second stick "hardest to install?" Are you sure you had it in the proper slot? In the proper orientation? Are they "matched" sticks? Have you tried booting with ONLY the bad/suspect stick? That might tell you a lot.

Regarding MemTest- you need to to format a "bootable" floppy disk, and copy the program to it. Be sure your BIOS is set to boot from drive A (floppy drive)- insert the disk, and restart.

 

[korrupt]

You could try a reformat and reinstall ( go HERE for instructions) because the system is not old, there shouldnt be a lot of data to save so this may fix the problem.

Regards,

Korrupt