Author Topic: PC Locks up (Read 624 times)

Airscrew · « **on:** March 28, 2004, 05:40:22 PM »

I need some help with pc locking up.

Sony Viao, 1.6 intell, Nvidia 5200 video card, 80gig HD, 512mg ram, windows XP

Locks up on boot up, sometimes while Bios is running, sometimes while CMos is running, sometimes while Windows XP is booting up, sometimes it locks up after Windows has booted and system is running it will lock up after 2 mintues, sometimes it will lock up after running 3 hours. I always have do a hard boot to get the system to come back up.

So far I have
Run 2 different anti-virus, nothing found
run Ad Aware and removed about 70 data miners
run Tune Utility and removed about 300 errors from Registry
removed all games and unused software
defraged the HD 3 times
upgraded NVIdia driver to 56.64
upgraded bios

It has taken me about 4 hours to get this typed in here because system locks up while I'm trying to type.

Airscrew · « **Reply #1 on:** March 28, 2004, 06:43:47 PM »

ok, more stuff, had another lockup

MB ASUStek P4B266LM

I want to rule out, ram bad? Hard Drive bad? Motherboard bad?

Or will reformating and reinstalling WinXp fix this?

512mg Ram, I have nothing running and 32% is being used
under Task Manager I see running
csrss.exe
dllhost.exe
locator.exe
lsass.exe
msdtc.exe
netdde.exe
nvsvr.exe
services.exe
smss.exe
spoolsv.exe
svchost.exe, 4 entries

What reason could there be for the system to keep locking up like this. Started on Monday, Only changes before it started locking up was I download a codec on sunday for Windows Media player.

bloom25 · « **Reply #2 on:** March 28, 2004, 07:15:09 PM »

It's not a software related problem if it locks up in the bios or at bootup.

It's probably a dying powersupply, bad ram, bad motherboard, or overheating.

Reinstalling Windows XP will certainly not help.

Orig · « **Reply #3 on:** March 29, 2004, 01:23:16 AM »

Get a memory checker, preferably one that creates a bootup floppy. You may have some bad ram.

Airscrew · « **Reply #4 on:** March 30, 2004, 11:27:39 AM »

thanks for the advice guys, I was beginning to suspect hardware after all that other work I did trying to rule out viruses or corrupted data.

I had a similar problem last year when I tried to install a Radeon video card on this system. Took it back and got the Nvidia card and didnt have a problem.

so question is where do I find a memory checker. I pulled the video card and the heat sink on the card was very hot.

I downloaded a burn test program that tests the mb, memory and processor. Problem is the system locked up before the test could complete.

Maybe I'll just by a new stick of 512 and a new video card and see if that fixes the problem?

DAVENRINO · « **Reply #5 on:** March 30, 2004, 11:43:57 AM »

http://www.memtest86.com

DJ229 - AIR MAFIA

214thCavalier · « **Reply #6 on:** March 30, 2004, 01:06:43 PM »

First thing you should do is check all the fans are working.
CPU, Video card and power supply.
Also be sure your CPU heatsink has not been dislodged whilst moving your box etc.

It could easily be a fan failing, its usual for them to intermittently stop and start before failing completely.

OverBkil · « **Reply #7 on:** March 30, 2004, 02:20:40 PM »

I'd say problem is the powersupply because lockups are so random.

Orig · « **Reply #8 on:** March 30, 2004, 03:06:29 PM »

Get memtest86 before you waste time with anything else. Randomly swapping out hardware may be a waste of time.

Video cards and CPUs run really hot nowadays so don't jump to conclusions. If the heatsink is hot but the fan is still running, it's likely ok. If you're overclocking at all, drop everything to stock speeds.

But start with memtest86 and let it run through the full set of tests a couple of times before halting it unless it immediately starts finding errors. I've had random system lockups before and almost all of them have been attributed to bad memory. In one case, I had a stick of memory go bad about a year after I purchased it. One day I noticed lockups and problems burning CDs greater than 300 meg in size. Less than 300 meg, no problem. Greater, big problems. Only occasional lockups, but more than usual. Turned out to be bad memory. I run memtest86 on every new computer or new stick of memory I ever buy.

bloom25 · « **Reply #9 on:** March 30, 2004, 10:43:04 PM »

I'd agree that bad ram is a possible culprit as well.

Memtest86 is what I use as well: http://www.memtest86.com

Airscrew · « **Reply #10 on:** April 01, 2004, 12:54:15 PM »

Thanks for the additional information guys.
I'll try that Mem test tonight, maybe that will help.

I gotta go to Biloxi MS this friday for a bowling tournament, so I may not have time to fix anyway, until monday

Cav, fans are working, power supply and cpu, no fan on video card. I checked the CPU first thing a week ago and its not even warm.

I cant believe I've gone almost two weeks with no pc, and no AH... and I'm still sane..... of course I wont tell you where the bodies are buried.

Airscrew · « **Reply #11 on:** April 02, 2004, 07:05:36 AM »

Ok, bloom, Orig, or DJ, When you guys have sometime can you explain to me how to use memtest86?

No rush, I'm about to go out the door for Biloxi

I downloaded it, I tried to create a bootable CD but its not working.

I've probably forgotten how, the last bootable disk I made was 1992.

thanks
Airscrew

Orig · « **Reply #12 on:** April 02, 2004, 02:02:13 PM »

memtest86 should unzip to a few different files including a .txt file with directions. When you run the install.bat batch file, it will create a bootable floppy disc, not a bootable cdrom. If you don't have a floppy drive, then memtest86 will not work for you.

bloom25 · « **Reply #13 on:** April 02, 2004, 09:03:59 PM »

All you need for memtest86 is a floppy disk. Memtest86 will create a boot disk automatically when you run it.

Just a couple notes:

1. Windows will NOT be able to read this disk once it is created. (If you try to read it Windows will claim the disk is damaged.)

2. If when you boot from the memtest86 floppy disk all you see on the screen is a scrolling list of numbers - you have a bad floppy disk. Try another disk.

MetaTron · « **Reply #14 on:** April 02, 2004, 10:23:10 PM »

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