A few questions...

[eoj17]

I've been having this problem for a while now. Recently it's getting a bit worse and I can't handle it. At random times my computer will just lock up, sometimes after 20 minutes of being on. all I can do is hit the power button after a crash. I'm not sure what's causing it. It's something hardware related, because I had this problem before and after a full format. It has been suggested that it is a problem with my PSU, maybe it's faulty, or something happened to it, and it's causing these crashes. I've left a temperature monitor running, and when it crashed, it was at a normal temperature, about 47 C. A basic rundown of my system is: Asus K8V deluxe mobo, amd athlon 64 3000+, gainward geforce fx 5900, 1024 of ram, one 80 gig harddrive, I can't remember how many watts my PSU is... I'm thinking 420-450... not quite sure how I can figure out for sure, I've looked at it, can't really tell. I've tried different things, I've tried rewiring my system, checking for faulty ram, drivers, bios, all that stuff. Any ideas? Any way I can test my PSU? I want to make sure it's the PSU before I buy a better one... Thanks in advance!

 

[LiLithTecH]

What OS?

If Win2k or WinXP\2k3 have you check the event log for any clues?

Running any Anti-Virus or Firewall apps?

 

[KB]

Random reboots like this really could be anything and are hard to diagnose. The key is to start looking and to start ruling out certain items. You mentioned you tested the RAM. You might want to try to run swapping sticks or running with one stick to see if problems still occur. try running with minimal hardware, no soundcard, no ethernet to rule those out.

Reseat your processor and apply a new coat of thermal grease.

Visually inspect your hardware for obvious signs of problems (missing or bent pins etc. I had a motherboard with leaking capacitors that was causing crashes).

My hunch is towards the PSU or motherboard.

Good luck.

 

[sorehead]

Do you have a spare power supply to try? Does it freeze up at the same point or place? What are you doing when this happens? On the internet, playing a game? Added any software?

 

[Monkey muppet]

I had a similar issue with my old PC.

I ran several diagnostic programs;

I eventualy tracked it down to a couple of bad sectors on my swap file partition - this is normally easy to spot, but I had a 'Self Monitoring Analysis Reporting' tool running just after the POST and before the NTLDR files kicked in - This would repair the sectors before Windows accessed that partition. 20 mins later.....system lock-up.

Remember Sandra is your friend

 

[DetroitSportsFan]

Hi guys, I'm new here .... but I've been around computers for a very long time (20+ yrs). I also tend to lean towards the psu as the cause of your problems. When people ask me about system building, I tell them not to neglect that psu and to get the best they can afford. You say you've ruled out heat by using a heat monitoring program. Heat monitoring software from within windows is not always that accurate. It also doesn't monitor heat buildup inside the power supply. One common scenerio for unexplained shut downs and reboots is an overworked, over heating PSU.

I can't remember how many watts my PSU is... I'm thinking 420-450... not quite sure how I can figure out for sure

Take your PSU out of the case and on one of the sides it should tell you. It will also tell you how many amps are available on each of the voltage rails. Now, back to more reasons why at this point I'm leaning towards your PSU. You've got the Athlon 64, which is extremely power hungry on an ASUS board. Now, I'm an ASUS fan, but their boards like A LOT of power.


Remember, regardless of those numbers on the side of that power supply ..... THEY ARE NOT ALL CREATED EQUAL!

 

[eoj17]

Well, I'm using Windows XP. The crashes happen at completely random times, I can be listening to music, or playing a game, or the computer could just be doing nothing and it'll crash. I'm going to try another stick of ram, gettin rid of the extra stuff, and see if I can stop it from happening. I appreciate the help from you all. I'll get back to you and let you know how it works. My friend mentioned something about Fry's. Said they give refunds for opened products, so if I bought a PSU and it didn't fix it, I'd be able to take it back.

 

[DetroitSportsFan]

I'm going to try another stick of ram, gettin rid of the extra stuff, and see if I can stop it from happening.

Before buying new ram, test your current ram using memtest. (Click HERE for Memtest.) You can download it to run off either a floppy or a cd. Give your ram a good ride on this ..... several hours minimum. If your ram fails, replace it.


P.S. Be sure to run multiple tests, testing all ram sticks together, then each stick individually in different banks if you show ram failure. I'm still thinking PSU issues though since generic Power Supplies, regardless of their output ratings, frequently provide inconsistent voltages. Spikes and dips in power cause many hard to diagnose problems not to mention shorten the life of your mobo/cpu and other voltage sensitive components.

 

[LiLithTecH]

Originally posted by: eoj17
Well, I'm using Windows XP. The crashes happen at completely random times, I can be listening to music, or playing a game, or the computer could just be doing nothing and it'll crash. I'm going to try another stick of ram, gettin rid of the extra stuff, and see if I can stop it from happening. I appreciate the help from you all. I'll get back to you and let you know how it works. My friend mentioned something about Fry's. Said they give refunds for opened products, so if I bought a PSU and it didn't fix it, I'd be able to take it back.

Have you looked at the EVENT LOG for any clues before assuming it is a hardware issue?