Computer periodically locks up; afterwards, Windows will not start.

[Blue Shift]

Hello, and thanks for taking a minute to help understand this problem!

Incident:
My computer sometimes locks up, and must be powered down and restarted manually. This does not always occur when gaming. It has seemed to happen more on warm weekend afternoons, but that may be a coincidence.

Lasting Effects:
Once powered down, the machine will refuse to start back up for a few hours. It typically hangs on the main Windows 7 loading screen. Sometimes I have been able to boot into safe mode during this time, but after restarting it again Windows would not load even in safe mode.

Concerns:
My computer (actually, the GPU in particular) has some thermal issues, and I have begun running it with the sides taken off of the case to increase airflow. There is also a PCI-slot exhaust fan under the GPU to increase airflow across its heat sink. My apartment has terrible A/C, so room temperature can be as high as 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Prior Investigation:
All fans in the machine are running fine, and I've confirmed that the culprit is not a faulty stick of RAM...


The next time I get it to boot, I can check individual temperature readings for you. Please let me know which ones to look at.

 

[Puppies04]

I highly doubt it is temp related if it won't turn back on for "a few hours". Could be a dodgy SATA connection, try another lead if you have one or remove and reinstall the existing one to make sure it isn't loose.

Also can you give a full system spec

 

[Blue Shift]

I highly doubt it is temp related if it won't turn back on for "a few hours". Could be a dodgy SATA connection, try another lead if you have one or remove and reinstall the existing one to make sure it isn't loose.

Also can you give a full system spec

Sure.

I just now tried changing out the SATA leads; there was already a second cable hooked into the MB which I use for data recovery from time to time. I tried switching to that cable, and then tried switching back to the original cable, but plugged into a different port.

At no point during that process would Windows start. Moreover, after those repeated attempts in a small time window, now I'm stuck at my motherboard's splash screen. (POST)


Full specs:
Motherboard: Gigabyte 790XTA-UD3 (AM3)
CPU: Phenom II x4 965 BE (not overclocked)
HSF: Stock cooler.
RAM: 12GB DDR3 1333MHz (mixed brands, 1.5V)
HDD; 1TB WD Black
GPU: EVGA GTX 480 (not overclocked)
PSU: Rosewill Libertas 650W (supposedly reliable)
Optical Drive: Hitachi GDR drive
Case: In Shin ATX (horrible)


After writing this spec list, I tried starting the machine again. It passed POST, and is currently trying to start Windows in safe mode.

Last line in the log:
Loaded: \Windows\system32\DRIVERS\disk.sys

(It hangs after this line in all cases, and sometimes eventually proceeds on and starts.)

Edit: I just tried unplugging the optical drive. It hung briefly after disk.sys, then booted into safe mode. Is there any information I should grab while it's in safe mode?

 

[Blue Shift]

Just restarted in normal mode; everything is working fine... For now.

 

[birthdaymonkey]

My first suspicion would be a PSU problem given the strange timing issues. It could also be RAM related with a bunch of DIMMs of "mixed brands". You could try running it with just one RAM module and see if that fixes it.

 

[Blue Shift]

My first suspicion would be a PSU problem given the strange timing issues. It could also be RAM related with a bunch of DIMMs of "mixed brands". You could try running it with just one RAM module and see if that fixes it.

I have already tested the RAM by doing exactly that; when this happens, it will not boot with any subset of the DIMMs installed.

Do PSU problems really manifest like that?

 

[oynaz]

I would suspect a failing capacitor on the mobo or video card. If you have a spare video card, try runnning with it for a while and see if the problem persists.

 

[Ruger22C]

+1 on this guess.
perhaps it could be a cap in the PSU, too?

I would suspect a failing capacitor on the mobo or video card. If you have a spare video card, try runnning with it for a while and see if the problem persists.

 

[Blue Shift]

Cool; at least we're getting somewhere. The next time this happens, I'll try installing my backup video card.

I am torn between hoping it's the video card because diagnosis would be easier, and hoping it's one of the other two components mentioned... Because replacing both the Motherboard and PSU together might be cheaper than buying a new video card.

Edit: No longer torn. My HOPE (illogical though it may be) is that it's related to the GDR drive I unplugged.