Locking Up

[jordanpr]

I am using the desktop in my signature.

Usually its when I'm playing games (not always), but from time to time my computer will freeze. When I restart, I get the message:

"Overclocking failed! Press F1 for setup/BIOS or F2 for continue and boot windows"

I purchased from an Anandtech member, and I don't know anything about overclocking or even if my CPU is able to be overclocked, but he said that the system was not overclocked.

I am a newb to working with my BIOS, and albeit I can understand the majority of what it says at a very basic level, I don't want to screw anything up.

Any ideas why it's freezing?

I can only think of:

1. PSU not powerful enough?
2. CPU is literally trying to overclock and failing
3. Video card getting too hot?
4. ?

Thanks for any ideas!!

 

[Puffnstuff]

Do you monitor your temps and volts? Time for you to become proactive in locating your source of trouble.

 

[Markbnj]

I can't imagine the BIOS giving you that error without knowing that the board was overclocked. Press F1 to go into the BIOS setup and look for something like advanced settings (if you can report the BIOS maker and version we can tell you where to find it). In there you will find the timings. Just report what's in that screen and someone here will be able to tell you if it is stock, and if it isn't, tell you what settings to use.

 

[jordanpr]

Is there a good program to use to monitor temps/volts in the background?

As soon as I get home from work I'll let you know!!

 

[jordanpr]

Sorry to bump, but is there a standard program for monitoring these temperatures and volts?

 

[Roguestar]

Intel TAT for temperatures
http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/392/mirrors.php

CPU-Z for voltages and speeds
http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

 

[jordanpr]

AI Overclocking: Auto
DDR2 Reference Voltage: Auto

Select the target CPU frequency, and the relevant parameters will be auto-adjusted. frequencies higher than CPU manufacturer recommends are not guaranteed to be stable. If the system becomes unstable, return to the default.

PCI Latency Timer: 64




v02.58 (c) copyright 1985-2005, American Megatrends, Inc.




What exactly am I looking for?

 

[jordanpr]

VCORE Voltage [1.256v]
3.3 Voltage [ 3.296v]
5V Voltage [5.094]
12V Voltage [12.196]

CPU Temp: 46*C 113.5 F
MB Temp 44*C 111*F

Fan speed 3200 RPM

 

[Old Hippie]

AI Overclocking: Auto

Turn it off?

 

[jordanpr]

I either have the option of Auto or Manual.

Under Manual my choice of speed is 1-500, and its default is 166 or something.

 

[jkresh]

asus boards sometime say weird things, if it tries to startup and fails for whatever reason (or you press restart before it gets to the windows screen) it will give the overclocking failed message even if you aren't overclocking. If you have it on auto then there should be a menu somewhere which lists percentages ( think the auto can do 0%,5%, 10% or 20% overclock but I am not positive). The first thing you should do is download orthos and run it for a while and see if its stable (24 hours is usually good), if that does not crash its probably not a cpu issue.

 

[jordanpr]

So far Orthos hasn't caught anything, but my comp has locked up 5 times today, every time giving me the:

Overclocking Failed!

thing when I reboot.

During Orthos, my processors got up to about 50 degrees C before I shut it off (this took only about 3 minutes of orthos stress testing).

Is that terribly hott? Remember I'm a complete newb .

 

[esquared]

I can't see your system in your sig. What is your motherboard model #?
Also when you go to the BIOS and are at the first screen, there should be a option to go back to the default settings. The only problem I see doing this is you will have to go and edit the boot sequences and a couple other minor settings.

 

[esquared]

I see your system now. The ASUS N4L-VM DH. Downloading the manual it looks like page 4-38 shows how you can get to Load Setup Defaults. It's in the EXIT tab of the BIOS menu. You should be able to do this and it's like it came from the factory. If that didn't work, the other option is to reset the CMOS. It shows how on page 2-21 of the manual.

 

[jordanpr]

http://jordanregan.googlepages...overclockingfailed.jpg

http://jordanregan.googlepages.com/infocomputer.jpg



this is the error message, and this is my info.

it just happened again after I reset to defaults. I don't see the overclocking thing anymore but it still gives me the overclocking error message.

Any hints?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: Markbnj
I can't imagine the BIOS giving you that error without knowing that the board was overclocked. Press F1 to go into the BIOS setup and look for something like advanced settings (if you can report the BIOS maker and version we can tell you where to find it). In there you will find the timings. Just report what's in that screen and someone here will be able to tell you if it is stock, and if it isn't, tell you what settings to use.

I saw one mention of it before in the motherboards forum. I don't recall which specific board that did that.

 

[Slugbait]

I suspect your RAM. When I was building last year, I overclocked my memory...one tweak too far, and I hit the same issue. Then the mobo reset the BIOS to default, and screwed everything up (my RAM is 2.2V, the BIOS default was 1.8V). What a PITA.

Anyway, my point is that the BIOS is either set wrong for your memory, or the default settings are wrong for your memory...or the RAM or the slots could be going bad.

 

[0roo0roo]

run memtest
turn off overclocking ai or whatever.
if memtest passes, remove gpu use integrated graphics and run stress tests.
perhaps its the psu then.