New Computer > Lock-up/Freezes

[zakaie]

Hopefully this is something resolvable, but I feel something has to be RMA'd and I'm not completely sure what.

New computer was just built for a friend, and it seemed to be working for a few days until it started crashing (lock-ups/freezes [cursor doesn't move], purple screen, grey screen) but forced spontaneous reboots were rare (happened twice). Every other instance stays locked or in a purple/grey screen until reset or turned off. Friend claims that some of the crashes required a CMOS reboot for the system to get past POST, but I had not witnessed it myself.

This does not happen every reboot, just every other reboot and it varies on when or where it happens. It has frozen on XP boot-up (purple screen), crashed while just idle in XP (just locked up, no color -- sometimes would crash with purple screen), crashed while playing Warcraft 3 DotA (grey screen), and just random browsing. When I was running diagnostics, it even froze while in the BiOS menu. Computer starts up with a single beep (normal), and that's it.

When installing XP and all the drivers (and all the subsequent reboots for each driver), the computer ran completely fine. Even benchmarking with 3DMark06 and playing Company of Heroes maxed out had no problems. Problems first appeared during a WC3 Defense of the Ancients game within the first few minutes of loading, and has been persistent since.

Here are the specifications:

Intel E8400 @ 3.0ghz stock speeds w/ stock Intel HSF
aBIT IP35-E motherboard, revision 15 (newest is 16)
2x 1GB Corsair XMS2 PC6400 DDR2-800 CL4-4-4-12
XFX nVidia 8800GT 512MB 600mhz (non-OC)
Rosewill 550W PSU
Pioneer 16x DVD+RW
Seagate 500GB 7200RPM SATA

Cooler Master Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW
CRT monitor with a VGA-to-DVGA adapter
old Logitech Optical Mouse
Generic Keyboard

Everything is stock, and non-overclocked, when reproducing these issues.

What I don't understand is what could be causing these issues.

Initially, I was thinking power supply, since the two spontaneous reboots made me think power issues. We switched to another Rosewill PSU (500W), but the problems persisted.

I then thought it might be a motherboard short, but I didn't think it could short and keep everything on. I imagined that if it was a short, everything would reboot, which it doesn't do when it crashes... but I will install the MB on the bench and see how that fares tomorrow.

Currently running MemTest86+ overnight and seeing how that goes, but I never thought faulty RAM could crash the BiOS menu.

CPU overheating doesn't seem to be an issue, as I set the CPU temperature warning at 50*C (previously set to 35*C which beeped incessantly when just running the computer... so I know it works). CPU never went over 50* before it crashed.

Video card seems to work, as I ran 3DMark06 and Company of Heroes without issues (except when my friend touches the computer and plays WC3) -- however, when the crashing starts, WC3 is usually involved -- which feels like a less-graphically intense game. Video card can still be a suspect, but I feel that's unlikely.

My main suspicion is still the PSU (since both are Rosewill), but I have a feeling the MB is suspect as well. I guess my question is, can this be a:
a) motherboard short,
b) a faulty motherboard,
c) faulty RAM, or
c) a faulty something else?

I have a feeling that the computer would have stopped running and rebooted during the turning on and/or XP+driver installation if it was just a MB short.

This seems like an incredibly large message, so I'll just leave it at that. =X If any more info is needed, please let me know. I hope people can tread through my convoluted message -- any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[NoelS]

zakaie,

Welcome to the forum.

Could be that game... Have you tried un-installing WC3 Defense of the Ancients? Try that, see if it helps. One other suggestion, go to System Restore and select a time BEFORE you installed WC3 Defense of the Ancients. That would put your Registry back before the install and may get you back on track.

Otherwise, time to start doing diagnostics on the hardware. To do a complete diagnosis, you would have to take the components off the motherboard (and remove the mobo from the case) then replace components one at a time, starting with the RAM sticks until you re-create the problem... that's a time consuming process, so if your suspicion is the PSU, do you have another PSU you can swap out with to check? Or if you have a PSU tester (Radio Shack, $20), that would test the PSU.

At this point, anything could be the culprit, but start with the game, the Restore, then the PSU..

If you need to do a complete diagnosis, let me know and I'll be gald to tell you how/what to do.

Noel

 

[zakaie]

Thanks for the response, NoelS. Just ran MemTest86+ and had 10 passes, no errors -- that was disheartening (since that'd be easier to fix) -- may run it again later on, but so far the boot has not crashed.

Already swapped out the Rosewill 550W to a older Rosewill 500W (same brand, different wattage). Problems still occured on bad boots.

I am going to look at video card next, but the motherboard does not have onboard graphics, so would have to go out and get something to try out.

WC3 seems to be the only game that crashes at the moment -- but it was on the computer as soon as the Windows XP was installed. Other than that, the freezing and lock-ups happen even when not playing WC3. The system worked fine for five days after the initial Windows XP (SP2) install; my friend then shut down his computer after those five days, left it off overnight, then turned it back on in the morning and all these freeze issues began to happen... so it somewhat follows the 'good boot' / 'bad boot' pattern.

After the video card, probably gonna do a full diagnostic. Has there been any record of a motherboard being faulty, but not causing spontaneous reboot crashes? When the screen goes purple/grey/lock-up, you can still hear the background noises (i.e., game sound effects, music, etc) carrying on for maybe a few minutes before proceeding into an infinite loop.

 

[NoelS]

zakaie,

First, do you have the latest BIOS on the rig? If not, try that, can't hurt. You could also try clearing the BIOS and re-setting it (use instructions from User's Manual). One other thing before you rip it all apart - since the trouble seems to be with WC3, I'd suggest cleaning off the HDD and re-installing Windows, see where that gets you - without WC3. Could have been a bad installation of Windows or WC3... If Windows works fine without WC3, think I'd stay away from that game, or at least install it where you can now also un-install it...

If that doesn't work, it's most likely a hardware problem.

For a full diagnostics check, take the entire machine apart. Put the motherboard on the anti-static bag it came in on your workbench, then remove and re-paste the CPU and HSF (not essential, but a useful step for completeness)... Now to go through a process of elimination (in reverse). Add the video card and one stick of RAM to the mobo. Hook up the PSU to the 24 pin mobo connector, the 4/8 pin CPU connector and the video card power connector. Turn on the PSU and jumper the start terminals on the mobo to start it (or have the start button on the case hooked up to the mobo). If it doesn't post, change the stick of RAM and try again. If it still doesn't post, problem is in the mobo, video card or PSU (could also be the CPU, but really only a slim chance of that). That would mean you'd need to check those items out with similar components...

If it's posting OK up till now, just add one component at a time, see if it posts, shut down, add another. If everything works OK all the way through, the last step is to put it all back together with the new installation of XP and go for it...

Keep us advised. Good luck,

Noel