Help!! FREEZING Computer!!

[shirazhansen]

Help!! FREEZING Computer!! [SOLVED]

My computer freezes randomly, sometimes a few minutes after startup and sometimes a few hours after startup. This is what i've been able to deduce so far with my not-so-great tech knowledge.

- I have XP, Vista and 7 on the same PC, and the freeze occurs across all the 3 OSes, so it doesnt seem to be an OS or driver related problem.

- I use 2X2 GB ddr2 RAM at 800MHz. I cleaned the dust off it and tried using the RAM sticks individually and in different RAM slots. (I have 4 on an Asus P5NE SLi Mobo.) Freeze still happens, so it's not likely that the RAM or it's slot is to blame.

- I cleaned my Graphics (ATI Radeon HD 4850) card's fan vents, updated the graphics driver and tried both HDMI ports. Freeze still happens.

- I noticed that during the freeze, if i hit the Caps lock/Num lock keys on my keyboard, the respective led's dont light up.. So could it be a problem with the processor/mobo?

I'll try and find out the CPU temp today and post it here soon.. But is there anything else i can do to figure out what's causing the PC to freeze randomly?

Thanks for your time..

 

[guru_urug]

AFAIK, it could be due to your power supply. How old is your PSU?
Try running on IGP

 

[thetechfreak]

PSU doesnt seem like Culprit. But use it with another PC if possible.

Run a chkdsk command in command prompt and see if your PC HDD has bad sectors, which I think might be very much the case

 

[coderunknown]

check HDD for bad sector. its most likely culprit.

 

[Zangetsu]

also do a mem86 test for RAM..

 

[shirazhansen]

AFAIK, it could be due to your power supply. How old is your PSU?
Try running on IGP

I did have an issue with my PSU (a Corsair 650W) a couple of months ago (Blown fuse), but since it was under warranty, Corsair replaced it with a new unit, which i'm using now.
Doesnt seem likely that it's a PSU related issue, since i also have a safety fuse in my UPS too.. And it's not easy to check with another PSU, coz the ATI HD 4850 i'm using needs a particular power connector that is not usually available on regular PSUs, and the Asus P5neSLi doesnt hv a dvi port, so i cant remove the card. I'm tryin to find someone with a compatible PSU and/or graphics card, but have so far been unsuccessful.

check HDD for bad sector. its most likely culprit.

I regularly run TuneUp utilities to check for any problems with my HDD, and so far it hasn't found any. I'll check again to confirm tonight and post the results..
I've installed the OSes on different partitions of the same drive.. if the freeze is common to all the OSes, can it still be due to bad sectors on the HDD?

also do a mem86 test for RAM..

Yes, i was planning to do that as soon as i got back from work today. Will post the results as soon as i have them.

Thanks a lot guys for the tips.. but is there any way i can confirm if the CPU or Mobo is at fault?

 

[Zangetsu]

but is there any way i can confirm if the CPU or Mobo is at fault?

by checking the CPU on another PC (frnd's)

 

[coderunknown]

I regularly run TuneUp utilities to check for any problems with my HDD, and so far it hasn't found any. I'll check again to confirm tonight and post the results..
I've installed the OSes on different partitions of the same drive.. if the freeze is common to all the OSes, can it still be due to bad sectors on the HDD?

use some other HDD testing software also. btw you said system hangs sometimes after boot. after reaching windows or during the boot process?

by checking the CPU on another PC (frnd's)

you know the hassle of testing a processor on a friends PC. the second person will not agree. easily

 

[RahulB]

Check BIOS settings to see if something is out of place....

1.) Processor is overclocked or not...
- Processor is overheating or not.
2.) Check memory clocks, to see if it is overclocked....
- Check for overheating.
3.) Graphic card is overclocked..
- Same overheating...

In nutshell check if your system components are running the way they are not supposed to be.. check them against your component manufacturer's website...

 

[dashing.sujay]

On first glance it seems like RAM problem, but since your troubleshooting has already concluded that its not, I'd suggest you to re-apply CPU's thermal paste and then boot. I'm suggesting this as I had a pretty similar problem, and it got solved by this. Also notice one thing (if you're able to); the CPU usage in task manager when the system freezes. If it rockets high enough, you know the answer.

 

[clmlbx]

To me It definitely looks like a Hard disk problem . My frnd too has bad hard-disk as I can come to conclusion (Not checked but by systems)... system is damn slow.. P4 runs like a p2 (I don't know how p2 runs but definitely slower then P3) and Hangs too. First check Hard-Disk and then all

 

[shirazhansen]

To me It definitely looks like a Hard disk problem . My frnd too has bad hard-disk as I can come to conclusion (Not checked but by systems)... system is damn slow.. P4 runs like a p2 (I don't know how p2 runs but definitely slower then P3) and Hangs too. First check Hard-Disk and then all

You seem to have nailed it!
I disconnected one of my HDDs and ran the PC for a while with no freeze issues. I then reconnected the HDD, and so far, for over 4 hrs now, i've had no trouble.. Will leave it on overnight just to confirm..

Thanks a lot for the tips guys! Never thought the HDD cold be responsible for a freezing PC, especially if it's not the primary disk..

 

[shirazhansen]

That's it everybody! Problem solved.
PC's been runnin alright for 2 days now.

Thanks again to everyone for helpin me out. If i'd called in a repair guy, it would've probably cost me a bomb!