I need a new computer

[ewibolo]

I love the few months before thanksgiving. The deals are hot, and right on time.
My computer has been acting up lately restarting when executing random programs.
There is nothing consistent about the restarts. I am going to have to swap everything
including the motherboard, ram, case and power supply. If that doesn't fix it, I'll
probably shoot myself after smoking my whole humidor's worth of cigars.

Just had to vent a little bit. I feel a little better though, because I found 4gb PC6400 ram for 23 bucks after rebate.
One piece of the puzzle, only 3 left.

 

[mugzy]

I hear ya bro. I just ordered a new one yesterday myself. That locking up and slowing down garbage is anoying!

 

[CigarStone]

I love the few months before thanksgiving. The deals are hot, and right on time.
My computer has been acting up lately restarting when executing random programs.
There is nothing consistent about the restarts. I am going to have to swap everything
including the motherboard, ram, case and power supply. If that doesn't fix it, I'll
probably shoot myself after smoking my whole humidor's worth of cigars.

Just had to vent a little bit. I feel a little better though, because I found 4gb PC6400 ram for 23 bucks after rebate.
One piece of the puzzle, only 3 left.

If you swap all of that, the only thing you will need is a twisty tie, maybe Moki has an extra one

 

[b.dawgson]

I came in here fixing to say "Don't buy a computer, build one!"

But I see you're already there. Have you tried simply re-formatting your computer? I re-format mine about once a year.

 

[ewibolo]

Yep, typically I will do a format once a year as well. But the last time I was forced to do a format I had to do it about 8 TIMES!, just to get windows to boot. I don't know what it is. Maybe I'll have to try swapping the hard drive first, to see if that's it. I don't think it is , because if the hard drive fails, it just doesn't work. Either way, I think I still want to get this negative "energied" piece of crap out of my house. It has been a curse since the beginning.

 

[BlindedByScience]

Good luck with your build.

The step most forget is to TEST the new hardware BEFORE trying to load an OS on it. Systems on my bench don't get to look at an OS until they pass at least 24 hours of Memtest86+ (usually 48) with no errors AND all the new hard drives pass their manufacturer's "long" diagnostic tests three times in a row.

Then, and only then, does the system get an OS loaded on it.

A great resource for a bootable CD chock full of diagnostics (including all the ones I've mentioned) is the Ultimate Boot CD. It's a free download and is a staple on my bench.

Have fun - B.B.S.

 

[mrrt]

Yep, typically I will do a format once a year as well. But the last time I was forced to do a format I had to do it about 8 TIMES!, just to get windows to boot. I don't know what it is. Maybe I'll have to try swapping the hard drive first, to see if that's it. I don't think it is , because if the hard drive fails, it just doesn't work. Either way, I think I still want to get this negative "energied" piece of crap out of my house. It has been a curse since the beginning.

WOAHHHHH there tiger...ahahahahha...Before you go trashing the thing a couple things to think about. Typically the random reboot thing has a couple of main causers. The first thin I notice is that your in Miami. The first thing that comes to mind is a heat issue. Overheating will cause all sorts of random things to happen. try running for a few days with one of the covers off. And while your at it check the fans and make sure they are all spinning and the heatsinks are not clogged with dust. If that doesnt help you can try changing the memory out. Flaky memory will go and do some crazy stuff, as will a power supply that going out.
I definitely is not going to be a bad HD. when they go bad you'll loose entire programs or access to programs or just of random data. So I dont think there is a need to change the drive just yet. Have you scanned the machine for virus and spyware..????? try malwarebytes and AVG for a decent cleaning (both are free downloads)

let me now if that helps

Art

 

[wkoti]

Hey bud,
My name is Chris and before I began a Chef in Vegas I ran the hardware department at a raw-manufacturing company (running servers and being responsible for 200+ computers). I've got several diagnoses from what I have collected, if your not completely done with trying to fix your box may I recommend a few things.

1. What's the Wattage on you power supply, I've found if a computer has many upgrades and extra parts the standard stock company power supply doesn't cut it and I recommend getting a Power Supply above 500 Watts.
2. Bios settings, in your bios settings on boot-up you may have some settings that are a bit touchy or may not work for everyone like yourself. Such as your max system/processor temperature, some of the older models have a max temperature control in which if the computer gets close to or to the max temperature it will make the computer run slower and may cause failure and sudden crashes.
3. I also would like you to adjust your RAM frequency higher or lower depending on which sticks you put in the box (I hope you bought sticks with all the same product specs) and seeing if that doesn't stop your problem all together.
4. Like mrrt said since your located in Miami to check all the fans for proper operation and cleanliness because it may be as simple as your pc overheating because of fan wear (replace the fan), fan not being connected correctly (plug in properly), fan being dirty or clogged (clean fan).
5. I would also recommend unplugging and removing unnecessary hardware like extra hard drives, unneeded ram, and disk drives not in use and allow your computer to run to make sure it's not a simple problem like a box with to much extra accessories.

If you or anyone has any questions feel free to hit me up and PM and I will help as much as I can, as for you ewibolo I can diagnose your pc much better with some information I can help you collect with me to fully understand and fix the problem.

-Chris-

 

[CRQuarto]

I had a similar issue on my desktop a while ago. Turned out that one of my sticks of RAM was bad. Obviously you stated that you already ordered new RAM, so there is a good chance that may have been the issue. I hope it was, cause then you only spent $48, and you can buy more cigars instead of computer components!

 

[{tpc}]

I agree with alot of the above advice. What are you trying to run for an OS? Have you done all the bios updates to your current MB? Have you run a long diagnostic on the HD? Lastly, and probably most importantly, when you look at your MB, do the caps on it look pregnant? Random reboots can be caused by a lot of things. A few years back, one of the motherboard manufacturers got a bad series of caps, and over time they would fail, causing simliar issues. I had a lot of those to deal with, me, my friends, and a ton of systems at work all had them and they all ended up with the same issues.

Depending on how old your system is, it may just be better to start building a new one. It sucks, its expensive, and I know "there shouldn't be anything wrong with this one"...ya I've said and heard it all before. Everyone and everything gets old and dies at some point...you can't live forever lol.

 

[half full monty]

Buy a Mac and forget about all this nonsense.

 

[NASTY]

Buy a Mac and forget about all this nonsense.

Macs are gay.

Good luck with your build.

The step most forget is to TEST the new hardware BEFORE trying to load an OS on it. Systems on my bench don't get to look at an OS until they pass at least 24 hours of Memtest86+ (usually 48) with no errors AND all the new hard drives pass their manufacturer's "long" diagnostic tests three times in a row.

Then, and only then, does the system get an OS loaded on it.

A great resource for a bootable CD chock full of diagnostics (including all the ones I've mentioned) is the Ultimate Boot CD. It's a free download and is a staple on my bench.

Have fun - B.B.S.

Great tip. A lot of people just load up their OS right from the get go and start with the BIOS settings.

 

[moki]

I love the few months before thanksgiving. The deals are hot, and right on time.
My computer has been acting up lately restarting when executing random programs.
There is nothing consistent about the restarts. I am going to have to swap everything
including the motherboard, ram, case and power supply. If that doesn't fix it, I'll
probably shoot myself after smoking my whole humidor's worth of cigars.

Just had to vent a little bit. I feel a little better though, because I found 4gb PC6400 ram for 23 bucks after rebate.
One piece of the puzzle, only 3 left.

What makes you think that any of the problems you're having are hardware related?

Have you you run a memory validation program on it? It's a lot less expensive to properly diagnose what is wrong accurately, and then fix what is wrong rather than just jumping in and replacing parts. It very well may be a software issue.

Buy a Mac and forget about all this nonsense.

The hoople-heads will never understand, HFM.

 

[Not A Nice Person]

Buy a Mac and forget about all this nonsense.

Macs are gay.

Pfffft. Mine's never come on to ME.

I guess some people might consider better graphics, higher speeds, a superior OS, and not having to worry about crashing or viruses, all packaged in the sleekest design out there "gay."

PCs are for gamers. Macs are for Adobe apps and the internet.

~Boar

 

[sboyajian]

wkoti - If this is just a standard out of the box desktop, I don't know that upgrading to a 500W is the solution. Most standard run of the mill desktops take less than 300.. that being said, if it is a PSU problem, it's likely not getting enough ont he 12v rail..

To me the problem is likely one of two things.
1. The hard drive. If it really took 8 formats to get an OS on the HD, that is a pretty telling sign.
2. Video Card. For some reason people never suspect the video card, yet over half of all stop errors and restarts come from faulty video cards.

 

[Gawl]

+1 for the vid card and drive problems. If it took you 8 times to reload your OS something is definately up with your drive, I would start with that and go from there.

 

[wkoti]

I somehow missed the Format problem when reading the post and instead of giving advise on that I went with a few of the other problem solutions. I agree if it took 8 times it's defiantly a hard drive or hardware problem. I also agree and recommend testing the hardware in your box to make sure you don't replace parts that don't need to be replaced, and it very well could be the Video Card, but there are usually several tell tale problems when a video card is malfunctioning. I wonder if he is using the on-board graphics or he has a video card. It's hard to say exactly what is wrong with only a tid-bit of information. But I'm sure with all the help he can figure it out!!!

Chris

 

[ewibolo]

Mrrt, it shouldn't be an overheating issue. I built this computer myself and it has a 120mm fan in the rear and 3 other fans pushing air in, at the bottom of the case (front and side). I run memtest diagnostic and it is fine with the current set of memory, but when I changed the memory, memtest had a fatal error and restarted the computer (go figure). Power supply may or may not be fine. It is a PC Power and Cooling 700w psu, brand new (which is why that might be the problem). But would a power supply cause the Windows install process to not proceed successfully?
This is a problem at the point of install. Windows wouldn't install properly, which leads me to believe it is a hardware issue.

{tpc}, I have the latest bios updates, and I am running Win XP. I have not run a long diagnostic on the hard drives yet, so that will be first on my list.

BlindedByScience, that's a great idea. I knew it would be ideal to know that your new hardware functions properly, but I never actually put that idea to use. I will definitely run diagnostics on all of the new hardware. Thanks for the diagnostic CD also, I have never heard of that before.

Thanks Wkoti, I'll PM you if I have anymore questions, and great advice.

Moki, I believe it is a hardware issue because the windows disk worked fine for a while. I performed installs previously and they all worked fine. Also, since it is having trouble during installing xp.

sboyajian , It shouldn't be a video card problem also, because I swapped video cards with no change in behavior.

On top of that, the hard drive is new (which is why I am going to run the long diagnostic first)

Here is my setup
All new equipment as of 6 months ago

Nvidea graphics card
power pc and cooling 700w psu
asus motherboard
250gb hard drive
Kingston HyperX ram 4gb (2x2)
Pentium dual core 3ghz

Everything is compatible with regards to memory speed and size/motherboard, processor/motherboard.

As far as the latest problem, When I tried to format and reinstall windows the last time, I had to perform the format 8 times before the install went through "successfully". That is what I am running right now, as I type. The computer only seems to restart within the first 5 seconds of executing a CPU intensive program (i.e. - video editing, opening 10 firefox windows at once, running Google Earth...these are some examples of when the restart hits)


BTW, thanks for all your suggestions. I really appreciate the help. I have put together my 4 previous computers and a friend's with nary a problem. I have learned some very useful techniques with all of the suggestions given above. Thanks again.

Eric

 

[{tpc}]

I would look at a couple of things during the install. First, I would result the bios settings to default to make sure there is nothing overclocked or "cranked up" before the install. Clear it with the motherboard jumper, just to be sure. Second, I would have your hard drive and cd drive on separate channels. Nothing makes windows installs go worse than if they are trying to share the same ide...though i'm thinking you already have that taken care of.

Last, make sure your doing a complete format of the hard drive, and are in no way installing overtop of the old os install. I would also check and double check to make sure your heatsink on your processor is properly mounted. What you describe sounds like a heatsink thats not on all the way, ie...when it heats up during your labor instensive stuff it gets worse, but works ok other than that. Sometimes little plastic clips break and it looks held down but isnt. Sometimes the tape they put on the heatsink stops working correctly, especially if you removed and replaced the heatsink but didn't change it out with some sort of heatsink compound.

Hope this helps!

 

[wkoti]

One more thing ewibolo,
Have you tried a different or new install cd for the Operation System? I've found that when I had a problem with the installs of my OS it would occasionally be either the Disk Drive wasn't fast enough to write the OS onto the HD properly or that the disk was damaged or missing files. So if you haven't tried a new installation disk I would try that after the hardware diagnostic if it still doesn't install right. Let me know if I your still having a problem.

Chris