Computer random restarts Can't Find Out Why!

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Andrew Hren

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Jul 5, 2014
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Hello!
So my computer has been having issues. It crashes randomly and restarts with no BSOD. I've mentioned this in a longer thread and someone recommended I uninstall some drivers and uninstall/reinstall my video drivers which I've done. Basically, I've done memtest and stresstests and such and I can't identify a hardware issue, and without BSOD I can't determine what is crashing my system. SO any advice is welcome thanks.
Info: http://imgur.com/Zh15ezk
 
Solution
capt_taco
If you get beeps, chances are they mean something. Get the motherboard's manual and remember what pattern the beeps are (1 long, 2 short, etc.) - there is a code that will tell you what component caused the shutdown.

My guess would be the mismatched RAM. Sometimes they do not play nicely together, especially if they have slightly different timings or voltage requirements - see if it works with only two sticks at a time.

Also, if you have 8GB of RAM, based on what you said, I take that to mean 4 sticks of 2GB each ... that in itself makes it harder to keep stable than two sticks. Try manually increasing the RAM voltage in the BIOS by 0.02V or 0.04V over what the stock settings say it requires. That can sometimes be needed to get four...
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capt_taco

capt_taco

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Aug 5, 2009
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The full specs of the system would help. particularly the power supply and exact model of RAM. Briefly overloading the PSU could cause that, although I don't know about restarting. Unstable RAM could be another things to look at (would not necessarily show an error in Memtest if it's just incorrect settings, as opposed to physically defective. This is common with higher-speed RAM if you don't set the timings/voltage yourself)

If it restarts on its own, it's probably not overheating. That tends to cause it to turn off and stay off, and be unable to turn back on until enough heat has dissipated to be safe.

Also, do you get an error beep code when it boots back up? That could really help identify a hardware issue.
 
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capt_taco

capt_taco

Splendid
Aug 5, 2009
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21,460
If you get beeps, chances are they mean something. Get the motherboard's manual and remember what pattern the beeps are (1 long, 2 short, etc.) - there is a code that will tell you what component caused the shutdown.

My guess would be the mismatched RAM. Sometimes they do not play nicely together, especially if they have slightly different timings or voltage requirements - see if it works with only two sticks at a time.

Also, if you have 8GB of RAM, based on what you said, I take that to mean 4 sticks of 2GB each ... that in itself makes it harder to keep stable than two sticks. Try manually increasing the RAM voltage in the BIOS by 0.02V or 0.04V over what the stock settings say it requires. That can sometimes be needed to get four sticks stable.

I would seriously question the integrity of that power supply. Kingwin has some decent power supplies made by Super Flower, but that one I believe is one of their low-end models and looks to be a few years old. Definitely at least check that the voltage is within spec; I would consider replacing it if you have the money.
 
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Solution
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Andrew Hren

Reputable
Jul 5, 2014
13
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4,510
Ok cool I changed my RAM voltage I'll see if there are any more crashes. But btw when I was having this problem a few months ago I took out two of the same type of RAM sticks so I was down to two sticks with 4gb total, and I did see a significant crash reduction. Does this mean it is in fact the RAM that is not stable? I was planning on buying a SSD but if there is some inherent hardware issue that obviously has priority, but I don't want to buy something and it not fix the issue yknow. Thanks for all the help.
 
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capt_taco

capt_taco

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Aug 5, 2009
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It's quite likely that unstable RAM was the issue - would help to know the exact specs for both sets, but see if the voltage trick works first. About 75% of the time mismatched RAM will do OK together and simply downgrade to the timings of the slower set, but about 1 in 4 will go nuts for whatever reason. And the 4-sticks-at-once voltage issue can happen even if you have four identical sticks, so I'm hopeful that's the root of the problem.

You shouldn't have to replace anything if this is a memory issue, just get the settings right or possibly resign yourself to using 4GB if they really do not ever want to cooperate. But if it were my machine, I'd definitely want that fixed before I bought a SSD, or anything else for that matter.
 
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