Computer freezing randomly

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Hello,

So i have a 7 years old computer that freezes randomly
And the biggest problem is that i have absolutely no clue why it does that
Any ideas?
Also the Computer has a 850W PSU for some reason... im pretty sure it just needs 250W


Please help i want to give this Computer to a friend for Internet Browsing
Also i can't really access the Computer right now because i don't have a monitor my current one broke and i ordered a new one which will come this week i just wanted to post the thread now so i can have ideas of what the problem might be.
Thank you very much and have a nice day ^-^

PC Specs:
Motherboard: ASUS P5KPL-AM
CPU: Intel Core Duo @ 2,50 GHz
Ram 2 GB (Not sure which DDR)
PSU: BitMore 850W
GPU: GeForce GT610
Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit (Tried 32bit also with no luck)
 
Solution
techgeek


What happens as electrolytic caps age, is the moisture in the electrolyte evaporates. As the electrolyte is lost the caps become more conductive. They start to act as much like a resistor as they do a capacitor (all caps have some resistance, though it is very small when they are new). As a resistor they heat up which...
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techgeek

techgeek

Splendid
Apr 11, 2004
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There are a number of issues that come to mind, but one that stands out for me with the age of your system.

Have a close look at your motherboard, especially the electrolytic capacitors. They are a plastic sheathed can. Check to see if they are swollen, leaking, split at the top, etc.

Al-Elko-bad-caps-Wiki-07-02-17.jpg


close-up.jpg


Above is a couple of examples of what you are looking for. They may not be as obvious as this, so close inspection is required.

I've seen this quite a few times with systems the age of yours. It's also something you can check without a monitor.

The other thing is the power supply (as old as the rest of the system) could be failing. It's also not a brand I'm familiar with, so it's likely poor quality.
 
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G

Guest

Guest
Thanks for the reply,

So i actually have already checked the motherboard for this kind of damage and everything looks good
LnSsLD4.jpg

Also i remember changing the PSU 2 years ago
So back then i really didn't know much about Computers so i went to my local store to change my noisy PSU. And they sold me this 106 Euro Silent BitMore PSU.
i hope the PSU is the problem because i have a good 250W PSU to replace it with


 
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techgeek

techgeek

Splendid
Apr 11, 2004
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Ok, it looks like that caps are alright (though the picture isn't the clearest when zoomed in), I noticed something else. Is the CPU fan connector disconnected? I see at the top /mid-right a fan connector with nothing connected to it and the wires for your HSF just going off the top of the picture.

Beyond that RAM is an infamous cause for computer instability. Though to check that, you'll need a monitor.
 
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G

Guest

Guest
i took the entire thing apart to check for damage better im still putting it back together, Thats why some things are disconnected
Also sorry for the bad quality image... the only camera i have is my phone's 5MP Camera

 
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techgeek

techgeek

Splendid
Apr 11, 2004
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Well the next thing I would try is checking the memory. Are you familiar with memtest? Just download the ISO, burn it to CD and boot to it. Let it run for at least 8 hours. If there is a problem with your RAM it should show up in that amount of time.

This could also help isolate the PSU as the problem. If it's the PSU and it's bad enough, your system will freeze or reboot during the test. However if the PSU is just borderline, but is the actual problem, then it may allow you to run memtest for 8 hours, but still crash in Windows.
 
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G

Guest

Guest
Yeah im familiar with memtest i actually already thought of running it when i get the monitor
Also the old PSU is gone, while i was putting everything back to the case i replaced the PSU with a FSP GROUP FSP250-60HCN 250W
 
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G

Guest

Guest
Hello and thanks for the reply.

So sorry for the late reply i didn't have an internet connection
Anyway my monitor finally arrived and it seems like the computer is doing a little better with that PSU tho i can't be sure, im running games on it at the moment so i can force it to use more resources. one last thing i remember it was actually freezing when the PSU's fan was started spinning even faster and there was more noise coming out of it, so because of that i believe the PSU was the problem i can't confirm tho
 
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techgeek

techgeek

Splendid
Apr 11, 2004
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If you wish to stress your system powerwise, then you could run Prime 95 concurrently with Furmark. Furmark is optional as your GT610 isn't going to use much power. This will put pretty much the max power load that your system will ever use, if your system can stand up to that, then you should be good.

Is this a Core Duo or a Core 2 Duo? Do you have a model number?
 
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ibjamie92

ibjamie92

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Mar 4, 2016
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if you have any kind of pc problem that you're not sure what is causing it or seems to be random or generic in nature, a slightly failing PSU is a good bet from personal experience
 
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G

Guest

Guest
Bad news.
The thing won't turn on no matter what...........
Here is my story:
Sooo i came back from the store with a voucher to add more data to my limited data plan, i downloaded Prime 95 from my main PC, put it in a USB Stick, plugged old Computer, Pressed the Power Button and nothing.........................
What i tried:
Tried a different Power Cord
Tried my old PSU
Checked components for damage, Everything seemed to be okay but the Computer won't turn on so
Checked the F_PANEL, Connection are all good
Tried a different Power Outlet.
What else should i do, i have a bad feeling Motherboard might be dead
 
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techgeek

techgeek

Splendid
Apr 11, 2004
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First thing I would do since you've disturbed so much of the hardware, is make sure everything (cables, DIMM's, everything really) is all properly seated.

Have you tried bypassing the power switch on your case? This can be done by shorting the two power on pins on the front panel connector on the motherboard. It doesn't happen often, but sometime the power switch on the case can go bad.

That said, with all the trouble you are having with this system, the motherboard could in fact be done.
 
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G

Guest

Guest
Well you are right, that being said i had so many issues with this Computer from the first time i bought it
when i first got this computer the PSU was bad and had to replace it
then the next year the HDD died
Same year with the HDD failure something odd happend to the BIOS chip and needed replacement
For some very odd reason i lost my Windows Licence. Luckily Microsoft recovered it
Sometimes when i was connecting a USB Device Windows would crash.
Yeahhhhh go figure this Computer was a massive problem and had the oddest things in the world i even remember one time a BSOD came up and the Mouse Pointer was there, How is this even possible?

Anyway what i think im going to do is get a new motherboard, i know it is not that worth it but...
I can't really spend money on it right now so until then im gonna work on the Computer and lots of research to find out whats going on, i will ask a friend to help me replace the capacitors, so i would be really happy if you people can help me sort it out too, if i have absolutely no success im waiting untl next month to get a new motherboard.
Also connections are all good.

 
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techgeek

techgeek

Splendid
Apr 11, 2004
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It's going to be difficult to find a LGA 775 motherboard, good luck. Probably Flea Bay, hopefully you can find one that's in decent condition that the owner doesn't want a fortune for.

Actually I've got a P5Q Deluxe, but I'm hanging onto that for now.

Anyway, let us know how you make out. Give us an update on the outcome.
 
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G

Guest

Guest
Hey everyone!
First of all i want to say that im extremely sorry for late replies i just don't have a broadband at the moment and im struggling with mobile networks but thankfully in 17 March my broadband finally arrives!
Anyway the Computer is now booting to Windows normally all i did is bought a really cheap case and BOOM it works, apparently it was the Power Button's fault
Anyway theres strong support that it was the Power Supply's fault because i runned Prime 95 and the Computer didn't freeze i also runned memtest and it passed succesfully, i remember it was freezing when i was playing games so i have been playing games for 2 hours now and everything goes flawlessly.
So i assume it was the PSU but can anyone explain to me how in the world does a PSU make a Computer freeze
 
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G

Guest

Guest
Alright i see what you are saying, so not only it was causing freezing it could have also killed my components because of too much voltage right?
But what if it was actually providing less voltage like 6 or 7v? my guess is random shut downs
 
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turkey3_scratch

turkey3_scratch

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Apparently it didn't do any fatal damage. You have nothing to worry about now. Technically did it strain the motherboard VRM and GPU VRM more? Probably, but it's not something to worry about, it's not like this was happening 24/7 for months.

We can have no idea what was actually going on with the voltage, all we know something was wrong. You need professional equipment if you want to do so.
 
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