Random pc freeze

[earth4x]

I don't know why, but i just recently installed the punisher game and battle for middle earth and after let's say 30 minutes of playing my computer just freezes, i can't alt+tab or ctrl+alt+delete... i gotta reboot

I didn't try any other games since i didn't have time and i have all the latest updates for my vid card, my mobo and windowsxp

Im running :
Computer:
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional
OS Service Pack Service Pack 2
Internet Explorer 6.0.2900.2180 (IE 6.0 SP2)
DirectX 4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)


Motherboard:
CPU Type Intel Pentium 4E, 3000 MHz (15 x 200)
Motherboard Name MSI 865PE Neo2-PS (MS-6728 v2.0) (5 PCI, 1 AGP, 4 DDR DIMM, Audio)
Motherboard Chipset Intel Springdale i865PE
System Memory 512 MB (PC3200 DDR SDRAM)
BIOS Type AMI (07/07/04)

Display:
Video Adapter RADEON 9600 SERIES - Secondary (128 MB)
Video Adapter RADEON 9600 SERIES (128 MB)
3D Accelerator ATI Radeon 9600 XT (RV360)
Monitor IBM 6541 G51 [15" CRT] (66-XDL42)

Multimedia:
Audio Adapter Intel 82801EB ICH5 - AC'97 Audio Controller

Storage:
IDE Controller Intel(R) 82801EB Ultra ATA Storage Controllers
SCSI/RAID Controller D347PRT SCSI Controller
Floppy Drive Floppy disk drive
Disk Drive IC35L080AVVA07-0 (82 GB, 7200 RPM, Ultra-ATA/100)
Optical Drive Generic DVD-ROM SCSI CdRom Device
Optical Drive HL-DT-ST DVD-ROM GDR8160B (16x/48x DVD-ROM)
Optical Drive LITE-ON LTR-40125S (40x/12x/48x CD-RW)
SMART Hard Disks Status OK

 

[tweebel]

You could have RAM or PSU trouble but it could very well be something with the temperature. Or a combination with rising temperature which causes psu failure.

For the RAM, run memtest86.

For the PSU, log your voltages with something like mbm5.

For the temperature, log temps with mbm5 or run the pc with the case open.

What kind of PSU are you using and what are your RAM timings?

 

[earth4x]

12/02/2005 7:35:31 PM 2998 MHz 33° C 44° C 0° C 1.34 V 2.98 V 3.18 V 4.97 V 12.22 V 0.00 V 0.00 V 0 RPM 168750 RPM 0 RPM

12/02/2005 7:35:01 PM 2998 MHz 33° C 38° C 0° C 1.38 V 2.99 V 3.24 V 4.95 V 12.16 V 0.00 V 0.00 V 0 RPM 168750 RPM 0 RPM

12/02/2005 7:34:31 PM 3001 MHz 33° C 38° C 0° C 1.38 V 2.96 V 3.21 V 4.97 V 12.10 V 0.00 V 0.00 V 0 RPM 112500 RPM 0 RPM

12/02/2005 7:34:01 PM 3001 MHz 33° C 38° C 0° C 1.38 V 2.99 V 3.21 V 4.97 V 12.04 V 0.00 V 0.00 V 0 RPM 337500 RPM 0 RPM

12/02/2005 7:33:31 PM 3001 MHz 33° C 38° C 0° C 1.38 V 3.01 V 3.24 V 4.97 V 12.22 V 0.00 V 0.00 V 0 RPM 168750 RPM 0 RPM

now thats weird... 300k rpm

 

[WingDing]

Might be an intermittent fault, which can be a real pain to track down. I agree it's usually either PSU or RAM, the only other time I've ever had something similar happen was a dodgy sound card driver.

I don't only break your heart, I also break your pelvis

 

[Codesmith]

Find what makes it crash.

Test Memory
1) Boot & Run Memtest 86 overnight. If you get any errors then your memory/timings/motherboard is at fault.

Test Memory while windows.
2) Run Prime 95 tortue test overnight.

Test Memory & CPU under stress.
3) Monitor CPU and Temps for half an hour.

a) Run Prime 95, Sandra Burn in wizard (looping CPU and RAM tests).
b) Above plus also use HD Tach to benchmark your hard drives, rip DVDs from each of your optical drives at the same time.

If an hour of this doesn't crash your system or cause errors, or send you temp/voltage out of spec then your core system is probably 100% stable.

Time it look at Video and Sound Card.

4)
a) Above plus run a looping DX9 game demo with 3D sound.

b) Try playing the same game with no sound disabled.

c) Try underclocking your video card and playing a game.

d) Try a different video card.

5) Report back.

My guess would be Memory, PSU, Video Card, Audio, then Motherboard. But don't guess test.

 

[tweebel]

I see a Vcore rail (1.34V), a 3.3 which is a bit low and a 3V rail. What is the 3v rail for? Is it Vdimm?

 

[o1die]

After doing all of the above, if you still have the problem, I would try uninstalling sp2 and directx 9. Use only the driver that came with your video card, and the directx version that's required for your game. I don't need directx 9 for my favorite game, so I don't use it.

 

[earth4x]

Well.. the thing is.. the CPU and the memory are brand new (2 and a half month old) and i didn't overclock anything, my system runs at a good temperature and all the fans are working perfectly...

And since i installed battle for middle earth, it started crashing for no reason, without me changing anything

I'm gonna try and run more prime95 tests (ran a torture test for 5 hours and found no errors) but i dunno wuts wrong everything was working fine before battle for middle earth

 

[Guest]

damn hobbitses!

<font color=green> Woohoo!! I am officially a <b> Newbie </b>!! </font color=green>

 

[Rugger]

Have you disable the auto reboot? If not, then do it and let us know what you get on the BSOD. Check the BFME website and check for game patches. Is it crashing at the same point in the game? Does it ONLY crash while in the game? Have you checked the game FAQ or submitted your info to the game website?

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[Codesmith]

Have you been able to crash your system when not playing a game?

 

[earth4x]

No i havent been able to crash my system if i'm not in a game, and it happened in Far Cry after 3 hours of playing today

Iv'e just checked.. auto reboot is on :/

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by earth4x on 02/17/05 02:06 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[Rugger]

turn it off, play a game and let us know what happens.
gotta love a good excuse to do some gaming...

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[Clamchowder8]

I have a similar issue. Except on my PC, when I run a program, it will freez. I reinstalled Windows XP, surf the net for about 10minutes and it freez. I tried running mem86test and it freez as well. I'm using Soyo Dragon Plus with 512MB RAM. Is the motherboard ready for the junk yard?

 

[Codesmith]

I like to test overnight, but I never had bad memory that waited 5 hours to show some errors. So its fairly safe to assume that your memory is 100%.

Assuming that you did a good job stress testing your system and kept it at 100% for a long enought, its safe to rule out the CPU/Motherboard.

My guess it that its the video card or the powersupply.

If you have a friend who is willing to loan you his video card for a day, now would be a good time to ask.

 

[tweebel]

Start a new topic and post your detailed system specs to get more reactions.