Weird Reboot Problem...Please Help!

[dan6470]

Hey guys, I've been having some very weird random(sort of) reboot problems. The reboots only seem to occur when I am playing videos (so far only divx in particular). I've tried with both WMP(whole system just locks up) and VLC(complete reboot). I haven't really tried to see if games cause the reboots too. I've also run prime95, superPI, and a video card stability test for extended periods with no reboots at all.

Also, as for my ram(see below), I've had to manually bump up the timings/voltage to run at the certified settings (which now result in the DDR18V fail). But, the reboots occured with both the new settings and the defaulted settings.

In my attempts to isolate the problem I have:
-installed latest Nvidia drivers
-flashed the latest BIOS
-installed new onboard audio drivers (dxdiag said the old drivers were not signed, new ones are)

On a side note...a few weeks ago the system failed to start up (i believe it was a short)...the problem seemed to fix itself after I played around with some of the power connectors. The only really change was that the fans were wired in a different order, eliminating the use of one molex(could a molex connector cause a short?). After that the system boots fine, so I dont even know if this might affect anything.

System Specs:
Core 2 Extreme X6800
Gigabyte 965P-DQ6 Mobo w/F4 bios (reboots occured with F2 and F3 also)
Zalman CNPS9500 Cooler
2x1GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2 PC2-6400 CAS3 (Had to manually adjust mobo settings to 3-4-3-9 @2.2v)
XFX Geforce 7950 GX2
WD NeoHE 550w PS
150gb Raptor

Temps:
System: around 49-50C
CPU: around 35C idle; max 46C
GPU: idle around 67C

Anyone have any ideas?
Thanks

 

[dan6470]

*UPDATE*

Ok...i was just trying to watch a video with VLC, and was doing so successfully for about an hour. Then it rebooted again. After starting to watch the video again, there was another reboot after about 5mins. After the 3rd reboot i tried using WMP instead...this time instead of a reboot the system just shut down, and refused to start again. I unplugged the power cord from the PS a few times. Each time i tried to start it up, i would get a quick flash of the LEDs and fans and then nothing. After about the 5th try it booted. It seems like this definitely isn't a software/driver problem and that the original problem i was having is related and has not been resolved. (BTW...the whole time I was watching the videos, I was also closely monitoring the temps...nothing unusual at all)

Any suggestions ideas? Does this sound like a PS problem? Memory? Mobo?

 

[itneal2277]

Do you have any additional PCI or PCI Express cards installed other than the video card? Also are you getting your drivers from Gigabyte or directly from the Intel/Realtek/Marvell/Nvidia website?

The reason I ask is because I had issues when I had my Audigy 2 ZS and my ATI TV Wonder Elite connected. The sytem would crash when ever I played games. I removed both cards from system but I suspect the Audigy 2 ZS was the issue. Also my system would have reboot problems as well but updating the drivers from their respective sites seemed to fix my issues. Ever since doing this my system has been rock solid with no issues.

Other things you should check is your temps, RAM, and PSU. Run a few games and see if it restarts with them as well. Finally disable automaticly restart in Windows so if it is driver or memory related it may give you some info to hunt down your problem.

ADD:OOPS! you already answered a few questions while I was responding.

 

[dan6470]

Do you have any additional PCI or PCI Express cards installed other than the video card? Also are you getting your drivers from Gigabyte or directly from the Intel/Realtek/Marvell/Nvidia website?

Nope, the graphics card is the only card installed. I'm still using the onboard sound, ethernet, so I got those drivers from Gigabyte

Graphics drivers are directly from Nvidia

The reason I ask is because I had issues when I had my Audigy 2 ZS and my ATI TV Wonder Elite connected. The sytem would crash when ever I played games. I removed both cards from system but I suspect the Audigy 2 ZS was the issue. Also my system would have reboot problems as well but updating the drivers from their respective sites seemed to fix my issues. Ever since doing this my system has been rock solid with no issues.

Other things you should check is your temps, RAM, and PSU. Run a few games and see if it restarts with them as well. Finally disable automaticly restart in Windows so if it is driver or memory related it may give you some info to hunt down your problem.

I've already disabled automatic restart...the reboots happen without a bluescreen

ADD:OOPS! you already answered a few questions while I was responding.

Thanks!

 

[dan6470]

Unfortunately...another Update


Ok, this time the comp. completely shut down while doing pretty much nothing at all (I was browsing the web). And, now it will not turn on again. Push the power button and nothing happens; every few pushes the fans and LEDs light up. Could it be a short somewhere? (if so where should I look) Could it be the PS???

 

[itneal2277]

It sounds like it may be PSU or RAM then. The most likely cause is the PSU based on your discription. I read some of the reviews on it and it and it seemed to have a rather high failure rate. Also, I'm thinking the modular cabling may be an issue with making a connection, so be sure to check that out. Here is a similar PSU that has great reviews and a lower failure rate if your looking for a replacement. Also there are no modular cables so there are fewer connection issues. I'm using one in my system with no issues, just have to tie down the excess cable with wire ties. But before you go and replace anything, you should run memtest and try swapping sticks of RAM to isolate the problem.

 

[itneal2277]

Just another question. Have you reset your BIOS? I did have one issue when I couldn't get the computer to boot so I reset the BIOS. Just be warned after I did this it messed up my RAID array so I had to reinstall Windows. This is just a suggestion if you can't get your computer to power on by trying everything else. BTW, it only messed up the array when I removed the CMOS battery. When I reset the BIOS through the software everything stayed intact.

 

[dan6470]

Thanks for your suggestions....If I run Memtest (with both sticks in) and everything passes, does that guarantee that Ram isn't the problem??

 

[dan6470]

I haven't really reset it...but I have reflashed it twice when the system seemed to be stable, would that have the same effect?

 

[itneal2277]

I'm not entirely sure if it is 100% but it does make it seem like your PSU is probabally the issue then.

 

[itneal2277]

I haven't really reset it...but I have reflashed it twice when the system seemed to be stable, would that have the same effect?

To my knowledge it is always recommended to reset the default settings after a BIOS update then go back and customize it afterward.

 

[dan6470]

I haven't really reset it...but I have reflashed it twice when the system seemed to be stable, would that have the same effect?

To my knowledge it is always recommended to reset the default settings after a BIOS update then go back and customize it afterward.

No, I didn't do that. That can't be causing the problem, right? Either way, I can't get into the BIOS to reset the settings at this point anyway.

 

[itneal2277]

Most likely no since you were up and running for hours.

 

[dan6470]

Most likely no since you were up and running for hours.

more than a week actually (minus the reboots)

 

[thelvyn]

Most likely its the PS as has already been suggested.
Try a new one, make sure its at least a 450 and a decent name brand one at that. You can always return it if that doesnt solve it, or return it and buy one online cheaper.

 

[techgeek]

If you are seeing LED's flicker and fans start, and then shutdown, it is power related. The 5V standby is working, but as soon as you push the power button, momentarily you are getting a PS good signal from motherboard, and then as soon the PSU supplies all rails to the motherboard, one or more are loaded down, and PS good is removed causing PSU to shutdown power. I've seen this a few times before. Once it was a fiddly AC patch cord connector at the back of the PSU. When I measured, the PSU was giving the 5VSB, but would not turn on. I removed the ATX connector and shorted pin 13 and 14 (PS ON and GND) and the supply started along with the fans. I replaced the ATX connector and tried again, same thing no POST no fans, nothing. I wiggled the AC patch cord at the back of the supply and it booted. Apparently it was getting enough power to supply the 5VSB, but not enough to supply all rails under load.

Anyway from your description, it is definitely a power problem. If it were RAM or anthing else, the fans, HDD, etc, would still power up. Now I said power not necessarily PSU. You could have a device or connector shorting causing it not to power up. Most supplies have a short circuit protect which will shut the supply down if it determines that one or more rails have an excessive current draw on it/them. Check all your spare connectors and make sure none of the pins have found a way to short to chassis. Most of the connectors will have female pins, but they aren't recessed very far back in the molex connector, so if they're pushed up against a corner they can short. Some fan connectors have a male and female molex connector so they can be jumpered, the male connectors are definitely easier to short. If you have determined that nothing visible is shorting, you can try disconnecting everything but the bare minimum to POST. That means CPU, RAM , video card, motherboard, that's pretty much it. Remove power from everything else (that includes any case fans) and see if it will POST. Now if it does POST, start adding things back in. If after something is added, and it fails POST, it doesn't necessarily mean that's the problem. Remove it and continue adding everything else. If it continues to fail POSTing after increasing the current load, then we can say it's a PSU problem. If you can add everything back but one device, then maybe that device is reason for the excessive current draw. These are the fundamental troubleshooting steps I would use to determine if it is a PSU problem or a failed/failing device causing the supply to go into short circuit protect.

EDIT: One other thing it could be that I just thought of is a failing switch on you case. It is a real long shot though. One way you could check is by removing the 2 pin connector for the switch from the motherboard header. Then use something to momentarily short the two pins on the motherboard. Now if you're not comfortable doing this, don't, it's just a suggestion. Basically by doing this, you are using the (whatever you are using such as a screw driver) to be the switch. There is no real power here, you are merely connecting the monitoring pin to GND, this signal is passed to the PSU, when the PSU senses that this line (pin 13 (if I remember correctly)) has gone to GND, it turns on. If this doesn't make your system boot, then it isn't the switch.

 

[ScottsCustomComput]

Here’s a Gigabyte fix that worked for someone else.
Clear CMOS (It could boot up after you do).
Go into the BIOS, set memory timings to manual, do not adjust timings, and reboot.

Memtest86 can miss errors that MemtestGold can find, resulting in faulty RAM induced reboots.
Here’s another but I’m not sure if it is 100% accurate either.
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

When a short is a possible problem it is advisable to re-build the computer outside the case on a piece of cardboard or something non-conductive.

If it boots up,
Go to administrative tools.
Check the event viewer for events that possible caused the reboots.


Run a Virus Checker.
http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/activescan.htm

Make sure you have all the latest Microsoft OS updates like Windows Media Player 10 and security patches.

Use the latest BIOS and Drivers for your system.

 

[dan6470]

Thanks for the suggestions techgeek! I'm definitely going to try those before I buy a new PSU. Unfortunately, I'm away at school right now, so I don't have much time/space. (Actually, the problems started right after I moved in, so maybe somthing rattled around). I'm going home this weekend, so Ill let you know what happens after then.

And Scott, as I said in my 1st post, i've already updated to F4. Thanks for the help though.

 

[dan6470]

O...techgeek, could a short like you mentioned be reponsible for the reboots also? Or could it be a coincidence that I have 2 problems at once? Its not like the case was moving around while the reboots occured, so I cant see how one second the short is there and the next its gone.

 

[itneal2277]

Techgeek made another good point you should investigate. A component may be shorted out causing your system not to boot. The best way to test this would be to remove/disconnect all non-critical components like case fans, hard drives, and CD/DVD drives. Reconnect them one at a time to see if any of them could be the problem. Make sure the system is dust free and clear any contaminants that may short components. Finally, ensure your RAM and video is fully seated in their slots because if they aren't it may be causing a short on the motherboard.

ADD: Since you were moving your case around, it is possible that something could be unseated. Before you moved your case did you have these issues and how long were you running this setup before the move?

 

[smelly_feet]

try re seating your memory and your video card....


It would be helpful if you isolate the problem to just media content or general video issues...eg graphics intensive games.


Reinstall OS is another option if its not too inconvenient.

I assume you have antivirus installed

 

[techgeek]

A short on a molex connector could be intermittent. The contact could be sitting on a conductive surface (part of the case), vibration or air turbulence would be enough to cause a momentary contact. This is all speculation, you may infact have a failing PSU, these are just some suggestions. Hope all works out for you.

 

[dan6470]

Thank you all for your help!

This weekend I went through all of your suggestions. After opening the case and checking all of the connections, making sure there were no obvious shorts, and isolating different components, I was still having the same problems. So...I went ahead and replaced the PSU and everything seems to be working just fine!!!....and this time I got a PSU without modular cables

 

[itneal2277]

Glad to hear all is working well. Did the PSU fix your video problems too?

 

[dan6470]

O god....It seems that my problems are not over yet, even with the new PSU. Now the system seems to boot ok, but it still regularly reboots (maybe a seperate issue, maybe not), about every 10-15 mins. So, I set up the logs in Speedfan and before each reboot, the voltages and temps are all normal...I've also run spyware and virus scans with no results. Also, I've been running Memtest86+ for about 45mins I think, almost 2 passes, with no errors (no reboots either). I'm in desperate need for some suggestions!!!