please help having a problem and not sure which component!!

[dragonflyrx]

Well, this is the first post ive made here, or anywhere for that matter on computer based problems, so please forgive me if I sound a bit noobish.

I bought a PC bare bones kit and put together a computer... and as of a few months ago, have been haveing a problem with it.

First off I guess I should give you the specs.

Time of this report: 10/22/2007, 18:30:09
Machine name: ARMOR-PC
Operating System: Windows Vista™ Home Premium (6.0, Build 6000) (6000.vista_gdr.070627-1500)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: System manufacturer
System Model: System Product Name
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU X6800 @ 2.93GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.9GHz
Memory: 4094MB RAM
Page File: 1118MB used, 7223MB available
DirectX Version: DirectX 10



Now the problem is:

1) When I boot up the computer, it will often not boot properly. it will check the disks, and then it will beep 3 times after about a minute. after checking the computer for loose connections, (usually the video card) it will generally boot all the way up.

2) While surfing the web, system is idle, in the middle of a game, (in other words whenever it wants) the system will either blue screen or just freeze. after a reboot it seems fine for a while, like a day or 2, then it does it again.

I know it sounds like just a loose connection, but the card is all the way in the mother board. I dont know what the problem is, but it is making me contimplate gouging my eyes out.

if anyone has any ideas, or has run into this problem, please post here with your input.

and if you need me to post any other information let me know.

thanks

 

[dragonsprayer]

if this started just last week it vista - vista sucks - i loved vista until last week then things went from bad to really really bad!

what mobo? is the bios new? bios with a mobo is like a burger with the meat

English is not a spec - mobo type hard drives etc that is specs

second: your ram pull all but one stick in slot 3 see if that cures the problem if so - then
a) increase the voltage or
b) run on 2 sticks and ebay the other 2

upgrade your video drivers 2 times and delete the old drivers first - vista likes to corrupt video drivers like no tomorrow

just so you know the new os for 2010 will not feature an even bigger kernel like vista they are going to shrink because vista is bad news!

i ran rc-1 and had less problems - as vista adds updates the problems get worse.

also try pulling all usb devices - if you have a sub mouse and key board big no no with vista - why? vista is seriously broken - can you tell i am having a bad vista week.

one last thing, did i mention vista suxs!

 

[silverhw]

What PSU are you using and how old is it?

 

[Mondoman]

As others have said, "system specs" is normally a list of the model numbers of every component in your system, including things like the case, power supply, CPU cooler, video card, MB, hard drives, optical drives, etc.
It's always a good idea to start by making sure your CPU & memory are working properly. Run memtest86+ (freely available as bootable floppy or CD images) through at least a couple of complete passes. If there are any errors, that's the place to start looking.

 

[bornking]

3 beeps = ram problem

 

[bornking]

Run memtest86 and wait many hours.

You will either get an error, or no error (of course) but if no error comes up, it may be your motherboard's picky behaviour towards the specific ram in your PC.

Replace the ram with another stick and run prime95.

If none of the above works, try changing the PSU.

 

[dragonflyrx]

intel X6800extreme
2g pqi turbo ddr2 800; 2g supertalent ddr2 800
asus en6800gtx video card
western digital caviar 320G
western digital raptor 150G
asus P5N32ESLI /w sound card
ThermalTake Armor VA8000
psu ThermalTake 750w

cant find out what the DVD burner is.. generic.

not sure how to find out wat bios im running.
anything else that could be of use?

 

[silverhw]

cpu-z and core temp are good to have as well.

 

[Mondoman]

dragon, run memtest86+ and see what happens.

 

[eric54]

ITS RAM NOT VISTA FFS! Swap out the sticks of ram until you stop having problems. Then just RMA it. Problem Solved. For future reference, assume ram is the problem until proven otherwise.

 

[Thanatos421]

Or, instead of assuming, you can get a little education and KNOW that 3 beeps is a RAM issue.

CompTIA A+ Cert = 300 bucks
Knowing your beep codes = priceless.

 

[nhobo]

CompTIA A+ Cert = 300 bucks

Matchbook cover correspondence course. Worth every penny, I'm sure.

 

[Thanatos421]

Unfortunately, A+ certification was a necessary evil at the time that I took it. People looked at it as the holy grail around here. Not like I'm saying it's an impressive certification at all, but it will at least teach the ignorant people what a beep code is.

 

[dragonsprayer]

vista and nvidia chip sets are having issues - many many!
if its not ram
try xp - partition with vista and throw xp on there see if the issue clears up

 

[dragonflyrx]

thanks for all the input all after many tests and becoming bald, I found out that my mobo was bad... time to get another p5n32e-sli