Terminal signs - USB ports stop working then BSODs

[carti946]

Hi Y'all

I have an acer aspire 1690 (2 yo) that is giving me BSODs usually IRQ not less or equal. These are usually preceded by the USB ports dying (mouse stops working etc) then freezing.. then the BSOD. In the event manager I am getting an array of errors before the system failure from ATAPI layer problems to disk bad sectors.

I am afraid that the only common factor is the motherboard, if it wasn't for the USB port problem I might have thought it could be a hard disk or memory error.

Can anyone with more expertise than me help?

 

[thchad]

I don't know the exact answer, but there are things you can try. ATAPI is related to interfacing with CD-ROM drives. Problems with the CD-ROM drive electronics or hard drive electronics may cause problems with the IDE bus. Locking up, including USB ports, could be the result of disk errors. For example, if there is damage to the hard drive where the drivers are stored, they could cause instability. Also if memory is swapped to a bad area on the disk, when it's reloaded it could cause strange behavior.

I recommend testing components. One way to test the hard drive in Windows is to use the built-in utility. In My Computer, right click the C drive, then click Properties. On the Tools tab, click "Check now..." Place a check mark in the box that says something about bad sectors, then run the test.

To test RAM, download MemTest 86, a free program.

There are various programs for testing the CPU.

 

[carti946]

Update... I went to test the computer with memtest, but unfortunately it wouldn't even get to the bios. So, in a fit of rage, I shook it.. it then started booting up again.

Coincidence or something real?