Help me oh great tech gods!

Wraith

Wraith

Active Member
I am having some issues with my computer and I need help. The issues are:

Problem 1. My computer locks up. It has so far always happened while playing games (usually graphically intense ones e.g. BF2, X3 Reunion etc, but has happened with older games like Jedi Acadamy). The games will run fine for a while and then the screen freezes and the computer will not respond to anything, even Ctrl-Alt-Delete, and I have to hold the power button down to restart the machine. An alternative to this (or possibly a separate problem) is that sometimes the machine will restart itself.
I did think this was due to my graphics card overheating, so I installed a fan on one of my PCI slots (I think - one of the white ones) to blow some of the hot air out of the case. This didn't work so I then took the side of the case off and had a 3 foot fan pointing into the case blowing cool air over all the components and it still locked up.

Problem 2. Recently (since yesterday) my computer has started freezing on the Windows loading screen (doesn't even get to the log-in screen). Again, I have to restart by holding the power button. When I restart it, it comes up with the option of going into safe mode, loading with last known good configuration, or starting normally. I have found that if I go into safe mode and then restart, it will load fine, but any other choice will cause it to lock up again.

I have run my anti-virus and anti-spyware programs several time each (always after updating to the latest definitions) and found nothing. I also run the disk defragmenter and disk cleanup programs about once every 2 months.

Any ideas?

Wraith
 
Nanor

Nanor

Well-Known Member
Something similar to this happened to me. I asked my brother and he said the cable to your harddrive may be loose, he fiddled round with that and it worked fine. See if any cables are loose.
 
Tetsuo_Shima

Tetsuo_Shima

In Cryo Sleep
I got (and still do, sometimes) that quite often when I was trying to run some intense games and Bryce. I was under the assumption that it was my shite GFX card overheating and I managed to sort it by taking off the case, clearing out all the dust that had gathered with a vaccum cleaner and then restarting again. It seems to work for a little while at least.
I think i could do with more fans in my case, its always like a microwave after one of my intense CnC generals sessions. I checked my GFX card temp once, and it was nudging 80 degrees. I need a new computer.
 
Wraith

Wraith

Active Member
Thanks for the quick replies guys. Unfortunately, they didn't work. I've checked all cables on the machine, both internal and external, and they're all plugged in as tight as they can be.

Also, there is not much dust in the case, and (as far as I can see), almost no dust at all around any of the fans. Having said that, I did say that I had a large room fan blowing into the open side of the case, and that it was still crashing. If it's crashing due to overheating, and a 3 foot fan can't stop it happening, something is very wrong. :rolleyes:

The only other idea I have for the problem of the lock-ups is that maybe my PSU is not powerful enough for the graphics card. It's a 250W PSU from Bestec (original PSU installed in the case). My graphics card manual lists a 250 W PSU as a minimum requirement, so at first glance this should be okay, but if the PSU is providing power to all the other components as well, I do wonder if this could be reducing the available power to the card. (Forgive me if I'm talking bo**ocks, but I know very little about how these things work and am just trying to think of anything that could be causing hese problems)

Any more suggestions?

Wraith

P.S. All suggestions are welcome but buying a new computer is probably not an option I can afford, otherwise I'd be tempted to throw this computer out and start again.
 
F

Fi$hy

Guest
no no, GCSE physics says it shouldn't be a problem, as the components will be in parrellel, so they all get the same voltage.

I think it might be a virus/corruption somewhere, you could try reinstalling the OS to see if that makes a differance
 
T

[THN]Buffalo_Hunter

In Cryo Sleep
Voltage isn't the problem - a PSU only delivers 12V and 5V lines. It's the wattage that matters. 250W is what it can deliver in total, so if your graphics card needs 250W, there'll be nothing left and your system will crash. I'd say that you've probably found the weak link - your PSU. I used to get the same problem with my old Chieftec 420W unit. Now I have a 550W PSU and I don't have the problem anymore.


B_H


(P.S. If you're interested I still have the Chieftec unit. Make me an offer I can't refuse and it's yours)
 
Ronin Storm

Ronin Storm

Administrator
Staff member
250W PSU?! Oh my. You're running an Athlon or equivalent? A processor that is generally accepted to require 300W or more of stable power? That could well be your issue.

I used to run a 350W supply, which I found to be insufficient for my needs. Now I run a 460W with Active PFC and that has me sorted (Akasa 460W Active PFC, for reference).
 
Wraith

Wraith

Active Member
I've been looking at PSU's on Dabs.com, but I don't really understand what specifications I need to be looking at, so.....

This is the first possibility I've looked at. It seems a bit pricey compared to the others I've looked at but the description does sound impressive. I wouldn't mind spending up to this much if it would give a significant benefit but I don't know whether the performance difference between this and the other options would be worth the extra cash.

The second option is this. It's 50W less power than option 1 (but still twice my current PSU's output) although it's less than 2/3 the price.

The third option is this one. The least powerful (and least expensive) of the three. I'm not overly impressed with this one, but the pretty blue LED's would go well with the rest of my computer :D

I'd be grateful if you guys could have a look at them and see what you think.

Wraith

P.S. Ronin: I'm actually running a P4 not an Athlon (don't know if it makes much of a difference)
 
Tetsuo_Shima

Tetsuo_Shima

In Cryo Sleep
Just for future reference - If using a PSU that doesnt provide adequate wattage crashes your system, are there any side effects to using a PSU with too large a power output?

As for what PSU to choose, Id say the 2nd option.
 
T

[THN]Buffalo_Hunter

In Cryo Sleep
No, there's no problem in having a PSU that's over-rated for your system. It'll only provide what is required - you just have a larger safety margin.

You can have my Chieftec 420W for £20.



B_H
 
Wraith

Wraith

Active Member
[THN]Buffalo_Hunter said:
No, there's no problem in having a PSU that's over-rated for your system. It'll only provide what is required - you just have a larger safety margin.

You can have my Chieftec 420W for £20.



B_H
Click to expand...

What are the dimensions of it? If it will fit in my machine then I'll gladly take it. Current PSU is approx 140mm x 150mm x 85mm.

If it will fit then just PM me with the details and we can get it sorted.

Cheers mate

Wraith.
 
Wraith

Wraith

Active Member
The reason I asked is that a friend of mine told me he once bought a power supply which was too big for the case he had. He tried to cut away part of the case to make it fit and ended up having to buy a new case for the machine.

I don't really want that to happen to me so I figured it would be better to check first.

Wraith
 
pHatBambi

pHatBambi

In Cryo Sleep
You could just have a shit load of crap lurking on your operating system.

Try using Ad Aware and virus checks. Also defrag that bastard hard drive.

If you are tempted/enraged enough by it then you could always try a HD format and reinstall the whole bloody lot. This usually works for me when I start getting crash issues.

BTW how full is your HD?

pHatBambi.
 
Wraith

Wraith

Active Member
pHatBambi said:
Try using Ad Aware and virus checks. Also defrag that bastard hard drive.
Click to expand...

Wraith said:
I have run my anti-virus and anti-spyware programs several time each (always after updating to the latest definitions) and found nothing. I also run the disk defragmenter and disk cleanup programs about once every 2 months.
Click to expand...

I have been tempted to do a complete re-install (even went as far as backing up my files to my parents computer) but I'll try the new PSU and see if that works first. As for the HD, it's got about 19Gb free space.
 
F

Fi$hy

Guest
A reinstall is pretty drastic, but windows as an OS doesn't seem to bad too install, took me about 30 minutes, so not to bad.

Installing all the programs though, that'll be the pain, but at least this gives you the opertunity to do a proper clean-out.
 
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