PC Freezes Randomly

[ILM]

A continuation of this thread here:

http://forums.techguy.org/windows-7/1015068-bsod.html

I sent my motherboard back for repair and they said they found 'issues' and fixed them.

However it's started all over again after only 2 days! My PC froze randomly whilst watching a video, there was no BSOD, there was no minidump file.

 

[Mark1956]

It does sound as if there is a possibility the motherboard is still faulty, as it did run ok for a couple of days may be the fault has returned.

Another test you could perform is with your memory. I appreciate you have run Memtest and it passed but I've often seen memtest to give the all clear only to find the memory was the cause and that memtest had missed the fault.

Try removing all but one of your memory sticks and run the PC for a while to see if it still freezes, if it does then swap the sticks so that you test the PC with each stick individually. You might find that the error only occurs with one of the sticks.

You should also make quite sure that the voltage settings, in the Bios, are correctly set for your memory and CPU. Also check on the motherboard site that the memory is in the compatability list.

 

[ILM]

Okay Mark,

I only have 1 stick of RAM on this PC. I can give MemTest another spin tonight.

How would I go about setting the voltages?

Regarding memory compatability, I have a stick of 'Crucial 2GB DDR3 1333MHz/PC3-10600 Memory CL9 1.5V' and it is in the comptable list.

 

[Mark1956]

The voltage setting will be somewhere in the Bios, difficult to give a guide on this as there are many different versions of Bios all with different layout. You may find the settings under a heading with" Power" in the name, if not just flip through all the pages in the Bios setup and it should be there somewhere.

 

[ILM]

I see, but how do I go about setting it correctly for memory and CPU?

For example my RAM has '1.5V' at the end of its name, does that mean the setting should be 1.5V?

 

[Mark1956]

Yes 1.5V is what it should be set to as that is in the RAM sticks description.

As I said in my last post you will have to search through the Bios settings to find the present setting for the RAM voltage. Chances are it is set correctly but from time to time with some memory problems it has been found to be incorrect and as such has solved the problem. The CPU voltage is just worth a check while you are in the Bios but that is far less likely to be incorrect.

 

[ILM]

Update!

The PC freezes and then starts working again. Now a little pop up appears 'Display driver AMD driver stopped responding and has recovered'.

Fault bucket , type 0
Event Name: LiveKernelEvent
Response: Not available
Cab Id: 0

Problem signature:
P1: 
P2: 
P3: 
P4: 
P5: 
P6: 
P7: 
P8: 
P9: 
P10: 

Attached files:
C:\Windows\LiveKernelReports\WATCHDOG\WD-20111113-1449.dmp
C:\Windows\Temp\WER-8590101-0.sysdata.xml
C:\Windows\Temp\WER15B4.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml

These files may be available here:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportQueue\Kernel_0_0_cab_0f6315b4

Analysis symbol: 
Rechecking for solution: 0
Report Id: b92a9a92-0e06-11e1-8abc-f46d048fe153
Report Status: 4

 

[Mark1956]

That .zip file has helped, it included a dump file which I was able to analyse.

It is pointing at a problem with the graphics card or driver. Check that the card is clean and not overheating. Then run through this process and we will see if it helps.

• Download the latest graphics driver for your card and version of windows and save it to the desktop.
• Go into Control Panel and select Add/Remove programs (XP) or Programs & Features, look for any software related to the graphics card and uninstall it.
• Go into Device Manager and locate the graphics card under Display Adapters, right click on it and select Uninstall.
• Run through this routine and locate any/all graphics drivers and delete them. Do not reboot, just close all the boxes to get back to the desktop.
• Double click on the driver that you saved to your desktop to install it.
• Now reboot and check the PC's performance.

 

[ILM]

Thanks Mark, but there has been no improvement.

I've just had 3 crashes in less than 5 minutes whilst trying to watch YouTube videos.

 

[Mark1956]

All the dump files are pointing at your graphics driver.

Please run this test.

Download Furmark 1.8.5. version from here
FurMark Setup:
• If you have more than one GPU, select Multi-GPU during setup
• In the Run mode box, select "Stability Test" and "Log GPU Temperature"
• Click "Go" to start the test
• Run the test until the GPU temperature maxes out - or until you start having problems (whichever comes first).
NOTE: Set the alarm to go off at 90ºC. Then watch the system from that point on. If the system doesn't display a temperature, watch it constantly and turn it off at the first sign of video problems. DO NOT leave it unmonitored, it can DAMAGE your video card!!!
• Click "Quit" to exit
This guide tells you a bit more.

 

[ILM]

Thanks Mark, I tried this and there weren't any issues.

However I have recently noticed a 'pixelation' effect on all internet flash videos with relatively quick moving frames. [See Attachment]

I also had a BSOD last night from the graphics errors.

 

[Mark1956]

As the graphics card passed the Furmark test I would have to assume the card is ok. The other thing that can effect it is faulty RAM. I appreciate it passed the memtest but I've seen that happen before only to find that it was faulty, memtest can miss minor faults. See if you can borrow a compatible RAM stick from another PC to check for any change in performance.

The other possibilities are that the motherboard still has faults or the original fault has ressumed. And, it could be an unstable power supply.

Was the original problem with the motherboard just the same as this?

If so, I would check the RAM as above and if that makes no difference send the motherboard back again.

 

[ILM]

Changed RAM, same issue.

Tried a different PSU, issues remained still.

The original problem was exactly the same - it would freeze when watching videos etc but then get a BSOD or reboot itself. Now I can force it to reboot the driver by repeatdly tapping Ctrl-Alt-Del.

Any ideas on the flash videos going all blurry? It's the same in Chrome, reinstalled flash/downgraded AMD driver to the previous version when it was fine - issue remains.

 

[ILM]

Also Mark, could you recommend me a new motherboard?

I don't want to spend more than £70 and am not too keep on AMD drivers again

 

[Mark1956]

Are you using a seperate graphics card or are you using graphics that are built in to the motherboard.

If the graphics is built in to the motherboard try borrowing a graphics card to see if that has the same problem, if it doesn't then that will be good evidence to suggest the graphics on the motherboard is faulty and should be returned. Make sure you use a low end card or it may be too much for your PSU to cope with.

AMD drivers are well respected and should not to steered away from just because of the problem you are having. This is most likely a hardware fault not a driver fault. Millions of people use AMD drivers without any issues.

Recommending a new motherboard is not within my area of expertise but there are other helpers who I am sure will tell you what would be best to get within your price range. For this kind of advice open a new thread in the Hardware forum, tell them what PSU, CPU, type of hard drive and RAM you have and someone should give you the advice you need.

Personally I think you should try first to prove what the cause of the problem is, if, as it sounds, it is the same problem you orginally had fixed on the mobo then I would return it and ask for a replacement under the guarantee.