Hardware Diagnostics?

[Wolf-R1]

Does anyone know of a free or at least full trial version of some kind of software based hardware diagnostic? I have a machine here that likes to randomly reboot but only does it in a certain application and only does it once every couple of days. Said application runs on this users machine all day long but that once in a while it causes a reboot.

My knee-jerk reaction is that it's a memory issue but I would like to do a full diagnostic rather than just memory.

 

[MaMMa]

prime95 and memtest

google it

 

[Wolf-R1]

No...not good. I need something that will actually check registers on components and whatnot.

I did Google it and I came back with a lot of crap. Mostly old crap. I'm sure there's stuff out there but I don't have a lot of time to devote to that search.

 

[MaMMa]

those 2 programs stresses out your computer to tell you if you have bad ram sticks.

if you want to know what exact components you have on your pc use sis sandra, i think there's an option on there. CPU-Z has a little info. and Everest does also. Hope this helps

I dont see how you can get a bunch of crap from googlin` prime95 and memtest

 

[jpmkm]

What exactly is checking registers going to do for you? The ultimate boot cd has a bunch of diagnostic utilities that may be of use. If it is happening in just a single application then it sounds like a software problem. Does the software run on any other computers, and if so, do you have the same problem on those computers?

 

[Wolf-R1]

those 2 programs stresses out your computer to tell you if you have bad ram sticks.

if you want to know what exact components you have on your pc use sis sandra, i think there's an option on there. CPU-Z has a little info. and Everest does also. Hope this helps

I dont see how you can get a bunch of crap from googlin` prime95 and memtest

Not really...Prime95 runs in both CPU memory and RAM. It cannot isolate which component may be bad. Memtest just tests RAM. I'm looking for a total package.

I am familiar with Sandra and that's not what I'm looking for. I need to bang on this machine and see what part is breaking.

Nah...I Googled for "Hardware Diagnostics" and got a bunch of crap back.

What exactly is checking registers going to do for you? The ultimate boot cd has a bunch of diagnostic utilities that may be of use. If it is happening in just a single application then it sounds like a software problem. Does the software run on any other computers, and if so, do you have the same problem on those computers?

Verify that the CPU is good as well as other processor type components. Maybe "registers" wasn't a good word to use but that's the idea.
I'll have to check out that "Ultimate Boot CD" and see what's there.

This software runs on hundreds of other PCs without issue. Just this one has developed this issue over the last two weeks. Been running on it fine until then tho.


Thanks for the help guys. Next time I'll try not to be so vague.

 

[BlindedByScience]

Not really...Prime95 runs in both CPU memory and RAM. It cannot isolate which component may be bad. Memtest just tests RAM. I'm looking for a total package.

I am familiar with Sandra and that's not what I'm looking for. I need to bang on this machine and see what part is breaking.

You may be expecting too much out of a diagnostic package. For example, when Memtest86+ flags errors, is it the RAM, the north bridge, or the CPU....?? Common sense would tell you it's the RAM but I have found both other cases in the past. Same with Prime95; it's clearly a CPU stress test, but there are lots of other things in the system that can give you issues when the temps head up; CPU, PSU, etc....

I think the best you can expect is to have some software that will stress the machine's subsystems, and narrow your search down for you. In the end, I still believe that dual part substitution is the only conclusive way to fully "root cause" most failures; that is, the bad part should duplicate the failure in a known good system, and replacing the bad part in the system with issues should make the issue go away forever.

It's not impossible to do, but you do have to be systematic about it if you want to make any progress.

Dumb question.....is the problematic system full of lint and not cooling properly....?? I recently cleaned a sweater or two out of my #1 system's HSF after only about six months. I was blown away at how well that 92mm Panaflow compacts and compresses lint into the Swiftech...

Good Luck - B.B.S.

 

[Talonz]

I was blown away at how well that 92mm Panaflow compacts and compresses lint into the Swiftech...

Pun intended?

Anyway, software can help you, but in the end, you have to be the one isolating the hardware and figuring out which piece of hardware is bad. I also suspect that it's a heat problem. Try a memory swap, and make sure voltages are stable. With tested memory, stable rails, and stable temps, very little else goes wrong on a stock system.

 

[Wolf-R1]

No...it's not a heat problem I assure you. No dust bunnies in this system. I reseated and swapped components around to see if they would cause other problems. But in the end it's the same issue.

I guess I will have to take the component test approach. Thanks for all the help.

 

[Lyquist]

You could try a PCI based hardware diagnostic card. There is one on JabTech for $50. I'm going to get one myself. I would also recommend the Ultimate Boot CD. I use it primarily for the HDD diagnostics that are on it. I own my own company and am a big fan of hardware level diagnostics....most of the best ones you actually have to pay for...SpinRite, etc....memtest is also good. I have seen alot of problems in Windows that can be traced back to failing hardware.

Lyquist