Random PC freezes!

T

Taffy Apple

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 4, 2005
Messages
376
I've been looking at a computer that keeps freezing and I'm a bit unsure of how to tackle it. It appears totally random, sometimes it freezes while its booting up, other times it freezes just after booting up, and other times it can be used for ages before it freezes! I'm about to run memtest on it to see what comes back but can anyone suggest a course of action, or things to try.

Cheers
 
Ok the plot thickens, I ran memtest and it said everything was ok. But now I can't even log in. The damn thing freezes everytime I click on an account. Can't even get into admin in safe mode!
 
I have a harddrive that is on the verge of death showing similar symptoms so that could be your problem.
 
The plots like soup is so think now.

I've managed to get into the damn thing to run scandisk and everytime its tried to run its froze at different times.

What do I try next? Recovery console or just wipe the damn thing and try afresh?
 
You should be able to download a free utility to check your hard drive for errors from the drive makers site. Most will have a utility that you can run from a floppy. That same utility disk should have the tools to low level format it if you want.
 
Ok I ran hard disk sentinel at it reckons disk is 100% fit and healthy.

Guess this means somethings corrupt in windows?
 
Taffy Apple said:
Ok I ran hard disk sentinel at it reckons disk is 100% fit and healthy.

Guess this means somethings corrupt in windows?
Click to expand...

That would be my next step... format/reinstall
 
Ok for the first time this problem is starting to show some concistency!

Formatted fine, but now it getting to just after the network connections dialog box during install then hangs. I've tried 5 times and it froze in more or less the same place, the last time it said about unregmp2.exe, and that c:\progra~1\...\wmpband.dll is not a valid windows image!

Oh yeah, theres also a e:\minint partition on the disk, which I didn't format.

Great. I guess that means hardware fault then.

Does anyone know of any tool I can make bootable that can scan the disk and tell me the state its in (and that they believe? I'm thinking now harddisk sentinel isn't all that good)
 
Here's an update for you guys, I tried running an all day memtest today to make sure it wasn't the ram causing this.

I just got in and it crashed 15 minutes in, now would I be right in thinking that memtest only uses reserved memory rather than extended?

If so does that point to a motherboard issue?
 
Right, I've been able to run memtest now for 3 hours, with 4 complete passes and no problems reported.

So by my reasoning and from what it says on the memtest website, thats the memory, processor and mobo off the hook. Which leaves the hard drive.

So back to my previous question, does anyone know a tool that'll run from CD that can do a serious scan of the disk?

I'm really starting to think its the disk now, even though hdd sentinel came back saying 100%, I never managed to get scandisk to do a complete pass in windows.
 
Ok,

Here's an update.

Ran disk tool, and it comes back saying the disk is a-ok and if I still have a problem then it's somewhere else. So I think that means I can rule out a hard disk fault. Agree?

I also think the memtest result means I can safely rule out the ram as being the problem. Agree?

Now we come to CPU Burn-in and StressCPU on the ubcd. Everytime I have run them the thing appears to die, stops doing stuff apart from the cursor flashing and doesn't respond to ctrl+alt+del. Which to me sounds like the fault re-occuring.

So to you guys, does this say - Your CPU is f**ked!!!

Or could it still also possibly be a mobo problem? The reason I ask is that one of the cpu testers says something like, "if I encounter and error, I will stop and print ERROR!"

Lucifer also freezes.
 
There's no light on the network card.

I don't mean, the light on the network card isn't on. I mean the network card doesn't have a light on it.

What should happen if I unplug the cd drive?
 
First off, list out your hardware, Motherboard, CPU, Memory, PSU, etc..
Second, everything you've described sounds like either a heat related issue, or, power deficiency.

First call of business is to isolate the problem. What are your Motherboard/CPU temps like? Memtest is great for testing memory, but the CPU doesn't hit peak load that way. Running Prime while a motherboard monitor shows you CPU temps would point out overheating.

Second, a faulty 12v or 5v rail can have these kinds of effects on your system stability. If the motherboard or even your hard disk aren't properly powered, you will run into all kinds of lockups. If you have a spare PSU, or can borrow one, I'd recommend trying to swap that out first.

-E
 
Ok here's the spec:

Intel Mobile Pentium 4 model 538
SiS 963L chipset South Bridge & North Bridge SiS 648
512MB 184-pin non-ECC DDR333 DIMM modules (PC2700 SDRAM)
NVidia GeForce FX Go 5100 64MB
Realtek ALC655 Audio System
Power comes from an AC connector.

Don't recall seeing temps in the bios, but I'll double check. Anything I can run boot that'll tell me?
 
If you can get into Windows, download motherboard monitor from http://mbm.livewiredev.com/

If not you can read the temps from the BIOS under Hardware monitor. You can also check the voltages for your PSU in the same spot, but I wouldn't rely on that as it wont show what your PSU voltage is like under load conditions.

-E
 
Ok looked in bios, can't get temps or voltages. Crap bios!

So I thought about what you said, overheating and cleaned the heatsink and fan for dust and added fresh thermal paste.

Now in setup, the thing hangs during the copying files bit. Doesn't even get to the completing installation bit!

AHHHHHH!!!!! Why did I say I'd have a look at it!
 
Taffy, everything points to some sort of hardware failure at this point. The trick now is to deturmine which component(s) is responsible. When you say it cannot copy files, are you getting a CRC error during copy? Also, is your copy of the OS you are installing original, or, a burned copy? Try isolating it down. Is your CDROM on the same cable as the hard disk? Seperate? If they are separate cables, Slave your CD on the same cable as the hard disk. IF they are on the same cable, Set your CD as master on the secondary channel. This would help to deturmine if one of your IDE controllers on the main board is bad.

-E
 
From the sound of things, I would tend to lean toward either a power related issue or a hardware/driver issue. If this was heat related, the system would shut down to prevent damage, not hang.

Something you said makes me think it could be your MoBo (assuming your NIC is on-board). When you were installing Windows, you stated that it hung several times at the Network Connection setup. This could point your NIC being the culprit to at least some of this. I've seen it before where for some damned reason, a faulty NIC can lock up your MoBo at random or even prevent you system from POSTing when there is link. Try running you system for a while without your copper plugged in, just to see if the particular device is what is causing your instability.

I'm curious, have you checked your event logs yet? There may be some entry in there that could point to the cause of the random lock ups.
Right click MY COMPUTER -MANAGE the event viewer is the first option. Check under system for any critical events.

Also, have you checked your device manager to see if anything particular piece of hardware is reporting issues?

What about drivers, have you installed the newest version of your MoBo drivers and fully updated your OS?


From the look of that hardware config, it sounds like you may have bought an off-the-shelf system. If that's the case, you may be eligible for free Tech Support from them and free repair.

Good luck
 
Its out of warrenty unfortunately. Its is of the shelf, a Packard Bell Easynote H5315.

Can't look at my event logs, no Windows! When I did look, the only errors being reported were services that didn't start when I was booting into safe mode, something else that had suggested it was a software problem at the time.

The system has been locking up for a while, without any ethernet plugged in.

CD is 100% genuine, and I used to to install on my own PC with no problems. Not really a lot of swapping I can do, being a notebook everything just plugs into the mobo.

Oh well, guess its a mobo swap out then.
 
Ok I been to the packard bell website, and the support wont let me register because the laptop serial number has been registered to someone else. So no free support.

I know better than to buy packard bell now anyway!

However in the forums there's a few occurences of "My laptop is freezing..." and one of the posts sounds exactly like the problem I'm having and goes on to say they've been told its a faulty north bridge chip.

So here's my question, can I change the chip or are we looking at a new mobo?
 
Northbridge chips are integrated into the motherboard, so it isn't a serviceable part, sorry.

-E
 
Yeah I'm up to my neck in screws and laptop parts at the moment!

It looks like a mobo swap out is my only solution. However if what I read earlier is right, the mobo was so sh*te that they stopped making it.

Does anyone know any UK based, or will deliver to the UK (reasonably) mobo suppliers that may possibly have one on a shelf somewhere?
 
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