What the...?!

F

[FX]Roman

Gawd
Joined
Apr 16, 2002
Messages
819
Hey all, having a MESSED up problem with a comp I just bought for really cheap... Go figure. It was an old HP, AMD 2400, 512, etc, etc.

So.... It's keeps crashing, no idea why.

I've tried formatting several times with different copies of XP Pro, thought it was the HDD, tried a different one, same crashing, switched out RAM, still the same.

It will lock up while installing windows (hangs usually at "39 Minutes Left."), once during formatting.

So far at this point, maybe it could be the heat of the cpu, but since it's not rebooting totally, just hanging, maybe it isn't... I've just tossed the HDD itself from the lump of poop into my main box and did a format install of XP from that system.

Divide and conqure... Anyone else have any ideas.
Installing as I type...
 
Did you try a different PSU? If these crashes are at completely random times, your PSU is probably defective and is fluctuating the levels of power it outputs.

EDIT: Oyyyy, I'm tired, I thought you meant your computer crashes at random times. I had the same issue installing Win98 on an older machine a few years ago and it turned out I had a PCI card that Win98 didn't like. Try taking out all PCI cards and try again.

Also, try touching the CPU heatsink. If it's very hot, you should probably take off the HSF and apply a good layer of Arctic Silver.

Edit again: Come to think of it, I don't think OEM PC's use thermal paste. I've seen two different Dells which just have those crappy thermal pads on the HS. If it's a heat issue, then applying a layer of good thermal paste will definitely help.
 
Well, the battle plann right now is to install XP on the HD I tossed into my current and working box. Once done, I'll toss the HD back into the old system and see if it runs.

It should... XP was running on it before when I restored it using the recovery partition. My plan is to, run SiSoft Sandra and check for temps once the thing has XP on it in the old box again.... Install just finished, time to find out...
 
Ooooook.... XP went in flawlessly.

I havne't done anything to the drive yet other than set up the user account. Time to rip it out and put it back in the box from whence it came... So we know it's not the HDD.
 
I'm starting to think it's heat too... Although there is no cpu temp gauge. It locks up randomly, but the screen stays still. Very absurd.... I'm not liking this.

Could there be any other causes of high heat?

I kept on getting odd IE errors (send/dont send), and IE crashing... I didn't have the box connected to the net while setting up XP, and I'm behind a secure router.

Ungh....
 
Update...


Wel... Today I came back with a new (bigger) heatsink and (bigger) heatsink fan, cleaned the CPU, greased it up as normal, the system ran for about 10 minutes, I was surfing HP's site for drivers... Then IE died on me... Hmmm, maybe it's IE...

So I opened it back up, went to windows update and installed the loader for it... The whole system freezes. It's been running for less than 15 mins and I get the same erros. So...

Don't think it's the HD,
It's NOT heat...
Doubt it's the RAM... Tried a different stick....
Doubt it's the PSU...
Maybe the mainboard?


I noticed as I was cleaning the CPU, all of the transistor pins were gold, even the tops/tips EXECPT one of them. It was silver... I'm not sure if that's normal...

I'm at my wit's end....


UPDATE:

I let the thing just sit at the login screen, and after awhile it just went to a BSOD, as shown in image. Could it be one of the PCI cards? Looks like maybe an IRQ error?

what_the.jpg
 
If you have any PCI cards, take em out and see if it works then. If it does work, put them back in one by one - that way, you can find out which one is causing the problem, and figure out how to fix it.
 
I pulled the firewire card and the modem...

Exact same issues, still. System will randomly freeze while browsing. I'm sure it would freeze in other apps, too, if something else was done.

This is downright enraging. :(

So, it's not the cards.

I do keep getting messages to install USB drivers, and it's shown under the device manager as not properly installed, but the VIA mainboard drivers are in there... Yet HP.com doesn't list any. Good lord.
 
Id vote memory too. I had the same issue on my Dell. It would lockup on setup, and display that message. I do think I got errors via MemTest though...
 
Ok, battle plan for today (when I get off work):

Load a different XP - In this case XP Home (just a personal choice).
Then... Load defaults. Hope it changes things. If not, underclock, keep hoping. If nothing happens then, just look for a new BIOS.
 
The IRQL error is very common and vague.

It could be a bad: driver, PS, mobo, RAM, HDD.

Have you loaded any new drivers?
How are you PSU voltages looking?
Check caps on the mobo.
Reset the CMOS.
Flash/reflash the BIOS.
How long did you test with memtest86? Some errors only show every blue moon, I suggest several hours or over night testing, 1 or more errors=fail.
Are you O/Cing?
 
Hey Phoenix86,

At this point I'm guessing it's the mobo... Even though that little obscurity with the processor (which I posted about) is still at the back of my mind. If I replace the mainboard, I'll snap a pic of the cpu pins.

I'm not currently OC'ed.

The PSU should be fine, the system was running for days once before going insane. I've also recently tried just running it with the CD and DVD drive disconnected. Same errors.

I'll let the memtest run for about 8 hours now, come back, check it. Reload the OS - Check how things are running/crashing. Then grab a new BIOS.
 
Well, if you think it's the mobo, which very well may be the case, the most common problem is also very easy to see. Look at the caps on the mobo. If they are leaking or bulging, then that's the problem. Seeing as caps filter out AC from the DC if they start going bad, you can have all sorts of shitty problems. :) Just something to think about.
 
I'd do the BIOS before the OS. It's quick, easy, and painless. Unlike a full on reinstall. Also, since this is one of those software or hardware issues, I wouldn't reload just yet. Besides if it's a driver issue, and you reload the same driver you'll think it's hardware.

Also, don't assume the PS is good, don't assume anything. Check your voltages in the BIOS and list what each rail is reporting.

Good luck.
 
I've done the memory test for 8 hours (14 passes) - No problems.

Maybe it's time to try the BIOS/CMOS - I really don't want to replace the mainboard...
I'll keep veryone posted...
 
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