Advanced CPU Options usually. I guess you have P5N-E SLI, then it's there : http://techgage.com/reviews/asus/p5ne_sli/asus_p5ne_bios_05_thumb.jpg
Many are pointing at speculation for two reasons. One - no facts or numbers. Two - insufficient knowledge of how a computer works. For example, if a power supply causes a failure, then relevant 3 digit numbers identify that defect. Appreciate that a power supply could have always been defective. A defective that could have been identified by a tool even sold in Kmart. None asked for those numbers? An example of point one. Did you know the PSU is controlled by a power controller? Power controller determines if a PSU turns on or off. Even determines if the CPU can execute. A basic function known to the few who actually understand computer hardware. Point two. They did a stress test? What kind of stress test? At what temperature was each semiconductor heated to? Using what diagnostics? Why is anyone trying to cure symptoms by changing CMOS settings? Called curing symptoms. Does not identify or fix the actual problem. Does nothing for the power controller. Is an example of speculation. Surges? What other devices are being damaged? Surges do not crash a machine. Either surges are made irrelevant by protection already inside every appliance. Or surges overwhelm that protection to cause damage. Furthermore, surges occur typically once every seven years. A number that contradicts what an overwhelming majority have been told to believe by advertising. If surges exist, then appliances more easily damage (dimmers switches, bathroom GFCIs) are failing often. Surges exist because so many at told to blame something on speculation. No different than what people were told about Salem witches. Please. Don't listen to hearsay. Stick with science. That means the problems includes reasons why you know the problem exists. If surges exist, then you have destroyed electronics - not computer crashes. Long before fixing anything, techs first get hard facts. For example, which system (event) logs were reporting errors - not just reporting system operation? That means it identifies a source. And includes a window entitles Description with critical numbers and other facts. What did comprehensive hardware diagnostics report? What were numbers from a 3.5 digit multimeter when system peripherals were consuming maximum power? What temperatures were semiconductors heated at when the system crashed (an actual stress test)? A good computer shop would report these in their 'tests'. Many would not even know what was requested. The list of items that can actually power off a machine is quite short. Tasks crash. So a multi-tasking OS shuts them down - while the machine keeps working. Does not crash the entire system. But a power controller (and only the power controller) gets specific inputs to force a power off. Useful recommendations start with the few items that do a power off. Too many instead any blame temperature or surges using wild speculation. Your solution starts with hard facts and numbers. Above are some sources - where to start an analysis. And what to report here so that the better informed can post useful replies.
The event ids were posted on page 1. As for stress tests they used intelburn and prime 95 if i recall up to what my computer would tolerate. So excuse my presumption that something that powers my pc would cause it to fail in the fashion it does. I speculate because im at the end of my tethet with it.
That is a stress test of only one thing - the CPU. Obviously does not stress the computer. You must hear the disk drives flailing wildly while devices on the USB port are operating at full power while the internet port is downloading furiously, while ... All done simultaneously while the computer operates at another normal temperature - a room at 100 degrees F. What is a maximum stress you computer can tolerate? Either you have numbers from datasheets. Or you have hearsay from others who do not even know about a power controller. Your stress test was near zero stress. A stress test means the CD-Rom is also working ASAP while room temperatures are perfectly ideal temperatures for every computer when CPU is (find a spec for you machine) is at maybe 70 degrees C. Not listed are everything that must be done. Much work addresses items completely irrelevant to why a computer would power off. What is relevant - a prime suspect - is still not discussed in your post. The power controller is the only item that powers on and off a machine. That is where analysis starts. Any task that do not include operation of the power controller is flailing at windmills. Prime95 does not access, affect, involve, or stress a power controller. Power controller determines if a PSU turns on or off. Even determines if the CPU can execute. A basic function known to the few who actually understand computer hardware. All that work. And nothing discusses or addresses the prime suspect. Every task should even result in hard numbers. A critical numbers from the power system are not provided. Informed computer techs know those three digits numbers are obtained when the entire computer is stressed - not when only one chip (the CPU) is stressed. Those three digit numbers are major inputs to a power controller. Two essential tools necessary for viewing failures. Comprehensive hardware diagnostic (that all computer manufacturers have but that only more responsible ones provide for free) and a tool even sold in Kmart to obtain critical power system numbers. You did much labor on things mostly irrelevant to your symptoms.
Unfortunately most people don't have an accurate enough multimeter or temperature gauges to be able to analyse the equipment as In depth as you have mentioned. Like you say a stress test won't always push hardware to it's limits, but it is likely to push it beyond normal use, which should be enough to recreate the symptoms and help determine which part is faulty by eliminating various elements logically. Interested to know what tool you can use to get these critical system numbers, We don't have K mart in England and I've never heard of such a tool, how would you plug it in to determine the problem?
Do you have stores that sell hammers? A more than sufficient multimeter is sold in stores that also sell hammers (as noted earlier). For less money. Even Asda Direct list this simple and essential tool. Maplin and Tesco also sold them. A tool even required by car mechanics. Those stress tests do not stress anything relevant. Test only one chip. Relevant stress tests everything so that useful facts can be obtained. Nobody needs any special software to do a real stress test. Stress tests also involve those listed temperatures. Critical during a real stress test are three digit numbers from each and any one gray, green, red, orange, purple, and yellow wires that connect the PSU at the motherboard. Important inputs to the power controller.
Ah I see what you mean. Yes a particular stress test will only stress that particular subsystem, but if the problem occurs during normal use, i.e. if it draws enough power from a particular rail that is failing then you can recreate the symptoms, or not as the case may be and rule out what the problem could be. The only reason I discussed surge protection was to see if he was in any danger of damaging equipment if the surge protector was removed, as unlikely as it would be to cause a problem it could still be in a deteriorated state so that small surges could cause enough of a shock to the system to shut it down without any initially perceived damage to the hardware. A multi meter should be part of any computer techs toolkit, but even without one I have managed to correctly diagnose various problems with PC's just by using different types of prime 95 stress tests, for instance if the memory or CPU is faulty, doesn't have enough voltage, or the PSU isn't up to scratch.
Hi, this is the problem with my win 7 trial. I beleive there is actualy a warning that this will happen if you continue to use the software after the trial expires. I accepted this and continued to use it with limited feaures, knowing it would shut down at ANY time. I think you have the same problem I had. Even try flashing the bios, as a last resort & removing and reseating ram. (doubt this would make any diff though) Were the replacmen hdd's you used, new?
Hi Gar, I thought it might be something to do with the trial alright, my question is can you even attach the old HDD's, and wipe them?
Of course you can, once a disk is formatted there should be no trace that the OS can determine what your last OS was, otherwise how could you install a non trial version? If it was to do with the trial then Windows would ask you to register which should sort the problems out. Even if it was shutting down, It shouldn't just cut the power as this can lead to data loss. I thought you'd installed a fresh copy anyway?
I did, but on a HDD that had system files from the old OS. But i wiped it. so im still a bit confused... kinda hoped it was the OS
Hi Vicxas, I'm not sure how smart windows is at detecting info from a wiped hdd (while you can do, but maybe not fully), but I would suspect it anyway and act accordingly. Any storage media/ devices, that interfaced with your pc while running win 7trial, I would not use on this occasion I would add a new hdd. Install a copy of win7 that was never on your pc before, even a copy of xp. I would even try flashing the bios, or removing the cmos just because you never know. Even borrow a compatable stick of ram that was never used in the pc and remove the rest. Then test the pc. This is all I can think of, but at least you will be sure you've eliminated it being an OS problem. Those are the things I would do just to make sure it is a different issue.
Worth a try. I suppose it dosent hae to be a new one just on that never had your trial, or was plugged into this pc t any point. you could try a free linux distro if you don't have another os.
Ok so i have been trying all the troubleshooting everyone gave me, and i ran another memory test on the pc just to be sure and i left her to run on a constant cycle for about 3 hours, came back home and now she wont boot at all. dead as a doorknob... anyone got any ideas?
Learn from your mistakes. The #1 reason for fixing something is to better learn how to solve problems. You fixed something without first identifying what had failed. Now you have exponentially complicated the problem. You had what was maybe unstable hardware (in a category called "unknown"). You nuked 'n paved the OS. Now the OS is unstable. What may have been good is also completely "unknown". Never fix anything until a problem is first identified. Defined was how to identify a problem. Without the OS, meter readings can no longer identify the original problem. So, how to solve these new problems? Fortunately, the same tool. Get the meter. Otherwise just keep replacing good parts on wild speculation until something works. Those remain your only two options. You can only do one or the other. Everything - hardware and software - is now in a category called "unknown". Good diagnostic procedure moves every part (one by one) from "unknown" to either "definitively good" or "definitively bad". Any labor that does not result in a "definitive ..." category is wasted labor. Step one means three digit numbers from the meter. Even the memory test may only report "maybe" answers until those multimeter numbers are first learned. The point. Either you fist things on wild speculation as others suggested. Or "follow the evidence" - ie use a multimeter. You cannot do both. Having done the former, you not have exponentially complicated the problem. You must choose which procedure to use - and stay only with that one. Recommended is to fix and change nothing until facts first identify specific suspects. Currently almost every item in your computer is still a suspect. Is still an "unknown". Length of two lists - "definitively good" and "definitively bad" - is the quantifier that measures progress. Currently both lists are empty – zero progress. Making these mistakes is how we learn. A #1 reason for fixing things.
Is it really necessary to keep going on about that? It's not much help that you come into a help thread and suggest that looking at different components as the culprit represents insufficient knowledge of a computer. A good suggestion or speculation would be more help than talking about the power controller for the umpteenth time. Some people haven't been able to get super in depth numbers and tests for the years you have. The OP is at the last straw with this. Anyway, I had the same problem with my memory, trying each individual stick in each slot should find the culprit(s). When one of my sticks died, it went into the OS, shut down like yours and then wouldn't boot. Worth a try?
I'd have a look at getting a cheap psu tester from maplin and hooking it up to your psu to confirm it's a dead psu. Alternatively, see if you can borrow someone elses'. (that's how you test in the real world) Then go get yourself a new one. Problem now is that you don't know how violently the thing died and what else has been damaged, if at all. Just on a side note though, what usb devices were you using? I used to have an old eclipse usb keyboard that had a damaged usb plug which would short every now and again and shut the whole system down suddenly (as if the mains had been pulled).
