k, specs first: amd 5000+ CPU Gigabyte MB(not sure of model off the top of my head) 4GB OCZ Memory 160GB Western Digital SATA drive EVGA Nvidia 8800GT 650 Watt PSU Ok, this all started this past sunday. I came home and my fiance had been on the computer, she said that she turned it off but it was back on with an error about wuauclt.exe. Investigating that error, I find that I've got a virus. I got that cleaned off and start noticing more errors, I catch a glimpse of a blue screen that points toward RAM failure. I download memtest and find that I have got a bad stick. The OCZ listed above is the new stuff that has tested fine since then. With the virus, and hardware change installing the memory, I decided to just reload XP on the computer. The reinstall seems to go fine. I get loaded up, drivers installed, and start downloading all the usual programs again(OpenOffice, Firefox, VNC) and doing windows updates. During the windows updates, I get a lockup. I figured I was doing too much with the downloads and windows updates, and just restart, things start to go better... I get to installing games - I was installing RB6 Vegas 2 and it freezes in the middle of the install. I reboot and get corrupt file errors. I load up my XP disk and replace the corrupt files, windows loads ok but everything looks goofy, strange fonts and sizes. I guess another reload would be best, this time with a low-level format, get rid of anything that might be hanging around. Again, the install seems to go without issue. I get through installing usual programs and windows updates without issue this time.I don't feel like dealing with installing my games and the fiance was complaining that she needed to check her schedule. I let her on the computer and 10 minutes later she comes into the living room - "The computer is frozen again." mother &@#$*% At this point, I want to know what the hell is going on. I restart go online to download updated drivers/bios from the manufacutors - another freeze for me. Another restart, I start checking event viewer, no errors or warnings. I ran 2 hours of memtest with no errors. I started thinking of what else could stress test other components and remembered SISoft Sandra from my overclocking days(this computer is not overclocked) and started a full stress test, all components, continuous run. I started it and went to bed. I get up this morning, 7 hours later and it is still running. No errors, normal load temps and voltage... w.t.f.? I stop the test and check a few of my normal sites. Opening and closing Firefox is giving no trouble, I load up vnc to check for something on my file server, vnc opens and closes without error. I go to shut down the pc I've been working on - no response clicking on start, can't even ctrl+alt+delete to see what's going on. Sorry that this has gotten pretty long. It is driving me insane though. After 3 windows reloads, the issue has to be hardware but it could be pretty much anything and I can't confirm any errors. Any suggestions from you guys will be greatly appreciated. Edit: I just realized this probably should have gone in the tech support section. If a mod wants to move it...
seems a bit of a weird one this, if you say the RAM is now ok then that shouldn't be the problem (may I suggest just using 1 stick at a time though just to be sure). I now it can drive you crazy lol, its very annoyin, when something like this happens to me, and im unsure whats at fault it helps to start from the very begining again. Have a clear table and disasemble everything, and put it all back together making sure everything is in place and correctly fitted, if you have some thermal paste, then apply some more (obviously clean old first). Reformat you hard drive, and install OS again. Before downloading or installing anything else, make sure your temps are ok. Now go ahead and get all the patches and updates for you OS. If everything is still going smooth, maybe go a little further and install a few apps and programs. Make sure they work properly, and you don't get any lock ups or freezing. Its up to you at this point before installing any games, if you want to run some sort of stress test, and record temps etc. Install everything else and see how it turns out. Its best to do all this with a very clear head, there is no point starting to do this in the evening because if you do run into any problems it will just stress you out even more. Give it ago, unless you can diagnose any other problems, and let us know how it turns out. Gaz
You let a chick use your computer ? I have no sympathy On a serious note mem test is a good sign so cross the sticks off the list. Cpu will be fine if it is at stock. Soooo I would look at the motherboard or the power supply. Do you have another machine you can nab a psu off? On a side note i get bluescreens on my p31 gigabyte board if I dont update the windows lan driver with the latest one.
Bad sectors looks more likely than anything since the stress tests would have tested for it. I'm leaning toward that or power supply. I have got another in my server that I could swap. It'd be strange that I got no warnings on Sandra in 7 hours though. I don't know.
I say bad hard drive. Freezing occurs mostly because of issues related to this. My suggestion would be install linux see if any hanging occurs. If it does, then try and run a linux live cd. If no errors occur when running the live cd then i would guess hard drive.
So yeah, I look at the computer again last night and more data corruption weirdness from windows. To test the drive, I decided to load Ubuntu. I fully expected more similar issues, Ubuntu is working flawlessly. This would lead me to think that the XP disk I have been using is no good. I've got my file server sitting here, I stand to lose nothing reformatting the OS drive so I do it, XP is now working flawlessly on that machine. /sigh. just adding more to the confusion. I'd be perfectly happy staying with Ubuntu if I could play all my games. My computers hate me.
Plausible I guess considering that I caught another before my RAM died. I just doubt that it would have this effect I've been seeing. Would a Bios virus target files on the hard drive again? I always imagined them as just taking the infected computer down completely. That's just the way that I thought they would work, I can't say for sure that I've ever seen one in action. Ubuntu is still up with no problems even after my fiance has been up and on the PC today. She called me on my lunch hour all happy that it was working and was confused when I wasn't happy with that. It was difficult explaining that how I still don't know what the problem is and I doubt she really understood. So frustrating.
I have no idea on a bios virus and what they are capable of. However i do know that most virus's are not out to bring your computer to its knees but to either use it in a botnet or steal your data, why would people want to just take computers down...
Ubuntu is gangsta like that. I recommend getting a FRESH Windows xp cd, reformat then reinstall. I doubt the problem is hardware if ubuntu is running fine.
Thanks for all the replies everyone, I think it is finally stable. I have been working on this off and on until last night trying multiple XP install cd's and even trying Vista. It just didn't seem to make sense to me that it was the HD since Linux was working but the day before yesterday I saw a freeze and it seems that Ubuntu might have just handled it better than windows, the screen went gray for a few seconds and snapped back to normal. I moved my data around on my file server and took a HD out of there and my problem machine is now up and working. Perfect excuse to get one of the 1TB drives I've been wanting
GParted, download it and boot it. It'll format and i think check the drive for any problems, i think it also has a mem test aswell, its awesome and should be on disc in everyone's system disc storage thingy, (mines a box o disc's)