![]() |
If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
I am, and have been for some time, running XP SP3. Have had no
trouble until now. It is on a M3A78_CM mobo with a AMD Phenom 9950 Quad cpu and 4GB DDR2. I find that it freezes up after being on sometimes an hour, sometimes longer, requiring re-powering up. I have tried the RAM one at a time, and I have changed hard drives. Same result. So I figure it is the CPU or MOBO. Anyone have a thought on this? Thanks Duke |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
Could be.......
However, the most common cause of Window's PC "freezing up", by far and away, is a software conflict.... Hardware conflicts usually result in the PC freezing very soon after start or being unable to start at all!! Check any recently installed software. Pay particular attention to exactly WHAT was going on / you were doing, when the "freeze" occurred. On reboot, take a look in the Event Log for any additional clues. == Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-) wrote in message ... I am, and have been for some time, running XP SP3. Have had no trouble until now. It is on a M3A78_CM mobo with a AMD Phenom 9950 Quad cpu and 4GB DDR2. I find that it freezes up after being on sometimes an hour, sometimes longer, requiring re-powering up. I have tried the RAM one at a time, and I have changed hard drives. Same result. So I figure it is the CPU or MOBO. Anyone have a thought on this? Thanks Duke |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On Wed, 17 Nov 2010 04:07:23 -0000, "Tim Meddick"
wrote: Could be....... However, the most common cause of Window's PC "freezing up", by far and away, is a software conflict.... Hardware conflicts usually result in the PC freezing very soon after start or being unable to start at all!! Check any recently installed software. Pay particular attention to exactly WHAT was going on / you were doing, when the "freeze" occurred. On reboot, take a look in the Event Log for any additional clues. == Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-) Thanks Tim I thought that too. But I have dual bootable hard drives and it happened with either drive booted. As a further test, I have disconnected one of them and am running solely from the other. So far no freeze. This AM though when I powered up I heard a slight, unusual, sound coming from the CPU fan. I wonder if the fan is binding up and CPU heat is the culprit. I need to watch that, and I can since the tower is running with the cover off. Duke |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On Nov 16, 4:44*pm, wrote:
I am, and have been for some time, running XP SP3. *Have had no trouble until now. * It is on a M3A78_CM mobo with a AMD Phenom 9950 Quad cpu and 4GB DDR2. I find that it freezes up after being on sometimes an hour, sometimes longer, requiring re-powering up. *I have tried the RAM one at a time, and I have changed hard drives. *Same result. So I figure it is the CPU or MOBO. Anyone have a thought on this? Thanks Duke First you say you have XP SP3, then you say you have dual bootable... is that XP and Linux? This is what I do when I see XP hang and need to figure out the problem (if it is software). If your system stops responding, hangs or freezes and you can't figure out why, you can force a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) which will create a crash dump file that you can analyze and see what is running at the point of the freeze and get some ideas that do not involve guesswork. While it may seem odd to think about purposefully causing a Blue Screen Of Death (BSOD), Microsoft includes such a provision in Windows XP. The feature is built in to XP specifically to diagnose the problem when a system stops responding. This will eliminate trying things or guessing about what might have happened maybe. Sometimes there will not even be a clue about the problem in the Event Log. Here's how to force your system to create a BSOD: First make sure your system is not set to automatically restart on a system failure. Right click My Computer, Properties, Advanced, Startup and Recovery, Settings. In the System failure section: Put a check mark in the "Write an event to the system log" box Put a check mark in the "Send an administrative alert" box Uncheck the "Automatically restart" box In the Write debugging information section, choose: Small memory dump (64 KB) Set the Small dump directory to: %SystemRoot%\Minidump Click OK twice to save the settings. Now enable the XP feature to generate a crash dump on demand. Before making registry changes, backup your registry with this popular free and easy to use tool: http://www.snapfiles.com/get/erunt.html For PS/2 keyboards, launch the Registry Editor (Start, Run, regedit.exe) and navigate to: HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\i8042prt\Pa rameters For USB keyboards, launch the registry editor (Start, Run, regedit.exe) and navigate to: HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\kbdhid\Para meters Click Edit, select New DWORD Value and name the new value: CrashOnCtrlScroll Double-click the CrashOnCtrlScroll DWORD Value, type 1 in the Value Data text box to enable the feature, and click OK. Close the Registry Editor and restart Windows XP for the changes to take effect. When you want to cause a BSOD (when your system has stopped responding), press and hold down the [Ctrl] key on the right side of your keyboard, and then tap the [ScrollLock] key twice. Now you should see the BSOD and you will have a crash dump file to analyze. You may not see the information about your problem on the BSOD screen, but you will find the answer in the crash dump file. You may need help interpreting your crash dump file if you have never seen one before. You can read about the feature he http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff545499.aspx There is no harm in leaving the feature enabled (mine is always on), but if you are compelled to remove it, just undo the change you made in the registry. Launch the Registry Editor (Start, Run, regedit.exe) and navigate to: HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\i8042prt\Pa rameters or HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\kbdhid\Para meters Select the CrashOnCtrlScroll value, click the Edit menu, and select the Delete command. Close the Registry Editor and restart Windows XP. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On Wed, 17 Nov 2010 03:32:34 -0800 (PST), Jose
wrote: First you say you have XP SP3, then you say you have dual bootable... is that XP and Linux? XP and W7 - both hang, but not since yesterday AM, despite CPU fan noise this AM when I powered up, which stopped making noise. I have physically removed the W7 drive from the machine. Now just XP on C drive. This is what I do when I see XP hang and need to figure out the problem (if it is software). If your system stops responding, hangs or freezes and you can't figure out why, you can force a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) which will create a crash dump file that you can analyze and see what is running at the point of the freeze and get some ideas that do not involve guesswork. While it may seem odd to think about purposefully causing a Blue Screen Of Death (BSOD), Microsoft includes such a provision in Windows XP. The feature is built in to XP specifically to diagnose the problem when a system stops responding. This will eliminate trying things or guessing about what might have happened maybe. Sometimes there will not even be a clue about the problem in the Event Log. Here's how to force your system to create a BSOD: First make sure your system is not set to automatically restart on a system failure. Right click My Computer, Properties, Advanced, Startup and Recovery, Settings. In the System failure section: Put a check mark in the "Write an event to the system log" box Put a check mark in the "Send an administrative alert" box Uncheck the "Automatically restart" box In the Write debugging information section, choose: Small memory dump (64 KB) Set the Small dump directory to: %SystemRoot%\Minidump I did it Click OK twice to save the settings. Now enable the XP feature to generate a crash dump on demand. Before making registry changes, backup your registry with this popular free and easy to use tool: http://www.snapfiles.com/get/erunt.html For PS/2 keyboards, launch the Registry Editor (Start, Run, regedit.exe) and navigate to: HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\i8042prt\P arameters For USB keyboards, launch the registry editor (Start, Run, regedit.exe) and navigate to: HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\kbdhid\Par ameters Click Edit, select New DWORD Value and name the new value: CrashOnCtrlScroll Double-click the CrashOnCtrlScroll DWORD Value, type 1 in the Value Data text box to enable the feature, and click OK. Close the Registry Editor and restart Windows XP for the changes to take effect. I did it. When you want to cause a BSOD (when your system has stopped responding), press and hold down the [Ctrl] key on the right side of your keyboard, and then tap the [ScrollLock] key twice. Now you should see the BSOD and you will have a crash dump file to analyze. You may not see the information about your problem on the BSOD screen, but you will find the answer in the crash dump file. You may need help interpreting your crash dump file if you have never seen one before. You can read about the feature he http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff545499.aspx There is no harm in leaving the feature enabled (mine is always on), This should prove educational. Thanks. but if you are compelled to remove it, just undo the change you made in the registry. Launch the Registry Editor (Start, Run, regedit.exe) and navigate to: HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\i8042prt\P arameters or HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\kbdhid\Par ameters Select the CrashOnCtrlScroll value, click the Edit menu, and select the Delete command. Close the Registry Editor and restart Windows XP. |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
This could be a symptom of whatever bootmanager you are using is not doing
it's job properly. If you are using the Window's XP bootloader (i.e. the OS options list comes up as laid out in your "boot.ini" file in the root of the XP partition) then it may be another type of HD data corruption that's a possible cause. Have you tried something as simple as booting from the XP setup disk and selecting the "press R to repair using Recovery Console" option. Then running CHKDSK C: /P from the RC prompt? You could also try booting into one or other OS in "safe-mode" and consulting the Event Log (NT, XP, Vista, Win7). Just don't be so eager to jump to the conclusion that it's got to be a hardware conflict.... == Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-) wrote in message ... On Wed, 17 Nov 2010 04:07:23 -0000, "Tim Meddick" wrote: Could be....... However, the most common cause of Window's PC "freezing up", by far and away, is a software conflict.... Hardware conflicts usually result in the PC freezing very soon after start or being unable to start at all!! Check any recently installed software. Pay particular attention to exactly WHAT was going on / you were doing, when the "freeze" occurred. On reboot, take a look in the Event Log for any additional clues. == Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-) Thanks Tim I thought that too. But I have dual bootable hard drives and it happened with either drive booted. As a further test, I have disconnected one of them and am running solely from the other. So far no freeze. This AM though when I powered up I heard a slight, unusual, sound coming from the CPU fan. I wonder if the fan is binding up and CPU heat is the culprit. I need to watch that, and I can since the tower is running with the cover off. Duke |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On Wed, 17 Nov 2010 23:46:52 -0000, "Tim Meddick"
wrote: This could be a symptom of whatever bootmanager you are using is not doing it's job properly. If you are using the Window's XP bootloader (i.e. the OS options list comes up as laid out in your "boot.ini" file in the root of the XP partition) then it may be another type of HD data corruption that's a possible cause. Have you tried something as simple as booting from the XP setup disk and selecting the "press R to repair using Recovery Console" option. Then running CHKDSK C: /P from the RC prompt? You could also try booting into one or other OS in "safe-mode" and consulting the Event Log (NT, XP, Vista, Win7). Just don't be so eager to jump to the conclusion that it's got to be a hardware conflict.... == Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-) Okay, I won't. The machine is still on and will stay on overnight. It has not froze yet. The key change was removing the second (W7) boot drive. At least it seems that way. Thanks again Duke wrote in message .. . On Wed, 17 Nov 2010 04:07:23 -0000, "Tim Meddick" wrote: Could be....... However, the most common cause of Window's PC "freezing up", by far and away, is a software conflict.... Hardware conflicts usually result in the PC freezing very soon after start or being unable to start at all!! Check any recently installed software. Pay particular attention to exactly WHAT was going on / you were doing, when the "freeze" occurred. On reboot, take a look in the Event Log for any additional clues. == Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-) Thanks Tim I thought that too. But I have dual bootable hard drives and it happened with either drive booted. As a further test, I have disconnected one of them and am running solely from the other. So far no freeze. This AM though when I powered up I heard a slight, unusual, sound coming from the CPU fan. I wonder if the fan is binding up and CPU heat is the culprit. I need to watch that, and I can since the tower is running with the cover off. Duke |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On Wed, 17 Nov 2010 23:46:52 -0000, "Tim Meddick"
wrote: This could be a symptom of whatever bootmanager you are using is not doing it's job properly. If you are using the Window's XP bootloader (i.e. the OS options list comes up as laid out in your "boot.ini" file in the root of the XP partition) then it may be another type of HD data corruption that's a possible cause. I have used the boot.ini method on another setup, and am familiar with that. On this machine, I found that the BIOS allows F8 to give full selection of bootable drives, and so it is quite simple to select the drive I wanted. Also, I though I mentioned this earlier, but I did do a full restore from a two-week old backup just to see if data corruption was involved. In any case, it is now another morning, and the machine with just the one XP drive has not froze, despite that I have left it on. Have you tried something as simple as booting from the XP setup disk and selecting the "press R to repair using Recovery Console" option. Then running CHKDSK C: /P from the RC prompt? I have run CHKDSK /F on both drives. You could also try booting into one or other OS in "safe-mode" and consulting the Event Log (NT, XP, Vista, Win7). Have not done this. Thanks for all your suggestions. Duke Just don't be so eager to jump to the conclusion that it's got to be a hardware conflict.... == Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-) wrote in message .. . On Wed, 17 Nov 2010 04:07:23 -0000, "Tim Meddick" wrote: Could be....... However, the most common cause of Window's PC "freezing up", by far and away, is a software conflict.... Hardware conflicts usually result in the PC freezing very soon after start or being unable to start at all!! Check any recently installed software. Pay particular attention to exactly WHAT was going on / you were doing, when the "freeze" occurred. On reboot, take a look in the Event Log for any additional clues. == Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-) Thanks Tim I thought that too. But I have dual bootable hard drives and it happened with either drive booted. As a further test, I have disconnected one of them and am running solely from the other. So far no freeze. This AM though when I powered up I heard a slight, unusual, sound coming from the CPU fan. I wonder if the fan is binding up and CPU heat is the culprit. I need to watch that, and I can since the tower is running with the cover off. Duke |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
This was my original post in m.p.w.b. Since I now think my problem is
hardware, namely my PSU, I am continuing my thread here. I am, and have been for some time, running XP SP3. Have had no trouble until now. It is on a M3A78_CM mobo with a AMD Phenom 9950 Quad cpu and 4GB DDR2. I find that it freezes up after being on sometimes an hour, sometimes longer, requiring re-powering up. I have tried the RAM one at a time, and I have changed hard drives. Same result. So I figure it is the CPU or MOBO. The machine now sits dead - with only a C hard drive. Its mobo has special power connections, which I cannot match with the few PSUs I have in the closet. The connections are the normal power plug plus two square connectors one that is beside the main power connector. the other a connector elsewhere on the mobo. I have a PSU that has the normal connector plus one square. I find that it fires up the cpu fan fine (progress!) but I get no video and no beep or beeps whatsoever, So, my question is - should I buy a replacement PSU with the correct connectors? Thanks Duke |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
wrote:
This was my original post in m.p.w.b. Since I now think my problem is hardware, namely my PSU, I am continuing my thread here. I am, and have been for some time, running XP SP3. Have had no trouble until now. It is on a M3A78_CM mobo with a AMD Phenom 9950 Quad cpu and 4GB DDR2. I find that it freezes up after being on sometimes an hour, sometimes longer, requiring re-powering up. I have tried the RAM one at a time, and I have changed hard drives. Same result. So I figure it is the CPU or MOBO. The machine now sits dead - with only a C hard drive. Its mobo has special power connections, which I cannot match with the few PSUs I have in the closet. The connections are the normal power plug plus two square connectors one that is beside the main power connector. the other a connector elsewhere on the mobo. I have a PSU that has the normal connector plus one square. I find that it fires up the cpu fan fine (progress!) but I get no video and no beep or beeps whatsoever, So, my question is - should I buy a replacement PSU with the correct connectors? Thanks Duke It's got an ATX12V 2x2 connector (two yellow wires, two black wires). That connector powers the processor alone. It doesn't power the fan. On a dual rail supply, that's called "12V2". The main 24 pin connector, powers the fan headers, and the motherboard logic. The 12V yellow wire(s) on that connector, run from "12V1". The hard drives run from 12V1 as well. (ATX12V can be seen here, in the lower left hand corner of this photo. The main 24 pin connector is on the upper left. Something must be plugged into both of those. Make sure the 2x2 connector has two yellow wires, two black wires, and the plastic latches line up.) http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/13-131-330-S03?$S640W$ You can plug in, and use, a 20 pin ATX power supply, into the 24 pin connector. Pictures of doing so, are shown on this page. http://www.playtool.com/pages/psucon...onnectors.html (Using a 20 pin, on a 24 pin motherboard is shown here. Align the latches. The only time this solution is not advisable, is if two 6600 type video cards are plugged into the motherboard. If you have only one video card, then this solution is definitely OK to use. The two 6600 video card case, causes an 8 amp load on the main power connector, which is too much for a 20 pin connector. Even monster video cards don't draw that kind of current any more, from the slot - they draw more current from the video card separate connectors. And that's why this option is safe, with only a few exceptions, and those exceptions involve at least two video cards.) http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/20in24.jpg Some 24 pin connectors, split in two pieces. This is termed a 20+4 connector. Be careful with this. The 4 pin section has four *different* color wires, and should not be confused with the ATX12V 2x2 which has two yellow wires and two black wires. Only the connector with two yellow wires and two black wires, goes into the 2x2 motherboard connector. You can do all sorts of damage, by plugging the other one with the four different color wires, into that one. The 20+4 has a "rib" that helps the two sections stay together when they're plugged into a 24 pin connector. If you wanted, you can even split a 20+4, and only plug the 20 pin part, into the 24 pin motherboard. But doing that is pointless. If you have a 20+4, might as well use all the pins. The four pin section with the four different color wires, isn't good for anything else. If you know, for a fact, your spare power supplies are good, then you might conclude the motherboard or processor are bad. But be careful with that assumption. I've got a couple "ripe Antec supplies" here, with bad capacitors inside. They'll fail, even if you store the supply in a closet and don't stress it. The Antecs made by Channelwell, are failing even when you don't use them. So beware if you're using one of those. The second one of mine, when I tested it the other day, was making "a smell", and I can tell it won't be long before it's gone completely. One test you can try, is pull all memory DIMMs. Make sure the computer case speaker, is connected to the PANEL header. If the computer beeps a repetitive beep pattern at power up, that means the processor is reading BIOS code. If the motherboard never, ever makes a beep, then that means the processor is not currently reading BIOS code. Even a corrupted BIOS could do that, but in your description, you don't mention any recent attempts to flash update the BIOS. Paul |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
the mobo uses ATX power specs
1-24 pin for the main power...sometimes broken up into 20+4 pin 1-4 pin for the CPU http://www.corsair.com/products/hx450/default.aspx and depending what you have connected the manual states 300wattt...........minimum!!!!!!!!!! which is about 450 in real life with HD,etc connected. peter If you find a posting or message from me offensive,inappropriate or disruptive,please ignore it. If you dont know how to ignore a posting complain to me and I will be only too happy to demonstrate :-) wrote in message ... This was my original post in m.p.w.b. Since I now think my problem is hardware, namely my PSU, I am continuing my thread here. I am, and have been for some time, running XP SP3. Have had no trouble until now. It is on a M3A78_CM mobo with a AMD Phenom 9950 Quad cpu and 4GB DDR2. I find that it freezes up after being on sometimes an hour, sometimes longer, requiring re-powering up. I have tried the RAM one at a time, and I have changed hard drives. Same result. So I figure it is the CPU or MOBO. The machine now sits dead - with only a C hard drive. Its mobo has special power connections, which I cannot match with the few PSUs I have in the closet. The connections are the normal power plug plus two square connectors one that is beside the main power connector. the other a connector elsewhere on the mobo. I have a PSU that has the normal connector plus one square. I find that it fires up the cpu fan fine (progress!) but I get no video and no beep or beeps whatsoever, So, my question is - should I buy a replacement PSU with the correct connectors? Thanks Duke |
#13
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
The computer problems always drive me crazy, i have the same problems with you, several days ago my friend recommended me a software tuneup360, now I'm waiting for the result.
Submitted via EggHeadCafe Using DataList to List Category/Subcategory with expand - collapse facility via javascript http://www.eggheadcafe.com/tutorials...avascript.aspx |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|