Possible cause of random restarts???

Possible cause of random restarts??? (screenshot added)

MSI K7T Turbo2
AMD 1800+
20Gb HD
2 x 128mb ram
Windows XP Pro
8mb? or 16mb? Cirrus AGP video

This computer will randomly shut itself off. I ran F@H on it for 100% CPU load and it did not do it then, CPU temp was at 55C at max load, it was runing like that for about 2 hours. Noticed the shutdows when playing stupid internet games, when the video was working harder. RAM was suggested to me as the possible culprit, and PSU. I would like to stress test it using Knoppix to rule out windows but im not sure if there is a test of any kind in it. Any help would be greatly appreciated, and let me know if you need more info. Thanks.

Hi,

A bit more info about your system would be nice, but here are some tips (my system had a power related problem, so I did so much searching and reading that I feel like a pro now )

I'd start by downloading and installing the newest drivers for your components.

Run memtest86 to check the RAM - download the .iso and burn yourself a bootable cd or make yourself a bootable diskette. Let it run overnight (12 hrs +, read the txt files that come with the iso for details) and see how many errors it reports. If it doesn't report any - the memory is fine. If it reports a few try using memtest with each of the modules separately and see what it says. Put your memory timings at SPD (defaults) in the BIOS.

Download and properly configure motherboard monitor 5 and check your voltages. Compare the CPU core voltages under heavy load (Prime95) to those that your CPU should have (specs - on AMD site). They should be specs +- 0.15V for stable operation. All others should be let's say +- 5%. If you have a power supply with less than 300W I'd recommend buying a new one. Ask for the amperage on the 3.3, 5 and 12V lines - it should be as high as possible. In general buy yourself good PSUs.

You can use Prime95's Blend test to stress your system. If it runs that 12+ hrs the problem is somewhere else. Which it probably is, since folding is one of the most stressful things a computer can do.

Consider buying yourself a new video card and another 256Mb RAM.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

Thanks a lot for the info!!
This machine isn't the main machine for myself, just a back-up, friends use it when they come over and such. I will certainly try your suggestions!

I'd set everything to stock and stress test, if it fails I'd bank on bad mobo

Here is a screen shot from memtest..... i see errors....what do you think?This is wih both sticks of ram.... ill have to try each seperately to see the results.

http://members.shaw.ca/sb911/memtest.jpg

EDIT:Memtest is now on pass 8 with 357 errors......

Well, memtest, pass 12.... 682 errors, what is my next step? Should I bother with Prime95 or try differant ram? Kinda new to diagnosing problems (like you cant tell) lol, thanks in advance.

I have a thread going as well, similar problem, but has only ever happened twice. Both times while playing a game. I still haven't been able to figure it out, it's hard to test when it rarely happens.

Ya, I hear ya. With this machine it happens quite often. I pulled the 2 sticks of 128 ram and put in a single stick of 256 and runing memtest.... 2nd time around not a single error.... so we'll see what happens.

I think we found the problem . I wouldn't give up on both modules though. I'd test the 128 Mb modules individually.

Sometimes memory problems can be caused by wrong memory settings in the BIOS, especially if you have two different sticks. You can download CPU-Z and check in the SPD section if both modules have the same default memory timings. If they have let's say 2-3-3-5 and 2.5-3-3-6 set them manually to 2.5-3-3-6 if you can and see if it helps. Play with the memory timings a bit, plug the modules in different slots. Under Win XP 128 mb of RAM can make a nice difference in performance

Thanks A LOT for your help Beorntheold!! I did end up testing all 3 sticks seperately and found the single 128 stick that was giving me the troubles. Running the 256 now, and it has not shut down once. Cool, thats a good program to have (memtest). It was on my "ultimate boot cd" ( www.ultimatebootcd.com ).