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Hardware or malware problem?

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antasari

New Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2006
I've run aground trying to repair a home PC problem over the last couple of days. Don't know whether to post here or in the hardware forums, so here goes:

My desktop (Windows XP Home, FX 55, A8N SLI Deluxe) has become very erratic. Usually either it boots up as far as the Windows splash but then goes blank before the desktop appears, or it boots fully but at some point (after a couple of minutes, or after an hour) the desktop freezes and nothing I do from the keyboard (including CTRL ALT DEL) has any effect -- I can only reach for the power or reset buttons.

Rebooting in Safe Mode doesn't improve matters. Sometimes Safe Mode similarly fails to open (the list of drivers always freezes at the same one -- \Windows\system32\drivers\Mup.sys) or sometimes I get to the desktop but again after a few minutes it freezes.

Event Viewer has showed various system errors, but they are not consistent. Mostly they involve drivers or files that cannot be read. There was a lot of event ID 7026 and 7023, and a lot of the errors involved Symantec files (I have Norton Antivirus 2006). But I have re-installed and updated Norton.

I have also repaired and re-installed Windows XP.

I have run CHKDSK twice -- the first time replaced "bad clusters" in eight unimportant files (from various games), and the second time ran right through with no complaints. (I have one hard drive.)

I have run MemTest for 40 minutes with no reported RAM errors (that was as long as I could run before the PC froze again).

The thing I have failed to do is run a full malware check -- I have tried my Norton Antivirus, as well as online virus and trojan detectors (from BitDefender, TrendMicro and WindowSecurity). But my PC freezes every time before completion, and I've been trying for 48 hours.

And some re-installations are getting unwound -- eg, I find myself downgraded to Internet Explorer 6 although I had previously installed IE 7 (before you ask, I use Firefox except where IE is required). Also, a lot of Windows security updates got unwound (obviously I'm trying to reinstall them, freezes permitting), as did an earlier installation of Windows Media Player 11.

I almost never get blue screens but, twice, I did and the message was "kernel stack inpage error".

What should I check next? How to tell whether this is a hardware problem or malware, if I can't even run any malware defences before the computer freezes? Given the variety of problems, it's easy to suspect malware, but I can't find a way to fight back. Help!
 
Are you overclocked at all? Sounds like memory issues and data corruption. Reduce clocks to stock and loosen mem timings or increase Vdimm and see what happens. Also, a good test for memtest86 would be test 5 for at least 10 passes.
 
antasari said:
What should I check next? How to tell whether this is a hardware problem or malware, if I can't even run any malware defences before the computer freezes? Given the variety of problems, it's easy to suspect malware, but I can't find a way to fight back. Help!

Might help to list your all your hardware.

First of all, Windows Memtest doesn't prove much and running any tests with registered Windows software, including checks for malware with an unstable system, increases the chances for corrupting your OS. Run Memtest86 from a boot disk to determine if you have a RAM problem or if it's something else. Bad RAMs won't make any difference in safe mode either.

Run one stick of memory (if you are dual channel and if we knew what your hardware was) then the other, then both. Change RAM slots. If you get any errors here in conjunction with your OS, I think you'll have a fair idea where the problem lies. If not, then obviously it's somewhere else, perhaps a power supply.

Memtest86 is not conclusive but it gives you a start as to whether you should proceed into your OS at all.

It's difficult to determine much in Windows if you're not sure if your hardware (RAMs) or PS are faulty.
 
Hi guys. No overclocking. Will try single memory sticks after my current check (Seagate online HDD tests).

Specs:
Asus A8N SLI Deluxe
Athlon 64 FX 55
160 GB Seagate Barracuda
2x512MB Corsair DDR PC3200
480W Tagan PSU
2x XFX Nvidia 6800GT
Sony 16x DVD-ROM
Pioneer DVD+-RW

Windows XP Home
Norton Antivirus 2006
ZoneAlarm
Spybot, AdAware, SpywareGuard, SpywareBlaster
 
antasari said:
Hi guys. No overclocking. Will try single memory sticks after my current check (Seagate online HDD tests).

Specs:
Asus A8N SLI Deluxe
Athlon 64 FX 55
160 GB Seagate Barracuda
2x512MB Corsair DDR PC3200
480W Tagan PSU
2x XFX Nvidia 6800GT
Sony 16x DVD-ROM
Pioneer DVD+-RW

Windows XP Home
Norton Antivirus 2006
ZoneAlarm
Spybot, AdAware, SpywareGuard, SpywareBlaster

Antasari,

You will get some raised eyebrows from the experienced guys here with that Tagan power supply. Good luck and let us know how it preceeds.
 
RollingThunder said:
You will get some raised eyebrows from the experienced guys here with that Tagan power supply.

How come? -- don't like Tagan, or too weedy?
 
RollingThunder said:
Run one stick of memory (if you are dual channel and if we knew what your hardware was) then the other, then both.

Tried one stick at a time, no joy.

RollingThunder said:
Change RAM slots.

My MB user guide says to use a particular slot if I have only one stick -- do you mean to swap the sticks over when using them as a pair?
 
antasari said:
Tried one stick at a time, no joy.



My MB user guide says to use a particular slot if I have only one stick -- do you mean to swap the sticks over when using them as a pair?

Yes, test one and then the other in the same slot then in pairs dual channel first if both pass individually. Give it some time to make 4-5 full passes each stick/pair. That should be enough of an indicator.

I have no particular experience with Tagan PS but the experts and testers here have issues with them. They will be along with their opinions. One thing at a time, we are speculating! :D
 
Gosh, it's all getting rather exciting. Today's update is that I'm no longer reaching the Windows splash and the screen goes blank after the motherboard splash page. If I hit f8 to try getting into safe boot, I get the option coming up but it freezes on that page.

Time to try some new components?
 
antasari said:
Gosh, it's all getting rather exciting. Today's update is that I'm no longer reaching the Windows splash and the screen goes blank after the motherboard splash page. If I hit f8 to try getting into safe boot, I get the option coming up but it freezes on that page.

Time to try some new components?

You haven't said if your RAMs passed Memtest86.
 
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