Computer keeps reseting and freezing

[CrackedSKull]

Hi, first if this needs to be move go ahead, but I wanted some people to see it.

Alright this is what happens: my computer very randomly resetarts and freezes a lot of time during boot of windows after it freezes. First I haven't installed anything knew, especially drivers, in the previous week before it all started, last monday.

I am now 90% sure that it is a hardware problem.
My sig is wrong and I have been running at 148*8 for stability and to be on the safe side for the last couple months with no problems.
I also used some of that dust cleaner the day before it happened, so that might have caused a problem, but I can't figure anything out.

It is not overheating or low on power as I have underclocked it to 6*100 and had the same problem.
I have check all connections a few times
I have noticed that my cpu fan has increased in rpm since I blew some dust out of the heatsink and fan, do you think the fan is using more power from the mobo, causing it to freeze?
I will try and get an 3 to 4 pin adapter today to see if that helps.

I think it might be the ram, but don't know what would have happened to it(I've tried the other slot and blowing the dust off of it), also I can't test it, becuase I don't know anyone that has ddr ram.
I've scanned everything for viruses, and used norton utillities.
I've got a new bios flash that would fix a crash caused from rpm monitoring, didn't help.
I don't know if it freezes in safe mode yet, because it has gone 6 or more hours without freezing, and I haven't had time to try, but will soon.
I was thinking maybe the pencil trick got messed up or decayed, do you think this would cause the problem? If not, it is a real pain to redo, to find out it doesn't help.

So what do you all think could be the problem? I'm sorry this is so long, but I have been tearing my hair out for a week.

[CrackedSKull]

anyone please, this is driving me crazy.

[LutaWicasa]

The first thing that comes to mind is....how did you unlock yer chip?
By using the canned air you may have blown away some of the graphite if ya pencilled. If not, check to see that you haven't blown crap onto the chip and thus causing some power migration somewhere.

Okay, just re-read yer post and ya did the pencil trick. I know it's a pain but I'd try cleaning it up and re-pencilling

[CrackedSKull]

Thanks for the response, I was kind of thinking the same thing, the thing is my parents have always been nervous of my overclocking(they buy most my parts) and I never told them about the pencil trick, becuase it is risky and my parents would have fliped if they knew I did it. So I guess I'll have to tell em becuase they are also well aware of the freezing problem. I guess I'll do it tomorrow.

New info: it freezes in safe mode, and sometimes I get a message about windows protection error after rebot.

Hey do they still make those strip things that unlock? I've heard of them but never actually looked into to it. How much do they go for $10? If it is more like $20 then forget it.

[MrOOBiLL]

Originally posted by CrackedSKull
message about windows protection error after rebot.

I got that crap a while ago, could not boot into windows, but going back to an old restore point fixed it.

[Shadow ÒÓ]

Originally posted by CrackedSKull
Hi, first if this needs to be move go ahead, but I wanted some people to see it.

that's exactly why you should post it in the proper topic. Many of the guru's here don't even visit the GD board....they prefer to not deal with the riff raff.

[jbell]

Originally posted by Shadow ÒÓ


that's exactly why you should post it in the proper topic. Many of the guru's here don't even visit the GD board....they prefer to not deal with the riff raff.

...and who be the riff raff?


your problem sounds a lot like mine except I know mine is hard drive related.... how old is your system???

[CrackedSKull]

well i redid the pencil trick, but I must of done it wrong becuase it won't boot unless I have auto dectect multiplyer on.
like before, except now it always gives me this windows protection error whenever I boot up.
Also, when I go to safe mode, it resets almost instantly(after I pick safe mode on the little menu with normal, bot log, safe mode ...)
This is windows ME by the way.
Also I disconected my old harddrive(about a 14months old) and tried running just my primary(about 6 weeks old), same problem.
Now what? Do you think the pencil trick had anything to do with it, if it still has the same problems in the auto detect mode?
I could reinstall windows, but I don't think It would solve anything, also thats really a lot of work to reinstall everything.

Sorry I'll keep on the right boards. Just last time I posted in the OS forum when I had a problem, I didn't get many views.

[Christoph]

If you want to test your RAM, download this (http://bootdisk.com/dosfiles/docm145a.exe) (from bootdisk.com) and run it to make a RAM test boot disk. Boot from the disk and run the burn-in test.
I tried to with some suspected bad RAM and it never got through more than two loops in the 6 times I tested each stick. If you've got 2*128 sticks, try both of them together before you try one at a time. I was satisfied to call 5 completed loops good, but I think that you're probably fine if you get through 3 on the first try.
Happy RAMming, and if you've got bad RAM, happy RMAing!

[CrackedSKull]

Wow thanks, I never knew of such a program.

Ran it twice; failed almost everything. Then I tried it on my sisters computer to make sure it wasn't just the program or win ME, and it passed everything.

I had no way to test my ram since I only have one module, and I don't know anyone that has any ddr ram.
Now I need to find out if what kind of a warrenty crucial offers(if any:( )

I just can't figure what killed it, hopefully it was just bad ram to start with, cause I never ran it over 150fsb for a long period of time.

[Hugo 59]

I would e-mail Crucial and tell them what your problem is and that one computer passes all the tests and one fails them all. Here is a copy of the Warrenty that Crucial provides.

5. Terms of limited warranty. With respect to products marked with the "CT" prefix (hereinafter a "CT Part"), Crucial warrants to the original customer purchasing such products directly from Crucial that all such products sold will be free from defects in materials and workmanship affecting form, fit and function. Any claim alleging that any product fails to conform to the foregoing warranty may be made only by the customer who purchased such product and only while such customer owns such product. Crucial, at its option, will repair, replace, or provide a credit or refund of either the original purchase price or fair market value, whichever is lower, for any CT Part covered by the Lifetime Limited Warranty that is determined by Crucial to be defective. Crucial reserves the right to substitute functionally equivalent new or serviceable used parts. The Lifetime Limited Warranty covers only defects arising under normal use and does not include malfunctions or failures resulting from misuse, abuse, neglect, alteration, problems with electrical power, usage not in accordance with product instructions, acts of nature or improper installation or repairs made by anyone other than Crucial or a Crucial-authorized third-party service provider.

[Placid]

While many people do it using over 2.7v on ddr memory is considered to have risks.
Here is what Mushkin says.


!!! VDDR voltages of 2.8 and beyond are almost guaranteed to destroy the memory module!!!

http://www.mushkin.com/cgi-bin/Mushkin.filereader?3c20205e1a96d2e2273fc0a80102063 b+EN/products/990700

Micron, who makes the memory chips on crucial memory says this.
Using the product above the absolute maximum rating for an extended period of time may cause permanent damage.
Max rating 2.7v.
http://download.micron.com/pdf/datasheets/dram/128Mx4x8x16DDR_C.pdf

[CrackedSKull]

actually my sig is wrong and I have been at 2.7v, I was only at 2.8 for a little while. And when I said I tried different computers, I ment different ram too. Mine is ddr and the other is sdr. I was just doing that to make sure the program wasn't affected by windows ME

There fixed my sig, I'll contact crucial tomorow.

[Christoph]

It's probably trivial at this point, but any time you use a bootdisk, it doesn't matter what OS you're running. I had no problem testing my RAM with my HDs unplugged.
Glad to hear that you found out what your problem was. I highly recommend PC Nut if you find out that you killed your RAM (of course RMAing it is much nicer).
Aren't wierd boot disks fun!?

[LordRHYMEZ-]

Kingston 4 Life.

All i gotta say, I've had no experience with Crucial RAM, But i know of many people of there ram ****in up, Melting (LOL Was on boards earlier)

Also man, You dont go blowing your computer out with that Dust Remover, Especially of that damn liquid got all of it.

and plus.. If it was windows protection, how would that **** with your ram? Just to make sure re-install ur os, etc.

Or just simply rebuild ur computer, it's better then going out and purchasing/returning the ram if it doesnt do ****.

I'd take it to a computer shop or let your friend use your DDR Ram and see if it's bad or not.

Could be your Mobo, Could be anything really

If you dont have a friend that supports DDR Ram, Then i'd go to a computer shop.

ALSO, Take out all of your variables.

Take out EVERY Single piece of hardware in your comp except hd, psu, cd, disk, and videocard.

It could be something with your IRQ'S, I Had the similar problem, Happened to be my soundcard conflicting with my NIC.

Try everything maN.


Peacee!!!!

Lord

[muddocktor]

Go ahead and call Crucial about the problem, they should rma it with no problems, I imagine. Be sure to tell them that you tested it with a boot disk test program so that they know that it is not OS related problems. I've never had any ram failures with Crucial ram, but I've had a stick of Kingston ram fail on me before. Good luck with the rma.

[CrackedSKull]

Ok first the windows protection error was a video driver problem and was unrelated.

I also called crucial and a new stick is on its way.

Thax everyone for all your help, I really did think it was the ram all along, but like I said earlier, I had no way to test it.