Lock ups, bsod, artifacts.

[drexel]

I recently installed a new machine. From the first day I had a few problems. First thing I loaded was 3dmark2003. It locked up on the first airplane test. I then loaded UT2K3, and it locked up for about 5 seconds, then went fine till I stopped playing. It goes fine for a few days, then on everquespointingnd clicking it locked up for the 5 seconds, and some strange sound came out of my computer. It was a sreeching, grinding sound. 2 weeks go by. The most that happened in those 2 weeks was a couple of half second or so lockups when pointing, and clicking buttons. Not as long as the other lockups, only for a second. Now, everquest requires me to leave my character in the game world overnight to sell goods. Two nights ago I plop my character in, and leave him there while I sleep. I get up the next morning to a bsod. Wait, actually during the 2 weeks it would make a weird sound here and there with no problems to the games. That sound was a click sound(Im typing this here cause for some reason I cant add to already typed sentences. It erases them). Back to bsod. It was saying something about dump. Dump memory, something like that. Then it was telling me to changearound memory options by hitting f8. It did this two nights in a row. Both times I woke up to this bsod. The night before the first bsod, the clicking sound started happening in about 10 click intervals. It would click 10 times then go away for an hour or so. So, I was thinking it was a harddrive problem first, when I heard the screech sound, cause I dont know anything else that could make it. Then I get the bsod about memory, so then it seems like bad harddrive, and memory. Then today, it locks up when clicking, and gave me the rainbow colors that I used to get from video card problems. I loaded Serious Sam demo, and was getting artifacts all over. The sky was split into sections, and one time I got a red/green color over a texture. So, it seems my memory, video card, and whatever is making the click sound are all broken? How the hell can they all fail? I was thinking maybe the power supply isnt giving them enough power, causing them all to screw up?

Win2k
512 of medium to low quality 333ddr.
MSI GF4TI200 65MB
Gigabyte GA-7VAX1394 KT400 series.
xp2200 266fsb
detonator 40.72
Card (was) overclocked to 300/600.

Here are some questions, if you can answer any, please. or if you have had any of the same problems, please tell me what happened.

1-What could make the damn clicking sound?(sound only happens on everquest, at least the 10 click ones).

2-Could the split sky, and red/green colored texture be caused by anything but the card? I know my brothers old card that was an msi like mine would randomly make ALL textures go red, and split everything up. His was an msi gf4mx something.

3-Could low votage coming from a **** power supply be causing all of these problems?

4-Bad memory causing it all?

5-Win2k update?

6-Any programs to test these different things to see find out what is causing the problem?

EDIT. One more thing. I get flashes of big squares of white when playing counter strike, and serious sam. UT2k3, and Everquest dont have them.

Using same drivers as I always have. They have worked with all games with no problems.

 

[ThePerfectCore]

1-What could make the damn clicking sound?(sound only happens on everquest, at least the 10 click ones).

Could be either a fan or a hard drive. Test both.

2-Could the split sky, and red/green colored texture be caused by anything but the card? I know my brothers old card that was an msi like mine would randomly make ALL textures go red, and split everything up. His was an msi gf4mx something.

If it's not the card, the next thing it would be is the drivers. Beyond that I'd look at the AGP slot, make sure the board is compatible and all that jazz, and then I'd look at the RAM.

3-Could low votage coming from a **** power supply be causing all of these problems?

Yes, actually. Go find a wiring diagram for an ATX connector, a multimeter, and some M&Ms.

4-Bad memory causing it all?

I haven't heard of bad RAM causing artifacts. Bad video RAM maybe, but not bad system RAM.

5-Win2k update?

Not likely. Which update are you talking about?

6-Any programs to test these different things to see find out what is causing the problem?

You have two of my favorites already - UT2k3 and 3DMark. Prime95 and a RAM tester program is good too.

 

[drexel]

K, I found another thread from a guy with the same card(dif manufacturer). He said he got a clicking sound, and artifacts when overclocking. I will pull the card out, and look at it. The things is Im getting the bsod, and the info it gives is talking about memory. I dont think it would give me a bsod from a video memory problems?

It shouldnt be drivers since I have used the same ones forever with all these games, and never had a problem.

Maybe directx 9 problem? I didnt have it till I got the new machine.

I was talking about normal windows update.

I have no idea what the things you listed for the PS question are, or how to get them.



Going to pull out card.

 

[ThePerfectCore]

I had used the 41.09s forever as well, but last week my machine fell apart. I spent 3 days troubleshooting it, driving over 200 miles back and forth to Fry's, and in the end - updating to the 43.00s fixed it. *Doh*

So don't toss out the possibility that it IS your drivers.

DirectX 9, no idea. I'm guessing your hardware is just borked.

 

[drexel]

I just pulled a gigantic dustball off of my cards fan. The slots where the air is pushed along the slots was blocked at the front from dust all the way around. Haha, the dustball is about as big as my pinky fingers nail.

Hope this is whats wrong.