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☖ Forums → Discussion Forum → Computer instability- how to find a cause?
12
Computer instability- how to find a cause?
2009-12-12, 8:29 PM #1
My computer is crashing, alot, at random. It's pissing me right off. I can't figure out what it is, and it's not hardware (I ran all sorts of diagnostics and it only crashed while in windows).
Im running windows 7, is there anything I can use to give me a diagnostic or log of what is happening when it crashes?
2009-12-12, 8:49 PM #2
Sometimes instability is caused by a weak PSU. Check your voltages with your diagnostic crap. Or your bios might tell you on-the-fly voltages.
"Harriet, sweet Harriet - hard-hearted harbinger of haggis."
2009-12-12, 8:54 PM #3
Have you checked the error log in administrative tools? That's the first thing I check when I have a crash; it'll usually point you in the right direction.
2009-12-12, 9:42 PM #4
Originally posted by Chewbubba:
Sometimes instability is caused by a weak PSU. Check your voltages with your diagnostic crap. Or your bios might tell you on-the-fly voltages.


This happened to me. I didn't think much of it until the PSU blew, taking most of the components with it.
:master::master::master:
2009-12-12, 10:39 PM #5
What kind of crash? Mine used to freeze completely - mouse curser and all. Updating network card drivers fixed it.
woot!
2009-12-12, 11:09 PM #6
Both freezing and randomly restarting, the first about 70% of the time.
I checked the voltages, how large of an error is acceptable?
2009-12-13, 11:17 AM #7
Any USB devices that are powered by your computer?
2009-12-13, 12:07 PM #8
Did you overclock?
\(='_'=)/
2009-12-13, 3:07 PM #9
Yes, no.
2009-12-13, 3:29 PM #10
Originally posted by Tibby:
Im running windows 7, is there anything I can use to give me a diagnostic or log of what is happening when it crashes?

Yeah, the built-in event viewer has a log of virtually everything.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2009-12-13, 6:01 PM #11
It's probably drivers, or it could be a memory problem (different OSs manage memory differently, assuming you were using a Linux Live CD it could have handled a problem more gracefully or just simply gotten lucky).

- Boot into safe mode and see if the crashing continues. Visit Windows Update and install any driver updates it offers for your hardware. If the crashing stops try updating video and audio drivers.
- Run memtest86+ to see if it finds any problems with your memory. I understand many Live CDs have it as a boot menu option to test memory (I use Ubuntu). You can let it go through one whole test (it'll loop infinitely until you stop it) or let it run overnight and then stop it in the morning and see the results.

2009-12-13, 6:56 PM #12
I've done both, everything is up to date and I even keep my BIOS current.
I also used a hard drive diagnostic tool, it came up clean.
2009-12-14, 11:43 AM #13
This is getting totally out of hand, I'm going to format again later because it's starting to happen literally every 5 minutes, unless I'm playing TF2 in which case it waits until i'm done playing.
Something software wise is ****ing **** up, I just can't figure out what. All im running is windows and firefox, I switched from Opera yesterday to see if that was the problem.
2009-12-14, 11:51 AM #14
If you can play a game and it doesn't crash then its not the PSU, it would definitely go during gameplay when the video card starts demand...

You're in a fishy situation. I would guess something is borking windows, but I don't know squat about windows 7 so... no guesses. New Windows OSes always have problems...
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2009-12-14, 11:53 AM #15
Wait so did you check the event logs
一个大西瓜
2009-12-14, 11:54 AM #16
Yes, I see.. lots of things.
Nothing specifically stands out, no errors or warnings.
However I'm not sure what I'm looking for.
2009-12-14, 11:56 AM #17
What happens immediately before a shutdown
一个大西瓜
2009-12-14, 11:58 AM #18
Different things every time as near as I can tell.
2009-12-14, 12:27 PM #19
Can you use Win7 Safe Mode without lockups? That would be using a pretty minimal driver set.

It could be something heat related, like your motherboard heats up a solder connection expands and breaks contact. I know that really doesnt help.
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2009-12-14, 12:32 PM #20
It crashed twice at 1:21 and 1:25, but there is nothing happening then in the event viewer.
I think I can, I'll try.
2009-12-14, 12:59 PM #21
As near as I can tell, safe mode works fine.
I'm using it right now.
2009-12-14, 3:23 PM #22
Did you run memtest? It might be faulty RAM.
"When it's time for this planet to die, you'll understand that you know absolutely nothing." — Bugenhagen
2009-12-14, 3:25 PM #23
^^ have you read the thread?
"Honey, you got real ugly."
2009-12-14, 4:59 PM #24
Unless it BSODs, Event Viewer won't log it.
2009-12-14, 5:03 PM #25
Whelp, it looks like it's steam.
I have had it off for a couple hours now without any crashes, I'm going to reinstall it.
However, this is the third time I have thought to know the problem.
2009-12-14, 8:13 PM #26
I'm not trying to accuse you, but make sure you have a legitimate copy of Windows. I have made similar threads asking for help with seemingly completely random crashes with a less than legal version of Windows and while I did not want to believe it was my copy (and told no one), it really was. I post this because most of us pirate things, even if we don't want to publicly acknowledge it.

My problems ended with a legitimate copy of 7 and Vista, and if someone had just hinted at something like this it would have saved me a couple of months of useless trouble, since I believed my copy was just like anyone elses.
America, home of the free gift with purchase.
2009-12-14, 8:37 PM #27
5 hours on, and still no crashes.
Now if steam would just bloody install and stop ****ing up this would all wrap up quite nicely.
2009-12-14, 9:44 PM #28
As if on que, it did it again.
****, this is ****ing depressing and I feel like I could cry out of frustration.
2009-12-14, 9:49 PM #29
All unnecessary USB stuff unplugged? All drivers up to date?
woot!
2009-12-14, 9:52 PM #30
No to the first (Trying that now) yes to the second.
2009-12-16, 4:34 PM #31
****ing hell, I'm trying to format and it keeps crashing, I tried with 2 disks.
It must be a hardware fault.
2009-12-16, 6:03 PM #32
Sounds like RAM to me. Test the system with only one stick at a time. Rin memtest with it too.

Edit: by that i mean run memtest with only one stick of ram at a time.
My girlfriend paid a lot of money for that tv; I want to watch ALL OF IT. - JM
2009-12-16, 6:14 PM #33
Ok, But wouldn't it detect something wrong with both in if one was bad?
2009-12-16, 6:31 PM #34
Probably. I recently went through something similar with windows crashing all the time. Couldnt even get through one memtest cycle without windows crashing. but i was testing 8gigs at once. By testing individually i found the bad stick. Been fine since.
My girlfriend paid a lot of money for that tv; I want to watch ALL OF IT. - JM
2009-12-16, 8:05 PM #35
I ran through it with both sticks, no errors.
Going again with each.
Could it be the hard drive i'm installing it on?
2009-12-16, 8:10 PM #36
Originally posted by Tibby:
Ok, But wouldn't it detect something wrong with both in if one was bad?


No idea. I did run a memory test through my laptop's BIOS and it came back clean - turns out one stick was indeed bad...
woot!
2009-12-16, 9:01 PM #37
Both came up clean, I disconnected the oldest of the hard drives and am installing on the newer.
2009-12-16, 9:05 PM #38
That didn't fix it, what in the hell...
2009-12-16, 9:37 PM #39
Took out one stick, the one that for some reason wouldn't start the first time I put it in alone. (I reseated it and it was fine so I just shrugged it off)
It works.

****.
2009-12-16, 9:57 PM #40
Originally posted by Tibby:
Took out one stick, the one that for some reason wouldn't start the first time I put it in alone. (I reseated it and it was fine so I just shrugged it off)
It works.

****.


Hahah.

Congrats on fixing it. :D
woot!
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