# Computer freeze - tried a lot already



## Buckhandle (Oct 25, 2010)

Hi there,

I am having a freeze problem with my computer which I have been unable to solve. Your inputs would be highly appreciated...

The screen freezes pretty often yet sometimes only once a day. I see no patern. Today the computer has been running without any freeze for 5-6 hours and now suddenly it freezes and continues to freeze within 5 min after rebooting.

The problem was very frequent when I tried to run a optimization of my graphic card – so I exchanged the 9800 GT into a new GTS 450 – yet the problem remained. All RAM blocks have been removed one by one. There seems to be no overheating problems. I have two hard drives and I have tried to run XP from both of them. The CD drive open and closes without problem even when the monitor freezes.

What is going on??

Rgds, Lars

Here are some general data of my computer:

<<< System Summary >>>
* > Mainboard : MICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL CO.,LTD P7N SLI-FI (MS-7380)
* > Chipset : nVidia nForce 750i SLI SPP
* > Processor : Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 @ 2833MHz
* > Physical Memory : 4096MB (4 x 1024 DDR2-SDRAM )
* > Video Card : NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
* > Hard Disk : Hitachi HDP725050GLA SCSI Disk Device (500GB)
* > Hard Disk : SAMSUNG HD753LJ SCSI Disk Device (750GB)
* > DVD-Rom Drive : Toshiba-Samsung CDDVDW SH-S202J
* > CD-Rom Drive : Optiarc DVD-ROM DDU1671S SCSI CdRom Device
* > Monitor Type : Samsung SyncMaster - 24 inches
* > Network Card : Ralink Technology RT2561/RT61 802.11g PCI
* > Operating System : Microsoft Windows XP Professional 5.01.2600 Service Pack 3 (32-bit)
* > DirectX : Version 9.0c* (maj 2010)
*
<<< Mainboard >>>
* > Manufacturer : MICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL CO.,LTD
* > Mainboard : MICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL CO.,LTD P7N SLI-FI (MS-7380)
* > Bios : American Megatrends Inc.
* > Chipset : nVidia nForce 750i SLI SPP
* > Physical Memory : 4096MB DDR2-SDRAM
* > LPC bus : Yes
* > PCI Bus : Yes
* > Bus PCI-Express : Yes
* > USB Bus : Yes
* > SMBus/i2c Bus : Yes
* > Bus HyperTransport : Yes
* > Bus QPI : No
* > Bus CardBus : No
* > Bus FireWire : No
*
<<< Processor >>>
* > Processor : Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
* > Frequency : 2833MHz
* > Number of Core : 4
* > Support : Socket 775 LGA
* > Cache L1 : 4 x 64KB
* > Cache L2 : 2 x 6144KB
* > Voltage VID : 1.200 V
* > FPU Coprocessor : Present
* > Core 1 Activity : 0%
* > Core 2 Activity : 0%
* > Core 3 Activity : 0%
* > Core 4 Activity : 0%
*
<<< Video >>>
* > Current Display : 1920x1200 pixels at 60 Hz inTrue Colors (32-bit)
* > Number of monitor : 1
* > Monitor Type : Samsung SyncMaster
* > Video Card : NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
* > nVidia CUDA : Yes
* > OpenCL : Not Supported (Installed)
* > OpenGL : Yes
* > GDI Plus : Yes
* > Direct2D : No
*
<<< IO Ports >>>
* > Port installed : Communications Port (COM1)
* > Port installed : Standard OpenHCD USB Host Controller
* > Port installed : Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller
* > Port installed : VIA Rev 5 or later USB Universal Host Controller
* > Port installed : VIA Rev 5 or later USB Universal Host Controller
* > Port installed : VIA USB Enhanced Host Controller
*
<<< Drives >>>
* > Number of Disk Controller : 3
* > Number of Hard Disk : 2
* > Number of CD-ROM Drive : 1
* > Drives Letters : C:\ D:\ E:\ F:\ 
* > Floppy Disk : 3½" HD (1.44 Mo)
* > Drive C: (Hard Disk) : 734 GB available on 750 GB
* > Drive D: (Hard Disk) : 499 GB available on 500 GB
* > Drive E: (DVD-Rom) : 0 KB available on 0 KB
* > Drive F: (DVD-Rom) : 0 KB available on 0 KB
*
<<< Voltage, Temperature and Fans >>>
* > Hardware Monitoring : Fintek F71882FG
* > +3.3V Voltage : 3.30 V
* > Processor Voltage : 1.22 V
* > VIN2 : 1.84 V
* > VIN3 : 1.02 V
* > +5V Voltage : 5.00 V
* > +12V Voltage : 11.88 V
* > VIN6 : 1.78 V
* > VSB3V : 3.30 V
* > VBAT : 3.02 V
* > TMPIN0 : 24 °C
* > TMPIN1 : 30 °C
* > Processor Intel Core 2 Quad : Sensor DTS
* > Core 1 : 34 °C
* > Core 2 : 31 °C
* > Core 3 : 36 °C
* > Core 4 : 42 °C
* > NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 : nVidia Driver
* > Temperature : 38 °C
* > Temperature (GPU) : 38 °C
* > Fan : 30%
* > Hard Disk Monitoring : S.M.A.R.T
* > Hard Disk Hitachi HDP725050GLA : 24 °C
* > Hard Disk SAMSUNG HD753LJ : 20 °C


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## Buckhandle (Oct 25, 2010)

By the way ... Due to the freeze problem I have formatted all hard drives and reinstalled my primary softwares. All software and drivers are updated. I frequently use CCleaner and Auslogic DeFrag.


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## Buckhandle (Oct 25, 2010)

) ... what does this tell you?

* > Cache L1 : 4 x 64KB
* > Cache L2 : 2 x 6144KB

Why is L1 so low??


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## Buckhandle (Oct 25, 2010)

Just had three freezes while installing CallOfDuty. Two of them 2/3 into the installation and the third crash 30 sec after re- boot.

A little more data:

-------------------------

Mainboard Model		P7N SLI-FI (MS-7380) (0x000004A9 - 0x55BE3AB2)

LPCIO
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

LPCIO Vendor		Fintek
LPCIO Model		F71882F
LPCIO Vendor ID		0x1934
LPCIO Chip ID		0x541
Config Mode I/O address	0x4E
Config Mode LDN		0x4


Hardware Monitors
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hardware monitor	Fintek F71882F
	Voltage 0	3.31 Volts [0xCF] (+3.3V)
	Voltage 1	1.23 Volts [0x9A] (CPU VCORE)
	Voltage 2	1.86 Volts [0x74] (VIN2)
	Voltage 3	1.03 Volts [0x58] (VIN3)
	Voltage 4	5.00 Volts [0x77] (+5V)
	Voltage 5	11.97 Volts [0x88] (+12V)
	Voltage 6	1.78 Volts [0x6F] (VIN6)
	Voltage 7	3.30 Volts [0xCE] (VSB3V)
	Voltage 8	3.04 Volts [0xBE] (VBAT)
	Temperature 0	25°C (76°F) [0x19] (TMPIN0)
	Temperature 1	29°C (84°F) [0x1D] (TMPIN1)
	Fan 0		1345 RPM [0x45B] (FANIN0)
	Fan PWM 0	100 pc [0xFF] (CPU)
	Fan PWM 1	100 pc [0xFF] (System Fan 1)
	Fan PWM 2	100 pc [0xFF] (System Fan 2)
	Fan PWM 3	100 pc [0xFF] (System Fan 3)
Register space		LPC, base address = 0x0A00

Hardware monitor	Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
	Temperature 0	34°C (93°F) [0x42] (Core #0)
	Temperature 1	35°C (94°F) [0x41] (Core #1)
	Temperature 2	36°C (96°F) [0x40] (Core #2)
	Temperature 3	42°C (107°F) [0x3A] (Core #3)

Hardware monitor	NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
	Temperature 0	36°C (96°F) (GPU Core)

Hardware monitor	Hitachi HDP725050GLA
	Temperature 0	24°C (75°F) [0x18] (Assembly)

Hardware monitor	SAMSUNG HD753LJ
	Temperature 0	20°C (67°F) [0x14] (Assembly)
	Temperature 2	20°C (67°F) [0x14] (Air Flow)


Processors
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of processors		1
Number of threads		4

APICs
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Processor 0	
	-- Core 0	
		-- Thread 0	0
	-- Core 1	
		-- Thread 0	1
	-- Core 2	
		-- Thread 0	2
	-- Core 3	
		-- Thread 0	3

Processors Information
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Processor 1			ID = 0
	Number of cores		4 (max 4)
	Number of threads	4 (max 4)
	Name			Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
	Codename		Yorkfield
	Specification		Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU    Q9550  @ 2.83GHz
	Package (platform ID)	Socket 775 LGA (0x4)
	CPUID			6.7.A
	Extended CPUID		6.17
	Core Stepping		E0
	Technology		45 nm
	Core Speed		2833.6 MHz
	Multiplier x FSB	8.5 x 333.4 MHz
	Rated Bus speed		1333.4 MHz
	Stock frequency		2833 MHz
	Instructions sets	MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, EM64T, VT-x
	L1 Data cache		4 x 32 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64-byte line size
	L1 Instruction cache	4 x 32 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64-byte line size
	L2 cache		2 x 6144 KBytes, 24-way set associative, 64-byte line size
	FID/VID Control		yes
	FID range		6.0x - 8.5x
	Max VID			1.250 V

	TDP Limit		95 Watts


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## Socratesx (Oct 25, 2010)

There are some settings in BIOS that boost performance by automatically overcloking your CPU according to its load. Check if such settings are enabled and disable them. Disable also memory performance settings if they are enabled. It is known that such settings cause instability. Do this and check if your system is stable now.


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## Buckhandle (Oct 26, 2010)

Hi Socratesx, thanks for your input! I've looked at the BIOS setup but I am not sure which settings to change .. so here we go - my BIOS data:

CPU:
Execute bit support - disabled
Set limit CPUID MaxVal to 3 - disabled
Intel (R) vitualization Tech - enabled

Chipset:
HPET - disabled

Cell menu:
D.O.T control - disabled.
Intel EIST - disabled
System clock mode - Auto
Adjust CPU ratio - 8.5
Advance DRAM configuration - (memory timing) Auto
Adjust PCI-E freq - 100

CPU voltage at (0.000V) yet the comment says: Min: CPU default and Max 0.3V
Memory, VTT FSB, NB and SB core voltage at Default

Other:

IOAPIC function - enabled
CPU fan smart target - disabled
ACPI function - disabled
ACPI standby state - S1
Raid mode - IDE


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## Socratesx (Oct 26, 2010)

Try change the system clock mode. If it has a disabled setting, select that.


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## CrayonMuncher (Oct 26, 2010)

What socratesx is talking about is turbo boost which is not on the core quads only on some of the core i series.
what psu do you have, is it enough for the system? there is a chance that the computer is overheating and shutting down as a safety precaution and then unable to reboot due to the component/s being to hot, do you have a way to stress your pc and check temps, try prime 95 for cpu and use hwmonitor to check temps. You will also need to stress the other components to confirm if this is the case but i cant remember any other programs off the top of my head.
since cod wont install, you can try to replicate the problem and see if if shuts down again and check temps whilst installing.
once it does it again, or now go to computer management and check the event viewer and see if any log files are there relating to the shutdowns. and post the log here.


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## Buckhandle (Oct 26, 2010)

Hmm I will have a look at the system clock - could not harm.

Innercx: I am fairly confident that the computer is not running hot. Yesterday I kept monitoring the temperatures with hwmonitor! and the temperatures never went beyond some 107 dgr F (40-40 dgr C) on any components. You can see the temp data in the thread above - they are very representative also for the the seconds before the freeze...

I am puzzled.

Lars


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## Buckhandle (Oct 26, 2010)

I will test again and look for the event log ..


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## CrayonMuncher (Oct 26, 2010)

what is your psu, i cant seem to see it in the info and it maybe related to why the gpu tasks you mentioned caused your comp to shut down.


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## Buckhandle (Oct 26, 2010)

Stupid me .. the PSU could be the problem. The computer was bought in the US two years ago when I lived there. Now I live in Europe (220V) ... The PSU is suitable for both though. At least thsi is what is stated on the PSU. i belive this is the same model: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817709014
At least its 680w .. but is it enough?

Still looking at the event log..

Lars


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## linkin (Oct 26, 2010)

That powersupply is junk. It is rated for peak wattage and is still overrated some. That said mine isn't too good either. Point being it cannot output anything near 680w. it is most likely a 300-400w component.

I had a similar powersupply before. It was an A-Power "680w" and in reality it was a 300w powersupply. it shut off the system under heavy load (benchmarks, games etc etc) - I am extremely lucky that it did not die and take all of my components with it.

The two most important things in a computer are the Powersupply and Motherboard. If the powersupply is inadequate, or just poor quality, it will eventually fail. It may or may not take other components with it. most junk ones will.

The motherboard is also important, if it has cheap quality capacitors and VRM's, they may fail VRM's can actually catch on fire, capacitors will bulge and leak.

here is a decent replacement for that sad excuse for a powersupply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...9018&cm_re=corsair_psu-_-17-139-018-_-Product

Always keep in mind, that _you get what you pay for_


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## Buckhandle (Oct 26, 2010)

Thank you Linkin, but let's also see my event viewer .. there may be different problems too. And of course - today the computer runs without freezes. 

Do you belive 500w is enough for the setup I have?

Lars


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## Buckhandle (Oct 26, 2010)

Latest news ... I had a freeze ) I was gaming (COD for 15 min) and then had a freeze + a 2'nd freeze post an immediate reboot. There were no high temperatures after reboot One core cell was at 109 dgr F (43 dgr C).

The event log shows:

System:
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:38	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:33	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7035	Lars	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:12	eventlog	None	6005	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:12	eventlog	None	6009	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:48:41	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:48:41	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO

Application:
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:31	Windows Search Service	Search service 	1003	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:28	ESENT	Logging/Recovery 	302	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:28	ESENT	Logging/Recovery 	301	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:28	ESENT	Logging/Recovery 	300	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:28	ESENT	General 	102	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:28	ESENT	General 	100	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:28	SecurityCenter	None	1800	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:21	Windows Search Service	Search service 	1003	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:18	ESENT	General 	102	N/A	CHICAGO


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## Buckhandle (Oct 26, 2010)

Sorry - i belive i need to share a bit more from the log for better understanding:

Application:

Type	Date	Time	Source	Category	Event	User	Computer
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:31	Windows Search Service	Search service 	1003	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:28	ESENT	Logging/Recovery 	302	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:28	ESENT	Logging/Recovery 	301	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:28	ESENT	Logging/Recovery 	300	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:28	ESENT	General 	102	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:28	ESENT	General 	100	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:28	SecurityCenter	None	1800	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:21	Windows Search Service	Search service 	1003	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:18	ESENT	General 	102	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:18	ESENT	General 	100	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:17	SecurityCenter	None	1800	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:14:09	Windows Search Service	Search service 	1003	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:14:02	ESENT	General 	102	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:14:02	ESENT	General 	100	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:14:01	SecurityCenter	None	1800	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	18:23:17	Windows Search Service	Search service 	1003	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	18:23:15	ESENT	Logging/Recovery 	302	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	18:23:14	ESENT	Logging/Recovery 	301	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	18:23:14	ESENT	Logging/Recovery 	300	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	18:23:14	ESENT	General 	102	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	18:23:14	ESENT	General 	100	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	18:23:13	SecurityCenter	None	1800	N/A	CHICAGO

SYSTEM:

Type	Date	Time	Source	Category	Event	User	Computer
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:38	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:33	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7035	Lars	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:32	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:12	eventlog	None	6005	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:57:12	eventlog	None	6009	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:48:41	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:48:41	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:48:40	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:48:40	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:48:40	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:48:33	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:48:33	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:48:30	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:48:30	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:44:55	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:44:49	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:44:49	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:44:21	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:44:21	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:39:22	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:39:22	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:39:20	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:39:20	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:39:20	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:39:15	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:39:15	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:39:14	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:39:14	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:35:34	Service Control Manager	None	7035	Lars	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:28	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:22	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:22	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:22	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:22	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:22	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:22	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:22	Service Control Manager	None	7035	Lars	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:22	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:22	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:22	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:22	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:22	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:22	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:21	Service Control Manager	None	7036	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:21	Service Control Manager	None	7035	SYSTEM	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:03	eventlog	None	6005	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:28:03	eventlog	None	6009	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:25:22	eventlog	None	6006	N/A	CHICAGO
Information	26-10-2010	20:17:24	Service Control Manager	None	7035	Lars	CHICAGO


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## Buckhandle (Oct 26, 2010)

from my perspective there is nothing valuable in the above? I've looked up the 6005 & 6009 events at the time 20.57.12. It states to be when I forced a shut-down by pressing the power button ..


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## FuryRosewood (Oct 26, 2010)

What PSU is in it...you overlooked that and it was mentioned by innerex. a poor psu can cause all kinds of irritating behaviors, and it could be just a fact the intel chip hates your ram, i have that problem with some crucial ballistix in my sisters p43 machine with a e7400 in it... i still have yet to change her ram out yet but shes in another state so doing that is difficult at best


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## Buckhandle (Oct 26, 2010)

Hey Fury, we did discuss the PSU a little later and the PSU was deemed bad quality - so will probably upgrade it. The thing is that my problems only started some 1½ year after purchase. So .. I doubt the RAM is the problem??

Lars


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## CrayonMuncher (Oct 26, 2010)

you are correct the logs seem to be fine there are no warnings or errors, that psu is pretty bad btw try using furmark to stress the gpu

http://www.ozone3d.net/benchmarks/fur/#download

run it for a while see if it causes any errors or shutdowns at any specific point, temps or at a certain load etc the power supply could do with a change do have another you can swap it with for a while to test?


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## Buckhandle (Oct 27, 2010)

Hi InnerCX, unfortunately I only have a 300w old PSU which I believe will be insufficient. I just ordered a TX650 Corsair .. which I probably will receive already by tomorrow. Let's see if it makes a difference ..

Lars


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## Buckhandle (Nov 1, 2010)

Aaaaarrrgggh!! I just fitted a new PSU (Corsair TX650) ... and had three new freezes. So the PSU is also not the problem. Heeeelp!!! New motherboard???

Lars


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## Mr Green (Nov 1, 2010)

Buckhandle said:


> Aaaaarrrgggh!! I just fitted a new PSU (Corsair TX650) ... and had three new freezes. So the PSU is also not the problem. Heeeelp!!! New motherboard???
> 
> Lars



No, PSU and motherboard don't sound like they've got anything to do with the problem. Anyone who told you to replace your PSU clearly isn't familiar with computers.

First step: Make sure all devices in device manager are indicating as working properly.

Secondly: Check the HDD health using any trial or free software, e.g. hard disk sentinel.

Thirdly: Check for any error codes and hardware compatibility issues; maybe you're using a bus device, which is fully functional. In such case, disabling that one device can put a stop to the problem.

There are a number of problems which could cause the system to hang; to check it yourself, it'll take a lot of time. If you show it to an expert; they'll probably have it diagnosed within an hour (if at all that long).


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## Buckhandle (Nov 2, 2010)

Hi Mr Green,

Sorry for my late reply - today was just another frustrating day with my computer. I had to re-install everything all over. XP is re-installed on a 'new' Harddrive - and even with only the new and fully updated XP (+ all Envidia motherboard and GPU drivers installed) - the computer froze.

All devices are listed to be fully functional. Only some system devices are without drivers - but there are no yellow markings on the devices stating a problem to be present. (???)

Hard Disk Sentinel shows no problems. 

RegScrubXP, Puran Defrag and Free Registry Defrag did also not solve the freeze problem.

As I re-installed XP on a 'new' Harddrive - I also tried disconnecting the original OS Harddrive. No difference. So, the old harddrive should be ok then.

Man .... what to do?

Lars


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## Buckhandle (Nov 2, 2010)

Sorry ... I still need to look for the error codes and compatibility issues ..

Lars


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## linkin (Nov 3, 2010)

At this point I'd look at the RAM. You'll want to test it with a bootable version of memtest86+

Let it run overnight. If it reports any errors at all, you have faulty RAM.


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## Buckhandle (Nov 3, 2010)

Hi Linkin, 

I started the MemTest86+ earlier today. So far the test has passed 6 cycles (duration 6 hours and 30 min) with no errors ...

RAM seems not to be the problem either ..

Lars


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## Aastii (Nov 3, 2010)

Install all missing drivers first and fore most and see if that clears up your issues. If they don't:

Do the freezes happen randomly, or when doing certain things (for example when in games, watching videos or listening to music)?

Have you recently (apart from the power supply) changed any hardware?

Have you recently installed any new software?

What brand hard drive do you have? Use the specific manufacturer's tool rather than a generic one. Either look it up on their site, or post up who the manufacturer is, and I'll give you a link to the tool that you need. If it is Western Digital, the specific model is needed too, or at least the family.

When your computer freezes, do you ever get Blue Screen's, or does it just hang? If you get Blue Screens, follow this guide

What you mentioned earlier about L1 cache by the way, that is normal, your processor has only 64KB of L1 cache. It may seem small, but it is like that on all processors, a Core i7 950 for instance has 256KB of L1 cache


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## Mr Green (Nov 3, 2010)

Buckhandle said:


> Hi Mr Green,
> 
> Sorry for my late reply - today was just another frustrating day with my computer. I had to re-install everything all over. XP is re-installed on a 'new' Harddrive - and even with only the new and fully updated XP (+ all Envidia motherboard and GPU drivers installed) - the computer froze.
> 
> ...



Install any missing drivers before doing anything else; missing system drivers are a major cause of a random system hang.


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## Buckhandle (Nov 3, 2010)

I am not sure if i understand the driver issue correctly. When looking through the device manager, the Direct Memory Controller is stated to be without a driver (on the front page). However when looking at the driver tab, the driver is stated to be Driver 5.1.2600.5512. Is this correct?

I have re-installed the Nvidia nForce driver package for both motherboard and GPU. The Direct Memory Control driver did not change during this driver update process.

Lars


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## Buckhandle (Nov 3, 2010)

Hi Aastii, thank you for your comments and guidance!

I truly believe that I have now updated all drivers but I am waiting to get registered at DriverMax (there is some kind of reg issue). DriverMax will be my final attempt to solve driver issues. I am currently testing the two hard drives by the use of manufaturer specific test software. So far no problem. Let's see what happens.

The computer freezes (hangs) only. I never have a blue screen issue. All hangs/freezes happens randomly either when gaming, surfing, installing software or even when idling.

Lars


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## Buckhandle (Nov 3, 2010)

Hi Mr Green, You mentioned 

'Thirdly: Check for any error codes and hardware compatibility issues; maybe you're using a bus device, which is fully functional. In such case, disabling that one device can put a stop to the problem.'

How do you suggest me doing so? Via the Device Manager?

Lars


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## linkin (Nov 4, 2010)

Device manager or BIOS works. depends on what you want to disable though.


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## 2048Megabytes (Nov 4, 2010)

Sounds like a hardware issue in my opinion.

Symptoms that a motherboard failing can appear as:

The system begins to boot up but then powers down
An error message displays during the boot.  Investigate this message.
The system becomes unstable, hangs or freezes at odd times
Intermittent Windows or hard drive errors occur
Components on motherboards or devices connected to it don't work

It could also be a video card problem.  Is there a video card you can replace your present one with to trouble shoot?

Mixing Random Access Memory Module Speeds
There are some motherboards that are really picky with memory.  If two different modules of RAM are mixed it can possibly cause problems.  Are the RAM modules the same make and model in your system?

Another possible problem is an overheating processor.  An overheating central processing unit can be caused by a bad fan attached to the heat sink.  See if the heatsink fan is spinning when the computer is turned on.  An improperly mounted heat sink or a heat sink clogged with dust will not cool the processor properly.  The heat sink can become hot to the touch if the processor is overheating.


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## Aastii (Nov 4, 2010)

Buckhandle said:


> Hi Aastii, thank you for your comments and guidance!
> 
> I truly believe that I have now updated all drivers but I am waiting to get registered at DriverMax (there is some kind of reg issue). DriverMax will be my final attempt to solve driver issues. I am currently testing the two hard drives by the use of manufaturer specific test software. So far no problem. Let's see what happens.
> 
> ...



Download HWMonitor from here:

ftp://ftp.cpuid.com/hwmonitor/hwmonitor_1.16-setup.exe

install it, then run it. What temperatures are you getting? If you aren't sure what you are looking at, you can print screen it and post up a picture:

1. Hit Print scree
2. Paste into MS Paint
3. Save it
4. Go to http://photobucket.com/ . Log in, or if you don't have an account, sign up
5. Upload your picture
6. put the IMG code into a post here


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## Buckhandle (Nov 9, 2010)

I have posted a temperatures log earlier in this thread. It does not seem to be a temperature issue...

Lars


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## Buckhandle (Nov 9, 2010)

Hi 2048 .... please see my comments (!!!!) below...

Sounds like a hardware issue in my opinion.

Symptoms that a motherboard failing can appear as:

The system begins to boot up but then powers down
An error message displays during the boot. Investigate this message.
The system becomes unstable, hangs or freezes at odd times
Intermittent Windows or hard drive errors occur
Components on motherboards or devices connected to it don't work

It could also be a video card problem. Is there a video card you can replace your present one with to trouble shoot?
!!!! Video card has been replaced. Same problem.


Mixing Random Access Memory Module Speeds
There are some motherboards that are really picky with memory. If two different modules of RAM are mixed it can possibly cause problems. Are the RAM modules the same make and model in your system?
!!!! The problem started after 1½ year. The RAM have been the same all along. I have also taken out the RAM blocks one by one to see if it would make any difference. It did not.


Another possible problem is an overheating processor. An overheating central processing unit can be caused by a bad fan attached to the heat sink. See if the heatsink fan is spinning when the computer is turned on. An improperly mounted heat sink or a heat sink clogged with dust will not cool the processor properly. The heat sink can become hot to the touch if the processor is overheating. 
!!!! The heat sink between the CPU and the fan has been replaced twice. The CPU temp is 45 dgr C at the most (HWMonitor).


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## 2048Megabytes (Nov 9, 2010)

Did you completely disconnect the old hard drive from your system?  You re-installed your new operating system on a new hard drive, but the old drive could possibly be giving you problems if it is defective.

If disconnecting the drive doesn't solve your issue then the motherboard is defective then.  The only other problem other than a new hard drive in my opinion is a defective processor and I highly doubt that is the problem.  Less than a 1 percent chance of the processor being the problem.

After troubleshooting the hard drive issue contact the motherboard manufacturer for a return merchandise authorization.


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## Buckhandle (Nov 11, 2010)

Hi 2048, I disconnected the 2'nd harddrive. The one and only drive installed was the secondary (data) drive earlier. So it has always been in the PC.

However I purchased HardDiskSentinel Pro and tested the drive thoroughly. Both the surface READ test, the hardware SelfTest and the temp/performance test were all completed successfully with NO fails (bad clusters etc)

I imagine I need to look for a new motherboard.

Lars


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## PFCPerry16 (Nov 12, 2010)

Hi. I'm not a computer expert but I can offer some advice from my uncle. He had a problem similar to yours....He did almost everything suggest (but replace the PSU) so he decided to disconnect everything NOT needed to run a computer (CD Drive, 2nd HDD, SD slot readers thing, 2nd video card, etc) and run the computer connecting one thing at a time, restarting everytime. Eventually we got to the hardware that made it lock and freeze....the SD Slots. Just went through and connected everything back up, waiting for a freeze after a while, nothing happend til the SD's were back in. 

So just something to consider, but It took us a LONG time, about 2 days to find it. Just a suggestion.....:good:


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## Aastii (Nov 12, 2010)

So you did post temperature logs earlier, my apologies for overlooking it 



PFCPerry16 said:


> Hi. I'm not a computer expert but I can offer some advice from my uncle. He had a problem similar to yours....He did almost everything suggest (but replace the PSU) so he decided to disconnect everything NOT needed to run a computer (CD Drive, 2nd HDD, SD slot readers thing, 2nd video card, etc) and run the computer connecting one thing at a time, restarting everytime. Eventually we got to the hardware that made it lock and freeze....the SD Slots. Just went through and connected everything back up, waiting for a freeze after a while, nothing happend til the SD's were back in.
> 
> So just something to consider, but It took us a LONG time, about 2 days to find it. Just a suggestion.....:good:



+1 to this, it is the same as what you would do if your electricity tripped out at home, disconnect everything, and reconnect it until you find the appliance that is causing the problem.

There is a downside to this though, which is if one of the key components, your motherboard for instance, you won't be able to know specifically that it is the motherboard causing the issues, because it could be any of the key components from the results that you get.

There is a possibility that it is still software, however related to a software conflict or your OS being damaged. I've seen it, and fixed it, before where formatting/reinstalling Windows has fixed the problem completely. You mentioned getting a new motherboard, and if you were to do that, and if your copy of Windows is an OEM copy, you would have to get a new copy of Windows and reinstall anyway, so before going out spending more, if you have your Windows installation disc, you could try doing that. But just make sure if you do take this advice that you back up ALL important information prior to doing the wipe, as the chances of getting them back later are slim to none


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