# random hard-locking - trying to pinpoint the source



## hhiker (Mar 28, 2009)

Hi. New user, new system, new problem. 

Ok, here goes... at random times, at random activities my machine freezes/ locks up: 
- no keyboard response (incl. NumLock) 
- no mouse response 
- looping audio 
- manual reset works 
- no trace of foul play in the Event viewer. 

It's a new system (just 2 months); did a clean Wininstall about a month ago, all drivers are up-to-date. 
<---- specs. 

I'm posting this to "Software" section because i just had the hardware checked out about the same problem (they replaced CPU, but i don't know if they did it just in case or found some flaw there). The threads with similar issues i have found all described the lockups at heavy-duty activities but mine happen at "slow" or idle moments too (such as in the middle of typing a message). 

My question is: 
What should i check / where should i look?


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## Athlon2K15 (Mar 28, 2009)

is there any overclocking associated with this system?


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## hhiker (Mar 28, 2009)

AthlonX2 said:


> is there any overclocking associated with this system?



Nope, everything is running on default settings.


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## erocker (Mar 28, 2009)

It could be the PSU failing.  Codegen PSU's are not very good.  It could also be something like your RAM not being configured properly.  What speed, timings and voltage is your RAM set at?


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## BroBQ (Mar 28, 2009)

Its a driver issue ...

vista or xp?


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## hhiker (Mar 28, 2009)

erocker said:


> It could be the PSU failing.  Codegen PSU's are not very good.  It could also be something like your RAM not being configured properly.  What speed, timings and voltage is your RAM set at?



ummm... i'm kinda noob in, well everything really  ... where do i look up the RAM settings? 

As for PSU, when i had the comp checked i asked them to look for ANYTHING hardware-related  that could cause such a thing, i can only assume they would've exchanged the PSU too if they've found something there.  

@Morrison5891 
it's XP home, sp3.


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## BroBQ (Mar 28, 2009)

list your hardware specs


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## hhiker (Mar 28, 2009)

Morrison5891 said:


> list your hardware specs



you mean like, 




<----------------- there? 

(do i have something essential missing from the list?)


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## BroBQ (Mar 28, 2009)

Trouble shooting is a very boring task. When did you notice this happening? what was the last thing you inastalled on the PC before this started to happen? I'm sure its been working fine at some point.


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## erocker (Mar 28, 2009)

What brand/model# is the RAM?   Post screenshots of CPU-Z with the CPU info, memory info and SPD info.



Morrison5891 said:


> Its a driver issue ...
> 
> vista or xp?



Not likely since the problem happens when the system is under load.


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## BroBQ (Mar 28, 2009)

Wouldn't matter under load or not...


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## erocker (Mar 28, 2009)

Morrison5891 said:


> Wouldn't matter under load or not...



What?!   Stop confusing me, you aren't making sense.


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## Kursah (Mar 28, 2009)

I agree Ram should be looked at, I had a set of 1x2GB Buffalo Firestix cause an issue back in early 2007 that was very similar to this, eventually it got bad enough to produce BSOD's too. Get some CPU-z screens of the RAM/Memory tabs as erocker requested so we can get an idea of what you have.


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## Polarman (Mar 28, 2009)

You could try turning down the "Hardware acceleration" slider one notch.

_To find the hardware acceleration slider in Windows XP, open the Display Properties dialog box and click the Settings tab. Click the Advanced button, and then click the Troubleshoot tab._


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## hhiker (Mar 28, 2009)

erocker said:


> What brand/model# is the RAM?   Post screenshots of CPU-Z with the CPU info, memory info and SPD info.



OK... 
RAM - that's what they say on the retailer receipt: 6400-800 PQI/AM1/VRAM. 

CPU-z info: see the thumbnails. 

Tuned the HW acc. down too. 

When/ how it started ... I'm not 100% sure But it COULD be the first lockups happened after i had tried out S.T.A.L.K.E.R. pre-alpha build (not sure, but i don't remember the lockups from before that). 

P.S: 
left the machine idle about half an hour ago ... now found it locked/ frozen again --> guess the HW acceleration setting didn't do the trick  

EDIT2: 
just a thought, don't know if its relevant - the lockups are not frequent, maybe once or twice within 24 hours. (At the moment the machine has been running for about 20 hrs and had one locking during that time, around 3-4 hrs after switching on; once it locked up within 10 minutes after starting and ran smoothly for several hours after that.)


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## imperialreign (Apr 28, 2009)

if you're still having problems;

going by your attachments, it appears that everything is running close to stock - although, it looks like the CPU has been slightly downclocked.  Unless I'm mistaken, I believe that CPU is supposed to be running a x7 multiplier, which would place it's clock speed at 2.3GHz instead of 2.0GHz . . . although, a downclocked (or overclocked) CPU would typically result in a BSoD before a system lockup.  Most Intel CPUs won't cause a system lockup unless they're going fully Chernobyl and overheating . . .

can't really dismiss the DRAM modules - it's not always a good sign when a manufacturer's name isn't included with the SPD, typically a sign of economy sticks.  Still, that doesn't mean they're bad - have you tried running memtest to verify the consistency of the system memory?  Ideally, memtest should return no errors after hours of running - for economy sticks, a couple of errors here and there is generally acceptable (although not ideal).

My first reaction to a freezing system, though, is typically the PSU - which is _normally_ the culprit.  I'd think a 450W unit should be able to juice your system without any problems . . . but, actual output of many economy brands can be questionable - they might be able to produce that output, but have a hard time maintaining output over long periods of time . . . as well, power input to the PSU can drastically affect how it'll operate.

I'd recommend, if you can do it yourself - or take it back to the shop where you last had it - and swap the PSU with a quality, known-good unit, and see if the problems continue to occur or not.


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## hhiker (Apr 28, 2009)

imperialreign said:


> if you're still having problems;
> 
> going by your attachments, it appears that everything is running close to stock - although, it looks like the CPU has been slightly downclocked.  Unless I'm mistaken, I believe that CPU is supposed to be running a x7 multiplier, which would place it's clock speed at 2.3GHz instead of 2.0GHz . . . although, a downclocked (or overclocked) CPU would typically result in a BSoD before a system lockup.  Most Intel CPUs won't cause a system lockup unless they're going fully Chernobyl and overheating . . .



Well, no - the problems stopped like a day or two after i decided to check out the advice i got here in detail  

Looks like it was some software controversy after all; maybe some automatic updates did the trick... i don't know because i didn't get to do anything about it. 
(Memtest results were fine btw.)

It's a retailer-compiled set, so yeah, the economy parts could become a problem. I'll keep my eyes open about possible warning signs in that departement


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## hhiker (Jul 5, 2009)

Bump. 

The freezing/locking has returned  
Been struggling with it for about a month now. I still realize the not-so-top-notch hardware components could be part of the problem and i am planning some upgrades  soonish (RAM and PSU, thinking of sound card... i'll be asking advice when that time comes). 

BUT. 
I think i see a pattern here: both times the freezing/ locking started after i had installed old and/or unstable games (Stalker 1935 build the first time, second time Deus Ex and Nox). Both times the freezing first occured while installing and then continued during play... it's like the system learned from these programs how to lock up  
Trouble is, the freezing remained even after i had uninstalled the suspicious stuff. 

Is there anything else i could do to find what triggers it? Or find a fix?


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## IINexusII (Jul 5, 2009)

the cpu clock is probably with c1e enabled, so it would down-clock itself if not used much.

P31 chipset? is that matx?


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## hhiker (Jul 5, 2009)

IINexusII said:


> the cpu clock is probably with c1e enabled, so it would down-clock itself if not used much.
> 
> P31 chipset? is that matx?



umm.. ummm... noob-english please? 
(i'm not very competent in navigating the BIOS ... or other specs -  i recognize the stuff when i see it but i don't know the vocabulary very well). 
Anyway, will restart and check the cpu clock... brb. 

Edit: 
Yes, c1e enabled. 
How do i look up the other ... thingie? (*embarrassed*)


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## Cja123 (Jul 5, 2009)

IINexusII said:


> the cpu clock is probably with c1e enabled, so it would down-clock itself if not used much.
> 
> P31 chipset? is that matx?



I know G31 is micro-atx.. I dunno about p31.

-BTW hhiker, p31 would be your North Bridge Chipset on your motherboard


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## CyberDruid (Jul 5, 2009)

There is nothing I find more frustrating than random lock ups that seem to have no real cause. First thing I do is the usual Spybot and AVG scans then I look at the updat history from MS. Sometimes it's one of those CONSTANT updates that created the issue. If I suspect that MS has inadvertantly hosed my rig I roll back using Restore to an earlier point. 

However you say it's a fresh install...but that might not matter since Windows just loves to update itself until it breaks 

And yes I agree a cheap PSU can cause all sorts of issues. It's also an easy place to start upgrading as a good PSU will last for many many builds.

I wish there was a definitive way to sort HW issues from SW issues...but short of throwing a ton of money at your rig and replacing it bit by bit you can't really tell if it's the HW short of it not booting at all one day.

Since I have had similar hard locks with state of the art brand new EXPENSIVE components I am inclined to believe you have some sort of Software based malady.

Best bet is to wipe, format, reninstall and keep auto updates turned off. If it still locks then you probably have a hardware malfunction.

The stuff that fails the most (in my experience) is cheap PSUs followed by generic RAM.

And finally I have to ask is the heatsink clean? Is the CPU overheating because dust bunnies are taking up residence? That will nearly always cause random lock ups when the heat overwhelms the system.


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## hhiker (Jul 5, 2009)

CyberDruid said:


> There is nothing I find more frustrating than random lock ups that seem to have no real cause. First thing I do is the usual Spybot and AVG scans then I look at the updat history from MS. Sometimes it's one of those CONSTANT updates that created the issue. If I suspect that MS has inadvertantly hosed my rig I roll back using Restore to an earlier point.
> 
> However you say it's a fresh install...but that might not matter since Windows just loves to update itself until it breaks



Well the install is not SO fresh anymore (but the problem is identical to when it first appeared). Yes, i do scans systematically; however automatic updates are on --> will be disabling those right now. 
If all else fails (including my computer-zen skills) then i'll do the clean wininstall anyway. 




> And finally I have to ask is the heatsink clean? Is the CPU overheating because dust bunnies are taking up residence? That will nearly always cause random lock ups when the heat overwhelms the system.



Hmm... peeking into the case it looks quite fine (had my graphic card replaced some weeks ago... looks like they have cleaned the insides). 
I've got this front-panel display with some info; don't know how accurate it could be but the temps it shows right now are: CPU 32, SYS 43, VGA 24 (these are somewhat higher when gaming but not extremely so, maybe within 10 degrees or even less).


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## sneekypeet (Jul 5, 2009)

wait what????

You got a new GPU installed since the build????

I say do a driver sweep and pull all your VGA drivers, run driver sweeper or similar program, and try a fresh round of VGA drivers.


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## hhiker (Jul 5, 2009)

sneekypeet said:


> I say do a driver sweep and pull all your VGA drivers, run driver sweeper or similar program, and try a fresh round of VGA drivers.



Uh-huh, just finished it. Thanks. 
Guess it'll take some time to see if that did the trick. 

Btw, the driver sweep displayed (among other things) a long list of Ati drivers while i have NV support - i mean, is this normal?


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## CyberDruid (Jul 5, 2009)

Without knowing everything that's happened it's hard to advise...but I agree with sneekypeet that you need to start over fresh.


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## sneekypeet (Jul 5, 2009)

hhiker said:


> Uh-huh, just finished it. Thanks.
> Guess it'll take some time to see if that did the trick.
> 
> Btw, the driver sweep displayed (among other things) a long list of Ati drivers while i have NV support - i mean, is this normal?



Depends on the onboard graphics (if any) maker, or the brand of the previous card in the rig. Either way ATI drivers and Nvidia drivers usually cause conflicts. Was just an obvious spot to try after I read your previous post to the advice I gave.


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## hhiker (Jul 5, 2009)

sneekypeet said:


> Depends on the onboard graphics (if any) maker, or the brand of the previous card in the rig. Either way ATI drivers and Nvidia drivers usually cause conflicts. Was just an obvious spot to try after I read your previous post to the advice I gave.



Oh, oops i didn't tell - it was replaced with identical one (the old one fried out of a blue).


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## sneekypeet (Jul 5, 2009)

than I assume it was drivers for onboard graphics.

EDIT: I just looked at your board and seen there is no onboard, no idea really why ATI drivers would have been installed


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## Taz100420 (Jul 6, 2009)

Well I dont know how relevent it would be, but I had lock ups all the time too and it turned out to be a dying hard drive. Replaced it and all fine. Then I had a PSU dying it would lock up and restart.

Id start fresh and see what happens, then ya might lean to a HW issue more than SW.


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## imperialreign (Jul 6, 2009)

hhiker said:


> Oh, oops i didn't tell - it was replaced with identical one (the old one fried out of a blue).



curious - your old video adapter fried out of the blue?


Considering modern hardware, even those from questionable brands - VGA adapters don't just belly-up without warning anymore, not like back in the days of PCI cards . . .

and - considering that there _is_ a secondary power header on the 9600GT . . . I'd be learning towards a failing PSU.


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## TheMailMan78 (Jul 6, 2009)

imperialreign said:


> curious - your old video adapter fried out of the blue?
> 
> 
> Considering modern hardware, even those from questionable brands - VGA adapters don't just belly-up without warning anymore, not like back in the days of PCI cards . . .
> ...



I agree. Chances are this is a failing PSU. The good news is PSUs are easy as hell to replace. The biggest problem you'll have is choosing the right one. But to be sure lets do a recap.

1. Did you do a clean install of the OS? I mean 100% clean. No installations after windows installation was done. I say this because something you install afterwords could be the issue.

2. You haven't done any overclocking EVER to this system. I would like to make sure we are not dealing with any residual damage.

3. If this is a store bought PC it may be still under warranty. Hell it may even be under a recall. I would check with the manufacture to be sure.



Morrison5891 said:


> Trouble shooting is a very boring task.



I couldn't disagree more. I enjoy it. I think most people on this forum do. Its half the fun and it allows you to become "one" with your rig. Kinda like changing the oil in a car. Its a kinda bond you form. After a few major issues no one will know your system better than you. Plus no matter how much you know there is always more to learn.


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## hhiker (Jul 6, 2009)

imperialreign said:


> curious - your old video adapter fried out of the blue?



Uh-huh. No warning, no temp issues, no problems (no wait... come to think of it i had the rain glitch in ShoC some time before thet happened). 
And even with my lillte knowledge level i was all like "the PSU did it"; asked them in the shop to double check specifically... they said it was fine. 



TheMailMan78 said:


> 1. Did you do a clean install of the OS? I mean 100% clean. No installations after windows installation was done. I say this because something you install afterwords could be the issue.
> 
> 2. You haven't done any overclocking EVER to this system. I would like to make sure we are not dealing with any residual damage.
> 
> 3. If this is a store bought PC it may be still under warranty. Hell it may even be under a recall. I would check with the manufacture to be sure.



1. At which point? I did a clean install in January... no, February. Was about to do another the first time i had the locup issue - but then the problem "went away" and i didn't bother  
As for something i installed causing the issue - well, as i said the old-and/or-unstable games are my primary suspects. 

2. ER... i can't be 100% sure. I know i tried different settings out of curiosity but i can't remember if i saved the changes or not. If yes, then i had it overclocked for five minutes maybe ... dang, really van't remember  

3. Yes, it's under warranty. Every replaced bit so far has been done so under the warranty  

On the sowtware side again: 
i'm trying to let the machine run for as long as i can to see if the driver sweep might have had any effect... so far almost 6 hrs without trouble. But since i don't know what triggers the lockup i might have to wait quite a while before i can be sure. (Actually... yesterday trying to reinstall Deus ex resulted with freezing several times - kinda reluctant to repeat it right now, tho.)


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## TheMailMan78 (Jul 6, 2009)

hhiker said:


> Uh-huh. No warning, no temp issues, no problems (no wait... come to think of it i had the rain glitch in ShoC some time before thet happened).
> And even with my lillte knowledge level i was all like "the PSU did it"; asked them in the shop to double check specifically... they said it was fine.
> 
> 
> ...



Set your bios to default. Do a clean install. Then come back to us and report.


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## imperialreign (Jul 6, 2009)

hhiker said:


> Uh-huh. No warning, no temp issues, no problems (no wait... come to think of it i had the rain glitch in ShoC some time before thet happened).
> And even with my lillte knowledge level i was all like "the PSU did it"; asked them in the shop to double check specifically... they said it was fine.




yeah, I remember you bringing up that odd glitch with SoC, and the screenshots, too . . . never did find a fix for it, did you?


Thing is - a PSU can test out OK . . . but questionable units that are trying to push a system they're not rated for can cause problems (and, sadly, OEMs are notorious for installing PSUs that are way too weak for the overall system) . . . see, a questionable PSU that's rated at 350W could test out OK, but if it's running at 90%-95% load when the system is working hard . . . that's a recipe for a dead PSU . . . and if it happens to take some power surge through the wall outlet, that causes even more stress . . .

Hmmm . . . and you're in Europe - dang, I don't know of any online retailers where you might be able to find a solid, reliable PSU for a decent price . . .

Personally, based upon your system specs, I'd recommend a 550W-600W unit . . . that'll give you more than enough headroom that the PSU would only need to run at marginal load ratings . . .


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## hhiker (Jul 6, 2009)

imperialreign said:


> yeah, I remember you bringing up that odd glitch with SoC, and the screenshots, too . . . never did find a fix for it, did you?


Wasn't me. I think you might be referring to the issue Krubarax had? (Stretching textures) 
I never posted about it just read earlier stuff



> Hmmm . . . and you're in Europe - dang, I don't know of any online retailers where you might be able to find a solid, reliable PSU for a decent price . . .
> 
> Personally, based upon your system specs, I'd recommend a 550W-600W unit . . . that'll give you more than enough headroom that the PSU would only need to run at marginal load ratings . . .


Well, since you brought this up - i'm planning to get the upgrades from the same source the rest of my rig is. 
Was looking these two for example: 
http://tinyurl.com/p98qec 
http://tinyurl.com/ql6dp3


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## TheMailMan78 (Jul 6, 2009)

hhiker said:


> Wasn't me. I think you might be referring to the issue Krubarax had? (Stretching textures)
> I never posted about it just read earlier stuff
> 
> 
> ...



Go with the Corsair.


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## imperialreign (Jul 6, 2009)

hhiker said:


> Wasn't me. I think you might be referring to the issue Krubarax had? (Stretching textures)
> I never posted about it just read earlier stuff



thought you posted screens with the rain making some kind of mirror-like effect? 




> Well, since you brought this up - i'm planning to get the upgrades from the same source the rest of my rig is.
> Was looking these two for example:
> http://tinyurl.com/p98qec
> http://tinyurl.com/ql6dp3



I'd recommend the Corsair as well . . . rock-solid PSUs, and extremelly reliable.

Curious - is that Corsair 235kr or 2,235kr?  Not sure what the differences are between the US and EU power supplies are, but based on current currency rates, that's nearly double the cost of the same unit here in the US


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## hhiker (Jul 6, 2009)

imperialreign said:


> I'd recommend the Corsair as well . . . rock-solid PSUs, and extremelly reliable.
> 
> Curious - is that Corsair 235kr or 2,235kr?  Not sure what the differences are between the US and EU power supplies are, but based on current currency rates, that's nearly double the cost of the same unit here in the US



2235. 
The kr:$ ratio is more or less 10:1. 
I'll post a new topic about it when i'm good to go because there are some other bits i need advice with (and i wanna get a bunch of them at the same time).


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## imperialreign (Jul 6, 2009)

hhiker said:


> The kr:$ ratio is more or less 10:1.
> I'll post a new topic about it when i'm good to go because there are some other bit's i need advice with.



that's insane . . .

EU prices never cease to amaze me 

Hell, I could purchase the unit and ship it overseas for less than that posted price :shadedshu

If you do end up needing any help or whatever, feel free to either post or PM me - I'm always willing to help a fellow stalker out


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## hhiker (Jul 6, 2009)

TheMailMan78 said:


> Set your bios to default. Do a clean install. Then come back to us and report.



Will do ... soon. 



imperialreign said:


> If you do end up needing any help or whatever, feel free to either post or PM me - I'm always willing to help a fellow stalker out



Roger that  

Thanks everyone. 

Update: 
just had today's first "hickup". Guess the driver sweep didnt resolve it. Oh well. 
*starts backing up stuff that hasn't yet*
------------- 
*Update several hours later* 

OK, did the clean install. 
Now what - just wait and see?


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## hhiker (Jul 9, 2009)

*Clean Windows - so far so good*

Well... reinstalled WIn and let the machine run almost constantly for the last few days. 
Hasn't frozen once.


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## imperialreign (Jul 9, 2009)

hhiker said:


> Well... reinstalled WIn and let the machine run almost constantly for the last few days.
> Hasn't frozen once.



good - although it might be wise to do some stress testing . . .

anyhow, try downloading a program like Everest, and see what the voltage sensors on the motherboard are reading for 3V, 5V and 12V


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## hhiker (Jul 9, 2009)

imperialreign said:


> anyhow, try downloading a program like Everest, and see what the voltage sensors on the motherboard are reading for 3V, 5V and 12V



This part? 

--------[ Sensor ]---------------------------------------------------------

    Sensor Properties:
      Sensor Type                                       ITE IT8712F  (ISA 290h)
      GPU Sensor Type                                   Driver  (NV-DRV)

    Temperatures:
      CPU                                               27 °C  (81 °F)
      GPU                                               41 °C  (106 °F)

    Voltage Values:
      CPU Core                                          1.10 V
      +2.5 V                                            1.89 V
      +3.3 V                                            3.30 V
      +5 V                                              5.16 V
      +12 V                                             2.69 V
      +5 V Standby                                      5.27 V
      VBAT Battery                                      3.17 V
      Debug Info F                                      FF FF FF
      Debug Info T                                      201 255 27
      Debug Info V                                      45 76 CE C0 2A 00 4A (77)


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## imperialreign (Jul 10, 2009)

If those are correct . . .




hhiker said:


> Voltage Values:
> CPU Core                                          1.10 V
> *+2.5 V                                            1.89 V*
> +3.3 V                                            3.30 V
> ...




I'd be a bit concerned - the 2.5V monitor isn't too bad . . . but the 12V feed doesn't look good at all . . .


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## hhiker (Jul 10, 2009)

imperialreign said:


> If those are correct . . .
> 
> I'd be a bit concerned - the 2.5V monitor isn't too bad . . . but the 12V feed doesn't look good at all . . .



Could you elaborate that in noob terms? 

Also, what can i do about it?


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## imperialreign (Jul 10, 2009)

hhiker said:


> Could you elaborate that in noob terms?
> 
> Also, what can i do about it?



well - the motherboard's voltage sensors are for monitoring the 2.5V, 3.3V, 5V and 12V rails of the PSU.

TBH, the majority of the time, the motherboard's voltage sensors read slightly _less_ than what the PSU is running - but, for general diagnostics, they give a vague idea of the output condition of the PSU . . .

The one that makes the most difference out of the group, though, is the 12V - too high or too low can indicate a failing PSU, one that could either cause random issues and reboots, or potentially run the risk of frying components.



In regards to the values you had posted - the 12V is the one to really be concerned about . . . but, it could simply be that the motherboard's 12v sensor is failing, and can't read from the PSU correctly . . . it could also be the software isn't interpreting the values correctly, too (kinda rare - you could try another program . . .) . . . it could possily indicate damage to the motherboard (although, this is fairly rare), or (most likely) a PSU that's failing.

But, the only way to be sure would be to physically test the PSU's output, instead of relying on the motherboard to do so.

Testing a PSU isn't too difficult - you could either opt to purchase a PSU tester (which are fairly cheap and come in handy later down the road), something like this: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/4081/psu-208/FrozenCPU_ATX_20_Ultimate_LCD_Power_Supply_Tester_2024_pin_ATX_SATA_P4_Xeon_PCI-E_Floppy_4_pin.html?tl=g11c28s88&id=RWeFMTQ2 . . . or, you could do it the "true geek" (and also somewhat dangerous) way by breaking out the DVOM: http://www.ochardware.com/articles/psuvolt/psuvolt.html


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## hhiker (Jul 10, 2009)

So basically.... 
even if it's the shaky software that's bringing up the symptoms, the root of the problem is most likely in the hardware; and the weakest link is probably the current PSU, that seems to be like a ticking timebomb? 

This is probably a good time to mention that i've not stuck my hands inside the case - ever. Therefore my understanding of the internal geography is rather... er... sketchy. (It's a territory i would like to discover but some other time. Besides if  i screw something up in the process i'll blow my warranty and i don't want to give up the chance of free repairs prematurely.) 
I checked - similar PSU tester is available at a store that's on my to work... 

The real question is, is there any point in further testing now since i'm going to replace/ upgrade the PSU anyway?


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## imperialreign (Jul 10, 2009)

hhiker said:


> So basically....
> even if it's the shaky software that's bringing up the symptoms, the root of the problem is most likely in the hardware; and the weakest link is probably the current PSU, that seems to be like a ticking timebomb?
> 
> This is probably a good time to mention that i've not stuck my hands inside the case - ever. Therefore my understanding of the internal geography is rather... er... sketchy. (It's a territory i would like to discover but some other time. Besides if  i screw something up in the process i'll blow my warranty and i don't want to give up the chance of free repairs prematurely.)
> ...





well, a good tester always comes in handy - besides, a reliable tester won't damage the PSU nor any other equipment.

TBH, being able to test the PSU seperate from the system will at least confirm it's condition - although everything is pointing at a failing PSU, "assumptions are the mother of all eff-ups!"


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## TheMailMan78 (Jul 10, 2009)

imperialreign said:


> well, a good tester always comes in handy - besides, a reliable tester won't damage the PSU nor any other equipment.
> 
> TBH, being able to test the PSU seperate from the system will at least confirm it's condition - although everything is pointing at a failing PSU, "assumptions are the mother of all eff-ups!"



+1.

Replace the PSU with a good Enermax or Corsair. Get A 750 or something. That way when you do a new build you wont need a new PSU


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