Topic: Technical Issues - Need Suggestions?

[Mantis]

Recently my PC began to have stability problems.  The only thing I use my PC for is games, so there is nothing critical on the machine. The OS is XP with SP2. Problem is that I cannot remember installing anything recently.

Brief recent history:
- Installed a new vid card (Stealth Diamond Radeon 9250) and drivers. Required BIOS mod for video setting (AGP aperature size)
- Games would randomly quit
- Unistalled new vid card and placed old vid card (Radeon 7000) back in
- Reinstalled ATI Catalyst drivers
- Machine seemed to do fine, SFC OP would run without quiting
- May have installede a game for my son (6), things still worked
- Last few weeks Problems

Symptoms:
- Machine reboots. Screen goes black and reboots. Can enter bios if needed during the reboot.
- For SFC OP - Sometimes before splash screen, sometimes as far as starting a mission. Most of the time before the splash screen. If I make it onto the the server, it rarely lasts for more than a minute
- Will reboot when running IE, but not at a reproducable point
- TS seems to work just fine
- My sons games seem to have the same problem, but have not really tested them.
- Networking will stop working until I reenstall the drivers for the LAN. Have also had to reenstall the TCP/IP drivers

What I have done:
- Rolled back using the rollback feature (or whatever it is called)  on XP
- Reenstalled the ATI Drivers
- Reenstalled DX9.0c
- Reenstalled the LAN drivers so I could get back on the internet
- Think I have BIOS AGP settings back to original

Any suggestions? Should I just wipe the drive and reinstall Windows?

Thanks.

[Bonk]

Did you uninstall the drivers that you installed with the new Diamond/ATI card?

(moved thread to engineering - better place for it - hope you don't mind...)

[Mantis]

I believe I did. I will double check tonight when I get home. To make sure I do this correctly, don't I go to device manager, select the card properties, and then check the driver from there?

I also ran the ATI utility that removes all ATI components before I reinstalled the catalyst drivers.

[Bonk]

I also ran the ATI utility that removes all ATI components before I reinstalled the catalyst drivers.

That ought to have done it for the ATI drivers, I recall ATI being finicky about that.

What is the the most recent application/driver installed? Your son's game?


Disable system restore, it is evil.

Get a current virus scanner if you do not have one. e.g. AVG Free and run a full scan. If you have Norton installed, you might as well reinstall windows now and never install norton again.

Ensure your system is spyware free using Ad-Aware, Spybot Search & Destroy and MS Anti-Spyware beta (absolutely no others)

Immunize Internet Explorer with Spybot Search & Destroy. (Personally, I use Firefox)

I'd try an approach like that to try and clean up the system before doing a windows reinstall if there is a lot of applications installed and a lot of data to back up. If not, a windows reinstall is a good idea, then lock it down as suggested above. Supervise others when they use your PC.

But wait and see if any others here have any better suggestions before doing anything drastic.

[toasty0]

This is also symptomatic of a hardware short. Sorry.

[KBF-Angel Slayer]

When mine started doing that, it was a cooling issue.  Made a funnel that blows directly on the processor, and haven't had a problem since.

[Dracho]

Are you positive your Direct-X drivers are up-to-date?  Sometimes simply updating them skips files.  See if you can located the 9Xc developer load on Microsoft's website.

This also sounds like a direct-draw problem.

[Bonk]

Toasty and Angel Slayer have good points.

This is also symptomatic of a hardware short. Sorry.

You can try removing and replacing your memory cards and enable the memory test in the POST from the bios. Replace if necessary.

When mine started doing that, it was a cooling issue. Made a funnel that blows directly on the processor, and haven't had a problem since.

Definitely, check the board and processor temps and fan sppeds if your bios reports them and take appropraite action if need be (new fans - air conditioning, move out of sunlight...).

Also a good dusting with "canned air" (use with caution and good ventilation) can do wonders. Recently I had lost my left channel audio, a good dusting brought it back. Dusting the processor heatsink and fan can also do wonders for temperature management.

[Mantis]

Thank you for all the suggestions, I will have a look.

For anti-virus, I have only run Ad-Aware. I have gone to very few sites with IE (this site, ATI, MSN, and that is about it). I will download the others you suggest and run them. I think I will do this after I just reinstall. The only important thing on the computer is my SFC OP stuff I will just have to go through the cumbersome windows update process.

Before that I will try the dusting and testing the memory. The inside is pretty dusty.

For DX9.0c, I downloaded from MSN, but I will verify that it was the complete install, not the update.

For temp, what should I be looking for? When I last looked it was at between 98F and 104F for the processor, power supply, and the system.

Once again, thank you for the help.

[toasty0]

This is the DirectX runtime you want: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=0a9b6820-bfbb-4799-9908-d418cdeac197&displaylang=en

[Javora]

I agree that this might be a hardware issue, however I'm leaning more toward Ram than anything else.  If you have two sticks of Ram in your system try removing one of them and see if the random rebooting continues.  If the problems cease than replace that stick of Ram, however if the continues than remove the other stick of Ram and repeat the process.  If you only have one stick of Ram then see if there is anyone you know that has a stick of Ram that will work in your system.

If the Ram turns out to be ok then I would then have your power supply tested.  Most shops will test this for free and I think that is the best way to go.  You post suggested that the issues started when you upgraded your video card.  This makes me question if your power supply can handle the load.  I'm assuming that the video card is compatable with your motherboard.  Since both video cards are Radion cards the same drivers should work for both cards.

Lastly as Angel Slayer stated check and see if your system is overheating by using the monitoring program that came with your system.  If your system did not come with a monitoring program that you can use Motherboard Monitor, it should do the job you need it to.  Hope this helps.

[Mantis]

Thank you everyone! I will let you know what I find out.

[E_Look]

Hey careful!

Ad-Aware is NOT antivirus... it is antispyware, which is different.  McAfee, AVG, Panda, Norton, TrendMicro... these guys make antiVIRUS software (too).

[toasty0]

Hey careful!

Ad-Aware is NOT antivirus... it is antispyware, which is different.  McAfee, AVG, Panda, Norton, TrendMicro... these guys make antiVIRUS software (too).

But Ad Aware will sniff out malware that is just as bothersome and resource intensive.

[Just plain old Punisher]

More  bothersome! Nothing is as evil as good marketing.

[Mantis]

Looks like the problem ended up being a bad memory stick. Thank you for all the suggestion and help. Now to get another stick so I have more than 256MB

[Bonk]

Glad to hear you found the trouble! 

Nothing is as evil as good marketing.

Whoah man! Profoundly accurate... still sinking in... wow!