Computer crashing, bring me Bicycle Repairman!

[Fuchs]

Well, my computer has been crashing. A lot. So I wish to fix this and therefore I have come to you guys!

Let me explain the problem first. The computer crashes. It used to do this once in a while, like all computers do. But the past week it has been doing it once or twice a day and it is extremely frustrating as every time it crashes I am writing an essay/article or photoshopping something. Bam, all work gone.

How does it crash? Like someone pulled the power off. Out of a sudden everything just stops. The beast is then silent for a nano-second and re-starts. Windows tells me something happened (no shit) and I command it to re-start as usual. After that he just runs as he should. Until it crashes again a few hours later. Actually, I think it crashes like once every 2 hours.

I googled a bit around but computers, technical side, still make no sense to me but I read a lot about the power supply. Now I am certain it can't be outdated (it's from 2010) and I'm also certain it's got enough power as the guy who assembled it for me even put in a larger one so I could upgrade in the near future. I also read something about overheating but I really, really doubt this. The case I'm using has a massive amount of vans and the cooling is sufficient within the PC. I also send all illegal dust particles out once in a while and I checked the temperature with a tool thingy last year for like 6 months and it topped at 60 degrees Celcius. In my opinion very cool.

So, there's my story. I know we got computer geniuses here, help sad lil' Fuchsy out, will ya? 

[Lightning]

I had the same symptoms, the RAM was broken. You could run a memory test / diagnostic to see if that's the problem.

[Dukat]

Difficult subject. I wish I could always determine what the reason is, once a computer is crashing. If Lightning expirienced RAM problems with such symtoms, you should check that first.

However, for a Intel CPU 60°C is already somewhat the maximum, I think. I just do not see how you could reach that by using a writer like MS Word anyway. You'd have huge problems right away once you launch any game.

When my CPU is getting too hot, the Bios settings cause the mainboard to shut down. In that case, I get a notification on reboot like "System temperature too high. Press F1 to resume."

[Archimonday]

Well, my computer has been crashing. A lot. So I wish to fix this and therefore I have come to you guys!

Let me explain the problem first. The computer crashes. It used to do this once in a while, like all computers do. But the past week it has been doing it once or twice a day and it is extremely frustrating as every time it crashes I am writing an essay/article or photoshopping something. Bam, all work gone.

How does it crash? Like someone pulled the power off. Out of a sudden everything just stops. The beast is then silent for a nano-second and re-starts. Windows tells me something happened (no shit) and I command it to re-start as usual. After that he just runs as he should. Until it crashes again a few hours later. Actually, I think it crashes like once every 2 hours.

I googled a bit around but computers, technical side, still make no sense to me but I read a lot about the power supply. Now I am certain it can't be outdated (it's from 2010) and I'm also certain it's got enough power as the guy who assembled it for me even put in a larger one so I could upgrade in the near future. I also read something about overheating but I really, really doubt this. The case I'm using has a massive amount of vans and the cooling is sufficient within the PC. I also send all illegal dust particles out once in a while and I checked the temperature with a tool thingy last year for like 6 months and it topped at 60 degrees Celcius. In my opinion very cool.

So, there's my story. I know we got computer geniuses here, help sad lil' Fuchsy out, will ya? 

The power supply might be dying on you.

[Zoologic]

I agree on the power supply.

New doesn't mean good. It can be certain defects with your peripherals. Check common symptoms for some brands and models. My previous Taiwanese power supply have that particular defect. Now I am using Enlight (which is also Taiwan), which has been running flawlessly since mid-2008.

[Fuchs]

Thanks guys!!

Wasn't the CPU, it was the graphics card that usually floated around 50 degrees and maxed out at 60 very rarely. I never got any notifications that it got too hot.

I'll definitely look into the power supply and the RAM. I hope the PS is not dying on me..

http://www.memtest.org/ <- that any good for a memory test? I'll try it once I get home tonight.

[Lightning]

I think I ran the Microsoft memory diagnostic tool when my RAM broke - and that was the only time I ever tested RAM, so don't ask me which software is best.

[Kelmola]

Memtest or MS tool should both be able to do the job. Memtest is said to be "better", but it takes patience because it first runs a set of tests, then pauses for three hours (with power on) and then runs the same tests again.

Actually, I had the same problem with my old comp (ended up buying a new one anyway). Suspected PSU, other said it was mobo. Changed PSU, didn't help. Was about to start looking for ancient enough mobo, when I decided to test the RAM. Whaddya know, faulty chip.

[siben]

Hijacking this tread. so, my laptop greeted me with this today:



Give it to me straight doc, will she make it? Screen broken? graphics card? the cables in between? It changes from time to time, difference shape and colour. also most of the time its the whole screen, not just in bands like this.

[luftwaffe.be]

looks like a gfx card problem to me

[Zoologic]

Yes, it is most likely your graphic card, although rarely, it could be your monitor cable.

It happened to me two years ago, and I could momentarily fix it by readjusting the graphic card's position (banging it into the slot), but the lines reappeared after a while.

There is a lot of do-it-yourself tip, including "baking method" (which I don't have the courage to do). So I shelled another $300 for a brand new, better card.

[siben]

the laptop in question is over 4 years old, i have a 7.5 year old one that i can cannibalize for parts. Will see what i can do. Probably i will throw 400 euro towards a new one since it is so old already.

[Fuchs]

Damn, you necrophile. I almost had a heart attack when I saw my own name below a thread title I couldn't even remember.

Those stripes remind me a lot of my dying monitor from a couple of months ago. A corner of a painting I was moving out of my room hit it and you could see these weird stripes all over and a small fuzzy psychedelic dot where the corner hit. Maybe it's the screen?

[Zoologic]

Dying LCD screen will only produce dead cells (cell that would not emit any light) or maybe just some colours (either Red, Green, Blue, or a combination of them). This paternal stripes is likely caused by either the cable monitor or the graphic card itself.

[Mayhemic.MAD]

If the pattern is changing, it is more likely caused by defect GPU RAM than a physical damage to the screen.