So would it be the motherboard, screen, or PSU? It can't be the GPU since I just tried two GPUs on the PC. I do have an extra PSU though. However it's a Cooler Master 400 watt, and I don't know if that is enough for a Phenom II X4 and a 4670.
[editline]29th July 2011[/editline]
So I look at the capacitors for any visual damage basically? How do I know which parts are the capacitors?
[QUOTE=FalcoLombardi;31411033]So would it be the motherboard, screen, or PSU? It can't be the GPU since I just tried two GPUs on the PC. I do have an extra PSU though. However it's a Cooler Master 400 watt, and I don't know if that is enough for a Phenom II X4 and a 4670.
[editline]29th July 2011[/editline]
So I look at the capacitors for any visual damage basically? How do I know which parts are the capacitors?[/QUOTE]
I think the Wikipedia page has plenty of examples there.
such as:
[IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Badcaps-tayeh-4.jpg/220px-Badcaps-tayeh-4.jpg[/IMG]
^^these two cylinders.
I hope you solve the problem. It sounds annoying as hell... :smile:
[QUOTE=EpicExplosion;31411263]I think the Wikipedia page has plenty of examples there.
such as:
[IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Badcaps-tayeh-4.jpg/220px-Badcaps-tayeh-4.jpg[/IMG]
^^these two cylinders.
I hope you solve the problem. It sounds annoying as hell... :smile:[/QUOTE]
Believe me, it's been hell. Imagine having 20+ BSODs, having PC problems for well over a month, and BSODs / restarts almost daily. Worst part is that when it works perfectly for a few days because I had a "solution" actually work, it fucks me over the next day and I start all over again.
Anyways a quick recap of the thread since it's so old:
[b]It's definitely [i]not[/i][/b]:
1) GPU - swapped GTS 250 with old 4670 and still had BSOD/problems
2) HDD - ran a chkdsk or whatever it's called earlier in the thread
3) Memory - also ran a Memtest86+ a couple weeks ago for 5+ hours, although it could be memory still *plausible
4) Windows 7 - did a whole Windows 7 reinstall
5) Virus - above
Also I'm still on selective start-up from a suggestion a page back or so. Maybe I should disable all non-Microsoft service/processes again for boot upagain?
[QUOTE=FalcoLombardi;31411325]Believe me, it's been hell. Imagine having 20+ BSODs, having PC problems for well over a month almost daily.[/QUOTE]
I have a friend. He has BSOD's almost every day, most days.
I think he knows how it feels too. He is used to it though, so i guess that's ok.
Hell, i think it is worth a look into, since you will be saving some cash too if a DIY solution is possible. :smile:
[QUOTE=EpicExplosion;31411359]I have a friend. He has BSOD's almost every day, most days.
I think he knows how it feels too. He is used to it though, so i guess that's ok.
Hell, i think it is worth a look into, since you will be saving some cash too if a DIY solution is possible. :smile:[/QUOTE]
But it's where all my games are :frown: haha. I'll go check for bad capacitors on the motherboard soon. So basically I should be looking for any goo or icky stuff on the board and broken / bulging parts on it?
[QUOTE=FalcoLombardi;31411459]But it's where all my games are :frown: haha. I'll go check for bad capacitors on the motherboard soon. So basically I should be looking for any goo or icky stuff on the board and broken / bulging parts on it?[/QUOTE]
Pretty much. refer back to the links if you need to, i guess. :smile:
No messed up capacitors. They are the ones that look like metal little cylinders on the motherboard right?
[QUOTE=FalcoLombardi;31412752]No messed up capacitors. They are the ones that look like metal little cylinders on the motherboard right?[/QUOTE]
Yes.
Alright since no messed up capacitors I tried reseating the RAM. Probably not the solution but hey what the heck. Testing it as of now.
[QUOTE=FalcoLombardi;31412990]Alright since no messed up capacitors I tried reseating the RAM. Probably not the solution but hey what the heck. Testing it as of now.[/QUOTE]
Good luck!
Also I know RAM is durable, but since I was still half-awake when reseating the second RAM module to the slot, for a good 10 seconds I was trying to force it in the wrong way. Hopefully I didn't cause any damage to it. The computer booted up fine and all that, 4 GBs of memory detected by Windows, etc. Gonna play some games and leave my computer on for a while after.
[QUOTE=FalcoLombardi;31413406]Also I know RAM is durable, but since I was still half-awake when reseating the second RAM module to the slot, for a good 10 seconds I was trying to force it in the wrong way. Hopefully I didn't cause any damage to it. The computer booted up fine and all that, 4 GBs of memory detected by Windows, etc. Gonna play some games and leave my computer on for a while after.[/QUOTE]
Let's hope it gets sorted sooner or later. :smile:
Alright Spiral Knights work fine for an hour of gameplay. Gonna try out Bad Company and Killing Floor later. Maybe the RAM just needed to be reseated all along.
[QUOTE=FalcoLombardi;31415484]Alright Spiral Knights work fine for an hour of gameplay. Gonna try out Bad Company and Killing Floor later. Maybe the RAM just needed to be reseated all along.[/QUOTE]
Strangely, i had a suspicion it might have been a simple solution. but im not betting just yet, i think its too early for that.
Just. Take. It. In. Can you not read? Every time you've said it's worked fine, it always breaks later. You've probably waited so long that your warranties might be void, just take it in and have a professional look at it.
[QUOTE=Darkebrz;31417468]Just. Take. It. In. Can you not read? Every time you've said it's worked fine, it always breaks later. You've probably waited so long that your warranties might be void, just take it in and have a professional look at it.[/QUOTE]
It's Friday night though. And yes I plan on taking it in next week.
[QUOTE=FalcoLombardi;31418978]It's Friday night though. And yes I plan on taking it in next week.[/QUOTE]
no one else help him until he posts proof he took it to someone (that isnt geek squad)
Ok so my parents said we can take it in to that shop when they open on a weekday. I won't ask for any more help from here until then but here's the update:
-Reseating RAM didn't fix it, however was able to play video games for a good 3 hours before BSOD
-Apparently a neighbor and family friend used to own a computer shop a while back. I don't know what he did with computers or how experienced he is, but since I have a weekend before the shop we're gonna ask him to give it a shot
-I won't try anymore "solutions" for the PC until I take it in
Alright, so since I can't take it in until that tech store opens, my neighbor across the street came over to check it out. He worked with computers a lot-- 20 years as a programmer or something. He knew a lot about computers (only thing he didn't know was Steam, as he thought it could be the problem which is what I think is highly unlikely). So basically today he just went around the computer looking for anything strange at first in processes, services, and crap. Went around in Safe Mode. Then he opened up the computer, said everything looks alright as in no visual problems (though he said it was dusty and gave me a pressurized air thingy to clear it out).
Anyways, after looking around he asked if it's ok to uninstall all the games because there is nothing else on my computer really that could be having issues (he said everything looked pretty "vanilla"). So uninstalled the few Steam games and others that I had since the Windows 7 reinstall. He recommended to clean out the dust then just leave on the computer overnight to see if it will BSOD. Also he said to use it normally like browsing internet and such. Tomorrow if nothing is wrong he said to install one game and just play it for a while unless it BSODs.
So yeah we didn't figure out the problem but his method is worth a shot. I still have a feeling I'm gonna have to turn in the system to the shop this week though.
[editline]31st July 2011[/editline]
Oh and it BSOD'd once during the diagnosis and he's gonna check it out online later.
Has anyone said to try a CPU stability test? Run Prime95 for a few hours and see if it reports any problems.
[editline]31st July 2011[/editline]
Yea... 7 pages and not one person suspects the CPU? this saddens me
try it with your old CPU if you can
[editline]31st July 2011[/editline]
Don't think anyone has said to reset BIOS to defaults, either, do that as well, since you said you had overclocked your CPU, you may not have set all the settings back to the default.
[editline]31st July 2011[/editline]
And you havn't even told us what your motherboard is, or even told us your full specs, why have 7 pages gone without this basic stuff?
K I'll get a speccy out in a bit. Also my neighbor did suspect the CPU as well, after I told him I:
GPU - swapped already
HDD - chkdsk
Memory - MemTest
PSU - no smoke or didn't blow up
Motherboard or CPU or software/drivers
[editline]31st July 2011[/editline]
Anyone think it could be Punkbuster? Just a wild guess after looking through the short list of programs I have. I can post screenshots along with the speccy later if you want.
Seriously just post Speccy, it could possibly be an old motherboard without support for your CPU (a BIOS update could fix this) or just not have the proper TDP for your CPU.
Ok after I'm done dusting the PC. Any specific way how? Just point and spray?
You checked the capacitors on the motherboard, but did you check the capacitors in the PSU?
[QUOTE=bohb;31459156]You checked the capacitors on the motherboard, but did you check the capacitors in the PSU?[/QUOTE]
I don't know how. Do I have to open the actual PSU up?
I wouldn't bother.
Yeah, you have to take the cover off the PSU. It's relatively easy, there's only 8 screws holding it (4 to the case, 4 on the PSU cover.)
Unplug the PSU from the mains and wait about 30 seconds for the super capacitors to drain, then it will be safe to open. After you take the PSU out of the case, there should be 4 screws on the top of the PSU (one will probably be covered with a warranty sticker, you can break it if it's not under warranty.) After you remove the 4 screws, pull the casing apart to see the inside.
[QUOTE=Shadaez;31459498]I wouldn't bother.[/QUOTE]
I've repaired at least a dozen PSUs that would otherwise cost $50 or more for $7 in parts or less, and they work like new afterwards, it's totally worth it.
Ok so just finished dusting it. I don't know if I want to open the PSU though. Well before I plug it in and post specs, anything else I could do?
[QUOTE=bohb;31459550]Yeah, you have to take the cover off the PSU. It's relatively easy, there's only 8 screws holding it (4 to the case, 4 on the PSU cover.)
Unplug the PSU from the mains and wait about 30 seconds for the super capacitors to drain, then it will be safe to open. After you take the PSU out of the case, there should be 4 screws on the top of the PSU (one will probably be covered with a warranty sticker, you can break it if it's not under warranty.) After you remove the 4 screws, pull the casing apart to see the inside.
I've repaired at least a dozen PSUs that would otherwise cost $50 or more for $7 in parts or less, and they work like new afterwards, it's totally worth it.[/QUOTE]
explain how a psu is causing BSOD
[QUOTE=Shadaez;31460145]explain how a psu is causing BSOD[/QUOTE]
That's why I was skeptical in taking his advice
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