Random program crashes

[jra64]

Just about every program i run will somtimes crash for no reason...
my friend says its bad memory.

adobe premiere 6.0 runs very slow and sometimes crashes
warcraft3, Final Fantasy7 pc version, randomly closes
internet explorer crashes when i log on to fileplanet.com or if i try to use windows update.

I Run:

Abit IC7-G
Pentium 4 2.4Ghz HT
512 Kingston PC2400
Saphire RADEON 128MB
200GB 7200 + 40GB 7200

[Cricket]

The RAM could be causing the problems...do you know if it's approved on ABIT's web site for that motherboard?

Have you tried testing the RAM with DocMemory or Memtest86?

What about background programs? What's running on your computer?

Do you clean out the Windows Temp folder regularly?

Have you scanned for viruses, trojans, hijacks and spyware?

Cricket

[GaryRouth]

. . . and to get the ball rolling, here's a link to MemTest86 info & download pages http://www.memtest.org/ [...and if you're overclocking, return to stock settings, or if you've set the memory timings aggressively in the Bios Setup, try the "By SPD" (module default) settings]
. . . Gary

[ ... and Hi there, Cricket! ...I've escaped from the Win9x forum for a moment, someone must have left my virtual cage unlocked ...]

[jra64]

ok i tried to run memtest and Doc memory...

DocMemory says "Attempt to access invalid Adress" upon instalation

MemTest does not install either...

As for the other problems:

Im sure my memory is abit compatible its Kingston i dont know the exact model# but i checked this before i did my build

I run Ad-Aware and am not aware of any viruses that i have. Im gonna Get norton soon.

I Deleted my C:\windows\temp dir right after i read the posts

Any other ideas?

[kev7555]

----"I'm gonna get norton soon"-----

No anti-virus program? I would bet on virus or trojan with programs not wanting to install and crashing all the time, though RAM could also be the issue.

You are describing exactly what my old system was doing when the virus program went down and it got infected.

If you read a bit at the symantec security response website you will see that there are several viruses which disable your system's ability to connect with Windows Update (a suspicious clue). If you can't connect to the security response website I would just about bet a week's paycheck that you have a virus or trojan.

-Kev

[GaryRouth]

. . . when you tried to run Doc Memory, did the download create a bootable floppy? And were you able to start your computer with it? It usually starts in Free-DOS, and runs from there. I believe MemTest works the same way.

If those simple memory module testers can't run in DOS, that points to serious system trouble on a basic level - faulty hardware or faulty setup. - OR - those programs aren't being created normally because the system is too infected to behave normally.

Try downloading and creating the diskettes for Doc Memory and MemTest86+ from a known clean system, using freshly formatted diskettes. Then after creating the bootable diskettes with the memory programs on them, write-protect the diskettes and scan them for viruses. Then take those diskettes to your computer & try testing the memory. Even the worst infected system can't infect a write-protected diskette. If the memory fails it's tests - you'll have that part of the puzzle figured out.

Then you'd need to see how the system is once virus/spyware free, checking in on the Bios settings (esp. cpu/memory timings), and perhaps trying a repair install . . .
. . . Gary

[p.s. ...and, just to cover all the bases: what brand/wattage power supply is in the system?]

[jra64]

Ok i ran memtest86+ and i had a couple of errors:

test 5 pass 30

These adresses

000083542E0 131.2 mb
000083542E8 131.2 mb
000083542F0 131.2 mb
000083542F8 131.2 mb
000083542C0 147.2 mb
000083542C8 147.2 mb
000083542D0 147.2 mb
000083542D8 147.2 mb

the raM i had was:

Kingston 512mb
160mhz ddr 320 cas2.5-3-3-7 single channel 64-bit

I also ran norton antivirus and got rid of most viruses. The others couldnt be deleted. Is there a way i can get these viruses off?

Any other suggestions?

[jra64]

by the way does memtest 86 ever end...?

ive been running it for 18 hours now...

do i just stop it or will it prompt me to stop it...?

[GaryRouth]

I generally see older systems, so I still use DocMemory a lot [if I ever get some extra time I plan to try MemTest86+, since it's so highly recommended - so I don't have any "hands-on" experience with MemTest]. If the test is a "Burn In Loop" or "Extended Test" of some sort, many such tests will run indefinitely until you cancel the test.

Look in the Help files for the errors that you received - if they only happenned on one loop, but not on any others, the explanation might be in the help files. The fact that you did receive errors might indicate that you'd have better luck with either different memory modules, or trying more conservative memory timing settings in your computer's Bios. If you haven't already tried it, see if setting the memory timings to "By SPD" (this can also be called "Auto Detect Timings" or some similiar wording)... then run you memory test again. If you're error free at that point, great. If you still get errors, and if that memory is under warranty, you can return it.
. . . . .
To clean the viruses that wouldn't clean while Windows was running in Normal mode, try:
1) Disconnect from any networks (unplug your Cat 5 cable if connected to a LAN or to a cable/dsl modem)
2) Disable System Restore (if you are running WinMe or WinXP) (if you're not sure how, click on the "Help" icon on your Start menu, and enter System Restore in the search box)
3) Start your computer in Safe Mode (tap your F8 key while the computer is starting up)
4) Run a complete system antivirus scan (while in Safe Mode). And if you have a specialized antispyware tool also, I'd recommend you run that also [AdAware & SpyBot Search-and-Destroy are well-regarded antispyware programs, and have "free for personal use" versions - you can find them at download.com, or at their home websites]
5) When done, reboot to normal mode. Scan again, and if clean you can re-enable System Restore.
. . . . .
If you still experience Random crashes, try different memory modules as your first fix. And try them on the AutoDetect or SPD settings first, before pushing the speeds. If any viruses didn't clean, even in Safe Mode = and if it was because they were in your C:\_Restore folder, there is a way to clean that (look at my reply in this thread about 5 replies into the thread): http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.p...133#post734133 .

Since so many files have had the opportunity to become corrupted by either virus, spyware, or memory problems - I think you might benefit from a repair install of Windows, followed by a visit to Windows Update (for security patches).

If you are on a broadband connection, make sure you have firewall, antivirus, and antispyware programs installed and running. Otherwise you will be repeating these cleaning steps on a regular basis.

If you get the system stable, I'd be interested to hear which tactic seemed to do the trick.

Best of luck
. . . Gary

[jra64]

well it looks like its gotta be the memory

ive exhausted all other possibilities:

ive taken off all viruses and adware
docmem wont run
memtest says i got bad sectors
and ive been autodetecting the memory settings all along

unless you guys have any other ideas im just gonna RMA it back because it SHOULD have a lifetime waranty

thanx again to the pc mech forum guys =)

cricket has been in every post ive ever needed help in and Gary was great in this one thanx again =)

btw how do i check what kind of ram i have from windows?

[GaryRouth]

Windows can tell you how much memory you have, but to detect the type, you'd need a third-party utility (In fact DocMemory and MemTest86+ might do that - - to tell you the truth, I've never looked, since I usually already know). SiSoft Sandra can detect memory types too, if my memory is right (not a sure thing!).

The best resource for choosing memory for a system is the information at the motherboard manufacturer's website - there's usually a test report that lists approved modules. Truthfully, as long as you know the type and speeds that the motherboard accepts, you're usually OK with matching modules from the better regarded brands. [One way to see who is getting good results is to look at posts on the motherboard's forums] If the system is the same as in your sig, you may have just been unlucky: Kingston is a good brand (since they are, you shouldn't have any trouble returning them). [... Did you previously use PC2700 DDR? (I'm guessing that the "2400" is a typo) . . . if you're running a 400 or 800 FSB, PC3200 is a good match]. If you notice other posts pointing to your model motherboard as being finicky about modules: I usually recommend Mushkin for such boards.

Sounds like a nice system you have: enjoy it once it's zooming along again.
. . . Gary

[p.s. ...if you need to check what module type the Kingstons are (for returning them) Kingston is usually good about having a nicely readable sticker with that info right there on the modules]

[jra64]

also when i go to my bios it says that im running:

200mhz fsb and
4x AGP

but my mobo says i should have:

800mhz fsb and
8x AGP

and i cant change settings in bios... Why?

and yes that was a typo it should be pc 2700 ram

[GaryRouth]

The 200mhz rating is OK. If you look in your Abit Bios Setup's "Soft Menu" settings (it's the first menu at the top of the list on the main Setup screen), you'll see an item called "N/B Strap Cpu As". I imagine that yours is set to "By Cpu", which is good. The p4 uses a "quad-pumped" Front Side Bus, so that 200mhz x 4 = 800mhz. That is the correct setting.

However, if your Radeon is an 8x AGP model, you'll need to adjust that setting. Go to the "Advanced Chipset Features" menu, then down to the item "AGP Data Rate Capability": this is the place where you can change the setting from 4x to 8x.

When you're done making that change, choose "Save Settings & Exit", so that your changes are saved.

This sounds like a recent system. If it wouldn't be that much difference in time spent, a complete clean install might be the safest bet (especially once you get the new memory & adjust your Bios settings -- and if you decide to reformat & start over, don't forget to disable the Bios Virus Protection just before installing Windows, and then re-enable it when you're done). If you've been online with no firewall and no antivirus, and memory modules that were acting up, it'd be hard to feel secure that the system is clean and uncorrupted without spending a pretty good amount of time scanning the files, and running the System File Checker.

That's a nice motherboard, and a frontline processor: once the setup is good and the files are clean, it shouldn't give you much trouble at all.
. . . Gary

[jra64]

ok i just got my new ram back from kingston and it STILL has the same problems. I havent run memtest yet but it still says same thing in docmem and still freezes on adobe premiere (to tell the truth it never really "froze" it just went VERY VERY slow doing things that it should do quickly and also used to do quickly... like play or even open up the project. If you truly need specifics on premieres behavior then i can have my brother post because he is the primary user of premiere... but the whole reason we wanted to fix this was premiere because he has a huge project he has been working on and he can't finish it w/out this...

So logically this leaves only one possibility i can think of... VIRUS sigh...

a couple of questions on reinstalling windows... my campus gives a free copy of windows xp which i run now... ive already reinstalled windows so i could get service pack 1 because remember my windows update crashes... but i kept the files and just reinstalled windows xp...

Edit: Premiere DOES freeze but according to the Task manager it is still responding... but we still can't effect it much...

Should i do a complete format?
How do i do a complete format if the windows xp installer is on my drive (remember i am using a copy of xp from my school and this is the only copy i have...). When i first built my comp a friend of mine let me use his install cds..

can i back up my files on other hard drives on the same computer or can the virus stay on those drives?

can i back up my files on other hard drives on the same network or can the virus stay on those drives?

i guess im just asking for directions on starting my comp over...

[jra64]

Hi! I'm new to these forums... I'm jra64's brother but I'm posting under his name...

I've been working on a video for like half a year on and off and when I opened my project today (Adobe Premier 6.0), it was running but really REALLY slowly... You could almost consider it frozen... Even when I opened a new project it froze on startup and took like 10 minutes just to load a blank timeline! It opens my main project easily but when I try to click somewhere on the timeline it freezes! Does anyone know what might cause a problem like this and how I could possibly resolve it. If I can't fix this problem half a year of work will have been lost! =/... I'm pretty worried here... I've heard reinstalling adobe and my video drivers would possibly help...

I've tried opening old 6.0 projects to see if it was just that my current project had SOMEHOW got corrupted... I have even tried making brand new Adobe Premier projects and still, when I open Adobe Premier projects they freeze when I try to play them or even click a time on edit line! So I try to clear the preferences file to force Premiere to create a new preference file the next time I load Premiere... That didn't work out very well... So I figured I would attempt to reinstall premier. I got the install file that I gave to a friend but when I tried to execute the file it gave me the following error message, "Attempt To Access Invalid Adress..."I finally concluded the reason I was getting this error was because my friend had a FAT32 system and I had a NFTS... However, I ran the file on another computer in my household (not the one I use Premier on) and it worked fine? So, logically, the reason I could not run the install file was NOT that I had a NFTS system, because it was running on another computer which DID have a NFTS system... *Sigh* this is becoming long... I thank you for continuing to read... I finally am able to run the install file in SAFE MODE on the computer that is having problems... I restart and try to open my project again and still, it runs very slow and sluggishly... What is weird is that it does not run sluggisly if I edit the video in SAFE MODE but this isn't a option because I cannot play or preview the file... I am unable to edit...

People at Digital Video Fuel told me I might want to look as far as disk corruption or even a memory fault or some other hardware related issue. So... I took their advice and told my brother about the issue... He then did some sort of memory test, and found that indeed he DID have problems... So he sent his RAM back to the manufacturer and got brand new even BETTER ram... Quite confidently, I opened up Adobe Premier only to find it behaving exactly the same way!

Here's what I have concluded is NOT the problem.

1) The project file is not corrupted... I've made a brand new project file and it still behaves the same...
2) It is not the Adobe Premier preference file... I've erased the preference file and forced Premier to create a new one...
3) It is not that I have a NFTS system.
4) It is not the RAM, because my brother just got BRAND NEW ram from the manufacturer, and it is still behaving unfavorably...

[GaryRouth]

Hi again

Sorry to hear you're still having trouble with the PC.

1) To truly rule out infections with viruses/spyware, see if you have the option to slave the problem drive in another WELL-PROTECTED computer [remove that computer from any networks when doing the 1st round of cleaning] and scan/clean from the Helper PC. By well-protected, I mean a computer with both real-time antivirus/antispyware titles with up-to-date definitions, and one that when on a network is behind a hardware firewall on the router end, and a software firewall locally on the PC. [Any other setup, and you risk infecting the host pc as well]. Should everything scan clean, you also have the option to make of copy of the video project = if it runs fine on the Helper PC, then your original setup - [hardware/software (possibly both)] - isn't right.

If you don’t have such options, scan as much as you can from Safe Mode with up-to-date definitions, and then try an online scanner as a double-check [such as HouseCall - http://housecall.trendmicro.com

2) Test the new memory as well. It's possible to get two bad shipments. It's also possible that the motherboard itself isn't right - whether it's a Bios setting for the timings, a corrupted Bios, or just a bad memory slot on the motherboard.

3) Test the hard drive - with diagnostics from the hard drive manufacturer's website [DataLifeGuard for a Western Digital, for example]

4) Go through the Bios Settings one at a time, with a manual in hand, and make sure the settings are correct for your components. If the motherboard manual isn’t helpful enough, you can try visiting Adrian’s well-regarded Bios Guide at http://www.rojakpot.com

5) Consider a repair install of Windows if the scans come out OK, and the hardware tests out OK. Make sure to get the right motherboard drivers installed.

6) Double-check that your hard drives aren’t stuck in a slower mode http://www.blackmaxpc.com/Guides/Enable_DMA.htm

7) Run the system with the case open to check the fans, and allow for extra cooling, just to make sure it’s not a heat-related “processor throttling” [if a P4 gets too hot, it will slow down to keep from going up in smoke] . . . and check the temperatures with either a Windows-based utility, or in the “Hardware Monitor”or “PC Health” menus of the Bios.
--------------------------------
How long (if ever) did this system perform well before it had the current problems? Is there an "always on" connection to this computer to the Internet? [such as DSL/Cable] And if so, is there a hardware firewall? software firewall? Antivirus/AntiSpyware programs? Windows Update patches are current?

Hope all is well soon.
. . . Gary