help... computer freezes, shutsdown or restarts

[dTak]

well so far i've searched almost everywhere online.
this is my last resort before i have to reformat my computer again.

i had an HP computer, and my dad suggested i format it because it was really slow and all. then after formatting, it constantly keeps freezing, shutting down, restarting. the AVG anti-virus update won't update either.

i never opened the computer before so i doubt it's the hardware. i have FREE RAM XP PRO and i'm not low on ram. i ahve SPEEDFAN and it's not too hot. it just randomly freezes and i'm getting very irritated.

i tried ad-aware, norton, and everytime i run those programs the computer freezes. i check the ram, it's still 200 ram left. i check the temp and it's at 43. the mouse and the keyboard freeze. and i'm left with no other option but holding the powerbutton down to shut it off incorrectly.

AMD XP 2800+
512 pc2700 ram
nvidia2 chipset motherboard

what is the freaken problem?

[Dark Nova]

have you done a memory test? you can find it here: memtest.org

also did you try safe-mode, does it still freeze in safe mode?

[jayb1234]

If you have never opened the case and that machine isn't pretty new. you might have dust buildup causing overheating. Unplug it and everything connected to it from the wall sockets, hold the front power button in for a few seconds to dissipate any electrical charge and take a look inside. The easiest way to get rid of dust is to use canned air to blow it out. The 43 reading isn't bad for the processor, but something else might have a dust related heat problem.

[dTak]

okay i tried booting up my computer with safemode, it doens't freeze or restart. but once i put it back into regular, i can now do all the scans normally. i thought it was working fine but it started to freeze and restart again.

i used canned air and i'm pretty sure i took out all the dust inside the computer. it still happens..

[Dark Nova]

if you got to safe mode without restarting or suting down, its a good thing, well at least we know its not your hardware. its probebly a virus or some program, could be spyware. try spybot to remove spyware, if that and avg dosent find anything. you could try either a system restore or start eliminating programs one by one

[dTak]

i don't want to system restore because i did a lot of things in this computer that i can't afford to lose. the problem happend before i did any of this of course.

but i'll come back if i still need any more help. thanks.

[JJD2207]

Check your processor fan. That is.....the fan directly on top of your processor =). I had this happen to me where I opened the case on my HP and the fan wasn't running thus causing overheating. What you can do is, open the case, turn on the computer, and check to see if any of your fans are not running. If this is the case, either try plugging it back in or post back on here with your results.

[macko72]

It could be Hardware or Software failure because you said that it's working fine in Safe Mode.
Try testing you hardware (or if installed something new try reinstalling or just unplugin), and if you installed some new software (especialy Norton)try uninstalling!!!
One more thing use safe mode and uninstall one of antivirus softwares( Norton, AVG) you can't run two at the same time decide witch one you will use and uninstall the other and uninstall ad-awre while in safe mode and install it again afterwards!!!

If that dosen't help you will probably have to do reinstall, there is one thing you can check before you do reinstall open yours comp and visualy check condensators on your motherboard because they can cause frezing and force you to use power buton to restart, if they are faulty you will have to change mobo!!!

[glc]

System Restore does not affect data files.

Norton cannot be uninstalled in safe mode, it requires the Windows Installer service which does not run in safe mode.

Get rid of that Freeram program - or at LEAST stop it from running in the background. It USES ram to free up ram.

[macko72]

it requires the Windows Installer service which does not run in safe mode.

Windows Installer can be started manualy from service tab in administrative tool if required!!!

[dTak]

no it's not a fan problem. it's not a dust problem either.

i already deleted NORTON because i find that AVG is a better program to use.

i tried uninstalling AD-AWARE and reinstalling too, and that's not hte problem.

it can't be a hardware problem because it worked perfectly in safemode, and i never installed anything new and never opened the computer until i tried to CAN the whole thing.

[macko72]

Originally Posted by dTak it can't be a hardware problem because it worked perfectly in safemode, .

Just because it was working fine in safe mode it's most likely to be hardware issue!!!

[Dark Nova]

Originally Posted by macko72 Just because it was working fine in safe mode it's most likely to be hardware issue!!!

I disagree, if it works fine in safe mode there shouldnt be any problem with the hardware, maybe the drivers, maybe another program software, but the hardware works all fine.

[glc]

You are welcome to disagree, but I've seen it. Safe mode doesn't load drivers. If you have shaky hardware, it can still work. A weak power supply can be strong enough to run things in safe mode but not in normal mode. The ram or hard drive (which can both be tested with free diagnostic tools) could be having problems that don't manifest themselves in safe mode.

I'd certainly run all the hardware diagnostics I could before resorting to a reformat just to rule hardware problems out.

[dTak]

where can i get this diagnostic tool?

so there might be a change i might have to delete some programs? i'm kind of confused at that part. would a program ruin the hardware?

[glc]

Memory diagnostic, as already posted: www.memtest.org

Hard drive diagnostic - from the website of your hard drive manufacturer.

[GaryRouth]

. . . if the memory and hard drive pass their diagnostics, try running the computer with the case open, and enter the Bios Setup screens, and then view the power supply numbers [most recent systems have a Bios menu that will list temps and voltages]. If you have access to another power supply of equal or greater wattage, and from a decent vendor, that would be worth a try. [ Hp uses good supplies - for a list of power supply manufacturers, see this "sticky" thread from the General Hardware forum http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=131195 ]

Best of luck
. . . Gary

[dTak]

Wow. I did the diagnose test, and it turns out i have a harddrive failure.
At least now i know what the problem is.
Thanks GLC. thanks everyone else for your time.

[dTak]

Okay. I'm sorry i have to bring this subject up again.

But i got a new harddrive and it still shuts down. it doesn't freeze this time. It just restarts whenever. Sometimes it's not doing anything and it restarts. Sometimes i'm listening to music and it restarts, etc.

Any other solutions?

[macko72]

Turn off automatic restart on error and post error here!!!
Right click on My comp> properties> advanced> start up and recovery> and uncheck box by automaticly restart under system failure title!!!

[dTak]

I took off the automatic restart. now it freezes again. i did the diagnose test for the harddrive and it works fine. sigh. any other suggestions?

[macko72]

Do you get error message? Did you test yours memory? I would like to suggest that something is wrong with yours motherboard, first of you can check it visualy for any brocken(blown) condensator. Second try use some tools to diagnose the motherboard like this: http://majorgeeks.com/download273.html

[GaryRouth]

I'm also curious to know if you were able to get the memory diagnostics running OK.

If either the motherboard or power supply have problems, that too can cause freezing up. Question: was any significant hardware added to the computer beyond it's original parts? I'm especially curious about a new video card - these can require a lot more power, & the original power supply might not have enough juice to keep up a steady flow.

Another thing: have you tried running with the case open? The temp sensors reporting to SpeedFan might be misreporting the true temperatures. Try running the system with SpeedFan disabled (temporarily).

Also - with the power off, and the power cord unplugged: check that all the cards are well-seated in their slots. Do this carefully & gently - the connections are somewhat delicate. Poorly seated connections can cause mysterious freezing up (though less common nowadays) - I've heard of this with older sound cards coming loose.

And, lastly: did you copy the contents of your old hard drive over to the new hard drive, or did you do a fresh install of Windows XP?

. . . Gary

[p.s. -- I'm assuming SpeedFan is software (not a hardware device). If hardware, try letting the fans run at full speed. Also: another fine components testing/benchmarking program can be downloaded (there is a free-for-personal-use version) from the SiSoft Sandra folks http://www.sisoftware.co.uk ]

[dTak]

i started a fresh new windows.

i was diong the diagnose things but all the sudden the error screen popped up. it said something about having enough memory on the harddrive but that's not the problem. the other option was uptation in bios. i'm guessing that's the problem.

if i go to hardware monitor, it says that i need to install a SM BUS driver. but i don't know where to download that. if i click reinstall and download and install automatically, it says that it failed because they couldn't find any..

where do i download SM Bus driver?

[GaryRouth]

I hate to keep asking: but you really, really need to make sure the memory is OK. 100% OK = not just OK enough to get through Safe Mode, but OK enough to finish a stress test of an hour or two. Otherwise, all bets are off on any other troubleshooting that you try to do.

--> Was it the memtest86 memory module diagnostics that you were running when you received an error message? It doesn't make sense that the memory tests would give error messages that have anything at all to do with a hard drive: these diagnostics should run from a floppy, so it makes no difference what shape your hard drive is in: they can run with the hard drive absent, in fact.

If it was a hard-drive diagnostic, let us know what test it was & the exact wording of the error.

I'm not clear on what you mean to say by "the other option was uptation in bios"? Can you say this some other way, it's unclear as it is.

Also, by "fresh windows" - do you mean that you reformatted the drive, and attempted a clean install? Or? (A repair installation?)
__________________________

At this point, it's critical that you test the hardware, so that you don't spend unnecessary time worrying about drivers & operating systems. [The SMbus driver would be available for download from your motherboard maker's website - if you have their drivers CD around still, the version on there might do = it also might be a little old.]

If you haven't backed up your critical data yet: get that started. If the memory & hard drive test OK from floppy-disk based diagnostics, you still may want to try a different power supply. I'd even recommend a zero-write of the hard drive and starting all over completely from scratch. And not connecting to any networks, especially the Internet, until Windows is completely reinstalled, the motherboard drivers installed, a firewall turned on and configured, and antivirus software active. Then you'll head straight to Windows Update and get the Security Patches before anything else.

See if any of this helps get things going again.
. . . Gary

[dTak]

i'm trying to redo the memory test, but i don't know hwo to run the memtest.org one.. is there any other way of testing it? or can someone explain how to do it?

[GaryRouth]

Hi again

Do you have a floppy drive in your computer? If you do, download this file http://www.memtest.org/download/1.55...5.1.floppy.zip from memtest.org - save it to an easy-to-find location, and run it (you can double-click on it to run it). It will ask that you have an empty diskette in the drive, then it will create a bootable diskette with the memtest86 program set to run automatically. You boot your computer with the diskette, and the diagnostics screen appears. That's it. [You may have to change the Boot Order item in your computer's Bios Setup screens to have the floppy drive listed as the "1st Boot Device" - the language of this item varies quite a bit from computer to computer, but you should be able to find it.]

If you don't have a floppy drive, but have a CDRW drive, download the .iso image file and burn it to a CD with your Recorder software (Nero, Roxio, etc.), then boot the computer from that CD --- once again, making sure that the CDROM is now the "1st Boot Device" in the "Boot Order". Here's the .iso image download http://www.memtest.org/download/1.55...1.55.1.iso.zip

Here's a screenshot of what you should see (this is taken from a computer very much like yours = running on an nForce2 board) http://www.memtest.org/pics/nf2-big.gif

Try one of these methods, and see if things don't go better this time.
. . . Gary

[P.S. --- see if you can use a different computer than the troubled one to create the memtest86 diskette. The troubled machine might be too problematic to create a good diskette. Write protect the floppy after it's created, then try it on the troubled machine]

[macko72]

Or use windows one: http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp