PC Keeps freezing

here I am with another Problem from my desktop:

those are previous problems i posted about for the same PC:
- PC just stops im thinking hd problems
- Lost primary master after pc crash.html

So here I am trying to deal with a new problem caused by a power outage.

1st symptom: on user selection screen i noticed some black horizontal lines (about 2 cm long) and a few black dots, after logging in those marks were still there but there were others that werent showing on previous screen, odd thing is those marks dont apear when i open a folder or a program.

2nd symptom PC freezes after a few minutes i think it froze 4 times in 3 hrs.

3rd symptom all the "my documents" folder's text was blue although i don't have show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color enabled.

4th Symptom while checking the options folder said folders disappeared, I tried opening my Data disk and i got the message unavailable or not allowed (cant remember the exact term)

Right now I am scanning system Disk waiting to login windows so i can post screen shots and update any missing info.

 

scan disk complete - no errors
User selection screen - clean
Desktop - clean
User Document text - normal color
Access to Data disk - no error

as much as im pleased that the computer fixed it self, we are still far from AI, its the 3rd time i feel that the PC just fixed it self after a few hrs of being shut down, the 1st 2 times it seemed like the problem was less sever but today it seems 100% ok, although PC has been on for less than 10 minutes.

with the little info provided is it possible to guess what the power outage "broke" and was able to recover after around 6 hrs rest?

 

Are you running CHKDSK on all your different drives? It only checks one drive/volume at a time.

Lines/colours changing suggests the graphics adapter running incorrectly. Do you have Windows with Aero? That could be why things seem OK when you have a program window open. Try turning off the Visual Effects (set to Performance).

Have you checked your drivers? I suggest you find the chipset drivers the motherboard manufacturer offers for your model. They will "oversee" the graphics and the disk performance you seem to be having problems with. Don't rely on driver "detectors ". Find the correct drivers yourself from the hardware manufacturer's website.

It would be good to add your system details in your profile
http://www.windowsbbs.com/adding_system_specifications.html
Our suggestions could then be a lot more accurate.

Matt

 

1- chck disk: it froze at step 4 while scanning my data disk at that point i got frustrated (as mentioned above, it was freeze #4 in less that 3 hrs) so i shut down and left when i started pc later it went on with the scheduled system scan and found no errors.

2- Lines and bad marks when i first saw then i figured my monitor got worse as i have some "dead pixels" on it already. Aero? i have winXP SP3.

3- I will check for drivers both GPU and motherboard. (I don't trust the detectors either the way i see it if Windows requires a driver to know what hardware im using how can a detector know)

4 - System in Profile i use to have the specs of a Laptop i own but since most threads i been posting are for my desktop i decided to remove it, will add that too.

PS as mentioned in post number 2 it seems every thing is fine PC been on over 3 hrs and its running very well.

 

Sounds good, let us know how you go. If you are still getting problems, I would start doing as many tests and checks as possible (not that you haven't already, but it might be in an unlikely area).

 

one thing is for sure all the sources of my problems are "power failure" but every time the PC seems to be affected differently.

back to your last reply i noticed i have a generic driver for my mother board so step #1 is to find the manufacturer driver (can i rely on the information displayed in SIW to find the proper driver?), I am fairly confident that my Nvidia driver is the correct one but ill verify that as well.

there seems to be a problem in the way my drives are hooked up, SIW:
- Lists Disk 0: my data disk (but cant detect the drive letter)
- Lists CD-Rom 1: without the Manufacturer (its a Pioneer) and its Model as HDS722516VLAT20 which is the model of my Hitachi (the drive C) but Lists it as Drive D which is my optical Drive Letter.
- There is no 3rd entry (although i might be the cause of that: while solving one of my earlier problems I used the power cable of my optical drive and never hooked it back up)

hope this make sense not sure how else to explain it.

edit: i pluged the DVD writer and the SIW reading was fixed (except for manufacturer for both optical and Hitachi Drive)

 

MoBo driver:

SIW reading for MotherBoard: http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj175/nsalamoun/siw-Mobo.jpg


Driver Download Page

are those 2 different motherboards?
- P25G (V1.0A)
- P25G (V3.0)

so i should pick (V1.0A)? or is mine not even listed any more?

Edit: never mind i just realized i should look at the MoB and it says version 3.

Sry about this but the more i spend time on this site the less i feel i know what im doing.

 

The main worry I would have with a power failure is that the read/write heads in the HDD may smash onto the disk platters (I've had it happen).

If there is damage, CHKDSK may be trying to repair it and appears to have frozen. Set CHKDSK (Error Checking) to run again on that drive and be certain to set it to check the disk surface. Try leaving it to run overnight. You mentioned a "scheduled scan ", antiviruses have a scheduled scan, not CHKDSK, unless you have manually set it up. From Help and Support (sorry, modified from Vista)

It is not a branded system, like an Emachines or Packard-Bell?
Here are some links
Motherboard manufacturer
http://www.pcchips.com.tw/PCCWebSit...ver&DetailDesc=&CategoryID=1&MenuID=6&LanID=0
VIA
http://www.viaarena.com/default.aspx?PageID=420&OSID=1&CatID=1070
M-m drivers are dated 2005, VIA's are 2009 and may be more appropriate for running with SP3. You are not using the onboard graphics, so avoid installing the Unichrome drivers for it (and if they are installed now, I would take steps to uninstall them).

Power...if it keeps up, try borrowing a power supply from another computer. The motherboard is at the bargain end of the market and it probably dates from the days of dodgy capacitors. It could be damaged from the power problem.

Matt
PS I got held up posting this and I have just seen your last post. You are going well looking around for drivers.

 

scheduled scan: when you try to run chckdisk on Drive C you get a system message that it cant be done caus the drive is in use or something, andit asks you (or perhaps tells you) that Drive C will be scaned on next system start up.

PC froze @ step 4: i know sometimes PC hangs and its hard to tell if it froze or not cause oyu can still move the cursor with the mouse and togle caps, scroll and numlock on and off, but what i HAD been experiencing yesterday was total freeze nothing responded not the mouse, not the caps......

Power: Ive been wanting to buy an "offline UPS" system instead of those small ones that supposedly hold you PC on for 10-15 minutes, yesterday when my system messed up again i ordered a 3KVA Sine Wave UPS System.

btw thx allot for the detailed walk through.

 

Ah, I see now. Let me know if you want some other checks to try.

 

you mentioned that my PSU should be looked at (something the last tech who looked at this PC did mentioned but was too lazy to do)

anyways here are the voltage values as listed by:

SIW:

Everest:

if i should replace it what should i look for as far as power goes? as you can see in my displayed system i only posted brand not sure what model is or what output it has)

 

Sry for the double post but some internet issues are forcing me to use a proxy to access the latest posts of this thread:

as far as choosing a PSU my earlier question was too vague i been looking around and i think i got a fair idea on how to choose a respectable quality PSU what id like to know is how much i need as far as power goes? 350, 420, 600 etc...

all my hardware is listed except for the cooling kit I have attached to my WD drive.

as far as future upgrades to said PC only hardware I might change would be the Nvidia as it has passive cooling and even after the thorough cleanup and following the other recommendations I got from this board it still gets rather high temps.

 

What is the situation now? Are you still getting freezes? Did you get the chipset drivers installed? You need a good set of those drivers to read the sensor information correctly. SIW says the "Value" of the +12V is 6.40, Everest says it is fine. You should restart the computer and go into the BIOS/startup settings, there should be readouts there that I would trust more than the software ones. Both say +3.3 is at 2.66. I can't see exactly what that voltage is for, but if you have any PCI cards installed, try removing them.

As I mentioned, there was a stage where low cost capacitors were being used on motherboards, but they turned out to have a short life span (search about swollen or bulging capacitors). You can run out and buy a new power supply, but the problem still might be in the motherboard. I borrow the power supply from another computer to run tests. If you buy a new one, consider that it could be swapped into a new computer (because you won't find any more of those 478 Intel motherboards around).

[Even check that the fan in the PSU is spinning freely, of course, don't open it up, look through the exhaust grill.]

Here is a power calculator, make a note about what it says for generic types.
http://www.journeysystems.com/?power_supply_calculator

NVidia graphics card without a fan (passive), I consider trying to attach a fan to those. Another is to get a PCI slot fan which sits next to it (I had a graphics card with a fan and the fan broke, I have been using a PCI slot fan with it for several years now, although the temps aren't as low as they were originally).

I consider an nVidia 5200 as good graphics for business applications. If you play games, make sure it is not at the minimum end of the System Requirements. I mentioned reducing the visual effects (in Windows), you can also do that in applications and games. Most often you will find a Readme file on a game's CD that tells you about the best settings for some graphics cards.

Matt

 

ty Matt, the power calculator will be quite useful.