Windows Vista Games not Working + Powering Down Randomly

Hello.

Im new to this site but my friend gave me it to ask about my PC.

Right so whats wrong with my pc is that when i play games they will run for a short period of time and then they will minimize and i wont be able to open them back up untill i retart my PC but then the same again will happen.

There is also a problem where my PC will Stop working. The power is still going to it because the power light is still on but everything will stop and shut down

The Specs to my PC is:

Operating System

* Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium

Processor

* AMD Phenom™ X4 9000 Series quad-core processor with AMD 780G chipset

System Memory

* Supports DDRII 667/800 Dual Channel up to a maximum of 8GB

Graphics

* ATI Radeon™ HD 3200 Graphics
* 16X PCI Express graphics slot offering a choice of ATI Radeon or nVidia VGA solutions

Audio

* High-definition audio with 7.1 channel audio support
* Optimized Dolby® Home Theater® audio enhancement, featuring Dolby® Digital, Dolby® Pro Logic® II, Dolby® Headphone, Dolby® Virtual Speaker, and Dolby® Digital Live technologies

I/O Interface

* 18-in-1 memory card reader for Sony® Memory Stick, Memory Stick PROTM, CompactFlashTM Type I, CompactFlashTM Type II, SmartMedia (SM), Secure Digital (SD), MultiMediaCard (MMC) and xD Card. (plus 1 x USB port)
* Audio connections: Six audio jacks 7.1 channel support (rear), Lin Out - MIC In (front)
* Gigabyte (10/100/1000) Lan solution
* 8 USB2 ports with 4 in front
* USB Keyboard port, USB Optical Mouse port
* 1 Firewire port

Hard Drives

* 4 x SATAII HDD 3.5" bays
* 2 x 5.25" drive bays

Optical Devices

* DVD Burner dual and double layer with an option of a second DVD drive

Expansion Slots

* 2 x PCI, 1 x 1X PCIE, 1 x 16X PCIE

Also i have ran a AVG free Virus Check and it is coming up with nothing I was wondering if it is mabye a hardware problem or if vista just doesnt like me.

My friend also told me to post the Hijackthis file to see if that will help. Sorry for the amount of writing on this next part.

<SNIP>
Admin: No, we don't want/need a HJT log here.

Is there anything wrong with any of this and if so does anyone have a solution.

Many Thanks
D.Johnstone

 

The computer should have supplied with a drivers disk, those drivers may not have been installed. You can go to the hardware or system manufacturer's website and look for updates for the drivers.

The information you posted are general specifications, they don't mention the model number/s. This might give you more details:
http://www.windowsbbs.com/adding_system_specifications.html

The drivers that you probably need are the chipset, graphics and audio, but if you find updates, get any others, like network adapters.

Don't rely on Windows Updates or doing "Search for updates on the internet" for drivers, they can be wrong. Go to the hardware manufacturer's website and find the drivers there.

If you have installed Service Pack 1, you might want to try uninstalling it, then finding updated drivers before installing it again.

Matt

 

Hello Elitescotsman,

mattmans advice and pc lockup problem should take priority as this may also result in what, may be a secondary problem of game collapse or minimizing to taskbar. Taking care of priority problem may also take care of second problem.

But......
While I can't comment or add to mattman's advice on proper or updated drivers and pc lockup, I can add some very basic generic tshooting for the games minimizing to the taskbar, provided this also isn't or doesn't result in a pc lockup or isn't caused by outdated/improper drivers.

This can indicate some task that takes focus from games or demands immediate focus on a higher cpu priority. You should try running these games without unnecessary applications running at the same time. Shutdown, exit out off, or endtask on anything you don't need while playing the game. Use taskmanager and make note of what and how many running processes you have. When games collapse check taskmanager again and check to see if new process have started, or if something is using more cpu than usual.

I'll assume you are well aware of viral/malware infection and are using the proper procedures and programs to make sure your computer is clean and protected. While you mention AVG free, specifics are unknown as well as your knowledge and experience with such. "Having" and "using" are two different things. If this problem is new, a scan or two can not hurt, [online scan maybe?]. AVG is virus, what you doing for malware checks?

You may wish to check and read links and stickies in general security and subforum of virus/malware removal. Last time I checked these they included links, advice and software recommendations.

 

Sounds good to me Ann. Doesn't have to take any priority, investigate drivers and checking security can be done at the same time. Something hogging resources in the background is an excellent suggestion. Usually, when I hear "games ", I look at the drivers. Checking what is happening outside that environment should be invited.

Matt