Dead Men Walking

dMw Chit Chat => The Beer Bar => Technology Section => Topic started by: Blunt on March 08, 2011, 02:42:13 PM

Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Blunt on March 08, 2011, 02:42:13 PM
I've just sat down at my PC and tapped space to wake it up and nothing happened:sad:
The monitor light was on standby amber and the PC panel light was on.
after a few seconds the PC shut down.
I press the power button to re-start and the lights come on, the fans start up, but it shuts itself off after 10 seconds or so.
There's no beeps, the monitor light stays amber.
Any ideas?
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Tutonic on March 08, 2011, 02:59:19 PM
It's far too early for a LAN-disaster, can you come back in about 3 weeks?

Sounds like a potential power-supply problem. Have you got a spare you can swap in to test?
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Blunt on March 08, 2011, 03:02:30 PM
I was thinking PSU meself, just been up in the loft digging out my old one.

I did a great job with the cable management, it's gonna hurt undoing it all:(
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Tutonic on March 08, 2011, 03:09:23 PM
Quote from: Blunt;321142I did a great job with the cable management, it's gonna hurt undoing it all:(

Precisely why I keep mine so messy :P
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Gorion on March 08, 2011, 04:27:54 PM
It's probably the psu.

The other culprit for auto shutdowns is over heating, but unless you have some serious overclocking - it should last longer than 10 seconds (unless your bios settings have been modified).
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: GhostMjr on March 08, 2011, 04:57:15 PM
Is this after the new ram blunt that you were talking about?
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Blunt on March 08, 2011, 08:03:00 PM
Quote from: Gorion;321147It's probably the psu.

The other culprit for auto shutdowns is over heating, but unless you have some serious overclocking - it should last longer than 10 seconds (unless your bios settings have been modified).
It was the PSU.
I swapped an old one back in and it worked after a bit of messing with restore.

Quote from: GhostMjr;321149Is this after the new ram blunt that you were talking about?
No m8, that hasn't arrived yet.
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Tutonic on March 08, 2011, 10:01:41 PM
Grab yourself a Corsair PSU (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=701&catid=123&subid=1084) mate, they're the business.
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Blunt on March 08, 2011, 11:42:32 PM
Quote from: Tutonic;321188Grab yourself a Corsair PSU (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=701&catid=123&subid=1084) mate, they're the business.
That's what failed m8
"Corsair TX 650W ATX SLi Compliant"
1 year old
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: kregoron on March 09, 2011, 07:44:25 AM
Quote from: Blunt;321196That's what failed m8
"Corsair TX 650W ATX SLi Compliant"
1 year old

Eventho its made by Seasonic (awsome manufacturer), all manufactures can make a bad bunch, sadly you got one of the bad :( the TX650 is a good PSU and ALMOst never dies, isnt it still within warranty?
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Snokio on March 09, 2011, 08:09:45 AM
Yeah, what he said!! Corsair have long warranties (5-7 years IIRC), think you can check online?

Sent from my GT540 using Tapatalk
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Tutonic on March 09, 2011, 08:15:27 AM
Quote from: Blunt;321196That's what failed m8
"Corsair TX 650W ATX SLi Compliant"
1 year old

Bummer, you should at least be able to get it replaced under warranty.

You can submit an RMA request to them here (http://www.corsair.com/support/technicalsupport).
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Blunt on March 09, 2011, 10:25:25 AM
I RMA'd it last night.
I'm pretty sure it's a lifetime warranty, but even if it's not, I'm sure I will be covered at 13 months.
Thanks for all your advice chaps:)
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Blunt on March 09, 2011, 08:59:01 PM
Still having problems, I'm wondering if it's the Motherboard.

it's a Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD2 Intel P55 (Socket 1156) DDR3 microATX

It's still crashing whilst doing various tasks...starting up BO or BC2 and it just switches off...I managed to play a bit of HL earlier though.
Running windows memory test crashes it too.

I have noticed that the 4 memory lights do not stay on after it's booted up, when I switch on the 4 light come on, 2 red & 2 green, but they go out after a few seconds. should they be on or off?
I'm sure they used to stay on all the time:blink:
I've also heard a feint click during boot...sort of like an electrical spark type noise, can't locate the source though.
Any thoughts?
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: DrunkenZombiee on March 09, 2011, 09:27:36 PM
You mentioned your cable management earlier....

Are you running cables between the MOBO and your case? I had a friend once who managed to melt some wires by threading them between the MOBO and backing plate of the case somehow. Caused all sorts of issues and was hard to Diagnose as it was shorting out tracks on the back of the MOBO so loads of weird stuff was happening.

Also, might be worth checking all power connections on the MOBO and your GFX card to make sure they all are in really firmly. Even fan headers and re-re-seating the CPU. May be worth giving the GFX card a one over too as your having problems with high end games. You got any mates that can test your GFX card for you? If you have a spare fast PCI-e might be worth swapping it over to see if it makes a difference.

Once you have given it a good service and are sure just RMA it. Need to rule out other causes first though.

Hope this helps.

DZ.
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Tutonic on March 09, 2011, 09:52:55 PM
Have you checked your CPU & GPU temperatures? Overheating would cause the system to suddenly power down as you describe.

It's also worth downloading a copy of Memtest86 (http://www.memtest.org/) and letting it do a full test cycle, to rule out any RAM issues.
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Blunt on March 09, 2011, 10:18:08 PM
DZ, I have fiited a different PSU to eliminate that, and the only cable that runs under the MoBo is the DVD sound cable which I have checked ok (really thin and loosly fitting, so not jammed in)
I've re-seated RAM and GFX card several times today (my new RAM turned up today so I tried that with no luck; It's now out and the old stuff back in)
Tut, I'll dl and try that prog, but I fear it will crash the PC the same as windows mem-test.
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Blunt on March 09, 2011, 10:23:27 PM
how do I get this Memtest thingy to work?
all it seems to want to do is burn a copy to my dvd (done)
there is no idiots guide on the site

edit ok so I boot from dvd...here goes

Crashed whilst testing.:(
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Tutonic on March 10, 2011, 12:51:03 PM
Quote from: Blunt;321250how do I get this Memtest thingy to work?
all it seems to want to do is burn a copy to my dvd (done)
there is no idiots guide on the site

edit ok so I boot from dvd...here goes

Crashed whilst testing.:(

So you might have a bad memory DIMM somewhere. I reccomend testing each stick seperately and see if the crash only happens with a particular DIMM.

The really horrible scenario is that you have a borked memory controller/CPU, which is much harder to diagnose.
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Blunt on March 10, 2011, 01:29:09 PM
Quote from: Tutonic;321274So you might have a bad memory DIMM somewhere. I reccomend testing each stick seperately and see if the crash only happens with a particular DIMM.

The really horrible scenario is that you have a borked memory controller/CPU, which is much harder to diagnose.

OK, here's what happened in the order that it happened:

PC shut down (crash) Tuesday afternoon
won't re-start
different PSU fitted
PC restarts ok
managed to play BO ok (Tues evening)
new RAM arrives
Fit new RAM and PC shuts down in game load (BO & BC2)
Swap old RAM back in and PC still shuts down on game load.(at this point I notice memory lights go out after start-up, this may have been the case earlier but I didn't notice)
HL2 seems to run fine.
PC shuts down on memory test

Running CPU-Z the memory is showing up ok.

I fear that you may be right and the mem controller is borked.
I don't know what to do now:blink:
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Gorion on March 10, 2011, 05:59:52 PM
Hmm, it could also be a faulty memory slot, or the mobo firmware needs an update.

Try using 1 ram dimm and alternating it between all the ram slots available when they crash.  Rinse and repeat with all dimms on all sockets.

P.S, check your temps on the north and southbridge as well.


While you're there.  Change any IDE and FDD cables.
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Snokio on March 10, 2011, 06:50:27 PM
could possibly be graphics card, check the temps in catalyst, also run the intel CPU diagnostic test to rule that out
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Blunt on March 10, 2011, 07:44:33 PM
CPU Temp is fine, as are core temps.
All diagnostic tools seem to crash the PC after a few minutes.
It then takes a few tries to get it started again.

I'm taking it to a PC repair man tomorrow as he will have the spare parts to swap in to find out what is wrong.

I'm going to have a look for the latest Mobo firmware, but I'm a bit overwhelmed by the choices on the Download page (http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3287&dl=1#utility)s
I'm on version F6 atm
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Tutonic on March 10, 2011, 08:52:10 PM
QuoteI'm going to have a look for the latest Mobo firmware, but I'm a bit overwhelmed by the choices on the Download pages
I'm on version F6 atm

Version F7 says it improves memory compatibility, so a BIOS upgrade has got to be worth a shot.

The latest for your board is version F11: ftp://download.gigabyte.ru/bios/motherboard_bios_ga-p55m-ud2_f11.exe

Check your motherboard's manual on how to install it, it differs across manufacturers (I can install mine from within Windows using an Asus application - Gigabyte might offer something similar).
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: kregoron on March 10, 2011, 09:32:50 PM
Gigabytes P55 boards was very picky in the beginning memory wise. I had some issues with my old Gigabyte P55A UD7 board, but firmware upgrades solved a fair few of those issues, try giving it a go.

Tho a heed of warning, if the board is insanely understable and crashes while updating the firmware it could end up being not so good ;)
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Lee on March 11, 2011, 03:10:13 AM
I had similar problems with my old system too. I did experiment with overclocking when I first had it although I didn't change the voltage or attempt drastic clock speeds so that shouldn't have damaged the components. I returned it to stock fairly soon swiftly. Anyway, I had two PSUs (Corsair too) that died, a graphics card that died and a DIMM slot wouldn't work. Only thing that wasn't replaced was the motherboard (Gigabyte 965P-DS3P rev 3.3 coincidentally). My audio card was also playing up although I know that this was unrelated. I think I must have just had a dodgy board as all the other components were swapped.

TL : DR: Have you tried any overclocking? Worth ruling out I suppose. I wouldn't be suprised if it's a dodgy motherboard however.
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Blunt on March 13, 2011, 02:56:39 PM
Well, I'm back up and running. (touch wood)
some weird stuff went on in my PC and I don't think I'll ever get to the bottom of it:blink:
The PC repair man reseated the CPU with fresh paste, reseated all other components and flashed the BIOS, and told me it was all fine.
I brought it home thinking that my problems were over.
But, when I turned it on it went into an infinite repair loop and I couldn't even get windows to start.
fortunately I did get the option to open command prompt and from there I managed to install windows again.
Strange thing is, it installed a fresh windows 7 and when I looked in explorer there was a file called Old windows.
this contained all my previous system:blink:
I've deleted that now and reinstalled new copies of programs etc.
fingers x'd
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Snokio on March 13, 2011, 09:19:53 PM
I think it always keeps 'old windows' when install over a operating system (Instead of from scratch)
 
It does sound like hdd / SDD / RAM to me.
 
Try running HDTune to test the HDD's if you can
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: kregoron on March 14, 2011, 06:38:23 AM
You explained you fitted a new PSU? what did you swap in it?
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Tutonic on March 14, 2011, 08:30:47 AM
QuoteThe PC repair man reseated the CPU with fresh paste, reseated all other components and flashed the BIOS, and told me it was all fine.
I brought it home thinking that my problems were over.
But, when I turned it on it went into an infinite repair loop and I couldn't even get windows to start.

Sounds like a BIOS setting was stopping Windows from booting, almost certainly a SATA setting.

After you install Windows you can't change the SATA operation mode in the BIOS (eg, IDE to AHCI), doing so produces a reboot loop as you describe. Flashing the BIOS might change this setting.
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Blunt on March 14, 2011, 10:31:32 AM
Quote from: kregoron;321423You explained you fitted a new PSU? what did you swap in it?
I swapped in my old PSU (FSP FX700-GLN) which seemed to fix it at first but it didn't make much difference in the long run.
Quote from: Tutonic;321427Sounds like a BIOS setting was stopping Windows from booting, almost certainly a SATA setting.

After you install Windows you can't change the SATA operation mode in the BIOS (eg, IDE to AHCI), doing so produces a reboot loop as you describe. Flashing the BIOS might change this setting.
I think it needs a flash of the BIOS, but I'm going to wait a few days to make sure the system is stable.
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: kregoron on March 14, 2011, 11:32:30 AM
You old PSU might not be able to handle the strain for the system.
because as soon as you start to test the system it crashes, and stressing the system (benchmarks, tests, games and so on) increases the demand for power and if its not capable of delivering.
 
But it could still be a number of other reasons.
 
The reason for your endless loop might just be a broken install so a fresh install might solve it.
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Blunt on April 06, 2011, 02:29:26 PM
Well, my PC woes have returned:(
This morning I was using the PC and all was ok. I came back to it after an hour or so and it had shut down/off.
I turned it back on and the fans fire up for a few seconds then it shuts down and after a few more seconds it tries to start up again, ad infinitum.
I'm going to try another PSU later, but I fear it could be worse than that.
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: Blunt on April 11, 2011, 03:38:20 PM
I took my PC to a local reputable PC repair company and they sorted it.
It turns out that my pc doesn't like to hibernate, or rather, It loves to hibernate...
so much that it won't come out.
The PC repair man Bypassed hiberfil, booted normally and disabled hibernate and took it off the start menu.
Nearly £50 poorer, but :D:D:D
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: DuVeL on April 11, 2011, 03:40:46 PM
Shoot you tonight then Pete!
Title: AAAARGH! PC problems
Post by: BrotherTobious on April 11, 2011, 04:23:58 PM
Glad your going to be back mate :)