Need help with a major problem

LumiLumi
edited October 2003 in Hardware
Alright, I've had a problem for the past year or so that I've had to deal with because I was afraid it would be really expensive to fix, and wasn't 100% sure what the actual problem was. My computer has a sort of graphics glitch where little lines will randomly appear on my screen when looking at certain websites, screen shots or whatever. Mainly areas with active graphics like flash or whatnot. My computer would then lock completely and I'd have to reboot(this happens ALOT i.e 10+ times a day). I figured it might have been my video card considering it was a graphics problem, so I returned the video card and got a brand new replacement free of charge and the problem still occurs. Figured maybe it was the hard drive, so I did the same thing as my video card and returned it for a new one...problem still happens. Then I figured it might be my Operating System and that since it was a burnt copy that something might have fucked up and thats what was causing it. Well I loaded a different OS onto a brand new hard drive, same exact shit happens.

I know a bit of tech work and how to trouble shoot shit by checking each piece of hardware 1 by 1 and usually the motherboard is the last resort. Now that the motherboard is the only thing left that I think could possibly be wrong with my computer, I'm afraid to buy a brand new motherboard for 75$ then install it and find out it's not even the problem cuz I won't be able to get a refund on it. So I'm asking here to see if anyone would maybe know for sure what my problem is and be able to tell me before I piss money away. Hopefully someone has seen this problem before or knows enough to know how to fix it.


FYI : I posted this on another site and one of the people told me to check my ram saying that it usually tends to cause the most random problems. I took one of the sticks out, and the problem seemed to be fixed...for about 30 minutes I was able to do things that would normally make me freeze, then all of a sudden bam I froze again. Everyone else says its gotta be the motherboard but I'm just posting here to get some second oppinions.

Comments

  • stoopidstoopid Albany, NY New
    edited October 2003
    Originally posted by Lumi
    FYI : I posted this on another site and one of the people told me to check my ram saying that it usually tends to cause the most random problems. I took one of the sticks out, and the problem seemed to be fixed...for about 30 minutes I was able to do things that would normally make me freeze, then all of a sudden bam I froze again. Everyone else says its gotta be the motherboard but I'm just posting here to get some second oppinions.

    And this was exactly what I think too. You could have 2 separate issues, (1) the RAM causes the visible lines/glitch, (2) the video card or another component (cpu, chipset) is overheating and causing the reboots.

    I can't tell you with 100% certainty replacing the mobo will solve the problem because the CPU has yet to be swapped, but with one issue resolved (the visible glitch) you know that particular stick of memory is probably defective, but now it's time to turn your attentions to the lockup issue.

    Other possibility is the power supply rails dropping too low. What's your power supply rating? Also, do you know how to get your case and cpu temps?
  • LumiLumi
    edited October 2003
    Well see, I took the one stick of memory out and the problem only went away for a little bit, the lines are still there and the computer is still locking up completely no matter which stick is in. Once the lines come up on the screen, odds are I'm going to freeze up and have to reboot, my comp isn't rebooting on its own.

    I think you can get the temps by looking in the BIOS, never really checked tho, and from what I know when I bought the power supply it was more then enough, but no I don't know its rating nor how to find out what its rating is.
  • stoopidstoopid Albany, NY New
    edited October 2003
    You would have to check the actually power supply label by looking inside the PC to find out the voltage of each rail and total wattage of the unit.

    I misunderstood about the memory swap so I guess we're still at square 1.

    The fact you get a little time before the PC locks from startup, then it's starting to look more and more like a temp issue. Try running your PC with the case off and maybe even open a window (assuming it's cooler outside than in) and see if your condition improves (see if you can get a hour without freezing).

    If the power supply is insufficient, the only way to troubleshoot is to try another power supply.

    I'm also assuming this is a non-overclocked system, correct?
  • verselloversello New
    edited October 2003
    Hey, check the Event Viewer

    -> Control Panel
    -> Administrative Tewls
    -> Event Viewer

    Sift through the Application or System log for anything peculiar that happened right before those symptoms you mentioned occured.
  • LumiLumi
    edited October 2003
    I COULD if I wanted to, go about 5 hours without freezing, just so long as I don't look at certain websites or screen shots or stuff like that.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited October 2003
    forget the guesswork with memory testing.. just download memtest86 and make a boot disk and test your memory the real way.

    www.memtest86.com
  • verselloversello New
    edited October 2003
    ok don't check the event viewer...
  • StrangerStranger
    edited October 2003
    Shut the machine down, get a flashlight and look at every square inch of the motherboard. Remove anything you need to so you can get a good view of all portions of the motherboard. Look for physical defects, specifically a burst or bulging capacitor. Other than bad memory, a bad mobo component could easily be causing these headaches.
  • TheBaronTheBaron Austin, TX
    edited October 2003
    im gonna say that once you run memtest before you do anything else you need to check your temps. if you can find out what motherboard model / manufacturer you have, chances are the manufacturer has temp sensing software (so you dont have to set up a third party utility). this looks like an overheating issue to me, but if its not your cpu, its also possible your northbridge is overheating... but check your temps first
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