My PC keeps playing up

[Lozzy_Ozzy]

In the past few days, my PC just randomly crashed.

The first incident (seemed to be) when I was playing a demo of Codename Panzers: Phase 2 (not the first time), when the dreaded blue screen came up, with something about a critical error, and something about dumping physical memory (it was too fast to read any more).

Then my computer restarted.

Over the next few days my PC has just randomly forzen, with no given reason, and it didn't seem t o matter what I was doing.

The blue screen (with the same message) has appeared about 4 times after that, and my PC must have crashed around 30 times for the whole family.

It seems to be related to the temp. and stickiness at the time though (of the room, not the PC), and having good ventilation seems to have helped, though not stopped the problem.

I don't know if it is something to do with the fan or whatever, but that always used to work fine, and I have only had the PC for a few months.

BTW, I looked inside, and everything *seemed* OK to me...

Any help would be much appreciated, and of course I will try and give you more info if you need it .

 

[Sadan01]

G'day mate,

Just a couple of quick questions first up:

1. What version of Windows is being used on the PC?
2. Is the fan at the back of the PC working fine? If you put your hand at the back of the machine, can you feel "warmish" air coming out the back of the PC?
3. If the computer is continually getting BSOD's (Blue Screen of Death), then we have to get the error it is displaying. If the BSOD is appearing frequently, chances are it will be the same BSOD each time, instead of a different error each time. Follow these steps (if using Windows XP or 2000):

a. Go into the Control Panel and into System.
b. Click the Advanced Tab.
c. Under the section entitled "Startup and Recovery", click the Settings button.
d. On the new window, about half-way down, you'll see a section entitled "System Failure". Uncheck the option to "Automatically Restart" the PC.
e. Click OK, and OK to save the options.

The next time you get a BSOD, the error will stay on the screen. I only need the first 2 lines or so of information. You'll need to copy it down word-for-word. There will probably be a lot of numbers etc such as 0x????????... It might also say somthing like IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL or something similar. There are many types of BSOD (especially in WinXP) so it is very difficult to troubleshoot without knowing the exact error.

The rest of a BSOD is a memory dump which is largely irrelevant in this case. In fact, generally only Microsoft will request a memory dump for bug-tracking and that kind of thing...

Good Luck

Sadan01

 

[King Alexander]

Well, when I got BSOD's a while back, it was also displaying messages like IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL and other such messages, and it turned out it was my RAM that caused the problem. I just bought quality RAM(with lifetime guarantee) and I have no problems since.

Of course, these problems can be caused by another hardware device.

Anyway, just download Memtest86(it's free), follow the instructions(and boot from a disk), and have it make a test on your RAM(Esc to get out, and don't forget to change the boot once again). If you see no errors(in the "error" tab) after the test has been completed for 1 time, you're fine(1 time is enough to see if there're any problems).
Beware: if you have 2 RAM's, test each of them separately each time. I think, the test isn't 100% accurate on mainboards with integrated graphic prossesors.

 

[Lozzy_Ozzy]

@Sadan01

1. XP
2. Yes
3. I will do that, and report back when (if) it happens again.

And it is most definately the same BSOD every time.

@King Alexander

Thanks, I thought it might have been the RAM, but I am not sure.

I downloaded that program, but it doesn't want to install, I will try and see if it was the latest version.

Thanks to both of you .

 

[Joeb WK]

EDIT-I have recently been informed that the earlier post was incorrect and it was hardware that caused the fault.

 

[Lozzy_Ozzy]

Ahhh, I see I need to put it onto a disk .

Awwwwwww, I don't have a floppy drive! .

I will have to make one on my sisters PC...

Tomorrow.

EDIT: That's kinda floored .

I will have to get the floppy drive from my old PC and move it into my new one.

 

[Sadan01]

MemTest86 is a great idea. You can also download CD images of MemTest from here (direct link) if that is any help, instead of having to get that floppy drive.

 

[Lozzy_Ozzy]

Great thanks .

I will do that tonight.

 

[Lozzy_Ozzy]

Test 7 of Memtest found 25155 errors, there were no others.

Here is a description of what test 7 tests for:

Test 7 [Random number sequence]

This test writes a series of random numbers into memory. By resetting the seed for the random number the same sequence of number can be created for a reference. The initial pattern is checked and then complemented and checked again on the next pass. However, unlike the moving inversions test writing and checking can only be done in the forward direction.

 

[Lozzy_Ozzy]

Aha! Finally another BSOD (never thought i'd be saying that)!

Excluding all of the usual banter, this is what it said:

DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

[it then reccomends you to remove any new hardware, of whivh there is none, and] Disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing

Technical information:

*** STOP: 0x00000001 (0x00000000, 0x00000001C, 0x00000008, 0x00000000)



Any ideas what I should do?

 

[King Alexander]

@Lozzy Ozzy: You don't actually need to have 25,155 errors to see if your RAM isn't working properly; just 1 error is enough.

You may get 1 BSOD every few months(especially, if you run many "heavy"
programs simultaneously), BUT if you get so many BSOD's every day, you surely have a problem there.

Just run MemTest86 again, and if you see any errors it'd surely be your RAM's fault(hey, I had to change both of my "unknown manufacturers' "old RAM's to get rid of the problem --- quality is everything, as it seems).

btw: I was also getting the "DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL" BSOD, among others.

If you do change your RAm and your problems continue, there might also be something else that is mufunctioning(but, at least, you found the first one!)

 

[Lozzy_Ozzy]

@Lozzy Ozzy: You don't actually need to have 25,155 errors to see if your RAM isn't working properly; just 1 error is enough.

You may get 1 BSOD every few months(especially, if you run many "heavy"
programs simultaneously), BUT if you get so many BSOD's every day, you surely have a problem there.

Just run MemTest86 again, and if you see any errors it'd surely be your RAM's fault(hey, I had to change both of my "unknown manufacturers' "old RAM's to get rid of the problem --- quality is everything, as it seems).

btw: I was also getting the "DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL" BSOD, among others.

If you do change your RAm and your problems continue, there might also be something else that is mufunctioning(but, at least, you found the first one!)

Thanks.

I checked again, and got the errors again.

I am going to get either of two types of RAM, but i'm not sure if they will be compatible with my PC as it was a retail PC (damn companies for making them incompatible).

I will also make a new thread about that, just to be sure (I am very precautious).

Once again, thanks! .

 

[King Alexander]

No problem; glad to help.

btw: Don't forget what I had mentioned in my first post: Memtest86 will not always give accurate results on some mainboards with integrated graphic processors(due to extra memory: you can't check that separetely, as with your RAM).

EDIT: nevermined, I just saw in your other thread that you don't have an integrated graphic processor.