overclocking issues, PC stops responding, PS issue?

ok... where to start...

i built a PC back in July of last year. sourced all my parts from TigerDirect.

when i built the PC, everything worked fine. the only thing was there was a terrible humming/squealing from the power supply. (at least i think it's the power supply).

i got a virus/spyware the other day and have been working on fixing it via the Remove Malware forum here.

the other day, i got a CPU fan error which happened once and then went away. the next day i got a Intel CPU uCode read error or something like that, which happened every few times i started the computer. i just pressed F2 to continue and everything worked normally. then, the next day i started getting 'overclocking failed' error messages (and i am not overclocking). that worked ok for a few times, but then i would get to a point where the PC would boot, get into Windows and start loading startup programs, and the PC would freeze at the desktop before any startup programs had been run. the mouse just freezes, i can't Ctrl+Alt+Del out, i have to do a hard reboot.

i read some threads at different forums that suspected the power supply. i took the hard drive out of my 'new' PC and put it into my old one, just to see what would happen. it looks like the BIOS on the old one doesn't support WinXP, so it wouldn't boot, although it tried.

i put the hard drive back into the 'new' PC and tried to boot and now the PC doesn't even see the HD. also, when i go into BIOS setup, the computer freezes after a few minutes, and i can't soft reboot from there either, and i am still getting the overclocking error message at POST.

i realize that swapping the HD from the new to the old to the new PC may have screwed up the boot record. i do have a Maxtor boot record CD around here somewhere (although i can't put my hands on it, of course, because i need it...).

i put my Windows XP disk into the CD drive to try to boot from there, but that also hangs after a while of loading the drivers into memory.

the power supply is an Ultra 400w 24-pin PS powering an ASUS mobo, Pentium D 2.8GHz chip, CPU fan, CD drive, nVidia graphics card, and a Western Digital 30GB HD.

i am guessing that it is merely a coincidence that i had (have) a virus/spyware problem and the computer going flaky on me.

1. does this sound like a PS issue to you? the CMOS battery is brand new (about 1 year), and the computer hangs whether it's in Windows or BIOS (and the PS fan was making terrible squealing noises since i bought it). i eventually got used to it, and now when it finally kicks the bucket, i find out that my warranty just ran out 15 days ago. ya snooze, ya lose...

i do have a voltmeter and could do some testing on a PS molex connector if needed. i just need to know what to test, what to look for.

2. if i do need a new power supply and get one, how should i fix the boot record on the HD? should i remove the CMOS battery and just start from scratch and let BIOS auto-detect everything?

any help appreciated. thanks. this could not have happened at a worse time. (i am on my laptop, BTW)

 

If the bios does not see the hard drive, I would try connecting it to your other computer as a slave drive.
Depending on your operating system in the old computer, you should be able to see it in the management console, under disk management.
If it has NFTS, and your old drive csnnot resd it, it will not matter, as long as it is recognised as an extra hard drive- otherwise it could be the hard drive that has failed- it's usually a sign of dead/dying hard drive, when the bios cannot detect it.- Did you notice any clicking noises?

 

update:

on first boot (attempt) after the PS has been off for a while, i get POST and 1 beep and the system will look for the HDD and give me the 'overclocking' error, and tell me to select the proper boot device or insert a bootable disk. i insert the WINXP CD and it gets to where it's checking my system configuration, and then just hangs. can't Ctrl+Alt+Del out.

on second boot (right after shutting down manually) i don't get POST or a beep. i get nothing. the HDD spins up, but that's it. i get nothing on the monitor at all.

if i wait a while, i will hear a single 'click' from the computer (mechanical sound, not electronic) and then the computer will start as above in the first instance. is the PS overheating and when it cools to an acceptable temperature, it allows me to start it again? whenever it hangs, it is within the first 5 minutes of use. maybe even the first 3 minutes. the mobo power light is lit up, so there is 'some' power. i just don't get it.

also, the squealing from the PS is directly related to the CPU fan turning on. if i manually stop the fan, the squealing goes away. however, the noise is coming from the PS, not the CPU fan. when the computer was working, sometimes every little mouse move would produce a chirp from the PS/CPU fan. just thought that might help with diagnosis.

also, this is a related rant... when i looked online for replacement PS's, all the retail store sites (Circuit City, Best Buy, etc.) have these low-priced high wattage PS's, but when you call, they are completely out of stock at both the warehouse and the local store, but of course they have a $179 PS that you can go pick up right now. what a scam.

 

It might be best to start with the basics, as when you did not get a beep on startup, it could be memory, but almost anything.
If you can get into the Bios, set to default, click f10, click Y , click enter.
If you canot get into the Bios, I would disconnect everything, (CD/DVD ROMS, HARD DRIVE, AND ANY PCI CRDS, AND ONLY START WITH ONE STICK OF RAM.

 

thanks. i am able to get into BIOS and i changed it to restore default values. i get POST/1 beep, HDD spins up, the screen that asks if i want to start in Safe Mode, SM w/Networking, Last Known Good Config, etc. i chose Last Known Good.

Windows XP splash screen comes up, little meter underneath eventually freezes (and CPU fan/PS start making lots of noise).

considering i got a CPU fan error, overclocking errors, a noisy PS and the machine is freezing up, would that lead you to believe it's the PS and/or the CPU fan? that's the way i'm leaning.

and there is definitely a time interval between when i get POST and no POST when rebooting.

i checked all the connections. everything is in tight.

thanks.

 

As you have the single beep, and get so far, I would look at the cpu fan, to see if it has a lot of play (press the fan bladesfrom side to side- rock it gently).
Having checked the rest, I would agree that it could be the cpu overheating because of a faulty cpu heatsink cooling fan.- This could be the overclocking warning, -the system mistaking a faulty fan, (which makes the cpu run hot) as overclocked.
Have you a replacement for the heatsink fan ?

 

i checked the CPU fan, it doesn't seem to have a lot of play (or ANY play, really). and no, i don't have a replacement as i would have tried it.

but i would think that a CPU fan would be less expensive than a PS, so maybe i'll just go pick one up and give it a try.

thanks.

 

Ther are virus' about that will make you computer play up, but as you cannot get into Windows to run the full check (Malware read me file, and Major Attitudes advice page), We can try all the tests.
The noises, were fairly obvious probabilities, so a cpu fan replacement, and quite possibly the psu, if it is stll noisy will eliminate those.
As you passed post, the memory should be o.k- you can run memtest86(download from majorgeeks to check it once up and running)
The video card is working sufficiently to give you options screen, so again, it can be tested once up and running, if needed.
However, as you said you had/have a virus, a format and re-install can save a lot of time, and save wasting money, unless you have data you value highly left on the PC.- I would consider that , if you can live without any data you have on the PC, and have your Windows cd.

 

i'm with you... i would love to wipe the whole drive and start over, but i have many things on there that i need. i was hoping to be able to run the computer long enough to back this stuff up, but it's almost impossible.

what has happened since last time is: i removed the CPU fan and the top of the heatsink was caked with dust. i cleaned it all out and went and bought some thermal conductor paste (Arctic Silver 5) and applied it according to the mfr's directions. i have been watching the CPU temp in BIOS and it fluctuates between 54C and 60C. i also turned on the option to allow the fan to spin at higher speeds, if necessary. but even with all this, i am getting the same Overclocking Failed error. i also have a small house fan blowing into the chassis.

i am able to boot into Windows (every other boot and it seems to take a LONG time), but after a while (5 or 10 minutes) the system just freezes. i wish i could determine what exactly is happening. is there a program or windows utility that logs everything?

i do have viruses/spyware - Vundomonde and Smitfraud for starters. but i can't even run my computer long enough to get rid of them. there are instructions waiting for me in the Malware forum, but as i said, i can't do anything about them.

i tried putting the WinXP disc in the DVD drive to see if i could Repair Windows, but when i launch the disc it tells me that the version on my HDD (XP SP2) is newer than the one on the disk (XP SP1). then i tried booting directly from the disc and the system froze as Windows was loading drivers into memory.

when i was doing the virus removal (no problems with the computer before this whole virus thing, BTW) i did poke around in the registry, but did not change anything. i have done registry editing before, so i know what NOT to do. but something is seriously going on with this computer.

i just read something about Asus mobo's and a manufacturing defect on certain boards. i am going to check mine to see if this defect is present. here's the picture if you're interested.
http://web.archive.org/web/20040227200251/http://koti.mbnet.fi/~nightops/eki/DSC00249.JPG

but again, this all started when the virus/spyware happened. confused

thanks for sticking with me.

 

UPDATE

i managed to get the PC running for a couple hours. i have no idea why it worked, it is absolutely puzzling - but i was able to remove the malware in that time.

i found out that Firefox was not working, so it was advised for me to uninstall/re-install Firefox. i had rebooted the PC successfully a couple times and was almost convinced that it was 'fixed'. but the last time that i rebooted, the BIOS could not see the hard drive. that happened 3 more times. then, miraculously, it found the hard drive and started Windows and then froze within 10 seconds. ARRRGGGHHH!!! :cry

i have no idea what is wrong with this thing. i have reset the BIOS to default parameters a number of times. do you think the BIOS needs to be re-installed/updated?

thanks.

 

Tried a Linux Live CD or Rescue Disk ?

 

It is worth a go, if it will stay running long enough, and does,nt shutdown.

If you have got rid of your malware, that's a bonus.
The motherboard looks llike it has overheated, as two of those spots appear to has melted/softened, and one of those 4 spts is touching (possibly almost touching a point on the motherboard, that might be causing a short circuit, even only now and again.
I would try a download for testing cpu/motherboard from majorgeeks- I will have to look it up for you- if your system stays on long enough, to run it.

Either way, I suggest if at all possible copy your data to cd, even a bit at a time.

I use a usb to IDE connection, which costs around £12- £16 when really necessary, with that you could copy files to your laptop.
Meanwhile,Linux Live CD, is a free download, if you want to try it.
I will find links for these bits, and come back, shortly.
As its important to save your data, I would concentrate on that before stressing your system with tests.

 

Knoppix (Linux Live CD- just click the Union Jack for English

http://www.knoppix.org/

 

USB TO sata/IDE Adaptor- you can look elsewhere if you wish, just an example.


http://cgi.ebay.com/New-USB-2-0-to-...ryZ74941QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

A good program for checking out your system.
SiSoftware Sandra Lite 2007 XI.SP4a
http://majorgeeks.com/SiSoftware_Sandra_Lite_d4664.html


http://www.majorgeeks.com/Memtest86_d4226.html

 

As your system is very unstable at the moment, Iwould wait before updating the Bios.
You cleaned the cpu fan/heatsink, and found improvement, so inhouse cleaning, might also help more- an airasol can of compressed air -WHEN COMPUTER IS COLD, TO AVOID CONDENSATION- to blow out around all internal parts , carefully,might help get it running longer.

 

that's not a picture of my motherboard. that's just a picture of an Asus mfring defect i found on the web. i need to check my mobo to see if it has this defect.

i had disconnected everything (memory, HDD cables, etc.) and reconnected everything just to make sure everything was seated correctly.

i actually had the computer running for over 8 hours straight last night. ???

i had a small house fan blowing into the open chassis the whole time. i have been monitoring the CPU/mobo temp off and on, and it never gets to the point where it overheats, even without the small house fan blowing into the chassis. so i just don't get it...!

but when i went to bed i left the computer on (and took the fan to bed with me) and i when i woke up i looked at the screen and the computer had frozen 3 minutes after i removed the small house fan from the chassis! but if the CPU/mobo is not overheating even without the house fan in front of it, i don't see why taking the house fan away from the chassis would cause it to freeze. obviously the house fan is doing *something*. the CPU and PS fans are both working normally, so replacing them would not change anything. maybe i just need to buy a dedicated house fan for the computer.

the 8 hours i had it running was enough time to back up everything i needed, plus i defragged the drive.

i will download the utility you mentioned to see if that gets me anywhere. i need to know what happens *just before* the computer freezes. i'm starting to wonder if it's a bad capacitor. i've looked at all of them and they look fine, no obvious sign of damage, leaking, swelling, etc. this is absolutely bizarre! (but it's certainly not the first time i've run into a bizarre PC problem).

 

If you can now stay in Windows longer, Right click My Computer, click manage, in system tools, click Event manager, click applications, double click the yellow triangle faults, and see what they indicate , and post back.
Have you got any case fans-front and Back- as these can help keep motherboard cooler. Sysoft will tell you a lot about how your system is running- but don't benchmark anything , yet, as you don't want to push it before analysing.