Thought it was software, pretty sure now it's hardware...

So I have a Compaq Presario SR1650NX and about 2 weeks ago it started to either freeze, or restart randomly. It seems to happen a lot while the kids are playing Minecraft a Java based game, but sometimes it happens while surfing the net or even at the log-in screen (we have multiple accounts set up for me and the kids).

I've been thinking it might be malware or some other software issue, until I remembered that I have it set up as a dual-boot with Ubuntu Linux on the other partition. I haven't been using it because it wouldn't connect to the internet, and I've been too busy/lazy to find what the problem is.

I thought if I use Ubuntu exclusively for a while, and have no problems, it would determine that the issue is software.
On the other hand, if I still have issues in Ubuntu that should prove that the problem is hardware, correct?

Well, I got the internet connected, and started to browse a bit when it crashed and froze.

Any idea what the problem might be? My first thought was motherboard.
I've read about on this board, and I know one solution brought up is the but as you can see in this thread I replaced the PSU recently.

I'm going to continue to use Ubuntu to see if the problem continues. In the meantime I've started to back up important files in case of a complete crash.

Thanks in advance for any help/suggestions!

 

Hi

Are they COMPLETE freezes, or do you continue to hear sound during the freeze? It could be a graphics issue (but if you're using onboard graphics, that's part of the motherboard) if you're able to hear sound when it's frozen.

 

Yeah, the screen freezes, the mouse/keyboard are unresponsive, but I still hear the HD making noise.

And, yes I'm using On-Board Graphics.

But like I said, sometimes it just shuts down and restarts on it's own.

 

This could also be a sign the hard drive has bad or corrupted files/sectors.

First, if you have not already done so, make back up copies of all your files, music, pictures immediately. If this is a problem due to the freezing issues try doing it in Safe Mode (press "F8" repeatedly at start up and choose "Safe Mode With Networking").

Check the brand of hard drive (CONTROL PANEL>SYSTEM>DEVICE MGR.>DRIVES) and download the drive mfr's diagnostic tools (either from the drive mfr's website or the MajorGeek's download page). If you cannot find a specific drive test utility for your brand, Seagate's SeaTools will do read-only tests on any brand.

Run a long/deep test on the drive. Although this may take some time, it may catch issues "chkdsk" won't. If the drive shows bad sectors (even if the utility program repaired them), I would err on the safe side and replace it. Once a drive starts failing it usually goes downhill quickly.

If you end up replacing the drive, do a fresh install of Windows and all software. Do not attempt to copy/clone the old drive as any corrupted files on it will copy as corrupted on the new drive.

Hope this helps.

 

I will check the HD, however I did replace this less than a year ago.
It was the main problem I had in this thread, along with the PSU.

 

Unfortunately, age does not always equal reliability for computer hardware.

Although it's most common for drives to either die quickly or live for several years, I have had a few drives start acting up in "middle age" (6 months to 2 years old).

Although I can't be positive your problem is the hard drive, what makes me suspect this is the PC's tendency to freeze during the specific game. A year ago my main PC was locking up in Word 2007 but working fine for all other apps. Even after doing both repairs and reinstalls of Office the problem persisted. Doing the long drive test caught issues chkdsk missed; once I replaced the drive and did a complete reinstall everything has been fine.

 

My HD is a Hitachi, and they have This Tool, but the instructions say that I have to make a DOS-bootable diskette. I don't have a floppy drive on this computer. Can I get it to boot some other way or should I just use SeaTools?

 

Nevermind... I went ahead and made the CD and it booted up fine. rolleyes

Performing the test now...

 

So, I ran the Drive Fitness Test for Hitachi drives, and no errors came up.

Should I run CHKDSK now? Will it pick up something the manu's tools didn't?

 

Ok, so chkdsk found no bad sectors.

Any ideas? :confused

 

Is there a utility to check the motherboard?

 

So, I've been trying different MB tests, Memory Tests etc available here...

Everything coming up clean yet I'm still having issues, in fact it's getting worse.

Now, every time it restarts, as soon as I move my mouse at the log-in screen it either freezes or restarts.

Is my next option to start replacing components? That sounds expensive....
:cry

 

Try starting the PC in Safe Mode With Networking (hit F8 in the BIOS startup screen to access this). If Windows runs normally it pretty much eliminates a hardware issue.

If it runs normally in Safe Mode, download/install/run Malware Bytes and Advanced System Care 3:
http://majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=5756
http://majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=5927
Restart the PC in normal mode and see if this solves the issue.

If the system still freezes you likely have corrupted drivers or Windows files. Rather than analyze it to death, I would do a fresh install from your Windows restore CD (be sure you have your software license keys and back up your data first).

 

inspect the capacitors on the motherboard for leaking/bulging you will know if they are bad when you see them

 

gman, Well as I said before The problem has been happening on and off while the system is running fine. Then suddenly it either freezes or restarts. It's been happening more and more often and now it's giving me the issues at the log-in screen.

Also, I have this box partitioned as a duel-boot with Linux(Ubuntu) and it happens there as well so I don't think it's a windows driver issue. Am I wrong here?
I've been able to get it to start no problem and run for a long time before I have any problems, so I don't think getting it to start in safe-mode will prove it to be software either. Please, correct me if I'm wrong, I just want to make sure before I go down that road.

rjc, I'm going to open it up now and see if anything looks obvious.

Thanks to you both!
:drink

 

while you have it open clean the dust out of it -.-,

 

Yeah, I'm gonna need to get a couple of cans of air.

At first glance, all the capacitors seem to be fine. I think I'm going to get some comp. air and get some stuff(cables, PCI cards, etc) out of the way and look closer.

 

Okay "freezing" and or restarting could also be indicative of heat issues. Have you undertaken any assessment of heat, voltages, etc? A great tool to run is something like HWMonitor, it will provide MIN, MAX & AVG overtime and give you valuable info.

What flavour of Windows are you running and is it fully upto date?

Have you assessed your task manager and ensured no "!" or "X" are present?

What is your mobo, CPU and PC specs as best you can?

It would be indicative of hardware if the Linux Distro functioned correctly for a prolonged period but until you provide some further info only wild speculation can be made.

 

I don't have much experience with dual boot; however if you have an extra (or can borrow) an internal HDD for testing...

* Disconnect the current drive.
* Reconnect the spare drive and load a fresh install Windows on it (just use the 30 day trial period; do not enter the activation code).
* Download/run the following freeware to do a stress test on your memory:
http://majorgeeks.com/MemTest_d350.html

We're in the process of elimination mode now. If the PC runs normally for a few hours with a single boot Windows install before the MemTest, it points back to a likely corrupted install of either Windows or the Dual Boot software on the orig. drive. If MemTest crashes the system, it points to either bad memory or possibly an overheating issue.

 

I doubt its the hdd
likely memory or psu or some physical fault