pc crash h/ware, s/ware prob? not sure part1

Hi all, got a big prob with my daughters comp that seems to have come out of the blue.

Comp has started to shut down with the following symptoms:

Screen goes black.
Power on led(front panel) goes out
Hard drive led remains on constantly (ie; no flicker), by the sounds I hear it seems as though hard drive continues spinning but none of the clicky noises associted with writing.
Cpu cooling fan shuts down.
No power to dvd drive.

Some power obviously remains in the system, switching off by the front panel power switch shuts this power off as normal.

The comp is an e-machines 420 given to my daughter about 18 months ago, til now it has been very reliable.
I have tried a few things to resolve the issue but without success:

Replaced the front panel power switch.
Replaced main pc power cable with a known good one.
Replaced origional 250w psu with known working 500w psu.
Checked seating of all internal ide, power cables etc.
Removed, cleaned and visually inspected mobo, whilst not in perfect order most capacitors look fine (some bulging slightly at top, none burst).
Replaced keyboard with known good one.
Reseated memory stick.

I`ll add two attach 3 logs here and continue on next thread with observations and more logs.

 

pc crash h/ware, s/ware prob? not sure part2

The crash usually happens quite quickly after windows has loaded ( often before I enter my daughters log on password) but can happen either side of password entry and sometimes will stay stable for 10 minutes if I run applications but then again, sometimes not.

Comp is stable if I load bios(phoenix) setup screen before windows loads (left it running for three hours without problem)

Comp is more stable when run in safe mode (minimal). Out of about twenty runs in safe mode it has crashed perhaps four times. It is during safe mode that I installed and ran software to obtain the attached logs. I have also performed the cleaning procedure advised elsewhere on your forums.

Unfortunately we didn`t get given the windows restore cd for the comp so a re install of windows doesn`t seem possible.

I would very much appreciate any help that anyone can give.

Cheers

 

Well was hoping for some clues as to whether my probs are hardware, software or malware related coz at the moment I aint sure. Decided on posting here first and attatched logs in case they were useful for any of those scenarios. If you want to move this thread over it`s fine by me.

 

Re: pc crash h/ware, s/ware prob? not sure part2

I ran a search "eMachines 420 crashes" which returned a lot of results of motherboard problems/failures. So it's possible you have a motherboard about to die.

There were a few links to sites which had XP recovery disk downloads for the 420's.

Sam

 

Thanks for replies.

I used the win xp disk checker in accessories/tools. It completed in a matter of seconds (Which surprised me, althoufg i dont have a lot of experience using it) and reported no errors.
I`ve downloaded some more hd checkers and will try get a better idea if prob lies there.
I`ve done "emachine 420 search" and i`m digesting more info so will post again with more detailed observations/info.

cheers

 

I might even try a system restore to a date prior to your problem arising. If you regan stability through this, you can most likely rule out hardware... Also you could something like Parted Magic to see if you have a recovery partition on the HDD (and if you run fine in Linux you could probably, again, rule out hardware....). If you have a recovery partition, you could opt for a clean install without the need for a recovery disc.

 

Thanks to all who`ve replied.

Major Attitude: I`ve now run 3 hard drive scans;
windows xp errorcheck (without 2 tick boxes checked)
Result: no errors
Western digital DLGDIAG extended test (took 8 hours to scan!)
Result: pass, smart status pass
Western digital DLGDIAG short test
Result: pass, smart status pass

Scajjr (or is it Sam?): I take your point about dying mobo and have kicked myself for not doing the search that you did (thanks). Seems there are a lot of issuse relating to the besstec psu putting wrong voltages into mobo and killing them. comp did have besstec 250w psu, i`ve since changed this to Q-tech 550w.

At this point there are reasons to believe it may not be hardware, although I concede it may be my lack of knowledge that points me in this direction. The folowing examples may help.

When comp is started and bios setup screen loaded (ie press delete) comp is 100% stable if left to sit there.

When comp is started and safe mode options (ie press f8) screen loaded comp is 100% stable when left to sit there.

When windows is loaded in safe mode comp is 80% stable.
99% of crashes occur when the system is idling (ie no applications running). I have completed over 15 hours of drive/malware scans without a crash.

When windows is loaded in normal mode it crashes fairly quickly (again seems to be when idling) but can run apps if i click on them quick enough.

Halo: The first scan with SAS listed 260 threats which surprised me. I dont have internet at home but do know that comp was used on net before being given to me 18 months ago. I didnt clean it up thoroughly but i do use advanced system care regularly. For last 18 months it may be exposed to malware via a usb stick that I use in libraries/ net cafes to download stuff.
I must add that the 1st SAS scan was done without hidden folders viewable. I`ve since done another scan which has revealed 3 more threats.

TimW: I`ll repeat repeat all scans as per majorgeeks cleaning instuctions and post new logs in malware forum.

jools1976: There is a problem with system restore which my be malware or corrupt sys file related. The (start/all programs/ accessories/system tools/ tab is corrupted and is now the same icon as you see for a file that windows does not recognise. Clicking on this tab opens a folder called desktop which lists the contents of my desktop. I can access system restore via other methods but no restore points are listed. I`ll look into your suggestions regarding partitons and linux.

Cheers

 

I`ve thought about maybe putting the hard drive from the offending(emachines) comp into my main advent comp which is same o/s (win xp sp3), or vice versa, which should give a better idea of where the probs lie.
Would it be that straightforward?

 

As long as the HDD is compatible with the mobo (ie. SATA vs IDE) you can swap it. You'll more than likely end up with driver issues though, which will cause other problems.

 

Hhmmm..yeah, I`ve got all my drivers so could put them on usb stick then swap drives. Would mean a few hours messing about but if it gives me a definitive answer it`ll be worth it.

Cheers

 

I`ve installed linux Fedora on an old maxtor hd (good tip jools!) and tried that with offending comp. Same crashes occur so conclusion can only be its a hardware prob. Given the hardware changes ive made its also probably safe to assume its the mobo in its death throes.

Cheers for all replies.

 

Yeah it's sounding like it's probably hardware. I would try removing all your non-essential peripherals and trying it like that too, just to confirm for sure that it's your mobo and not something else causing the issue.