Win 7 random? hangs RAM???

Hi All,

I was Looking at a mates pc to help him fix random hangs/freezing on his recent new build...

I had put it down to Bonjour as logs contained 60+ /24hrs errors relating to bonjour not responding for longer than...

Since then he tells me that he attempted a fresh install of win7 and experienced hangs before,during and after driver installation..

My guess is that it is ram related..

I've attached the cpu-z log.txt and would appreciate any input.

A summary below -



CPU-Z Relevent info ...?

Mainboard Model Rampage II Extreme
LPCIO Vendor Winbond
LPCIO Model W83667HG

Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 950 @ 3.07GHz
Core Speed 1603.6 MHz
Multiplier x FSB 12.0 x 133.6 MHz
Rated Bus speed 2405.4 MHz
Turbo Mode supported, enabled

3x DDR3 2gig (667 MHz)
Memory Size 6144 MBytes
Channels Triple
Memory Frequency 534.5 MHz (2:8)
(CL) 8.0
(tRCD) 8
(tRP) 8
(tRAS) 20
(tRFC) 59
(CR) 1T


Thanks All
G

 

Are you saying it ''HANGS'' after install with NO other software installed ???

 

Is there a specific program or action that triggers the hang?

If so, it could be a hard drive issue. Windows disk check and "S.M.A.R.T" do not catch all HDD problems (this is based on experience). To check a drive, always do a deep scan using the drive mfr's troubleshooting utility (SeaTools, etc.) or reputable third-party software . On two occasions in the past year, a deep scan revealed issues totally missed by disk check and quick scans. If a deep scan reveals issues, do not attempt to clone the drive! If you do, the corrupted files will also be corrupted on the new drive. A fresh install is required.

If this is a random issue, the most likely suspect is the memory. I have had cases where (although the PC initially acts normally) system freezes or Blue Screens of Death start appearing days or weeks after the build. Windows 7 memory tester will not give you an accurate answer on if this is the problem!. See my previous post http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=208321 for more details.

Not every brand or model of memeory plays nice with every board/processor combo. In addition to checking the mobo mfr's list of tested/approved memory, go to sites such as newegg.com and tigerdirect.com and read customer reviews of the specific memory you have installed. Specifically, look for reviewer comments on issues with specific mobos or processors.

Hope this helps you solve the problem.

 

This could be heat related, bad RAM, corrupt driver, or some other hardware issue. That's why it is so difficult to troubleshoot.

How recent was this built? If the problem started from day one, then I would pull the motherboard to make sure there are no extra standoffs or other foreign object underneath.

Note that NO memory tester is perfect so I think it unfair to single out Microsoft's. See my comment I just added to gman's thread mentioned above.

 

All of Digerati's listed issues are possible. My troubleshooting tips (although they may or may not be the actual culprit) are based on actual personal experiences I have gone through in the past year.

Digerati, I agree there is no such thing as a "perfect" memory tester.

My point in this post (which is validated by WallaPatrick's response in the other thread) is the Win 7 memory tester is especially bad. If it had merely given the memory a false "pass" score this would have been excusable. What set me off about it was the fact it instead diagnosed the motherboard as bad - not once, but twice in a row.

This happened about 45 days after I purchased the first board. Had I not purchased the board from a local supplier that offers a no questions asked in-store replacement during the first year, it would have cost $10-$15 bucks for return shipping and a few weeks of wait time to get an RMA through Newegg. If I had done the RMA through Gibabyte, it would have been 6-8 weeks (been there, done that). This would have been worse since the client would have been p*ssed during the weeks the PC was out of service.

Windows 7 Memory Tester is definitely a FAIL. An false passing grade or a "Windows Can't Figure This Out" answer would not have triggered the hassles of replacing the motherboard

 

Well, I've got a few years of personal experience with this too - well, decades actually. And I have no doubt you saw problems. I am just saying it is inaccurate to single out any one software based memory tester. None are conclusive.

 

Thanks All,
Sorry for the delay - I now have the machine here so I'm not trying to fix it by phone...
Ughh.. liquid cooler is not plumbed in.. stock fan on CPU with usual mat of dust on heatsink..anyway...

I had dismissed the HDD as it passed Win chdsk...

I ran the WD dlgdiag tool which found errors but was unable to repair.

I then ran HDD regenerator ( found on MGeeks of course) which found and repaired 2 bad sectors.
The drive now passes the manufactures (dldiag) extended tests and I'm fairly confident that this was the cause of problems.
I'll refit it , check the RAM ect.. and post back

 

That's a good thing, IMO. Alternative cooling should only be used when the user is willing, and has the discipline, to stay on top of the additional maintenance and attention alternative cooling requires. The fact the CPU HSF was covered with a layer of heat trapping dust indicates there has been a lack of routine preventative maintenance.

Sounds like a plan. But I would advise you keep an eye on the drive. It may be giving hints it is on its way out. It is important to note brand new disks typically come from the factory with a few bad sectors marked as bad and are not used. With programs like HDD Regenerator and SpinRite that recover bad sectors, we don't know if those were new bad sectors, or old ones that were recovered. If new, then that is a sign the drive has been having problems, and continue to do so. If old, then I would wonder why they were marked bad in the first place, and wonder if the drive maker did not know what's best for their drives, and if they should not have just been left marked bad.

I've not used HDD Regenerator but I am very familiar with SpinRite. And while it is an excellent program, often able to repair a drive when no other program could, I generally don't put much faith in the drive to safeguard my critical data once it has begun to fail, even after a successful repair. The cost of a new hard drive is MUCH LESS than the value of the data I keep on it.

At the very least you need to advise your friend to immediately backs up any data he does not want to lose, then do frequent backups after that.

 

In addition to backing up data on a HDD, I highly recommend using an online secure backup service such as Carbonite. It costs $55/year per PC, unlimited data backup per PC. Some ISPs also offer a limited free backup (2-10GB); however I'm not sure this is as secure.

My house was broken into a year ago. The thieves were able to get around the alarm system and steal both the PCs and my backup external HDDs. Had it not been for the online backup, I would have lost 10+ years of photos and portfolio materials.

When it comes to data loss, the five most dangerous words are "It Can't Happen to Me."