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Laffertytig

Laffertytig

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Mar 31, 2003
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i reckon my computer had developed a problem. i thought it was HOI but it happened again just 5 minutes ago as i was typing this thread. i jut had my computer upgraded last month and its been fine until now. ive alo had window xp for 8 months.

what could this be?
help
 
It is pretty hard for me to tell you what is wrong when you say it just locks up.

What was happening when it occured, what happened, you say it locked up, was there any messages first, did it go back to desk top ...

What are your computer specs?
This is really only a HOI support forum, however I may be able to help, but remote diagnostics can be very hard to do.

If you are not confident with computer hardware, you may want to consult with where you had the upgrade done. They would know your system better than I. And parts may still be under waranty.
 
i just got another one when i was web browsing. it seems totally random. ive started another game of HOI with latest patch and core. ive got to march 1937 without a crash although im saving every couple of weeks. its obviosly annoying when it just freezes and i have to reboot.

in your opinion what are the classic causes for this and is there anything i can tweak on my computer that could help
i posted my spec on the other thread
 
I look at hundreds of threads a day, could you C&P them so I have them here for reference ;)

Lots of potential causes for random crashes, you still have not told me what you mean by "crashes"

A) System locks up, you can Ctrl-alt-del
B) System freezes, you must cold boot (power button) off.
C) Blue error message that locks
D) Blue error message that kicks to desk top and then you can resume
E) error message that kicks you to desktop and freezes (freeze then could be option A or B in combination)
F) CTD (+option A or B)
Complete crash system powers itself down. or No display at all.

You see the difficulty of remote diagnostics when you are not percise. :)
 
Okay we are making a little progress here. :)

So which is it then A or B?
Do you have to cold boot or can you soft boot?
 
what the hecks the difference with a cold and soft boot?? when i say reboot i mean i reset the computer using the little button on the front of my hard drive.
oh, and did i say nothing works which makes it hard to tab out

sorry if you detect any annoyance in my post. not one of the best days ive had at work
 
Based on what you have told me, the first thing I would check would be my memory. However it could be a multitude of things. There is really no way to tell from here. sorry. :(
 
just lookin for some advice from people who know what they're talkin about. when games are running cant seem to last 30 mins without freezing up ie, nothing works, have to switch of then on again. im suspecting a faulty processor. does anyone else have an athlon 2200?

all these problems have started since the upgrade 5 weeks ago.
 
Couple of things to look at.
1) Do other apps like a word proccessor fail after 30mins as well.
2) Check your fans are working as it may cause a heat up.
3) You could also try reformatting your HD and do a fresh install of your operating system.
4) run some diagnostic programs and see if they pick up anything.
 
Originally posted by Laffertytig
im suspecting a faulty processor. does anyone else have an athlon 2200?

all these problems have started since the upgrade 5 weeks ago.
Click to expand...
Since you have an Athlon processor, do you by any chance have a VIA chipset on your motherboard?

If so, then it sounds like you have the infamous 'infinite loop' AGP problem. Uninstall the VIA 4in1 drivers. That would bring your system back to normal

Jan Peter
 
I take it, then, that you do have a VIA chipset, and that currently those VIA drivers are installed.

If you have a recent version, you can run the installer again, and select the uninstall option. That should restore the default drivers.

What are the differences?

Well, the 3DMark score will be lower, for a start. Note that in real life gameplay this drop isn't really noticable. The 3DMark rating drops, because VIA is cutting some corners in the implementation of the AGP driver. On the one hand, this squeezes a bit more performance out of your chipset, but at the considerable risk of making your system unreliable, as you have found out.

Note that the VIA support staff (and their followers) blaim everything else in your system to be the cause of the instability. They simply won't acknowledge that it's their VIA AGP driver that is causing the trouble.

I have seen them blaiming the power unit (too underpowered), any Creative SoundBaster/Audigy card, wrong BIOS initialisation code for the chipset, unofficial PCI chipset timing settings, wrong DRAM timing setup, CPU overheating, you name it.

But in each instance that I know of, each combination of the above WITH those blasted VIA drivers is inherently unstable, and each combination WITHOUT the VIA drivers is rock solid, so draw your own conclusions ....

Jan Peter
 
Ha!,

I was going to invite my VIA expert in to comment on this one, But I see he already found it. Kudos!
 
Have you confirmed that your fans are operating correctly?
 
1. Go to your control panel, and access the device manager. In Windows 9.x that can be found under the System icon. For Windows 2K or XP, open up system management, then computer management. Look for the system devices/resources, and open up that node. PCI to PCI bridge, PCI to ISA bridge and AGP device. Depending on your chipset, not all of the above maybe present. For each, open up the properties and check the drivers tab. When the driver info states 'Microsoft' as the creator/supplier, it's ok. When it says 'VIA', you have the 4in1 drivers installed.

Do the same for the IDE controller. That one has it's own node. Normally it should list 3 items. One represents the IDE controller itself, the other tho merely the promary and secondary channel of that controller. Don't bother with those, as they cannot be checked/updated. Only the IDE controller itself is relevant.

2. Deinstallation can be done from the same properties tab. Press the 'update' button, don't let the Wizard search for drivers, then select the component that is most generic/default, and is supplied by Microsoft. That will uninstall the current driver, and replace it with the one you select.

What do they control? The AGP driver controls the AGP interface/pipeline in the north bridge of your chipset. The IDE controller the interface to your HDD/CDROM/DVDROM/ZIP. The PCI to xxx bridges control the various interfaces in the southbridge of the chipset.

3. Straightforward? I should think so, if you follow the above steps.

4. Regarding the CPU fan operation. If, on an Athlon the CPU fan would not operate correctly or worse, would fail alltogether, the CPU would overheat within seconds, resulting in a CPU core meltdown. After that, your Athlon would be dead, and your PC would no longer boot. Since the PC in question only freezes, one can assume the CPU cooling fan still operates normally

Jan Peter
 
Originally posted by jpd

4. Regarding the CPU fan operation. If, on an Athlon the CPU fan would not operate correctly or worse, would fail alltogether, the CPU would overheat within seconds, resulting in a CPU core meltdown. After that, your Athlon would be dead, and your PC would no longer boot. Since the PC in question only freezes, one can assume the CPU cooling fan still operates normally

Jan Peter
Click to expand...

I would disagree with that one.
I have seen overheats from both fans rotating at too slow rpm, from bad power supplies, and from overclocking, which just exacerbates the other two.
 
i took the cover of the pc in the hope it would cool off. it just froze again. the worrying part is the temp was only 107F which is the lowest its froze at yet. this makes me think its nothing to do with overheating. im gonna try the via theory now.

do you think ive been sold a dodgy processor or maybe my ram has gone? are these classic symptoms

i just checked all my drivers and they say microsoft
 
Change the VIA drivers and see. It does not appear to be an overheating problem.
 
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