PC re-booting itself (?)

[DoomUK]

Every once in a while, my computer restarts itself/shuts down and I get one of two blue screen error messages, one saying something about changing my video adapter, and the other referring to a problem with drivers (I'm sorry to be so vague, I haven't made a exact note of what the errors say).
I've ran a memory sanner, which checks my (recently upgraded) 1.5GB of 400mhz DDR and it found no problems. I've also ran a PC health-check device, which basically checks everything for errors and again it found no problem with the hardware. I defrag my hard drive regularly, and my Mcafee virus scan is up to date and I scan for viruses practically every time I've been online, again showing no results.
Could it be a tempurature/ventilation problem? I've recently put in a 550w PSU (http://uk.special.reserve.co.uk/q_GG3332_acrylic_550w_atx_p.html), also bare in mind the 1.5 GB's of ram.

Thanks.

[etimmerAZ]

I think you are hosed. It could be anythings. If you are getting a BSD (Blue Screen of Death), I would think of other things over a temp problem. You may need to re-install your OS, or it might even be a hardware problem.

Vauge problems get vauge solution. Oh, stop defragging your drive regulary, it's pointless.

Ummm . . . good luck, you Pommy Git. :D

Cheers,

Erik "The Bruce"

[DoomUK]

etimmerAZ said:

I think you are hosed. It could be anythings. If you are getting a BSD (Blue Screen of Death), I would think of other things over a temp problem. You may need to re-install your OS, or it might even be a hardware problem.

Vauge problems get vauge solution. Oh, stop defragging your drive regulary, it's pointless.

Ummm . . . good luck, you Pommy Git. :D

Cheers,

Erik "The Bruce"

As regards my OS, I've just downloaded the service pack patch my my Windows XP Home Edition (please don't go telling me I've got to completely re-install the f**ker).
Oh, why do you think defragging is pointless?

[etimmerAZ]

DoomUK said:

(please don't go telling me I've got to completely re-install the f**ker).
Oh, why do you think defragging is pointless?

On the OS: If your OS is blue screening it could be that an important file has been corrupted. So when it is accessed, it barfs. So if the OS is sound then the problem lies in the hardware.

On Defragging: As you know defragging moves the clusters you write on your disk to "better" locations. So if you place and delete LOTS of files on your disk ALL the time you may get fragmented disk. For the most part the average user doesn't do enough files stuff to have this happen thus requiring regular defragging. At worst I would think once a year should be plenty if not overkill. Now into another point. When you are defragging a disk error can occur. Consider a (fake) DLL called DOOM3.DLL . If this file has been fragmented and in the process of re-ordering it's clusters something bad happens (cosmic ray, power failure, disk fuckup) you now have a fragged file. So now if you try and access that DLL your computer may Blue Screen. I am not saying that is what happened; I am just putting it out as a possiblilty and I have seen it happen.

I hope this helps at least a little.

Going to drink beer,

Erik "The Bruce"

[Ultraviolet]

I had a similar problem with some older hardware. The error, as you describe it, is exactly the same as far as I can tell. Somebody suggested to me that it might be corrupted video memory that is to blame. Your memory scanner probably didn't scan that.

Anyway, when I pulled out my video card and noticed the traces were yellowing, I figured the guy was right and there's something wrong with how my card is accessing its memory.

EDIT: It's still most likely a cooling issue. Is your card new?

[Sephiroth]

have you effectively ruled out any virus or spyware damage?

i dout it is that, but i can do wierd shit.

it could be a driver. try reinstalling both the AGP and videocard drivers. after that try a reinstall of directX.

make sure your system has good cooling and airflow, as well as a good position. not in a closet, or poor airflow area.

try cleaning and checking of the card is seated.

this is all basic stuff

i try to aviod redoing the OS, however that is sometimes much quicker.

[Ultraviolet]

Sephiroth said:

but i can do wierd shit.

Can, and often do.

[Use]

Check your BIOS firmware date, also be sure chipset/motherboard features (AGP/PCI bus, etc.) drivers are current.

[DoomUK]

Ultraviolet said:

It's still most likely a cooling issue. Is your card new?

Sephiroth said:

it could be a driver. try reinstalling both the AGP and videocard drivers. after that try a reinstall of directX.
---
try cleaning and checking of the card is seated.

Well I had the card when I bought my new computer 9 months ago. It's a Geforce FX5600SE, and I've got the latest (XT) driver, as well as the latest DirectX driver.
It's dust-free inside my case, and yes the card is slotted in properly.

[Arioch]

etimmerAZ said:

If this file has been fragmented and in the process of re-ordering it's clusters something bad happens (cosmic ray, power failure, disk fuckup) you now have a fragged file.

Something of an impossibility actually, since the defragger api specifies that a file being defragged is not considered defragged until the resulting file checks against the original, and until the resulting file checks out the sectors of the original file are not "deallocated" and for all intents and purposes it has not moved.

[Job]

My friend's mom had a problem with her computer doing that. It turned out being a faulty battery.

[JamesEightBitStar]

I've had this problem before.

If it's not viruses, then try either system files or the registry. What I mean is that sometimes computers will, somehow, end up putting a bazillion copies of the same system file all over your computer, and sometimes those copies can be a different version altogether, thus you'll have programs going for an older version thinking it's a newer one, and it confuses them and it causes problems.

As for the registry, this is particularly true if you've installed/uninstalled a lot of stuff. You see, Uninstalling doesn't remove all that program's data from the PC, and it's still registered in your system's registry--meaning basically that your computer still thinks it's there even if it's not. For awhile this isn't a problem, but after awhile (9 months is plenty of time for sh-- to hit the fan), it'll start creating problems, especially when you consider that sometimes your PC will write to the registry for stupid things (for example... I found out recently that it writes to the registry any time I play Duke Nukem 3D. not install, PLAY).

The latter problem can be fixed with a program called RegCleaner. I dunno what to do about the system files thing though. I'm sure there was a program that would check for duplicates of a system file though.

[fodders]

Clean your heatsink and fan.

[chilvence]

Buy an apple computer. Problem solved!

[-Jk-]

chilvence said:

Buy an apple computer. Problem solved!

No, it should be:

Buy an Apple computer, then shoot yourself. Problem solved!


;-)

[Sephiroth]

9 months is a long time in a computer, and dust can build up quicker than you think. alot of dust. i have a filtration system and i still have t clean out every 4-6 months. without filtration it was like every 2 months.

i dont care if you have the newest drivers, things in windows and other OS's can and will get corrupted. simply try uninstalling them and reinstalling them.

have you dont any over clocking? if you have or are that may be the issue. honestly i dont see reason to overclock and new system

[deathbringer]

Hm, so your computer gives blue screens, crashes quite a lot and often requires restarting...sounds like you've got windows to me!


sidenote: i am not a pretentious prick using some obscure OS and pointing and laughing, i use windows myself, its not unreliable, its just got "character"

[chilvence]

I'm not using an Apple, I merely repeat god's will :)