Another PC problem...arghhhh!!

[scouseiron69]

I dont use the pc much these days for working on but still need it... last few weeks it has kept freezing...on restart it works for a while then the same again...ive stripped it down and cleaned it out...no joy...one ide cabel fell apart as i did this so ive bought two new ones...still no joy...ive put it in safe mode and running antivirus and so far it not froze up... could it be a virus or possibly a faulty part somewhere?
cheers
shaun

i did put another hd in and tried installing xp but it wouldnt go on..kept coming up disk read error occuring..

[PhilEnfield]

Might be worth trying Repair/Install see here (http://michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm)

From what you describe and the fact that it runs in Safe Mode, it doesn't sound like hardware ...... sounds like XP has got corrupted.

[scouseiron69]

i just put another hard drive in...managed to get to the set up pages on windows xp where you put in date, keyboard language etc..then it freezes!!! could it be overheating? ive took the ram out and put one slot in at a time and it still does it!!

[PhilEnfield]

It could be ..... grab a copy of Speedfan (http://www.almico.com/sfdownload.php) and you can check the temps.

Also, did you remove the Heatsink fan and clear all the gunk out of the Heatsink, when you did your clean ?

..... and did you try running with just one stick of Ram ?

[scouseiron69]

tried with one stick of ram and still same.
i used an air blower in the tower and gt rid of all the dust..
i cant get it on long enough to do any checks m8!!!

ive put the ram and graphics card into another tower of a m8 and that works fine... so i guess options are...

power supply
overheating
motherboard
processor

not easy when u dont know how!!!!
is the power supply easy to change?

thanks for your help m8

[PhilEnfield]

It's not hard to replace, but if you do buy a replacement, dont get a cheap and cheerful one from ebuyer, invest in something like a Corsair, which is likely to last a long time and meet current & future needs.

[scouseiron69]

could it be the power supply? or maybe the overheating of the sytem? just seems odd that it didnt freeze while in safe mode..its all the same parts in it lol

[PhilEnfield]

It's hard to say, but it's often a process of elimination, trying the cheapest/easist things first.

If you are confident doing so, it wouldn't do any harm to remove the heatsink, clean the heatsink and CPU, then re-apply some Arctic Silver. If it is an overheating problem, this will sort it out.

Also have you got a different stick of Ram to try ?

[scouseiron69]

tried the ram in another tower and that ok.... is the heatsink the big block with a fan on it? i can but try...it aint working now so i cant break it can i??!!!!
what is artic silver?

[PhilEnfield]

Trying the Ram in another PC only shows that the Ram works or is compatible with that PC ..... not the same as trying different Ram in the faulty PC ;)

Yes the Heatsink is the big block with the fan on it. It has lots of fins, that often get clogged up with dust & gunk. If you remove the 4 screws that hold the fan, you will be able to check if it's dirty and clean it thoroughly.
If overheating is causing the issue, this alone may be the solution.

Arctic Silver is thermal paste, which is applied to the CPU, to create a thermal seal between the CPU and the Heatsink. see here (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Arctic-Silver-3-5g-Thermal-Paste/dp/B0002VFXFE)
As you will already have old paste present on the CPU and the Heatsink, this will need to be thoroughly removed, using a claeaner like this (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Arctic-Silver-ArctiClean-Material-Purifier/dp/B000BKP306/ref=dp_cp_ob_ce_title_1)
There's a video here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7rPqCvCt0g&feature=related) on how to apply the paste, once the surfaces are clean.

[Dirty Dog]

Leave all the covers off and try blowing a desktop fan into the machine to help cool it and see what happens....

I know you say it "freezes" but keep an eye on the hdd light for activity..... :tup:

[Acheron]

If it runs in safe mode, I would start with the PSU. Safe mode will run the minimum hardware necessary so there may be enough juice to run that but not enough to run everything. If the PC is overheating, it would overheat in safe mode or not.

[thedvdmonster]

could it be the power supply? or maybe the overheating of the sytem? just seems odd that it didnt freeze while in safe mode..its all the same parts in it lol
had this a few weeks back too,swapped for a new one and everything running nicely since