computer problems

[Dan]

hi, i know some(understatment, 3 outta my 4 papers in english had to do with intel vs amd, ati vs nvidia etc...) things about computer hardware, and i love computers. there is usually no problem i can't fix with my 6 year old vaio. but lately i've been stumped, and i figured to ask someone who is better than me, more experienced than me, and well, get another point of view to brainstorm with.

my sony vaio is locking up for seemingly no reason, it happens the most when i play d2 go figure, and i've tried everything i can think of

i've put a new PSU in it, a 450 watt one, when my system specs only require a 260 watt,
i've cleaned out the inside of my system many times, sometimes 4 times a week
i've wiped the harddrive, reinstalling windows xp pro sp 6each time
i've installed new fans, and made a new blowhole on the side to help vent the air
i've punched the case numerous times (somewhat joking.......)

i was just wondering what else i can do before i just give up and make me a new computer
any CONSTRUCTIVE help will be appreicated
thx

[DaCougarMech]

more memory?

[Loits]

more memory?

Die!


I have a old laptop and the same sort of probelm occured to me and the cause was a malfunctioning harddriver, at first it started crashing with 3D applications and after it would just cause so many errors that i would have to format. I guess the reason it started with 3D applications was extensive Virtual Memory usage. After 6 years wear and tear starts to kick in...

[5|*42]

Yea, it's gotta be a hardware problem. You said it mostly happens when you play D2, but when else does it happen? If you can, I would just start swapping hardware out until it stops freezing (start with the HDD like mentioned). Also, have you unplugged/replugged the hardware? 6 years is a lot of time for something to be pluged in, you might have a case of chip creep.

[Dan]

ya i unpluged everything when i switched out PSU's, and cleaned all the connections, the system has 512 mb of ram (the computer was top of the line when bought lol), but i got a spare raptor somewhere that i could switch out with... thx

[5|*42]

A raptor is SATA, so it wouldn't fit in there unless you can get an SATA to IDE converter. Just curious, do you have any idea what temps it gets under load? It's probably not the problem, but it doesn't hurt to check.

[Dan]

ya actually, since its been lockin up i've measured and controlled the fans with a program speedfan. i'm on my laptop so i'll check it but i cant now, i do remember that the hd temp was around 29-30degrees C... i'l get back to u on the rest, but none were over recomended temps, they were running cold. also that makes me think of something i noticed, the computer did this last year too, but it stoped after a while. it did it during winter, then when it got warmer, it stoped locking up. idk could that be it? is my computer allergic to cold?, i hope not cause i'm from minnesota lol

[5|*42]

I have heard of computers being sensative to heat/cold weather. I don't exactly remeber what can cause it to not want to work in the cold (I remeber what causes it to only work in the cold though :p). I'll try to figure out more tomorrow, but you may be onto something.

[Dan]

well if it is the cold, i have a solution, i'll just put a space heater next to computer...

na, b4 i do anything stupid that burns out my equipment, i'll move the compute rupstairs where it is about 10-20 degrees warmer(it is around 50-60 degrees F downstairs, 60-70 upstairs) so i guess i'll try that, but if there is a real solution it would be cool to know

[Dan]

well its been a while but its still happening, i'm using a program called speedfan to control the fans and monitor temps, temps are all below green, and i usually have the fans running at 55% power, when i do that it seems to lock up less, and some of the temps getinto the green range. it locks up alot when it is booting up, sometimes even before i have a chance to get into the BIOS so.....

[goldentorch22]

Thought Id help. If its locking up before bios. Are your FSB speeds set right in your BIOS? Also I would try getting the latest firmware and flash your mainboard. It might fix the problem. But be very careful, BIOS flashing if used with the wrong firmware file it can kill your board. That should fix your problem. Also check your IDE cables make sure thier not bad. You can trouble shoot this problem by unplugging all devices, PCI cards, etc. except your HD and see if the problem still happens. If it does then you can eliminate the problem from there. If the problem doesnt happen try plugging in one device at a time. But this is a hardware problem.

[Dan]

ok i've got fans at 50% power, and now temps are just below or at the "green" temp speedfan shows me, and it hasnt locked up yet..... so i think my system was frozen.... but that really dont make sense to me, i thought computers did better when cool.......

[5|*42]

That's weird that it locks up when the fans are lower, it almost seems like maybe the fans spinning faster cause vibrations that bump something, but that's still seems unlikely. Did the temperature difference from upstairs to downstairs make any difference?

[Dan]

well i think that the fact that it is upstairs and the fans are runnin at half speed, and its been on almost nonstop since its been brought up, i turned it off once when i went to bed, and once durring the day about 2 days later, and the temps stay in the green, as long as speedfan is relaible. idk maybe some connections to vibrate loose, that just seems kinda weird to me, even more weird than it being allergic to cold, i'll check all the connections, cables and whatnot again tonight just to be sure though