99 Problems

Vision · 8 Jul 2012 at 18:28

..but the Higgs aint one.

Long story short; My brother bought a pre-built computer from a certain on-line retailer. It has been having problems from early on (mostly random blue screens) but has been bearable. The problems have persisted and have possibly become more frequent, causing him to want to resolve the issue. The rig will now be out of warranty. (fair enough, his own fault)

I have tried previously to help, checking the RAM for errors and recently replacing the hard drive. Both of which have not solved the problem. He even managed to get a blue screen whilst installing windows, after which it seemed to install fine..only to have several more blue screens whilst installing updates.

The blue screens display different errors each time, and sometimes only flash up for a second before the computer restarts. Windows will then occasionally try to do a recovery, which fails to fix anything. It is even possible to reboot the computer and it will load up like nothing is wrong.

Is there a likely cause of the problem? I can post exact specs if they're needed, but as stated above, the RAM and HDD have been tested/replaced to no avail.

Specs:

No overclock, Windows 7

AMD Athlon II X4 640
Asus M4A78LT-M 760G (AM3)
Corsair CX 600W PSU
Sapphire HD 5770
240Gb OCZ Agility 3 (Previously Seagate Barracuda 7200 (1TB))
2 x 2GB Corsair XMS3 (DDR3) (Now has an extra 2x2GB OCZ reaper)
Generic optical drive

Cheers in advance!

Rooster212 · 8 Jul 2012 at 18:31

Sounds like it could be a power supply problem (maybe) have you got a spare one you could try?

Hagar · 8 Jul 2012 at 18:37

A spec would be useful.

As rooster has said could be a PSU problem.

Is it overclocked?

I would start with just the basic hardware installed.

m3csl2004 · 8 Jul 2012 at 18:39

Graphics/psu or overheating?

What are the temps like?

Check all heat sinks are seated properly - including the NB & SB.

Check reported voltages on the power supply rails (not perfect but a decent start).

Does it use inbuilt graphics? does it have a discrete card you could change/add in?

I would have said RAM/HDD at first. As you say you have changed these to no avail. Hopefully one of the above will point to something obvious. If not, it may be that the motherboard is faulty - which would be a pain.

If it crashes whilst installing windows as well, it would be logical to assume hardware is the cause of your problems.

Vision · 8 Jul 2012 at 18:47

No overclock, Windows 7

AMD Athlon II X4 640
Asus M4A78LT-M 760G (AM3)
Corsair CX 600W PSU
Sapphire HD 5770
240Gb OCZ Agility 3 (Previously Seagate Barracuda 7200 (1TB))
2 x 2GB Corsair XMS3 (DDR3) (Now has an extra 2x2GB OCZ reaper)
Generic optical drive

Anything else needed?

Vision · 8 Jul 2012 at 18:53

Thanks for the above. I will certainly try with the bare basics. What is the best way for me to go about checking voltages?

I would have thought overheating is unlikely due to the random nature of the crashes, but I guess it could still be a possibility?

m3csl2004 · 8 Jul 2012 at 19:45

The warmth this time of year can push a marginally stable system over the edge.

I'm pretty sure some software from the ASUS website will give you some ball park figures for the PSU rails.

First thing I would do is remove the 5770 and use the IG

trickynickyuk · 8 Jul 2012 at 20:18

as already stated check all heatsinks are seated properly it looks as if it is overheating also try a different PSU

Rooster212 · 8 Jul 2012 at 21:20

First, i'd take out the RAM that was new (so the stuff that wasn't in there when you got it) just to rule it out for the moment.

Then I'd remove the graphics, see if you get the same problems.

If you still have issues, I'd say the PSU really is the problem. Or maybe the motherboard or something like that. But then it would be an RMA issue.

Orcvader · 8 Jul 2012 at 21:44

Take out the OCZ reaper, DDR3 OCZ had a bunch of problems. Then do a memtest.

Would also consider flashing the firmware of the SSD as well if it's not on the latest one, early firmwire for Sandforce based drives were riddled with problems.

Vision · 9 Jul 2012 at 18:49

Orcvader said:
Take out the OCZ reaper, DDR3 OCZ had a bunch of problems. Then do a memtest.

Would also consider flashing the firmware of the SSD as well if it's not on the latest one, early firmwire for Sandforce based drives were riddled with problems.

Both sets of RAM have been tested; free of problems on memtest. I've also checked the SSD firmware, which is up to date.

I will however try with the bare basics first..it may be a slow process though.

He can go days with no problems and then suddenly get half a dozen blue screens in a day.