Failing Win 7 Boot Up Issue - Suspect Hardware

GodMac

GodMac

GodMac

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Hi all, need some advice please. I have the below spec in my sig, P5Q Deluxe (BIOS ver 1201) with Intel Q6600 OC'd to 3.02mhz and Invidia 280GTX 1Gb OC'd (BFG). 8gb Reeper mem. I've had on occassion of the last couple of weeks what I can only describe as a graphic glitch and my whole system locks, I have to hard reset. While playing in games I've had a loud click type sound and the glitch is like the whole screen freezes and the graphics go multi colour and nothing on screen is identifyable.

The passed couple of times this has happened I've hard reset and its gone back in ok. But now as Windows 7 Ultimate starts up I get the spinning sphere's at the beginning then they merge into the MS Window and 2 secs later the system freezes.

I done the following steps and nothing has fixed it. I'm suspecting a CPU fault as the drivers load in windows, or maybe a mobo fault.

What I have done:

  • Repair system start up - No issues found of 5 attempted runs.
  • Booted into windows repair and ran an MBR fix with bootsec /nt60 c: and also bootsec /nt60 SYS. Neither resolve boot issue.
  • Recovered to 2 previous restored points.
  • Removed memory and re-installed in 2gb modules in different slots.
  • Windows repair memory test - All passed ok on 8gb RAM.
  • Removed Grfx card and cleaned and reseated.
  • Full Image restore - still not resolved issue
Any help would be much appreciated.
 
Does anyone know of a hardware diagnostic tool I can boot up from DOS that will do a deep hardware test including RAM, CPU, Mobo (North and South Bridge) to test the hardware under stress? That way I'm sure I'll pin point a core or mobo or even a grfx card issue?
 
Welcome to troubleshooting hell my friend.

From what you have said I am leaning towards the GPU or quite possibly the mobo.

Myself I would first try to boot the system into safemode (press f8 during startup) or using Linux from the DVD drive to help rule out the OS. It's quicker and easier than a fresh install. If safemode and linux is also having problems we can move onto hardware faults.

The problem is you are going to need parts to test further. I'm guessing your mobo doesnt have onboard gfx. So unless you have a spare gfx card or can beg/borrow/steal one you'll have trouble diagnosing it as the cause.

Try safemode/linux and we can go further from there.
 
Thanks honosuseri, I have just taken the Geforce 8800 GTX out of my sons PC and installed that and still the same problem. Just to make sure I put my 280 GTX in my sons PC and it booted up fine, so I think we can rule out the GPU. The next steps aren't going to be so easy......Unless you know of a diagnostic toolset that I can boot from CD and run CPU and Mobo tests? Even just a CPU thorough test would either pin point the mobo if all OK unless the fault lies within the mobo components to the CPU. I don't have a spare mobo or CPU so I'm a little stumped unless I buy a cheap E5700 775 dual core for £45 just to try out. All my components are still in a 3 yr warrantly i.e. CPU and I think the mobo.

Do you know of a bootable tool to diag check the CPU or mobo?
 
I use this http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/.

It has lot's of features built in. Including memory test, HDD diagnostics and cpu tests. That's good you eliminated the gfx card, is your sons PSU compatible to try too ;)

That should help you narrow it down to the mobo fella. Post back what you find as you go along.
 
Cheers guys. I've downloaded Hiren Boot CD 14.1 and will give that a try tonight in stress testing the CPU, grfx and Mem (just in case).

I have also got BackTrack 5 on USB which I'll boot up to completely elliminate the HDD just in case there is a bad sector on the HDD that is causing any issue. This will elliminate the Win OS entirely. I'll report back later. Thanks All.
 
Ok guys, update on my issue from work last night.

I setup BackTrack on my USB and rebooted from USB and all went into Ubuntu and I could browse the net and view the disc info without any problems. So I thought is this is case of a band sector on the disc causing corruption on Windows load. So I downloaded the HDD test program from Samsung to individually test each disk. Installed it on a CD and ran it. It came back with a firmeware corruption on the drive. So I rebooted with Hiren Boot CD and ran another couple of heath checkers from the CD which didn't detect anything. I then ran Samsung HDD checker from the Hiren Boot CD. This always you to individually check each Samsung disk. I did this and all passed ok, apart from I on did 2% of the surface scan as it took 10 mins to check 1% of the disk because they are 1Tb HDD.

So I thought I would try putting in a couple of old Western Digital's I had so put them in. They wouldn't come up as a configured RAID pair which I know they were set up as so whilst trying to configure them the BIOS automatically erased again, which has happened on several occassions. So I decided to put my original discs back in and configured the BIOS as normal again.

Rebooted and Windows 7 started up without error!

So did all my updates for AV and such left the system running for a couple of hours and shut down fully. Went in this morning and it started up no problem at all.

So unless there is an intermitant failing component or a corrution that has now cleared I am stumped!

Little concerned why the BIOS keeps erasing though. I'm going to get a new battery for the system just in case.

Anyone got any ideas?
 
How strange, glad the issue seems to be solved for you though, however I would keep a close eye on it.. maybe it is some sort of soft/kernel based error? Have you tried playing any games again yet to see if it locks up then?
 
Thanks Nevram, I only went into COD MW2 just to make sure the stats updated from the cloud and it all went in OK. I'm going to download 3DMark to give the CPU and Grfx card a real test. But I hate these issues that you can't find the route cause.

But a valuable lesson learned, do thorough hardware checking before doing a data restore. I'm glad it worked but I have lost a month of work I did with VMware and my test rig instances which I now have to download all the software and install again!
 
That's great news...kind off.

It's possible the HDD connection was "dirty" by reseating the connectors that may have resolved the issue. Although I'm still concerned that the BIOS is resetting itself!

You'd know if the CMOS battery was knackered because the system would fail to retain your BIOS setup configuration everytime you starve the rig of power. I'd hate to be proved right but I still feel something isnt right with the mobo. I have seen them cause all kinds of weird problems when they begin to die.
 
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Your right, its like I'm going to be running my rig with crossed fingers!!! If it does go again though I'll look at replacing the Mobo as I can't see that the CPU would repair itself as its not been touched in any way.

Thanks for all your help and suggestions guys, much appreciated.
 
That's why we are here ;)

Personally should the mobo fail I'd sell the RAM and CPU on the members market or fleabay etc. You'll struggle to find a good new mobo for that socket and buying a second hand one probably isnt wise.
 
I think I would go for an i7 if I had to upgrade. I've already got an IBIS OCZ 240Gb SSD. Just looking for a reason to install it and the time to do it and transfer the image over.
 
OK guys, the saga continues! Last night I got home to find my son had gone into Team Fortress 2 and after 2 minutes of playing to system hung again.

So I downloaded 3DMark06 and installed. Now as its the free version it only allows grfx up to 1024x768 so I ran it at that. As its going through the first test it reach 4500 in the timing clock (far right) and the hole system froze. So I came out, restarted the system and dl'd Core Temps. Installed CT and ran 3DMark06 again. Same again, system crash around the same point (but not exactly). Rebooted and Core Temps showed all 4 processors at 48+/-2.

I then dl'd HOT CPU Tester Pro (lite) and ran processor tests for 1 hr 15 mins. The cores where at 100% util for all that time and the core temps did not get above 59 degrees.

So the only thing I think it can be is the mobo. Does anyone know of a Asus mobo testing app that I can run to confirm that the mobo is at fault?
 
Have you tried flashing the BIOS? If you do, it could wipe your RAID configuration and thus erase everything from the discs in the RAID configuration, so I'd be careful if I were you (if you do flash the BIOS).
 
I've not flashed the BIOS (still running at the original 1201 version) and the 3DMark was run at the OC'd 3.02Mhz. The clocking has been stable for 2 yrs and the grfx card is running at 1600x1280. I've not made any changes to the ather BIOS settings.
 
GodMac said:
I've not flashed the BIOS (still running at the original 1201 version) and the 3DMark was run at the OC'd 3.02Mhz. The clocking has been stable for 2 yrs and the grfx card is running at 1600x1280. I've not made any changes to the ather BIOS settings.
Click to expand...

I think I've read in another thread, that after a while, your CPU will need more voltage in order to keep the overclock stable.
 
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