PC Issues inc BSOD

Soldato
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My friends PC is not running very well at all. It has had a few BSODs and won't installed Supreme commander or TF2.

Supreme commander install comes up with a "crc error", TF2 just says the downloads starting and doesn't. That may be a Steam issue though.

I've just got no idea what to try/check. Ran a quick scan on HD Tune, all green, it's running a full scan now.

It's a fresh Windows install, with all the latest drivers. Specs as follows:

Intel i5 750 at stock
Asus P7P55D Pro
4GB Corsair
Seagate 500GB HDD
AMD 5770 1GB

Any ideas/suggestions appreciated.
 
I'd be tempted to establish whether it's a steam issue or computer issue before going any further. Download another compressed file or game demo and try installing / decompressing.

Be aware also that the latest version of the AMD drivers have issues presently. Try an older one.

If you still get issues I'm going to stick my neck out and point at the RAM. Try all the sticks of RAM individually. If he only has one stick of RAM then you're stuck unless you can source a spare from somewhere.

Other than that you can try resetting the CMOS via the motherboard jumper or even the simple solution of doing a windows restore to rule out software issues.
 
I'd be tempted to establish whether it's a steam issue or computer issue before going any further. Download another compressed file or game demo and try installing / decompressing.

Be aware also that the latest version of the AMD drivers have issues presently. Try an older one.

If you still get issues I'm going to stick my neck out and point at the RAM. Try all the sticks of RAM individually. If he only has one stick of RAM then you're stuck unless you can source a spare from somewhere.

Other than that you can try resetting the CMOS via the motherboard jumper or even the simple solution of doing a windows restore to rule out software issues.

Lots of info there, thank you. I will try all these!

Games wise, Sup com was being installed off a USB stick (which installed fine on other PCs) and other steam games have installed correctly.
 
Right I think I've stopped the BSODs. Was running hot, so reseated the cooler and reset the CMOS too.

Steam has now installed TF2 fine too.

Sup Com still won't install. "CRC error" again. Is there something wrong with the HDD? Windows did a disk check on start up, and it found a few issues and tried to sort it. Changing registers or something? I'm really stuck on this one, something doesnt seem right.
 
Well I was wrong about the BSODs. It happened, first time I saw it though.

Said "memory management", will see if I can get more info. Faulty RAM?
 
this is what i got of THQ website

dont know if it will help at all

Why do I receive a DataCab/Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) error when installing?

DataCab/CRC errors occur when the hard disk reads the information off the software disk. Some causes are:

* The DVD maybe broken.
* The error correction of the DVD drive is unable to compensate broken or 'dirty' parts of the DVD.
* The DVD drive maybe broken.
* The SATA/PATA controller maybe broken.
* RAM is not running well under its current settings.
* RAM maybe broken.

DataCab errors can also be caused by several other things. These are a few suggestions you can attempt in order to solve the problem.

First, inspect the disc for any smudges, scratches, or other defects. Try wiping the disc with a soft cloth.

If you are trying to run this game on a computer with an XP operating system, try a clean boot. The clean boot shuts down any running programs in the background (such as anti-virus/spyware, etc.) that may interfere with the game.

Here's how:

Note: if you have the Vista operating system, then click on the link below for clean boot instructions for this operating system:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

Prior to installing/playing the game, click on START and then click on RUN, type msconfig in the Open box, and then click OK.

On the General tab, click Selective Startup, and then CLEAR the Process System.ini File, Process WIn.ini File, and Load Startup Items check boxes. Note: You cannot clear the Use Original Boot.ini check box so just keep that the way it is, as well as the Load System Services.

Click on the Services tab, select the "Hide All Microsoft Services", and then click "Disable All".

Click OK, and then click Restart to restart your computer.

After the computer restarts, try installing / playing the game.

When you are done playing the game, return from a clean boot state:

1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig in the Open box, and then click OK.

2. On the General tab, click Normal Startup - load all device drivers and services.

3. Click OK, and then click Restart when you are prompted to restart your computer.

If the error still occurs, try to install the disc on another computer. This will help narrow down the problem.

Can you copy and install the files onto your hard disk? From the Start menu, go to My Computer, then find the drive that holds the disc. Right-click and choose Explore. From the Edit menu, choose Select All, then Copy. Next, make a new folder on your desktop, and then Paste the game contents into it. Search for a setup.exe, click on it and try to run the game.

Try running memory test programs. These can be found on the internet, the most common being http://www.memtest.org/

You may need to update your DVD drive firmware, if needed. If all else fails, return the game to the place of purchase first and seek an exchange. If they refuse, we can exchange providing you meet the requirements listed in the Warranty section in the back of the game manual
 
Hey Beej!

Sorry to hear you are having jip. You need to get yourself the ultimatebootcd or similar, it's a free download. It has memtest and other diagnostic tools built in. I know you are in the game so it's definately worth having it as part of your tool kit.

Seems you have this problem narrowed down to the RAM but it could well have been the HDD. I use the spinrite software to diagnose HDDs and try and recover data but as i said there are plenty of tools on that bootcd.

Hope you have it sorted fella
 
Try and install the game with the good stick of RAM inside the machine, if it works then you know it is the problem :)

Glad you are sorting it out ;)
 
if the memory is under warranty return it they have a lifetime warrenty dont they

Yeah I believe so, will investigate and try and get it sorted.

Hey Beej!

Sorry to hear you are having jip. You need to get yourself the ultimatebootcd or similar, it's a free download. It has memtest and other diagnostic tools built in. I know you are in the game so it's definately worth having it as part of your tool kit.

Seems you have this problem narrowed down to the RAM but it could well have been the HDD. I use the spinrite software to diagnose HDDs and try and recover data but as i said there are plenty of tools on that bootcd.

Hope you have it sorted fella

Hey Hono! Cheers for the info, always useful to have the right tools ready for when they're needed, I'll look into that. Looks like it was just the RAM in this case, with the good stick in all is fine.

Try and install the game with the good stick of RAM inside the machine, if it works then you know it is the problem :)

Glad you are sorting it out ;)

Yeah tried that and it seems stable now. Games installed without a hitch.

Problem solved. Thanks guy :)
 
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