PC freezes during first 10 minutes
Starting about a week ago, my PC (Windows XP) randomly completely freezes in the first few minutes after I've turned it on. I bought it near the end of 2006 and I never had any problems with it, and after it has been running for 10-15 minutes so far it didn't freeze either. So I'm guessing some hardware component has become faulty and it is a thermic problem, as seemingly when the computer has heaten up a bit it won't occur?
A few years ago on my previous computer, I had faulty RAMs but those didn't freeze my PC, instead it just resetted. So I (maybe falsely) conclude it may not be the RAM. Any pointers towards which piece(s) of hardware could exhibit such behaviour?
A few years ago on my previous computer, I had faulty RAMs but those didn't freeze my PC, instead it just resetted. So I (maybe falsely) conclude it may not be the RAM. Any pointers towards which piece(s) of hardware could exhibit such behaviour?
Post edited by XTM of TMG on
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have you set it to shut down at a certain temp in the bios?
assuming it's not a hardware fault yoiu have scanned it for viruses / trojans in safe mode?
but i'd go with hardware fault either psu or overheating...e.g. fans clogged up with dust (esp. if you smoke) etc etc
Nah mate, read it again. Not overheating. It crashes just after I turn it on, when all the bits of metal inside the computer are still cold :wink:
saying that, my xobx has started doing that, it won't recognise a disc, the first time i switch it on, but after a few mins, and a resart it works fine.
The female connector was not always reliable, simply carefully crushed it (slightly) so it was a better connection onto the pins on the drive itself, job done. :)
Other things are likely too, memory and PSU (psu more likely if you have multiple drives or power hungry cards)
Or left a sausage inside it per chance? :lol:
Nah, I usually leave that sausage-hiding business to mile or mel ...
What's Stein of Lager though? Not sold over here I'm afraid (yeah I know you just made that up). In the states I saw a hilarious wannabe german beer, was called St.Pauli which is a name of a part of Hamburg and that's in the north, yet on the packaging there was a lass with typical Bavarian/Oktoberfestish attire which is worn in the south. Pretty funny.
Damn, can't help topics on WOS going offtopic, eh?
Obviously not very authentic, but these yanks don't know that and think they're drinking a decent beer. cost about $7 or $8 for a 6 pack of 12oz bottles too....what a rip :D
- IONIAN-GAMES.com -
Otherwise, boot up from cold and enter the BIOS, and leave it to stand like that and see if it crashes. If it does, then it is certainly a hardware problem (which it probably is anyway, but this way you're sure). If it is a hardware fault, then unplug all cables and all drives, and turn off, turn on, enter BIOS, and see if it still crashes. If yes, then strip the PCI cards outs, one at a time, until you find the problem. Lastly, try the memory (memory is a very likely thing to fail, but when it does the BIOS very rarely crashes because of it, which is why I leave the memory to last here), by using only one stick of memory at a time (you might have to relocate the RAM, as many motherboards need the first RAM stick in a certain slot) until you locate the problem (by seeing what componet causes the BIOS to crash).
If the PC does not crash in the BIOS, then you want to run some software that is not natiev to your PC, as that way you can be sure that any problems with the PC are not to do with the software you test. So download a memort tester that can be booted from disc (Memtest or the Ultimate Boot Disc should do, google for them, then put them on a bootable disc). By running a memort tester you kill two birds with one stone - (a) you see if the system crashes when running software that is known to run securely, and (b) it tests your memory (memory is prone to error via static or voltage jumps). Run the memory tester for a couple of hours. If it crashes after a time, then you have a hardware problem. If it reports a memory error then you probably have a memory error (I say probably, as the motherboard could be intermittently faulty, but a genuine memory error is much more likely). And if it runs fine, and after a couple of hours (or long enough to scan your entire memory at least twice) has not crashed or reported any errors, then your problem is probably the software on your PC. I say probably, as it might still be a hardware fault, it might be your hard drive.
Also, a thing you can try, that sounds insane, is to turn the PC on, and when it beeps after passing the POST, before Windows starts booting up, press RESET on the PC's case. The PC will reset, and might work fine then, and not crash at all (as long as you do this every time you boot up). This only ever worked on one PC, and I never found out why (the woman who's works PC this was ****stank****, and so none of us went near her partition unless we had too, and this was a well known work around to get her PC working as it crashed within minutes of her turning it on otherwise - the woman was some sort of religious/life choice wierdo, she dressed in different coloured robes, and I mean stank of whatever perfume/herbs/I don't know what, that she wore. People complained, but the management there wouldn't do anything in case she sued or anything (and she would have). And yes, I can't see how pressing RESET after first booting up past the POST would cure anything, but it did work).
Best of luck, mate.