elite
Oldie moldie
I hope this won't be a long story. Anyways,
I bought this PC in late 2008. Current specs :
I bought this computer with Windows XP. It was great when first purchased. Launched it regularly, installed a game (Heroes of Might & Magic 5), and played it with no lagging nor freezing. The next day, I installed MOH: Airborne. It freezed on start. Restarted computer, then launched the game. It didn't freeze. After that, we installed Generals: Zero Hour. It freezes much on that game. So we called the shop keeper, and told him what is going on. He replaced our VGA, which was 512 Mbyte, to the current one (see spec). He then told us that there might be a problem with the RAM, but Generals ran fine after we installed the new VGA. Once he went on his way, it started freezing* again wtf.
Freezing*: Either I can get to the desktop to terminate the game, or I have to puch the reset button or hold the power button to fully restart/shutoff the computer. Sound lags when it freezes - The same sound gets repeated. Sometimes, it shows a blue screen and that physical dump process.
We then lived with it. We some how accommodated this circumstance. For example, if I want to start a game with minimal chance of freezing, I have to restart the computer and launch the game afterwards. Videos freeze sometimes or lag (screen starts to fade out and in quickly). It became a usual habit to restart the computer to play the game. We thought it was a problem with the PSU. It was 250 Watt. We then replaced it by a 300 Watt one, but nothing changed. We calculated power usage so we could know that the PSU isn't the problem here.
After several months. The computer started freezing vigorously even after a restart (80%). It is so tentative. I then tried to format the computer and installed Windows XP SP3. It did decrease the chance of freezing/lag, but it didn't disappear. After a month or two, I tried to install Vista. A blue screen appeared stating that my motherboard isn't ACPI complaint. That made me think that the motherboard is the one that is developing all this dilemma. Searching through Google, I found out that a BIOS update might remove that ACPI complaint error. After executing the update, computer restarts, install the update (Update Successful), restarts afterwards, then boom. No screen. Just blackness.
Of course I bought the new motherboard (see specs), and everything ran fine. Win7 was released, so I head out to install it. After installing it, I tried out a game/video. Unfortunately, still freezing. But this time, it takes me out to desktop and gives me an error "Nvidia kernel mode driver stopped responding and has successfully recovered", or gives me a blue screen with physical dump, or just perma-freezes (minimal chance though). This OS is awesome, but it doesn't fully remove the perma-freeze. If the computer perma-freezes, only way to recovery is by resetting, or fully shutting down via holding power button.
After 1 year of this Mayhem, I am sick of it. Which PC component is protruding all this? It might be the CPU or RAM, but is there any testing tool? I am afraid to go out, buy a new CPU or RAM, replace it, and the problem still perpetuates.
I bought this PC in late 2008. Current specs :
- Motherboard: Intel DG41RQ
- Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E6750 @ 2.66GHz, 2664 Mhz, 2 Cores, 2 Logical Processors
- System type: 32 bit
- Physical memory (RAM): 4 gigabyte
- VGA: Nvidia Gforce 8500 GT
- HDD: 320 gigabyte
- OS: Windows 7 Ultimate Build 7600
- Additional cards installed: USrobotics wireless adapter, Sound Blaster 5.1
- PSU: 300 Watt.
I bought this computer with Windows XP. It was great when first purchased. Launched it regularly, installed a game (Heroes of Might & Magic 5), and played it with no lagging nor freezing. The next day, I installed MOH: Airborne. It freezed on start. Restarted computer, then launched the game. It didn't freeze. After that, we installed Generals: Zero Hour. It freezes much on that game. So we called the shop keeper, and told him what is going on. He replaced our VGA, which was 512 Mbyte, to the current one (see spec). He then told us that there might be a problem with the RAM, but Generals ran fine after we installed the new VGA. Once he went on his way, it started freezing* again wtf.
Freezing*: Either I can get to the desktop to terminate the game, or I have to puch the reset button or hold the power button to fully restart/shutoff the computer. Sound lags when it freezes - The same sound gets repeated. Sometimes, it shows a blue screen and that physical dump process.
We then lived with it. We some how accommodated this circumstance. For example, if I want to start a game with minimal chance of freezing, I have to restart the computer and launch the game afterwards. Videos freeze sometimes or lag (screen starts to fade out and in quickly). It became a usual habit to restart the computer to play the game. We thought it was a problem with the PSU. It was 250 Watt. We then replaced it by a 300 Watt one, but nothing changed. We calculated power usage so we could know that the PSU isn't the problem here.
After several months. The computer started freezing vigorously even after a restart (80%). It is so tentative. I then tried to format the computer and installed Windows XP SP3. It did decrease the chance of freezing/lag, but it didn't disappear. After a month or two, I tried to install Vista. A blue screen appeared stating that my motherboard isn't ACPI complaint. That made me think that the motherboard is the one that is developing all this dilemma. Searching through Google, I found out that a BIOS update might remove that ACPI complaint error. After executing the update, computer restarts, install the update (Update Successful), restarts afterwards, then boom. No screen. Just blackness.
Of course I bought the new motherboard (see specs), and everything ran fine. Win7 was released, so I head out to install it. After installing it, I tried out a game/video. Unfortunately, still freezing. But this time, it takes me out to desktop and gives me an error "Nvidia kernel mode driver stopped responding and has successfully recovered", or gives me a blue screen with physical dump, or just perma-freezes (minimal chance though). This OS is awesome, but it doesn't fully remove the perma-freeze. If the computer perma-freezes, only way to recovery is by resetting, or fully shutting down via holding power button.
After 1 year of this Mayhem, I am sick of it. Which PC component is protruding all this? It might be the CPU or RAM, but is there any testing tool? I am afraid to go out, buy a new CPU or RAM, replace it, and the problem still perpetuates.