Rig craps out on me randomly(2-3 weeks max) - Overclock.net

Fox_Smash · 04-05-08

this has happened to me twice so i don't think it's coincidence.
after a few weeks windows freezes randomly at any point no matter what i'm doing and when i restart the pc it gets stuck in the POST when trying to detect drives.
the only solution to this is to take the power cord off the psu and plug it back,after that everything goes back to normal.
since after the windows freeze i can't get the thing to POST properly i think the problem lies in the hardware,any thoughts?
my pc is on 24/7 downloading and folding,it isn't turned off unless i need to upgrade.

euphoricmix · 04-05-08

First, go to run or whatever you do in Vista and type chkdsk, or set your computer up to run chkdsk upon startup. Windows will automatically check and repair for bad sectors in your operating system.

The next thing I would do is download and run HDTach and see how your HDD is performing. You can compare it to other similar make and model of your Hard Drive. There are other applications like HDD Scan and Restoration Program that can detect, bypass, or repair defective sectors of your Hard Drive but it only supports IDE Hard Drives at present. I have never used the Scan and Restoration Program, but I have used the HDTach and it is a good tool.

What you may be experiencing is a tell-tell sign of the impending demise of one of your Hard Drives. If all checks out with both of your HDD's then I would try a fresh install of Windows to see if that clears up your issue.

**thlnk3r** · 04-05-08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fox_Smash

this has happened to me twice so i don't think it's coincidence.
after a few weeks windows freezes randomly at any point no matter what i'm doing and when i restart the pc it gets stuck in the POST when trying to detect drives.
the only solution to this is to take the power cord off the psu and plug it back,after that everything goes back to normal.
since after the windows freeze i can't get the thing to POST properly i think the problem lies in the hardware,any thoughts?
my pc is on 24/7 downloading and folding,it isn't turned off unless i need to upgrade.

Fox_Smash, start off with running a diagnostic on your memory and hard drive. If your running both WD drives then download Western Digitals Lifeguard tools found here: http://support.wdc.com/download/?cxml=n&pid=3&swid=30. Download the .iso and burn it to a CD. Boot to the utility and run a surface scan. The surface scan will go over each sector of the drive. If your going to run chkdsk please make sure to specify the right command line interface:
/P - Does an exhaustive check of the drive and corrects any errors.(chkdsk /p)
/R - Locates bad sectors and recovers readable information.(chkdsk /r)
If you have a drive with bad sectors, recover your data and RMA the drive, don't waste your time and keep using it

For your memory, download memtest86, burn the .iso to a CD and boot to it. Run tests 5 and 8 each for a couple of hours.
Have you tried replacing IDE/SATA cables? Have you tried clearing your CMOS? Do you have Everest Ultimate Edition? If so check the voltages of your CMOS batter. Make sure they are reading 3.0-3.1volts. If you have a CMOS battery that is low on voltage is may cause weird abnormalities with your BIOS ect.
If you have a multimeter handy I would also start checking the voltages of your PSU, especially since your folding 24/7. Here is a guide that explains on how to check the voltages of your PSU using a multimeter: http://www.clunk.org.uk/forums/guide...ing-guide.html

Good luck and let us know what you find

sublime0 · 04-05-08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fox_Smash

this has happened to me twice so i don't think it's coincidence.
after a few weeks windows freezes randomly at any point no matter what i'm doing and when i restart the pc it gets stuck in the POST when trying to detect drives.
the only solution to this is to take the power cord off the psu and plug it back,after that everything goes back to normal.
since after the windows freeze i can't get the thing to POST properly i think the problem lies in the hardware,any thoughts?
my pc is on 24/7 downloading and folding,it isn't turned off unless i need to upgrade.

Your rig is doing this because Of sli. It generaly helps to disable sli before shutting down you rig and before restarting.

How do you only get 10k in sli? Im getting 12k stock and 14k @ 3.6GHZ?

**thlnk3r** · 04-05-08

The question I have it why are you running SLI in a rig that is 24/7 downloading and folding?

sublime0 · 04-05-08

Quote:

Originally Posted by thlnk3r

The question I have it why are you running SLI in a rig that is 24/7 downloading and folding?

ME? Im folding when Im not gaming

**thlnk3r** · 04-05-08

Quote:

Originally Posted by sublime0

ME? Im folding when Im not gaming

Sublime, the OP stated that his rig is "24/7 downloading and folding".

Fox_Smash · 04-10-08

sorry for the late reply people!
will do all the HD tests in the weekend(i'm 100% sure that i don't have bad RAM sticks),i have a college exam coming up and i'm dedicated to the books.
@thlnk3r: i do everything with this rig: download,fold,game,listen to music,watch DVD's,browse internet,etc.I never quit F@H even if i'm gaming(it doesn't seem to affect gaming perfomance for me).
@sublime0: you have a faster processor and you're right this problem started AFTER i got SLi.
reps dished out.

**thlnk3r** · 04-10-08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fox_Smash

(i'm 100% sure that i don't have bad RAM sticks)

Fox, it still wouldn't hurt to run memtest on them (tests 5 and 8). Process of elimination is your best friend

Good luck with your college exam

**The Duke** · 04-10-08

If you reduce to 1 vid card and default settings look for...
1. Memtest86 to assure the RAM is good.
2. Consider the PS as the culprit regardless of #1 and check the voltages when the system is under full load.

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Rig craps out on me randomly(2-3 weeks max)

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