desktop computer hard locks

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hitbyambulance
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desktop computer hard locks

Post by hitbyambulance »

i have a PC at my parents' house that is experiencing frequent hard locks - the video goes out, the HDD light goes solid red, and even the hardware POWER and RESET switches fail to respond - the machine needs to be switched off via the PSU or unplugged to power the machine off. this problem started manifesting last summer (causing me to lose my save game in My Summer Car, boooo - and only while playing that game) to happening with more frequency at random times.

this does occur with any single stick of RAM in any of the memory banks. when i reinstalled all 4x2GB of RAM and reset the BIOS to 'fail-safe' settings, it took some hours before the problem reappeared.

opportunity for troubleshooting here is limited, as i don't have extra parts to swap out (my brother is bringing an older PSU and graphics card tomorrow).
i'm suspecting issue is motherboard (didn't see any swollen caps) and all of the internals are going to have to be replaced, due to the machine's age.

AMD Phenom II X4 925 Deneb 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor
GIGABYTE GA-770TA-UD3 AMD 770 AM3 Phenom II/Athlon X4/Athlon X3/Athlon X2 Socket AM3 PC3-10600 (DDR3-1333) ATX Motherboard Retail
SAPPHIRE RADEON HD 7800
8GB (4x2GB) A-DATA Gaming Series 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM 1600 (running at 1333 speed)
SilverStone ST50F 500W PSU

may have to do an emergency 'acquire parts at MicroCenter' situation. i think i'll aim for something like the mobo, CPU and RAM from https://pcpartpicker.com/guide/vpYcCJ/m ... ming-build
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Daehawk
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Re: desktop computer hard locks

Post by Daehawk »

Those older AMD cpus can get pretty hot. Have you checked the temps lately? Might need some new thermal paste on it. Also check fan speeds and see how they are doing.

I use Realtemp monitor. https://www.techpowerup.com/realtemp/

Could try updating the mobo bios.

Make sure your video driver is up to date and WHQL certified.

Grab Ccleaner and run it. If you dont want to lose all you logins then uncheck cookies.

Defrag the HD. If its full or nearly full free up some space.

Simply check for cables plugged in good and for dirt and dust to be removed.

Ill still lean to cpu heat.
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hitbyambulance
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Re: desktop computer hard locks

Post by hitbyambulance »

cables are all fine, inside is dusted out. SSDs don't need to be defragged. mobo bios and video card drivers are all up to date.

fans are fine. i ran Core Temp (RealTemp only works on Intel processors) - heat levels looked fine (mid 30s, about). i thought there might still be a chance and ran out to the one remaining Radio Shack in a 50 mile radius and bought the tiny tube of Arctic Silver 5 for $14, then came home and removed all the thermal paste from the CPU and heatsink, and applied new... heat levels improved a few degrees on average, but still crashing.
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Isgrimnur
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Re: desktop computer hard locks

Post by Isgrimnur »

My money is on PSU.
It's almost as if people are the problem.
JCC
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Re: desktop computer hard locks

Post by JCC »

Isgrimnur wrote: Sun Dec 23, 2018 2:03 am My money is on PSU.
Agreed.
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Zitterbacke
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Re: desktop computer hard locks

Post by Zitterbacke »

Good points by Daehawk, also the PSU, but also clean the RAM-contacts with alcohol (not from the Christmas-Bar!), or at least with a clean bit of tissue. That helped me more than once.
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hitbyambulance
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Re: desktop computer hard locks

Post by hitbyambulance »

convinced my brother to open up his backup desktop PC and take out the Antec 550W PSU (which never seems to get used) and bring it here on the plane. no crashes at all since installation, which means the quality SilverStone 500W PSU used on this machine was glitching out. it was eight years old, so i guess that's acceptable...? the parents are just going to keep this one installed in this machine and reimburse the brother for a new PSU.
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