Hardware problem?!

[Keoua]

i think i am having a hardware problem i have recently been upgrading my pc.
i have installed a new 256 MB radeon graphics card AGP and got rid of the on board graphics..

i have also replaced my 512MB pc2100 RAM for a 1GB pc3200 RAM

i have a micro star industries motherboard which was with my computer when i bought it around 6 years ago..

my main problem is that ever since ive upgraded no matter if i re install windows or not the problem keeps coming back

right to my problem!

my computer can either:

1. restart after the windows xp screen has appeared.
2. when windows has loaded and after a short period of time the programs i am running like msn and mozilla firefox encounter errors and are forced to close a short while after this it says windows has encounted an error and then a few minutes later it will randomly restart.

after the restart my pc most likely restarts after the windows xp screen
and it takes me a good 10 restarts to be able to get into my pc again

my pc seems to work one day and not another!!

any one with any suggestions please reply to this thread or if you would like to ask me any question which would make it easier for you to answer mine dont hesitate to ask!

Thanks!

 

[Bran]

I would start by putting your old memory back in. If that doesn't fix it try taken out the old video card. Just reverse the stuff you did, until you figure out what is causing the problem.

 

[freestyler105]

If you bought the computer about six years ago, the power supply may not be powerful enough to support the relatively new graphics and RAM. Try to find out how many watts the PSU puts out and the exact model of the graphics card you have.

Also, a six year old computer isn't going to be powerful enough to run most current apps, especially if you want to run Windows Vista when it finally comes out. I'd recommend building yourself a completely new PC or at least buy one.

 

[Keoua]

thanks for the post guys.. as for the guy that said my power supply isnt powerful enough i bought a new supply and case when i upgraded i have a 500watt supply

my current spec is :

Intel pent 4 2.8ghz
1GBpc3200
256MB Radeon 9550
200GB HDD
500watt pcu

im thinking my motherboard which is the only thing i havnt upgraded is the problem??

 

[freestyler105]

Ok then, do what Bran said. Take out the parts one by one until you figure out what is causing the problem.

 

[lhuser]

OR:
www.memtest86.com

This thing will check your memory for errors. Oh and, if you can, use that 512MB RAM!

 

[Bran]

I thinking it's that mobo being to old. Did you check to see if it can even handle a gig of memory?

 

[LambOfGod]

Your old motherboard, is most likely the problem, also the ddr memory you have (ddr400) is being throttled back to ddr 266 (pc2100) speed. because that particular motherboard wont support higher speeds.

If you put the older memory back in the PC, it should help with your system stability problems.

until you can purchase a new motherboard for your pc, Make sure the motherboard you purchase is the correct socket for your pentium 4, has an AGP slot, and supports DDR400 (pc3200)

It shouldnt be hard to find one.

Try this site. www.newegg.com

good luck man

 

[Celegorm]

it sounds to me like you HDD could be dying as well. i've seen that same thing happen to drives before they went ka-put. if the drive is as old as the computer, it is past its prime.

 

[LambOfGod]

it sounds to me like you HDD could be dying as well. i've seen that same thing happen to drives before they went ka-put. if the drive is as old as the computer, it is past its prime.

I doubt that the HDD is causing these problems,

But.... the fact that your hard drive is 6 years old, and the fact that hardrives have really come down in price, a new SATA 7,200 RPM drive would be a great upgrade for your system, just make sure, that your new board will support whatever interface you are looking at buying IE (SATA/IDE are the most common).