Random Lockups (hardware issue)

Topolopolov

Beta member
Messages
3
Hey,

I've been having random lockups (freezes and requires restart) on my machine for the last week and I'm struggling to find the cause. The only semi-reliable way of triggering it seems to be by watching flash video, but most of the time it's random (anywhere from 5 minutes to 5 hours of operation) and not based on workload.

What I've tried so far:

  • Formatted/reinstalled Windows
  • Attempted to work from various LiveCDs (so, I assume it's definitely hardware)
  • Nothing seemed to be overheating, but I stripped it down and cleaned it out anyway
  • Re-assembled it as bare bones machine (PSU, mobo/CPU, HDD, alternating single-sticks of ram)
  • Swapped out the PSU
  • Swapped out the HDD

And it's still happening, which would lead me to believe it's related somehow to the motherboard/CPU, or some other strange occurrence. Unfortunately I don't have a spare motherboard or CPU to swap, so I was wondering if there are any ways to narrow down my search at this point, short of purchasing them.


Thanks.
 
I assume not, but is the CPU overclocked at all? Lockups can be caused by too much heat most of the time but you say it's not too hot. Use HWMonitor to check the temperatures on your hardware.

EDIT: or even just screenshot it and post the page so that the voltages can be checked as well. Also, please do tell what kind of CPU/Motherboard you are using.
 
Thanks for helping me,

It's an ASRock K7S41GX motherboard with an AMD Athlon XP-A 2600+ (1933 MHz). Everything is factory settings, no overclocking.


Here's a screen from HWMonitor:

hwm.png


Would it help if i left HWM open until it locks up and noted the values at the time?
 
Try this: pop open the side off the case and run a high-speed fan right onto the socket cooler. (like a window-fan or something that isn't a computer fan). I have a HP that uses the XP-2400 @ 2.0 and it locked up because the core ran too hot even at idle. Also, Try downloading SpeedFan and checking the Core temps there. If at all necessary, turn up all the fans on the computer. My suspicions of heat may be incorrect, but it's best to cut that out of the equation for sure.
 
I've had the fan (well, the aircon) directed inside it for 15 minutes and the CPU temp is down to about 20C/68F, but it's still happening. Fans were/are at max (100%) in speedfan. Weirdly the cooling only seems to have made the lockups more frequent, but that might just be a coincidence.

Any ideas?
 
Ok, so it's not cooling. Could easily be the CPU. Even my Q6600 had issues where it would lock up or BSOD because it was corrupted. It's very hard to make it the do-all and say-all that it is the CPU. But that's /most likely/ the case...Try calling AMD's trouble-shooting techs to see what they can discern. Make sure you've told them all what you've done so far because they will suggest most of the stuff you've done or already seen that is not the problem.
 
Back
Top Bottom