Computer crashes WAY too much..

I built a computer about a year back that has had stability issues since its creation. I'm assuming its hardware because reinstalling, updating drivers, and scandisking do nothing to rid me of the problem. The trouble is I can't narrow it down to any particular piece..

I get BSODs on win32k.sys and notskrnl.exe most notably, and it crashes on everything from opening new file in Photoshop to browsing the internet. Each of those error messages indicate problems in either MotherBoards, Processors, RAM, HDDs, NIC cards, SoundCards, or VIDcards.. nice and narrow, right? :p

Anyways, here's my hardware:
ASUS A7M266-D Dual processor motherboard
Dual 1.6 Ghz AMD processors
Geforce 4 128 MB by nVidia I believe
SoundBlaster2
Linksys10/100 NIC
Generic 512 DDR ram
Maxtor 80GB HDD and WesternDigital 80GB HDD

Any ideas??

Generic RAM...? :D I have generic RAM too, but it checks out in memtest86. Search for this program, and run it. Generic RAM can cause all sorts of problems.

I had the same thing about 1 month ago. System was running really slow, and then I would get the same BSoD's with same messages. Turned out my HDD was dying. It finally did and had to go get another one. Try using tools like scandisk on the hdd to see if you are getting bad sectors (Does windows still come with scan disk these days?). That would be the easiest thing to check first. The other problems wont be easily detectable.

If it is one of these causing the problem
Geforce 4 128 MB by nVidia I believe
SoundBlaster2
Linksys10/100 NIC

I am not 100% sure you would get the win32k.sys and kernel errors, usually you would get driver BSoD's from the drivers of those components.

Try formatting then using a different OS.

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Originally posted by Celest
Try formatting then using a different OS.

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Actually, I did install WindowsXP (I run Win2k- must has reinstalled this a half dozen times), and got many of the same problems.. iExplorer crashes A LOT, explorer.exe reseting, etc.

I also tried Linux RedHat 8, but had some sort of monitor conflict.. it would boot up and then black screen (monitor shuts off) as the OS loaded. I know the install was good cuz it worked on a different monitor, just doesn't like my Mulitscan 17se..

To Cander: I also thought it might be the HDD, so I took it a shop and had them check it out.. that's what they concluded as well. But changing it didn't do the trick- it still crashes with on the new HDD.. makes me think its RAM, but I'm not sure.

To Sastraxi: Thanx for the tip on the RAM.. I'll do that.

Oh i see, some people say reinstall instead of format, its possible to reinstall windows without formatting.

But anyway i would also put my money on it being the RAM. Change the places of the sticks or just take them all out and leave one (that's if you have more than one stick). Try all the sticks seperately to see if it cures it. If it doesnt then it's certainly possible that all of the sticks are defective in some way.

I ran that memtest86 program. Just FMI, on the far right there are sections called Errors, I'm assuming, that will tell me if I had errors, right? If that's the case, it unfortunately says there aren't any.. or maybe I don't know how to read this program.

To Celest: Unfortunately, I only have one stick of 512 DDR.. I've ordered more, but they'll take a couple of weeks to get here. Anyways, now I'm wondering if it isn't a RAM problem.

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NEW QUESTION: When I run WarCraftIII on my machine, it usually takes about 10 minutes but it inevitably throws some sort of memory error and shuts down.. the program, not the computer, that is. IS THAT RAM related, or just the same problems I'm having with my iExplorer and explorer.exe? .. for which I still haven't figured what's going on.

I really believe it might be your HDD. You said you replaced it, but which one? You listed 2. Did you replace both? If it took you 10 minutes to laod up WC3 on Dual 1.6 Mhz, I would bet one hard drive is about to fail. You are experiencing the same issues I had before my HDD died.

I originally had an 80 Maxtor HDD, which I replaced with the newer WesternDigital 80 HDD. I still use my Maxtor as a data dump, but run my system files off of the new Western.

And the game crashes after 10 minutes (like clockwork) but loads up just fine.. the error is some memory exception thing.

BTW, I just got my RAM.. two new sticks of Samsung 512 DDR 2100 and something weird is happening.. when I put all three sticks of DDR in my machine, it won't even load -- says something about ntfs.sys file is corrupt or unreadable and to reinstall windows, which I try but then gives me another error saying that the NTFS file format not unreading and terminates the repair. I try a fresh install and the same thing happens.

SO, I decide to take out my RAM and see if anything changes and it loads up fine. In fact, I've been running my WCIII for about an hour now and nothing, no crashes, no reboots.. I don't get it.

I'm thinking it either doesn't like my new RAM or there's incompatibility between my new sticks and my old one.. but I still haven't figured out if that's why my system is crashing so much. What a mess. Any thoughts?

This is one wierd problem i'de love to see!

Firstly...

Check the BIOS to see if you are manually assigning the memory clock. My mobo automatically detects the DDR speed per slot and not per package...

On each reboot it reads DDR1&2&3&4 and checks each chip for it's total speed. If DDR1 is PC2100 and DDR2 is PC3200, it changes the BIOS to 2100 so both DDR sticks will come into play on a reboot.

I can override the option to push the DDR PC2100 to 3200, but the system crashes in EXACTLY the same way as you describe. I think that's what the trouble is...

Apart from that... I would strongly suggest you check each processor ONE at a TIME!!! It's important you check them seperately... and then together if they both report no faults.

Take a look for a program called FreshDiagnose... it's fab.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Paul.

No luck on finding that memory clock problem.. my BIOS doesn't seem to separate them into slots. In fact, the only thing I could find on my BIOS settings regarding RAM simply stated how much of it I had.. perhaps I'm not looking at the right thing. Would it be in "Advanced Settings" do you think?

In regards to that issue I have with WarCraftIII.. I copied the latest error message. Here it is:
http://ewr.tempdomainname.com/images/ErrorMESSAGE.jpg
Any ideas what's causing this??

Oh its that error message. Blizzard have been having lots of problems with wc3, especially with the last ~4 patches. You'll find you're not the only one with that error (in fact i kept getting that same error after 10 mins into any wc3 game - it's what made me give up playing wc3).

If you search any fan site for the contents of the erorr (ie 'memory can not be 'read'') you will find perhaps a 100 people with the same problem.

I think you'll just have to wait until blizzard find the main cause of it and fix it.

I hope its something fixable.. but the stupid thing is WCIII runs PERFECTLY on my other computer (clunky old 1.2Ghz integrated processor with a Geforce2 64Mhz vid card). I've never had it crash on that one before.. but if others are having this problem as well then maybe its not my hardware, per se. Can I hope??

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Originally posted by theAntic
clunky old 1.2Ghz integrated processor with a Geforce2 64Mhz vid card

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eheh i think you mean 64MB :)

Anyways have you thought about the Mobo? Get a different motherboard (single CPU will do) and just test it out...

-C

Quote:

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Originally posted by siyan
eheh i think you mean 64MB :)

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Right. ;)

Quote:

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Originally posted by siyan
nyways have you thought about the Mobo? Get a different motherboard (single CPU will do) and just test it out...

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I've thought about it.. and REALLY hope that's not the problem! I basically bought my system around my board... :sad:

Have you seen dual processor boards struggle with this sort of thing before, or are you just suggesting that its a good way to check my processors individually?

Dual Processor boards are usually manufactured to higher QC standars acutally...since they're aimed at the server market...so no I don't believe that this would be a common problem.

Its basically just a way to check the CPUs individually like you said. :)

I'm also getting consistant crashing with Unreal Tournament. Here's the error it's posting:
http://ewr.tempdomainname.com/images...MESSAGE-UT.jpg

Is all this program incontinence due to the same problems I'm having with my system BSOD? .. or something else entirely? This is MOST upsetting. :mad:

yeah i'd say its pretty much the system itself....

i'm thinking something to do with the AGP slot on the mobo...

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Originally posted by siyan
i'm thinking something to do with the AGP slot on the mobo...

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Really? APG slot.. Would my vid card cause system errors: win32k.sys, ntfs.sys, and notskrnl.exe? Most microsoft troubleshoots usually indicate NICs, Processors, and RAM.. but then this kind of system inconsistancy usually happens when I'm running my graphics intensive programs, so I wouldn't be amazed. It's just that my vid card cost so bloody much!

its more likely to be the motherboard than the video card (the motherboard probably cost a lot too :) )

i suppose that there could be something messed up in the chipset...the files you cite are all pretty low-level things and as thus "closer" to the problem (or what's causing the problem according to my theory...)

But...AGP is a northbridge controlled thing, while IDE (ntfs.sys) is in the Southbridge. I don't think they could BOTH be messed up individually...

this, my firend, is the strangest problem i've heard of in a while...

Quote:

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Originally posted by siyan
its more likely to be the motherboard than the video card (the motherboard probably cost a lot too :) )

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Yes, it did. :(

I'll admit I had always hoped it wasn't a processor or motherboard issue from the beginning (because those were the components I wasn't sure how to install on my own.. and most expensive to screw up). But if we're sure the motherboard is the issue, I'd be much more willing to get it replaced than, say, buying a whole new system.. :rolleyes:

Is there any way to check mother board reliability ..instead of finding out, once its in, that it was a processor issue after all??

see if a friend can loan you a board or a CPU?

even just switch out one CPU, then the other... be sure to try both CPUs in both slots.

as long as you isolate the problem...