PC Crash in "Safe Mode"

[Guest]

I am still trying to discover if my machine is crashing due to hardware or not.

If I run my PC in "Safe Mode" and it crashes. Does it 100% mean that it is a
hardware problem? I have not had this happen but I am trying to think of ways
to pinpoint my problem.

Also, I booted from a DOS formatted floppy and ran memtest to test the RAM.
I left it to run and when I got back to it it had crashed. Does this indicate
a hardware problem?

Thanks,
B

 

[R. McCarty]

Hardware or a "Severely" corrupted XP instance. When it crashes have
you noted the error message on the screen ? There are a whole litany of
questions that we could ask to help isolate the cause:
- Recent changes (Hardware,software & Updates, Driver Updates) ?
- Worked before, but not now
- Check System/Application event logs
- Heat ? , Done a Physical Cleanup inside the Case ?
- PC specifications (CPU, Memory count, Vendor/Model #
- Security Software & Malware detection/removal
The more info you provide, the easier ( Less follow-up posts) are required.

 

[Guest]

Sorry I should have sent a link to my previous post.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/...1f19&mid=5dcd0361-119b-43ae-8b8b-aacf73561f19

I do not get a Blue Screen Of Death so I get no error message.
The crash happens randomly and it is a hard crash straight to a black screen
on the monitor. I cannot get any response from the keyboard Ctl+Alt+Del. I
need to press the power button for 5 seconds to recover.

There is no dump file on reboot or event in the event log.

I do not think it is heat related cos I've opened the case and it does not
feel especially hot. I have cleaned out the system.

There has certainly not been any recent hardware changes.

I occasionally add software but I can't think of my most recent changes and
when the problems started to occur. Is there a way of listing software
additions in the order that they were installed.

My last crash occurred when I booted to a floppy containing the memtest86+
http://www.memtest.org/. As this boots to floppy I am assuming that it is
bypassing all XP functionality and recent installations.

Hope this information helps.

Thanks,
B

 

[R. McCarty]

Thanks for the details. A "Hard" stop like you've described sounds like
a Power Supply or Motherboard failure. Most motherboards can work
only within a certain +/- % of the power rail. A sudden current spike,
such as CPU loading might cause a voltage drop that would halt the PC.

First I would enter BIOS setup and check the environmental monitors
for Temps and voltages. Next download Motherboard Monitor and
note the actual measured voltages, compared to the limits. If any are at
or near the thresholds - then you have a PS/MB issue.

 

[Plato]

If I run my PC in "Safe Mode" and it crashes. Does it 100% mean that it is a
hardware problem? I have not had this happen but I am trying to think of ways
to pinpoint my problem.

Nothing is 100% sure.

Also, I booted from a DOS formatted floppy and ran memtest to test the RAM.
I left it to run and when I got back to it it had crashed. Does this indicate
a hardware problem?

Chances are, yes. For sure its NOT software. Put in some good ram to fix
your problem.