Windows Hangs

[Paul Baker]

I have a problem with my system which is some what long winded so my
apologies in advance for the long post, I do however think that the
more info you guys have, hopefully the more chance I have of solving
this.

I was having a problem in my previously stable for 3 years system, in
that my windows registry was corrupting to such an extent that windows
would not start at all and the only solution was to re-install. Having
done this a few times I decided that it was about time I upgraded some
components anyway, hoping this would silve the problem.

I therefore bought a new hard drive, CPU and motherboard. This is
where the real fun and games started. After installing the new Mobo
and CPU I decided that I might as well start with a clean install of
XP. I therefore formatted the new hard drive from the recovery
console, and booted up set-up from the XP upgrade disk.

When I tried to write the NTFS format to the disk I kept getting the
same response, that the disk may be damaged and it could not be
formatted. I therefore returned it for a new one, same response on the
new disk though. It would however let me write as FAT32. I therefore
did this and started the set up. After XP saved all of the info to
disk ready for installing it re-boots and I would get the blue screen
of death. "Windows had to be shut down to prevent damage to your
hardware", Stop Error 0X0000007E followed by a raft of numbers.

This went on for a number of hours whilst I tweaked bios. Eventually,
after resetting the processor speeds in BIOS I got the system running
again. I was then also able to format the disk as NTFS. I now have XP
up and running but it's not stable. It freezes once or twice each
night when doing different things, i.e. once when booting, once when
inserting a CD-ROM. I have checked the system logs and there are no
errors reported.

At first I was running the system on minimal hardware, but have now
started to add bits back in as the system wasn't stable without them
so I figured what the hell. I have now been running various tests to
see if I can isolate the problem. I ran Memtest 86 from a boot disk
for 3 ½ hours, 7 passes, with no errors. I've also run a diagnostic on
the hard drive. Last night I ran Hot CPU Tester Diagnostic for 3 ½
hours, 7 runs) and again no problems were found. Both Board and CPU
Temps are acceptable (45C under load). The power supply is steady, no
spikes, and all within set parameters on asus probe.

I know that I am not running the most up to date BIOS but I have read
about problems with some of the updates. Having reviewed the changes
in the bios updates there also appears nothing of real relevance in
there. I am however running the most up to date VIA 4 in 1 Drivers.

If anyone has any ideas of what I can try next I'd be very grateful
because eventually I want the system to start running games and video
editing again and therefore it must be stable. Not to mention that
this intermitent problem is driving me insane. My system spec is as
follows:-

Asus A7V8X-X
AMD 2500+ Barton Core
Samsung 80 Gig 2 MB Cache 7200 – Primary Drive
Seagate Barracuda 80 Gig 7200 – Secondary Drive (for photo's, Video,
Etc.)
2 x Crucial P2100, 256 DDR, 266 Mhz CL2.5;
1 x Crucial P2100, 512 DDR 266 Mhz (Not currently in system though)
Enermax EG365P-VE 350W Power Supply
Crucial ATI Radeon 8500LE 128M DDR 4xAGP
Hecules Fortisimo III 7.1 Sound Card
Bios Ver 1006 – Set up as follows – CPU Speed [Manual]; Freq. Multiple
[11X]; External Frequency [133/33]; Mem Freq [Auto]
Sagem F@st 800 USB Modem for broadband
Windows XP Home SP1 Upgrade (clean install) All critical & Driver
updates installed

Also - I've never overclocked. Once again, apologies for the huge post
and thanks for any suggestions.

Paul.

 

[Dave C.]

All of your symptoms point to a bad power supply. Good luck, -Dave

 

[DaveW]

I know what you said about the MemTest results. But a year ago I had the
same symptoms in my machine and it turned out that the motherboard's chipset
was giving memory timing errors. So I'm betting that your motherboard is on
its way out.

--
DaveW

I have a problem with my system which is some what long winded so my
apologies in advance for the long post, I do however think that the
more info you guys have, hopefully the more chance I have of solving
this.

I was having a problem in my previously stable for 3 years system, in
that my windows registry was corrupting to such an extent that windows
would not start at all and the only solution was to re-install. Having
done this a few times I decided that it was about time I upgraded some
components anyway, hoping this would silve the problem.

I therefore bought a new hard drive, CPU and motherboard. This is
where the real fun and games started. After installing the new Mobo
and CPU I decided that I might as well start with a clean install of
XP. I therefore formatted the new hard drive from the recovery
console, and booted up set-up from the XP upgrade disk.

When I tried to write the NTFS format to the disk I kept getting the
same response, that the disk may be damaged and it could not be
formatted. I therefore returned it for a new one, same response on the
new disk though. It would however let me write as FAT32. I therefore
did this and started the set up. After XP saved all of the info to
disk ready for installing it re-boots and I would get the blue screen
of death. "Windows had to be shut down to prevent damage to your
hardware", Stop Error 0X0000007E followed by a raft of numbers.

This went on for a number of hours whilst I tweaked bios. Eventually,
after resetting the processor speeds in BIOS I got the system running
again. I was then also able to format the disk as NTFS. I now have XP
up and running but it's not stable. It freezes once or twice each
night when doing different things, i.e. once when booting, once when
inserting a CD-ROM. I have checked the system logs and there are no
errors reported.

At first I was running the system on minimal hardware, but have now
started to add bits back in as the system wasn't stable without them
so I figured what the hell. I have now been running various tests to
see if I can isolate the problem. I ran Memtest 86 from a boot disk
for 3 ½ hours, 7 passes, with no errors. I've also run a diagnostic on
the hard drive. Last night I ran Hot CPU Tester Diagnostic for 3 ½
hours, 7 runs) and again no problems were found. Both Board and CPU
Temps are acceptable (45C under load). The power supply is steady, no
spikes, and all within set parameters on asus probe.

I know that I am not running the most up to date BIOS but I have read
about problems with some of the updates. Having reviewed the changes
in the bios updates there also appears nothing of real relevance in
there. I am however running the most up to date VIA 4 in 1 Drivers.

If anyone has any ideas of what I can try next I'd be very grateful
because eventually I want the system to start running games and video
editing again and therefore it must be stable. Not to mention that
this intermitent problem is driving me insane. My system spec is as
follows:-

Asus A7V8X-X
AMD 2500+ Barton Core
Samsung 80 Gig 2 MB Cache 7200 - Primary Drive
Seagate Barracuda 80 Gig 7200 - Secondary Drive (for photo's, Video,
Etc.)
2 x Crucial P2100, 256 DDR, 266 Mhz CL2.5;
1 x Crucial P2100, 512 DDR 266 Mhz (Not currently in system though)
Enermax EG365P-VE 350W Power Supply
Crucial ATI Radeon 8500LE 128M DDR 4xAGP
Hecules Fortisimo III 7.1 Sound Card
Bios Ver 1006 - Set up as follows - CPU Speed [Manual]; Freq. Multiple
[11X]; External Frequency [133/33]; Mem Freq [Auto]
Sagem F@st 800 USB Modem for broadband
Windows XP Home SP1 Upgrade (clean install) All critical & Driver
updates installed

Also - I've never overclocked. Once again, apologies for the huge post
and thanks for any suggestions.

Paul.

 

[KC Computers]

When I tried to write the NTFS format to the disk I kept getting the

same response, that the disk may be damaged and it could not be
formatted. I therefore returned it for a new one, same response on the
new disk though. It would however let me write as FAT32. I therefore
did this and started the set up. After XP saved all of the info to
disk ready for installing it re-boots and I would get the blue screen
of death. "Windows had to be shut down to prevent damage to your
hardware", Stop Error 0X0000007E followed by a raft of numbers.

Asus A7V8X-X
AMD 2500+ Barton Core
Samsung 80 Gig 2 MB Cache 7200 - Primary Drive
Seagate Barracuda 80 Gig 7200 - Secondary Drive (for photo's, Video,
Etc.)
2 x Crucial P2100, 256 DDR, 266 Mhz CL2.5;
1 x Crucial P2100, 512 DDR 266 Mhz (Not currently in system though)
Enermax EG365P-VE 350W Power Supply

Try it with one memory module installed to see what happens.
One could be flakey even if it passes a memory test.

 

[somebody]

All of your symptoms point to a bad power supply. Good luck, -Dave

No they don't.
If there's anything symptomatic about it at all, it's software.

-------------

Paul, First of all: Are you now running on an install, that was made
during bios cpu settings, that WinXP refused to accept?

What were those settings and what are they now? cpu and memory
timings?

Is the problem exactly the same as before the hardware upgrade?
Do you have an up to date virus checker?

What software package did you install, shortly before all this
started?

Here's a few thing you can try just for the hell of it, (meaning I
don't expect much from it):

Remove your ATI driver and run on generic VGA for a while, just to see
if the problem persists.

Exchange your ram modules (noticed you've only got one in the box,
good thinking).

Lower memory settings.

ancra

 

[Sid Mack]

If your mouse moves and your buttons and icons don't work then the problem
is definitely the video card. Test it by swapping cards if you have one.
Before you buy a new card, check the manufacturer's site for the latest
video driver. The driver that you have may not be compatible with XP-NTSF.
Sid

I have a problem with my system which is some what long winded so my
apologies in advance for the long post, I do however think that the
more info you guys have, hopefully the more chance I have of solving
this.

I was having a problem in my previously stable for 3 years system, in
that my windows registry was corrupting to such an extent that windows
would not start at all and the only solution was to re-install. Having
done this a few times I decided that it was about time I upgraded some
components anyway, hoping this would silve the problem.

I therefore bought a new hard drive, CPU and motherboard. This is
where the real fun and games started. After installing the new Mobo
and CPU I decided that I might as well start with a clean install of
XP. I therefore formatted the new hard drive from the recovery
console, and booted up set-up from the XP upgrade disk.

When I tried to write the NTFS format to the disk I kept getting the
same response, that the disk may be damaged and it could not be
formatted. I therefore returned it for a new one, same response on the
new disk though. It would however let me write as FAT32. I therefore
did this and started the set up. After XP saved all of the info to
disk ready for installing it re-boots and I would get the blue screen
of death. "Windows had to be shut down to prevent damage to your
hardware", Stop Error 0X0000007E followed by a raft of numbers.

This went on for a number of hours whilst I tweaked bios. Eventually,
after resetting the processor speeds in BIOS I got the system running
again. I was then also able to format the disk as NTFS. I now have XP
up and running but it's not stable. It freezes once or twice each
night when doing different things, i.e. once when booting, once when
inserting a CD-ROM. I have checked the system logs and there are no
errors reported.

At first I was running the system on minimal hardware, but have now
started to add bits back in as the system wasn't stable without them
so I figured what the hell. I have now been running various tests to
see if I can isolate the problem. I ran Memtest 86 from a boot disk
for 3 ½ hours, 7 passes, with no errors. I've also run a diagnostic on
the hard drive. Last night I ran Hot CPU Tester Diagnostic for 3 ½
hours, 7 runs) and again no problems were found. Both Board and CPU
Temps are acceptable (45C under load). The power supply is steady, no
spikes, and all within set parameters on asus probe.

I know that I am not running the most up to date BIOS but I have read
about problems with some of the updates. Having reviewed the changes
in the bios updates there also appears nothing of real relevance in
there. I am however running the most up to date VIA 4 in 1 Drivers.

If anyone has any ideas of what I can try next I'd be very grateful
because eventually I want the system to start running games and video
editing again and therefore it must be stable. Not to mention that
this intermitent problem is driving me insane. My system spec is as
follows:-

Asus A7V8X-X
AMD 2500+ Barton Core
Samsung 80 Gig 2 MB Cache 7200 - Primary Drive
Seagate Barracuda 80 Gig 7200 - Secondary Drive (for photo's, Video,
Etc.)
2 x Crucial P2100, 256 DDR, 266 Mhz CL2.5;
1 x Crucial P2100, 512 DDR 266 Mhz (Not currently in system though)
Enermax EG365P-VE 350W Power Supply
Crucial ATI Radeon 8500LE 128M DDR 4xAGP
Hecules Fortisimo III 7.1 Sound Card
Bios Ver 1006 - Set up as follows - CPU Speed [Manual]; Freq. Multiple
[11X]; External Frequency [133/33]; Mem Freq [Auto]
Sagem F@st 800 USB Modem for broadband
Windows XP Home SP1 Upgrade (clean install) All critical & Driver
updates installed

Also - I've never overclocked. Once again, apologies for the huge post
and thanks for any suggestions.

Paul.

 

[Ivan Paganini]

Agreed. Is the output power of your energy font enough? The processor
would be the main suspect, but you said that is new...
Try to put all the hardware acceleration (graphics, etc) to the lowest
level, and check the system. Then try to speed up slowly, and see what
happens. Hope I've helped.

 

[Dave C.]

No they don't.
If there's anything symptomatic about it at all, it's software.

3 year old system, problems with fresh install of xp, problems with no
software installed, runs better after slowing down the CPU, but random
reboots still . . . and you think it's software?

Well, that's one theory I guess, but I'd be shocked if you are right on
that. -Dave

 

[Paul Baker]

Thanks for the replies already. Judging by the responses this isn't goiing
to solve itself quickly. Anyway....

Paul, First of all: Are you now running on an install, that was made
during bios cpu settings, that WinXP refused to accept?

No - Windows would not install at all until I entered the settings on my
original post.

What were those settings and what are they now? cpu and memory
timings?

The non-functioning setting were any combination other than those I have
now. If I alter anything it won't even get past bios, funny thing is, the
monitor goes on stand by as if the PC is not switched on. I have to re-boot
and go into bios straight from the Beep to make it work again.

Is the problem exactly the same as before the hardware upgrade?
Do you have an up to date virus checker?

No - before the PC would function fine for about 5 or 6 days, then the
registry would just go berserk and that was that. Now it just hangs every
now and again. Having said that, it has only been up and running for about 6
days and not been put under any great load yet.

I was running Norton Antivirus 2003 - Totally up to date.

What software package did you install, shortly before all this
started?

None. Hadn't installed anything for a while.

Remove your ATI driver and run on generic VGA for a while, just to see
if the problem persists.

I'll give this a go.

Exchange your ram modules (noticed you've only got one in the box,
good thinking).

When you say "exchange" I take it you mean swap them about. This was one of
the first things I did, I have run on 1, 2 together, all 3 - basically all
combinations with pretty much the same results.

Lower memory settings.

Will Try. - Do you think it's worth forking out for a new power supply as
some have suggested, mine is 3 years old after all. If so which one, and how
powerfull bearing in mind my system?

Thanks again guys.

 

[somebody]

3 year old system, problems with fresh install of xp, problems with no
software installed, runs better after slowing down the CPU, but random
reboots still . . . and you think it's software?

Yes. I understand your logic. And 'software' problem can always be
hardware induced.

But if you read his post carefully, you see "registry corruption", and
that he never installed XP fresh on old hardware. And that he
introduced something new, with a problematic bios config and failed
install, on the new system. My take is that it's not the same problem
as before. And that he now has a problem with the new install.

ancra

 

[Dave C.]

Yes. I understand your logic. And 'software' problem can always be
hardware induced.

But if you read his post carefully, you see "registry corruption", and
that he never installed XP fresh on old hardware. And that he
introduced something new, with a problematic bios config and failed
install, on the new system. My take is that it's not the same problem
as before. And that he now has a problem with the new install.

ancra

Yikes, what a mess. -Dave

 

[somebody]

The non-functioning setting were any combination other than those I have
now. If I alter anything it won't even get past bios, funny thing is, the
monitor goes on stand by as if the PC is not switched on. I have to re-boot
and go into bios straight from the Beep to make it work again.

Oop! This sound like a video problem. Maybe you should try a different
videocard. ATI has a long track record of... eer, problems. Your new
mobo may not like your videocard? That's all I have to suggest for
now. Pity, if it's that, because 8500 is a nice old card.

I see you're underclocking your CPU.

Have you looked over your agp setting?
Similarly, what is your agp aperture? There is sometimes problems if
it's larger than 64MB, and you do _not_ get better performance by
having it bigger (current games & hardware).

I'll give this a go.

Will Try. - Do you think it's worth forking out for a new power supply as
some have suggested, mine is 3 years old after all. If so which one, and how
powerfull bearing in mind my system?

DaveC, always, on princip, suggests the power supply. ;-)
He's right some of the time, of course, and in the end you may have to
try that, but I'd still like to exhaust a few other things first. My
fav target for now, is the ATI8500LE - KT400 compatibility.

I think your mobo has onboard sound? I'm sorry for this 'idiot test',
but you did disable onboard sound in bios? Before installing Windows?
And you didn't install any sound drivers from mobo driver kit, right?

Oh, and here's a crazy solution, that has worked out video problems in
the past. Install DX9 _before_ video drivers. Sounds all wrong, I
know, but if it works, it works.

ancra

 

[Paul Baker]

Snip -

I never fail to be amazed at the time "comp people" take out to help
others! Thanks for all your suggestions.

Oop! This sound like a video problem. Maybe you should try a different
videocard. ATI has a long track record of... eer, problems. Your new
mobo may not like your videocard? That's all I have to suggest for
now. Pity, if it's that, because 8500 is a nice old card.

Is this likely to make windows hang - I had another over the weekend
when I got to the welcome screen. Re-booted using the reset switch and
then fine for the rest of the weekend - Strangely, I didn't get any of
the usual "windows detected... not shut down properly; or windows did
not load properly last time... screens" - Bizarre!

I see you're underclocking your CPU.

Yeah, that's the only way I can get the CPU to talk to the memory at
the moment. Will need to upgrade memory shortly to 333.

Have you looked over your agp setting?
Similarly, what is your agp aperture? There is sometimes problems if
it's larger than 64MB, and you do _not_ get better performance by
having it bigger (current games & hardware).

I looked at this one first off - AGP is currently set to 64MB and
4XAGP (is this right or should it be 32 with a 128 MB card)?

I think your mobo has onboard sound? I'm sorry for this 'idiot test',
but you did disable onboard sound in bios? Before installing Windows?

No, I did it after I installed windows, but before I put my soundcard
back in the machine and before I loaded up the drivers for my
Hercules.

And you didn't install any sound drivers from mobo driver kit, right?

No - didn't even load the CD up. Already had the most recent 4 in 1
VIA Drivers off the web.

Oh, and here's a crazy solution, that has worked out video problems in
the past. Install DX9 _before_ video drivers. Sounds all wrong, I
know, but if it works, it works.

Wow! never heard that one before. I'm currently running on 8.1 as I
have no software, games, etc installed that would need anything more
than this. Will try this tonight though. Should be fun.

Thanks again,

Paul.