[DavidAHunt]

Hello,

Im been having an extremely strange problem with my pc for some time now, and today i found out my friend is als ohaving more or less the same problem.

The problem occurs very randomly, i can be playing games for hours when it happens, or just as i boot up. When the problem begins i heard a very distinct 'click' sound from within the pc that sounds like something has powered down, i will then be presented with a BSOD that either gives me a 'Machine check exception' error or a 'kernal' error, it also mentions that it is dumping physical memory, after this message the pc restarts itself. After it restarts i am sometimes presented with a screen that tells me to 'insert proper boot media' however, if i leave my pc off for some time it will boot up fine again and the message will not be displayed again.

My friend is having the exact same problem, but the the last time it happened it has left him unable to boot up his pc. Ih ope you guys have some idea what may be gonig on as im completely clueless here.

Thanks in advance,
David

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Microsoft says:

• You are running the processor or mainboard beyond its specifications. For example, you are overclocking the processor or bus. We recommend that you run your hardware at the manufacturer-rated speeds.
• Noisy power, overstressed power strips, outmatched power supplies and failing power supplies can destabilize your computer. Make sure that you have a stable, reliable power supply to your computer.
• Extreme thermal conditions caused by the failure of cooling devices such as fans may damage your computer. Make sure that your cooling devices are all working.
• You have damaged memory or memory that is not the correct type for your computer. If you recently changed the memory configuration, revert to the previous configuration to determine what is wrong. Make sure that you are using the correct memory for your computer.

you might want to read this forum thread.

http://www.techspot....topic35103.html

I had this error on a computer that i was working on. I replaced the HD and installed XP, then ran the puter with diagnostic programs for 48 hours with no problems. The original year old HD was dying.

SRX660

[SRX660]

Microsoft says:

• You are running the processor or mainboard beyond its specifications. For example, you are overclocking the processor or bus. We recommend that you run your hardware at the manufacturer-rated speeds.
• Noisy power, overstressed power strips, outmatched power supplies and failing power supplies can destabilize your computer. Make sure that you have a stable, reliable power supply to your computer.
• Extreme thermal conditions caused by the failure of cooling devices such as fans may damage your computer. Make sure that your cooling devices are all working.
• You have damaged memory or memory that is not the correct type for your computer. If you recently changed the memory configuration, revert to the previous configuration to determine what is wrong. Make sure that you are using the correct memory for your computer.

you might want to read this forum thread.

http://www.techspot....topic35103.html

I had this error on a computer that i was working on. I replaced the HD and installed XP, then ran the puter with diagnostic programs for 48 hours with no problems. The original year old HD was dying.

SRX660

[Samm]

I can't be sure, but sounds like the hard drive may not be receiving enough power. What power supply do you have? (Manufacturers name & power rating in Watts, please)

[DavidAHunt]

The PSU is made by Lite-On electronics, with an output of 250W. I cant think of anything i installed/changed around the time that this began to happen. I had this problem in the past, but a reformat stopped it, for a while and then it began again. However, id had the pc for a long while before these problems actually began to start.

SRX thanks a lot for the ideas but:

- I have NOTHING overclocked
- Ive had the PSU in this pc for a while since the probs began
- My fans are working fine, i like to monitor temps and they seem fine
- Nothing at all has been done/changed/OCed in regards to the memory

I would think about changing HD but im broke at the moment, id only do that as a real LAST resort.

Edited by DavidAHunt, 16 March 2006 - 12:04 PM.

[Samm]

Sorry, forgot to ask you what spec the computer is.
E.G is it a Pentium 3, Pentium 4, Athlon etc? How many drives do you have in the system (hard drives & optical drives)?

Have you tried running any diagnostic tests on the hard drive? If so which tests did you run & did they pass?

[DavidAHunt]

I have an AMD Athlon 3200+ Clawhammer socket 754

I have a single WD Caviar HD
I have a DVD/CD Writer combo and also a single DVD ROM

As for HD Diagnostics ill run a few and save the results for you if anything crops up

PS a problem im not sure may be related is that my top CD/DVD Writer drive CANNOT pick up blank DVD media discs when they are inserted.

[Samm]

One more question - is this a branded machine (e.g Dell, HP etc) or is it a generic or custom build?

If it's one you have bought as a complete system (branded or otherwise), is it still under warranty?

[DavidAHunt]

Its a HP Machine, the only thing thats been installed aftermarket is a pnY Verto 6800GT, however, i dont think the cards the problem as ive had it long before all of these problems had started.

Another thing, both me and my friend are running on Wester nDigital Caviar HD's and we are havign more or less the same problems, could this be something to do with anything?

As for benchmarks, ehich ones in particualr should i use Samm?

[Samm]

Don't ya just love Hewlett Packard? An AMD Athlon 3200+ and a 250W Liteon power supply. Thats special that is.
Granted, if you were to run that system with bare minimum hardware, then 250W might just cut it, but you have 2 optical drives, a 7200rpm hard drive & an aftermarket video card as well as all the usual stuff. 250W IS NOT ENOUGH POWER!!

Another consideration is the hard drive temperature. I know you said you monitor the temps but have you checked the drive temp? If this is one of HP's usual micro ATX cases, then you have a lot of heat generating hardware in a very small space. i.e not enough air flow. If the drive temp is high, you would be wise to invest in a drive cooler of some kind.

OK, as far as benchmarks/diagnostics are concerned, I would start by running a diagnostic designed especially for drive. i.e Try this link to WD's website. Select you drive type in the left hand box & download the available Windows based diagnostic(s) from the list on the right.

http://support.wdc.c...=n&pid=4&swid=3

Let me know what the diag results are & if you are able to find out the drive temps.

[DavidAHunt]

Sorry about the slow reply, ive had a lot of nasty college work to do

As for the HD temp, it runs smoothly at around 45c all the time. It also passed both the quick and extended test on the WD Diagnostics tool, with seemingly no problems at all.

[Samm]

In that case, I suspect the problem is with the power supply. Which model of HP do you have? Family name (eg Pavilion) & model number please if possible.

[DavidAHunt]

Again im very sorry for the really late reply, but now college is out for Easter and im definately adamant to get this thing solved.

My PC is a HP Pavillion, model number is t650.uk.

Since i last posted, ive been hit with some a problems called Kernal_inpage_errors, im thinking this is something else to do with my HD

Also samm, my stock philips DVD-R drive with this pc, (Philips DVD8421), will read anything BUT blank DVD media, which is proving to be a nasty hinderance as it stops me backing up a lot of my files, and copying games and DVDs, any ideas on this ?

Edited by DavidAHunt, 09 April 2006 - 12:17 PM.

[Samm]

Hi

Thanks for the info. I'm looking into it now. Before we go any further though, can you run memtest86+ please? Download memtest from the link below :

http://www.memtest86.com/#download0

Select the memtest v3.2 release, then assuming you have a floppy drive, download the 'Pre-compiled memtest86 v3.2 installable from windows or dos' option. If you don't have a floppy, then you'll have to get the CDROM ISO image (Download the .zip file, not the gzip).

Once you created the bootable floppy or CD, you need to insert it & reboot the system. It should boot from the removable media & run memtest. Be warned that memtest can take quite a long time to complete, so be patient or let it run overnight. It will thoroughly test your ram.
Let me know what the outcome is.

Also, what DVD burning software are you using? Also, do you have SP2 installed?