[CluelessNomad]

Hi,
I've had a recurring problem on my desktop. At seemingly random times, it simply freezes. I cannot move my mouse, I can't summon the task manager, the screen stays lit up but I cannot do anything at all, save force a restart. It doesn't matter what program I am using, or if I'm even using the PC at all (I can leave it alone, and come back to a freeze). Also, if sound happens to be playing, it sometimes hangs on the last note (typically makes a constant buzzing sound as a result).

I've had this happen for months, and it hasn't gotten worse. It happened under windows 7 64 Pro, and now under windows 8 (don't laugh). I've also completely reformatted the HD at least once in that time, so I suspect it is a hardware related issue.

The GPU has also been changed since, as has the PSU. So the only components that are still the original ones are the hard drive, motherboard, CPU, and RAM chips.

Intel i3-2100 CPU, 3.10GHz
Hitachi HD721010CLA332 Hard Drive
AMD Radeon HD 7800 GPU
8GB RAM
XFX Core Edition PRO550W

Can anyone give some advice on where to look? My amateur guess is to suspect the hard drive, but just about any tech would know more than me...

Thanks for any help.

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We can start the trip through verifying the hardware. First thing I would like you to check is the PSU using the following.

Download Speedfan (The download link is to the right), and install it. Once it's installed, run the program and post here the information it shows.
The information I want you to post is the stuff that is circled in the example picture I have attached.
To make sure we are getting all the correct information it would help us if you were to attach a screenshot like the one below of your Speedfan results.

To do a screenshot please have click on your Print Screen on your keyboard.

• It is normally the key above your number pad between the F12 key and the Scroll Lock key
• Now go to Start and then to All Programs
• Scroll to Accessories and then click on Paint
• In the Empty White Area click and hold the CTRL key and then click the V
• Go to the File option at the top and click on Save as
• Save as file type JPEG and save it to your Desktop
• Attach it to your next reply

[rshaffer61]

We can start the trip through verifying the hardware. First thing I would like you to check is the PSU using the following.

Download Speedfan (The download link is to the right), and install it. Once it's installed, run the program and post here the information it shows.
The information I want you to post is the stuff that is circled in the example picture I have attached.
To make sure we are getting all the correct information it would help us if you were to attach a screenshot like the one below of your Speedfan results.

To do a screenshot please have click on your Print Screen on your keyboard.

• It is normally the key above your number pad between the F12 key and the Scroll Lock key
• Now go to Start and then to All Programs
• Scroll to Accessories and then click on Paint
• In the Empty White Area click and hold the CTRL key and then click the V
• Go to the File option at the top and click on Save as
• Save as file type JPEG and save it to your Desktop
• Attach it to your next reply

[CluelessNomad]

http://postimg.org/image/bgc122c4b/

EDIT: sorry, not sue how to post images directly like you did Link should work though...

And thanks for the fast reply!

Edited by CluelessNomad, 08 June 2013 - 07:37 PM.

[rshaffer61]

OK temps look good but no voltages showing so we'll try another program and see if it will show them.

Please download and run Hardware Monitor
Installation (setup version only)
HWMonitor is a hardware monitoring program that reads PC systems main health sensors : voltages, temperatures, fans speed.
The program handles the most common sensor chips, like ITE® IT87 series, most Winbond® ICs, and others. In addition, it can read modern CPUs on-die core thermal sensors, as well has hard drives temperature via S.M.A.R.T, and video card GPU temperature. Please get a screenshot of the sensors window and post it in your next reply.

[CluelessNomad]

[rshaffer61]

OK that +12 volt rail is not looking good at all. Acceptable is like 14.35 and yours is at 3.696


Do you know if your bios has a voltage reading in it?

[CluelessNomad]

No, how can I find out?

EDIT: Gonna try restarting to see if I can find it in BIOS...

Edited by CluelessNomad, 08 June 2013 - 08:18 PM.

[CluelessNomad]

Alright, two things...

First, the values I noted were as follows:
CPU Temp: 49 deg. C
System Temp: 33 deg. C
CPU Fan Speed: 2109 RPM
CPU VCore: +1.128v
DRAM Voltage: +1.572v
+12: +12.147v
+5: +5.057v
Vcc SA: +0.0924v
IGO voltage: +0.72
Vcc IO: +1.056v

Second, I seem to have created another problem. The computer now is locked in an endless restart loop. It beeps once, gets to the the screen when I enter Del. to get to BIOS, then restarts. I doesn't boot into the hard drive at all, and I can't start it. I didn't change any settings in BIOS while I was there :/

EDIT: sorry for the ridiculous number of edits... but the restart issue was a side effect of having the memtest disk in my drive. Sorry.

Edited by CluelessNomad, 08 June 2013 - 08:41 PM.

[CluelessNomad]

Can there be a reason why the +12 value is so different, and does the BIOS reading trump the HWMoniter?

Thanks for your help. It's getting late and I'll check back tomorrow, or whenever you post next if not Sundays. GN.

[rshaffer61]

Yep sometimes the software has a problem with newer systems and reports things wrong. That is why we try other ways to see them before deciding that is the issue.
Now that it shows you are good we will move on to another step. Since you mentioned the HD as a possible issue lets test that next.


Run hard drive diagnostics: http://www.tacktech....ay.cfm?ttid=287
Make sure, you select tool, which is appropriate for the brand of your hard drive.
Depending on the program, it'll create bootable floppy, or bootable CD.
If downloaded file is of .iso type, use ImgBurn: http://www.imgburn.com/ to burn .iso file to a CD (chose "Write image file to disc" option), and make the CD bootable.

NOTE. If your hard drive is made by Toshiba, try the Hitachi DFT CD Image version of the software

Thanks to Broni for the instructions

[CluelessNomad]

I'm having trouble using the diagnostic. I have a Hitachi, and I got the Hitachi version. When I restart with the disc, it goes through trying to select the HD, but I can't find any drives, no matter what settings I enter (ATA, SCSI...) I also tried entering the serial number, but nothing came of it. Anyone have any idea what I'm doing wrong while I keep trying?

Sorry, and thanks again

[rshaffer61]

You can use the SeaTools DOS CD ISO version instead. It works with most hd's without any problems.

[CluelessNomad]

Ok, the seatools DOS link on that site leads to a 404 Not Found. But I was able to find it somewhere else on the seagate website, and everything went fine from there.

Thing is though, it doesn't find my HD either. It syas: "No Hard Drives Found. If you believe this to be incorrect, check cables, drive power connection and jumper settings, and then try again." I did double check the connections, and to my amateur eyes, they all seem fine. But since two programs failed to find the drive, I'm started to wonder...

[rshaffer61]

Is this running outside of Windows?
It may be a SATA issue causing this. Is the drive seen in the bios and identified? If so what is the model number it shows?

[CluelessNomad]

Yeah, BIOS has it listed in the boot order as option 2.

There's also this stuff:
SATA mode: AHCI mode
Aggressive link power management: enabled
SATA Port 1: Not Present
SATA port 2: iHAS12
SATA port 6: Hitachi HDS721 (1000.2GB)
Staggered spin-up: Disabled
Hot Plug: Enabled

All the SATA port listings have the staggered spin up and hot plug options set the same way, and I think there was also a Port 5 which I forgot to write down...

Also, I can't seem to get into the Performance Tab of BIOS. It keeps telling me it's invalid, and I have to ctrl-alt-del to restart.

EDIT: and yes, this is certainly outside of windows

Edited by CluelessNomad, 09 June 2013 - 01:40 PM.