Urgent problem!

[Diurno]

Hello guys, hope you remember me! Sorry that I've been away for a couple of months but school always comes first. :D

 

Anyway, I bought this 'newish' game callled, EndWar. I haven't checked the minimum requirements but I'm pretty sure, my PC matches them all. I managed to play the first few missions well but now as soon as I run the game, the PC just 'crashes' and doesn't respond, even the light of my keyboard goes off, but the fans and all that carry on running and I have to manually restart the pc. I first thought it was the graphic card overheating but I tried it now when the pc was nice and cool and it still does the same thing.

 

Any clues of what is overheating or might not be working properly?

 

Here are my pc spec's:

Intel Quad Core Q6600 @2.4

Maximus Extreme

(Memory) 2.5Gb 1066Mhz

Sapphire ATI HD2600 XT

Edited March 15, 2009 by Diurno

[BeeCeeBee]

Hello Carlos, Welcome back!

 

You don't give us much to go on really. If the crash only occurs with this one piece of software and not at any other time it is reasonable to assume it it the game and not the PC. If this is a store bought game, I would suggest you return it as defective or go to the games web site and look for a patch.

 

On the other hand, if you are having other problems with other games then it is time to explore other possible causes. Are there any other problems?

[Diurno]

Hehe, my old buddy Barry! :D

 

Yeah, I'm having problems with other games. Sometimes I don't even have to be playing a game, it just crashes.

[BeeCeeBee]

Ok then it does seem like a possible hardware problem which means I can be of little help except to ask you to answer some basic questions that the specialists would need to know.

 

Are you hearing any sounds before a crash, such as a ticking, clicking or grinding sound from your hard drive?

 

Have you changed or added any hardware recently?

 

How old is this PC and has it ever been cleaned?

 

How soon after you boot does the crash occur? Is it ever immediate?

 

Have you ever removed the heatsink or processor?

 

At this point I would answer and then wait for .one of the hardware specialists to take a look at your problem.

[Diurno]

Question 1) No

Question 2) No

Question 3) 1 year old and I've cleaned it a couple of times

Question 4) Depends, if I decide to play a game, straight after the game starts running. Otherwise it crashes at different times, but never straight after booting.

Question 5) Yes, for cleaning but used the correct thermal paste. Plus my CPU temperature is around 30C.

[BeeCeeBee]

Sounds like you are right to suspect that it may be the graphics card although I don't know if the issue is overheating. It could, of course, also be a Mobo problem. We will both have to wait and learn from others on this.

[Diurno]

Okay, I will be waiting!

 

Please, please, please lets hope it's not a motherboard problem!

 

I don't might buying a new graphic card, but don't want to buy a mobo. (I like my Extreme)

[Match]

Hi Diurno

 

when you say your pc 'crashes do you get a blue screen, black screen, or does it just freeze,

 

does the alt,Tab, delete still work to get you to the task manager or do you have to use the hard reset button,

 

you say that your CPU is running at around 30C is that reading it from the bios or do you have a windows application to monitor it from windows?

 

can you tell us if their are any signs warning you of an impending crash, ie graphics going black and white, white spots on the screen momentarily freezing, or seeming to run slow?

 

when you start it back up does it boot up straight away as normal, do you get any error messages like, windows has recovered from an unexpected fatal error?

[Diurno]

Hello Match,

 

It depends, when I'm playing games it just freezes other times it reboots.

 

Unfortunately the ctrl,alt, del doesnt work, I have to use the hard reset button.

 

It's always around the same temperature. I've checked using the BIOS and using the software provided with the motherboard from ASUS.

 

The PC is just running normally and then suddenly, screen freezes, keyboard lights go off and if I have my speakers on I get this sort of play back sound over and over again. However the fans carry on running and all the internal lights still work, just like normal.

 

When I boot up I get that window saying if I want to run in safety mode or normal mode (plus the other silly options).

[Match]

Ok so that's not very helpful as in getting to the source of your problem.

 

Have you had any problems copying or moving files, had to wait a long time for files to load, any problems when booting up to windows at all, in the slightest,

 

Do you use any registry cleaning or fixing tools?, have you un-installed anything just before the problem started?

[Diurno]

Nop, no problem at all in moving things. However, windows galery takes a long time to load. No problem with windows.

 

Nop, I don't use any registry cleaning or fixing tools, and I haven't installed or unnistalled anything. In fact, because this problem started to happen a while ago I went to the point of doing a "fresh" installation of Windows but that didn't help.

[Diurno]

It happened just now! And I was only using msn and IE.

 

I turned the monitor off and on, and it said that VGA INPUT:ON. So I was thinking could this be a faulty hard drive and not a retarded graphic card?

 

This is really annoying me! Any solutions, brainiacs?

 

EDIT:

For some reason my North Bridge is hotter than usual 43C.

Edited March 15, 2009 by Diurno

[Match]

OK I'm running out of idea's

 

Drivers - are they updated to latest versions

 

Directx - updated to latest version.

 

and grasping at straws Vista 64? don't you need software to run 32 Bit applications and software, could it be a conflict with that? -: Yes I don't know what I'm talking about on this subject.

 

and as my usual last resort I'll ask Dalo or Tooteck

[Diurno]

Everything is updated to the latest version. I've checked that 3 times :D.

 

I will have to wait for the 2 GODS then.

 

Thanks anyway, Match!

[Plastic Nev]

Hi my old friend, I hope you are doing OK in your studies.

When you say in your last post you re-installed Windows, was this using the manufacturers recovery disk, or a full install from an original XP disk?

The reason I ask, is because I suspect a driver issue here, and that is because you said if the sound is on, then you hear a sound repeating itself over and over, when it crashes. It may be the sound drivers, or even a different driver but it is making the system appear to go into a continuous loop, hence the sound repeating itself.

My advice is check, especially the sound drivers, are up to date.

[Diurno]

Hehe, Everyone... It's Nev!! Hello buddy! How are you?

Okay I will do that, but I've checked many of the drivers already but I will do it again!

[Plastic Nev]

Hi again, Actually I made a small mistake and said Windows XP, when I asked which you had re-installed. can you tell us which it was, the recovery disk or the full Windows Vista complete OS. If the latter you would have probably had to re-install at least some drivers anyway is what I am thinking.

If only a manufacturers recovery disk, that would not have altered any drivers, just the OS.

[Diurno]

I re-installed the OS from a Vista disk not a recovery disk.

 

EDIT:

Just checked the sound drivers, and they are up to date.

Edited March 15, 2009 by Diurno

[Plastic Nev]

OK Carlos, I am stumped a bit now. Just have to wait to see what Dalo or Tootech can come up with, there can be lots of reasons for random crashes as you know.

[Diurno]

Yeah, I know....

 

I just hope it isnt my motherboard! Don't mind if it is the graphic card (I want a new one), but would be quite disapointed with Western Digital if it was the hard drive.

 

Oh well....

 

Just have to wait! Dalo? (where are you?) Mr TooTech, halo halo. :D:D

[DirtyPolo]

As you mentioned that the lights on your keyboard go off when this happens, leads me to cross out the graphics card as causing the problem.

 

I'm not too sure what is the problem exactly, but I don't think Dave and Scott will be asking you to replace your Graphics card just yet...

[Diurno]

Hmm, yeah good point...

 

I'm going to overclock my CPU, and see if it stable. If so then it is obviously not the CPU. I will then do the same to the memory.

[Dalo Harkin]

The 2600XT was a good card - but it is quote dated.

Its now a £50 card, what resolution are you trying to run at?

and make sure AA and AF are off, as that would most probably cause a hard crash

Edited March 16, 2009 by Dalo Harkin

[Diurno]

Indeed, I agree with you that the HD2600Xt is a good GPU.

Im trying to run at mid/high resolution around 1650x1025 (I think) the settings recommended by my monitor.

AA and AF is off.

I've tried with lower settings but it still does the same thing!

Any solutions?

[Diurno]

Hello fellow friends,

 

I finally solved my problem !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

After updating and re-updating and doing this twice to the drivers! I realised that the problem was nothing to do with these but to do with a stupid thing. The solution was just in front of my eyes... I even mentioned it once while writing my posts!

 

The software provided by the motherboard manufacture ASUS. It allows me to control the CPU voltages; fan RPM; check the temperatures; perform safe overclocks.

 

Well, the so called AI Suite software is indeed useful. However, it was preventing my CPU from achieving the high voltages that are needed for games.

 

The solution:

Overclocking

OR

Un-installing the software

I overclocked the CPU, to make sure that the voltages were constant and capable of handling with the necessary "power" for the games. Now I am able to run the game at full graphic setting (I'm actually amazed that the good old lady 2600XT is capable) and with no stupid freezes.

 

I decided to keep the software as it is useful to check the temperatures and reduce voltages if possible to reduce my CO2 emissions (I like my environment).

 

Thanks for everyone that tried to help, sometimes the solution is so obvious that we just ignore it. Another lesson that I just taught myself, HaHa :D.