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#1 Jun 30 2010 at 7:52 PM Rating: Good
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I know ive posted this before, and at this point i am just beyone frustration. I need help with this problem, i at the point of almost buying a new computer because this is frustrating me so much.

I was not sure where to post this, i am just so frustrated at this point.

Origionally my computer would just lock up and freeze then crasy randomly while i was Playing final, Only while i am playing final. So i tried saking the side off, thinking it was an Overheating issue. Typically if i havwe the air on, and a fan pointed at the inside of the CPU, it crashes less often.

After posting here, i tried putting the side back on and it Seemed to work better..

Well now its just being frustrating. I'll log on, get a patch of lag, lock up for about 5 mins then my comp will crash. Following this, i log back in, lock up, computer crashes, and it cycles from there. If i wait a while, i can log in for a bit, but after some time, it just crashes again.

I also thought it was just the heat issue, but i really don't know anymore, i am just at a loss of what to do. Im going to hit up a store tomorrow and get thermal paste and try remointing the heatsinks, seeing if that helps at all.

Basically, does anyone have any suggestions? I don;t knwo what to do anymore, i try to play, and whever i do, i end up getting kicked offline several times in succession at which i give up and abandon what i was about to do.

Anyone, Please, i appreciate it.
#2 Jun 30 2010 at 8:15 PM Rating: Excellent
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Couple things it could be, I'd check the event manager from start:settings:control panel: administrative tools and see if you have any errors in system and application, specifically looking around the times the crashes occur.

It might still be a heat issue, you could have a failing video card fan. Try also going start:Run and type "dxdiag" to get to the directX diagnostics tests. Run those, and see if your system passes all the tests available.

If you haven't already and assuming you are running XP, download the latest directX 9.0c end user runtime http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/resultsForProduct.aspx?displaylang=en&productID=9C954C37-1ED1-4846-8A7D-85FC422D1388

Also update your video card drivers to the latest builds, and check for sound card driver updates.

What make and model of machine do you have? also what specifications does your video card have? To get those, either see dxdiag, or download and install CPUz and GPUz and post the information here.

You may also want to download a program called speedfan. it has a real time temperature sensor monitor, but it also has a drive health monitor. install that, run it, and then check the S.M.A.R>T. tab and your main hard drive for any degredation.

if you haven't already, now would also be a good time to defragment.

This could be virus related as well. what antivirus do you have currently, is it up to date, and are you seeing any extra pop ups, page loads, etc.
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#3 Jul 01 2010 at 3:15 AM Rating: Excellent
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Download Speed Fan and install it. Its a great program for checking your PCs various component temperatures amongst other things. Try to keep it open or even write to a log so you can see the various temperatures when it crashes.

When you say crashes, can you describe the crash? Does it just switch itself off and restart (so black screen suddenly, then straight into POST)? Does it lock, as in the screen freezes as it is? Does it blue screen at all? And if so, what does the header message say?

I think you're on the right track wit the overheating thing, but as Kao says it could also be a number of other things. Please do check back in and let us know how you're getting on, what you have tried and what hasnt worked :)
#4 Jul 01 2010 at 5:41 AM Rating: Good
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At work now, so i'll post with Specifics when i get home later on, i'll definatly try everything you suggested.

As for some basics that i know offhand. Comp is set on a Weekly defrag, so thats not the issue, Antivirus i just renewed this year, and it checks for updates daily as well, don't remember what its called offhand, i'll post that when i get home. I don't get popups or any extra pages loading.

Overall, this is just frustrating because its has the uncanny ability to crash when i want to play the most. Sometimes i can stay online with no problems for days at a time, i just minimize final, and its fine, while other times its boom boom boom, back to back 3 crashes. It almost seems like the system is getting too congested as the activity light stays on the whole duration of the crash. I also would not mind it as much if it would just crash and be done, but it freezes, sits there for a few mins, then finally ff closes and then the computer reboots.

Anyway, sorry for the ranting, and thanks you for the suggestions so far, i'll post back when i get home.
#5 Jul 01 2010 at 7:44 AM Rating: Decent
Could be a hard drive issue or corrupted windows. If you can keep the game running days at a time its not a heat issue. When did you last reformat? Id suggest that first before buying a new computer. Your drive could also be going out.
#6 Jul 01 2010 at 8:22 AM Rating: Good
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Its a relativly newer computer, i want to say i got it August 08, but this issue has been happening on and off pretty much since i first started playing final on it. If it was a more recent development, because something was going, i'd think that would not have happened right off the bat.

I dunno, i'll fill out more info when i get home, I had to get a stronger Power supply to support the Video card, so i thought it might also be attached to that somehow, i don't know.

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions again. I really appreciate them.
#7 Jul 01 2010 at 11:09 AM Rating: Decent
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You might want to also try a file check from Playonline, before you select which profile to log in as. I had a similar problem, turned out 4 files were corrupted.
#8 Jul 01 2010 at 3:31 PM Rating: Good
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Info time~

Vista
Biostar Group Manufacturer
Model G31-M7 TE
Intel Core 2 Duo CPU E8400 @ 3 GHz
Memory 4094 MB Ram
Directx Version 10

Vid Card ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series

When it crashes final Locks, the red activity light on the CPU stay on full time. As time passes my mouse locks as well, then when it actually crashes, i get what looks like multicolored static in the middle of the screen, going to both sides (don;t know how to describe that any better ) and then it goes black and reboots to the screen where it says which mode doyou want to start in, safe modes, etc and normal mode.

The fans are not failing, at least not shutting down, as i had the side off, and never noticed them stop when i freeze up.

I have Webroot Antivirus and Spysweeper.


Ran Speedfan, said no error, the real test will be when i actually play i guess.

Temp readings (here im rather clueless)
Temp 1 127C
Temp 2 127C
Temp 3 37-43C (varied a bit)
HD0 34C
Temp 1 51C
Core 0 41 C
Core 1 41 C


As far as the smart Tab, i really don't know what is what, if you wanna explain that a bit more, that would be cool too. I'll try playing final in a bit, with this running, and see if i notice anything, what exactly should i be watching for however? Is there a set value i should watch out for, or mor ejust anything that spikes and make a note?

Thanks again for the help, you have no idea how much i appreciate it.

Dmh

Edit, also, no files found corrupted wioh file check on POL.

Edited, Jul 1st 2010 5:32pm by dmhlucky
#9 Jul 01 2010 at 6:53 PM Rating: Decent
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Quote:
Temp 1 127C


Holy sh*t. You realize that 127C is 260F? That could be an error, considering 127 is (2^7)-1. Or you are a cause of global warming.

Anyway, from what you are describing as multicolored static leads me to believe that your video card is overheating. Does ATI's control panel show you the temp of the card? Might want to check that during the game. I'm not an expert on ATI, but I know on Nvidia, that you never want to see anything 80C+

Edited, Jul 1st 2010 8:54pm by Linku
#10 Jul 01 2010 at 7:58 PM Rating: Decent
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I almost always get one or two temperatures with SppedFan that don't seem to actually correspond with a temperature sensor in the computer. Try setting SpeedFan to run on startup, then turn off your computer for a while. When you boot it up, immediately write down all of the temperatures so you can be sure of which ones are actually working. If it still says 100C after it's been off for a few hours, then yeah, that's obviously wrong.
#11 Jul 01 2010 at 8:25 PM Rating: Excellent
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I just worked on a computer last week that also had a fully patched copy of webroot on it. Turns out it offered absolutly no protection to the Vundo worm, which proceeded to essentially rape and destroy the computer, to the point where it was sending every scanning program in the arsinal false positives. The only program I could even get to run on it and detect anything was sophos antirootkit in safe mode, and once I ran that, the virus decided it had been detected and essentially committed suicide by destroying itself and everything in system32. It was not amusing. So yeah, that antivirus is on my list. Might try running a copy of malwarebytes on it just in case.

Did the directX diagnostics report anything?

127c is insanely high. thats way past "instant melt failure mode" and your computer should go into protective shut down if it really was that hot. I'm guessing the bios might be reporting an inacurate temperature. that happens sometimes. You might want to boot into your bios and look at the motherboard temperature sensors directly and see what they say.

Also, check the video card and make sure you got the supplemental power supply leads plugged into it. They should be those 6-8 pin power connectors in the end or side of the board. Computer will still boot without them on an ATI card, it will just fail every time you try and run something tha requires the 3D accelerator
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#12 Jul 02 2010 at 5:41 AM Rating: Good
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DirectX didn't report anything, and the supplimental Power supply is plugged into the vid card.

I'll try checking other things later tonight when i get home, and im also going to reattach the Heat sinks with some new thermal paste, see if that helps at all.

Again, i really appreciate all the help.
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