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Computer won't start :(

  • 18-02-2010 10:56pm
    #1
    the_syco
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 37,316 ✭✭✭✭


    Was running XP 64bit, browsing a webpage, and got a BSOD. Something about a page fault. It said it was "starting physical memory dump" at the bottom of the screen and... nothing. Waited a minute, still noting, so I rebooted the machine. It would come on for a six or seven seconds, and then shut off. And would keep trying to boot, and fail every time.

    Powered it off, took out the power cable, pressed the on button twice to drain all the power, plugged the power cable back in, bu still the same.

    All fans spin, all seems to be okay. No problems lately. There's a bar of some sort, showing green amber and red lights near the RAM, no idea what it means. Motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-X48-DS5. PSU is a 850W CoolerMaster.

    /update
    Left it off for 10 minutes, power cable out for a bit, and it now boots up okay. No idea why this happened, but it freaked me out a bit. Hopefully it doesn't happen again.

    System log mentions system32\vga.dll not loading for the enteries before it turned off.

    Any ideas?

    /update 2
    Same thing just happened. I'm wearing headphones, and one thing that preceeded both events is crackling in the headphones. Not sure if this means anything.

    Also, both times, nothing comes on the screen.


Comments

  • #2
    Kinetic^
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,249 ✭✭✭✭Kinetic^


    Vga.dll would point to an error with your graphics card. With it coming back on after about 10 minutes, I'd say overheating of the gpu as an initial diagnosis. Check is the fans are spinning on the gpu's heatsink.


    edit: actually, if the vga.dll is not loading, an XP repair might do it but check the above first. Intermittent is making me towards overheating gpu though.


  • #3
    the_syco
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 37,316 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    Kinetic^ wrote: »
    Vga.dll would point to an error with your graphics card. With it coming back on after about 10 minutes, I'd say overheating of the gpu as an initial diagnosis. Check is the fans are spinning on the gpu's heatsink.


    edit: actually, if the vga.dll is not loading, an XP repair might do it but check the above first. Intermittent is making me towards overheating gpu though.
    It was one of the first things that I checked. Back plate of the GPU was warm to touch, not hot. Going to leave it off for a while, and then see how it goes.


  • #4
    Kinetic^
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,249 ✭✭✭✭Kinetic^


    Reseat the gpu.


  • #5
    the_syco
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 37,316 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    Kinetic^ wrote: »
    Reseat the gpu.
    Took out the card, saw dust on it. Took the plastic cover off, wiped most of the heavy dust off, and used a can of air to blow the rest of the air off it. Put the cover back on, put the card back into the machine and started it up. No luck :( Card was cold going into the machine, having been off for a while, and still the same problem.

    Have a 7800GT from my old machine. Will pop that in over the weekend, and also going to put in a "PC Analyzer" PCI card (got it on dealextreme.com ages ago) to see what it says is the fault.

    =-=

    I'm thinking it may be my CPU :( it's a Q9550 with a TRUE 120 on top of it. The top of the plate of the TRUE 120 (ie: the other side would be touching the CPU) was not very warm. I'm thinking enough heat may not be passsing through it, and thus not keeping the CPU cool enough.

    Summer of last year, the temps were around the 46 degree mark, but unsure what it was lately.


  • #6
    the_syco
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 37,316 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    "PC Analyzer" PCI card just says "C1" which means "OEM Specific - Test to Size On-Board Memory" which means "Memory presence test OEM Specific-Test to size on-board memory." I wonder does this fit in with the BSOD about the page fault?

    It's an Award BIOS, and got the 2nd meaning @ http://www.dewassoc.com/support/bios/awardbios_error_messages.htm The first meaning was on the booklet that came with the PCI card.

    Still no post. Going to reset the RAM tomorrow. The lack of beep codes is doing my head in, as they did make life a bit easier.

    /edit
    Now to determine if the "on-board memory" it refers to is RAM, cache on the CPU, or something else.


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  • #7
    the_syco
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 37,316 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    So, took out the RAM, and also the CMOS battery for 4 minutes, and sorted the CMOS by touching the positive and negative CMOS leads. Put the RAM and CMOS battery back in, and booted it up. In the BIOS, I loaded the fail-safe defaults, and so far, all seems to be fine. Up time is 23 minutes and counting.

    I'm thinking/hoping that this will fix it.

    Also, whilst the case was open, I cleaned the thermal paste off the CPU and TRUE120 cooler, reapplied the paste back on, and at a load of 3% the temps are 46/37/39/39 according to Real Temp.


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