Gaming My pc is slightly f*cked up.

[tijntje_7]

This problem started a month or 4-5 ago.
Whenever I'd start up my pc, and select my user on the user select screen.
Windows would kust start up.
After ~5 mins, it would give me a bsod.
I'd Restart the pc, and starting up would be really messed up.
First, when I would get to the first picture of my start-up, a pic of my pentium 4 processor from intel. It MIGHT restart. If not, it just goes on.
Then I would get the windows start-up loading bar. Sometimes, it crashes here, and starts up. If not, it goes on.
Then, I would get the user select screen. And rarely, it would crash here, but that doesn't happen too often.
When windows started up. With a lot of luck, I could just use my pc without any problems. If not, I'll get a bsod. And the whole process starts again, but slightly worse.
I would, for example get a white screen. And have to restart. (Immediately at start-up, before the intel pic)
Or, it would crash like said a few sentences up. (at intel, or start up, or whatever....)
When I'm really unlucky, I would get this motherboard beep, which is DIFFERENT EVERY F*CKING TIME -.-
Or get random BIOS errors (Or atleast, I think those errors are from the bios... :/)
Those errors are DIFFERENT EVERY F*CKING TIME -.- and do not make sense

Though, even after all those errors, I finally get to start up my pc (seriously after ~30 minutes o.o)
And then I wouldn't get a bsod. (unless I do something really stupid xD)
Until I restart the pc...
And then everything happens all over again -.-

But, why haven't I asked for help earlier? 4..5? months ago, it started.
A month later (or maybe slightly shorter) it just stopped, and there where no problems, at all.
Now, 3 months later, I get these problems again, but they act worse... More random errors, random start-ups while starting up.

Whenever the pc is fully started up, there are no problems whatsoever.
But, the start-up is the problem


This might be a bios, or hardware problem. Though I doubt hardware, because my pc just wouldn't work at all anymore...

I have used this pc for over 4 years, and it's 7 years old.

Specs, pentium 4 cpu
2x 512MB RAM
9800xt 128MB gpu
Don't know motherboard, it's from medion, I don't know how to look up a motherboard

MICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL co., LTD:
MS-7048
If you need to know anything else, ask me.

I hope you guys can help me.

(btw, if it IS a bios problem, I haven't got a floppy drive, I can't flash/update? :/)
(btw², I will post details about errors and bsods later. Never really bothered looking at them...)

 

[Jasper07]

Well... You could probably fix it by just installing windows 7, which is possible with your specs. But I don't have a clue what could be the cause of all the trouble. Maybe taking a look in the bios settings will help? Is your pc overheated by accident?

 

[Rydian]

Dude, a BSOD is an error message. Don't just ignore it.

Write down the technical info (the letters/numbers and a filename if it mentions it), and then google it.

 

[tijntje_7]

Hrm.. I have already tried to take a look in the bios settings.
But whole of a sudden, there was a password o.o
I have never changed the password (there was no password before)
And nobody else did either :/
And the Master passwords didn't work, and if I would restart my pc to get into the bios, I will have to go trough the whole process again xD

I might try to install w7 though, I heard it's better than windows xp...

Edit @ rydian: I know, BSOD's are errors...
But I got a different one every time :/
And it didn't seem to be a real problem though, My pc is slightly strange.
But I'll write them down anyway.

And besides, I have googled some before, all pointing to different stuff o...o

And, my pc still 'works' even though it has this problem...
After it started-up, there's no problem at all...

 

[CannonFoddr]

I'm no expert but I can list some of the 'usual suspects'

1) BSOD: - it might help if you could tell us all what the message(s) actually say - it might point towards one particular thing

2) Try booting into 'safe mode' & see if you still have problems... If you DON'T have problems then it could be a driver or file problem, & a repair of 'Windows' MAY be needed (only a last resort this though)

3) Overtemp Problem: -
If you can get into BIOS, find the screen that tells you the temperatures of the Processor etc.
It might be your heatsink/Fan has come loose

If you can't (but eventually get to the Desktop) -
IIRC there are several utils programs that can monitor & show the temperatures of many things

4) Loose card/connection (Memory/Graphic etc):-
Switch off PC & remove the side panel &try pushin the cards firmly (but not TOO hard) to see if there's any 'give'

Oh & IIRC there's a program called 'PC Wizard' that once run can 'invetigate' your PC & come up with a LOT of info about it (there's a non-installation version avaliable - just Unzip & run) that could help you find out what motherboard you have (it also does 'temperatur reading as well)

 

[dilav]

I wouldn't install windows 7 on a Pentium 4, running on 1GB ram... if I would I'd turn off a lot of services. For Bios password, if you take it apart you should see a circle silver battery, take that out, press the power button (well your computer should be unplugged from power), put battery back in, this resets the Bios info. Correct term for the Bios setting is CMOS.

I'd say backup your data, and reinstall XP, if it still happens it may be your hard drive or ram. Run memtest for Ram, check your smart data on your HDD (you can also listen to it and see if it sounds strange, like a clicking spin down sound, Spinrite is a good program for HDD however not free and takes a while.

 

[Jasper07]

ewww a bios password... Hmm I know a guy who can hack that stuff, but I can't sorry...
And have you installed anything on your pc lately? I executed a keygen once xD and my pc was full of virusses. My pc didn't even start up anymore. It's a wonder how I fixed that on my own

 

[ThePowerOutage]

Hrm.. I have already tried to take a look in the bios settings.
But whole of a sudden, there was a password o.o
I have never changed the password (there was no password before)
And nobody else did either :/
And the Master passwords didn't work, and if I would restart my pc to get into the bios, I will have to go trough the whole process again xD

Pop open the lid and, if the MotherBoard has a BIOS reset switch thing, flick/press it or just take the battery and unplug everything for 10 minutes

 

[Jasper07]

I wouldn't install windows 7 on a Pentium 4, running on 1GB ram... if I would I'd turn off a lot of services.

Maybe the processor is a bit too old, but the ram is more than enough though. I think it's worth a try.

 

[dilav]

Maybe the processor is a bit too old, but the ram is more than enough though. I think it's worth a try.

Yes it does meet Windows 7 requirements of 1GHz processor, and 1GB ram for 32-bit. I installed Windows 7 trial on my P4 as a test, its just make the system run slower than XP which was kinda expected, then all its search caching and what not later on really bog everything down. System I tried it on was

512MB x 4 (2GB) DDR1
3.2GHz Pentium 4 HT Prescott + some giant CPU cooler
200GB Maxtor IDE 7200RPM
Can't remember anything else that's important, if there is anything else important.

 

[tijntje_7]

Temperatures & voltages:


Hardware Monitoring : Winbond W83637HF
Processor Voltage : 2.69 V
AUX : 3.17 V
+3.3V Voltage : 3.38 V
+5V Voltage : 5.11 V
+12V Voltage : 11.25 V
TMPIN0 : 47 °C
TMPIN1 : 60.5 °C
:
Hardware Monitoring : ACPI
Thermal Zone : 40 °C
:
HDD monitoring : S.M.A.R.T
HDD ST3200021A : 44 °C

Seems pretty normal to me...

And, my pc doesn't crash when I play tf2 for example, which is, for my pc graphically intensive

 

[dysan]

I'd suggest checking out the PSU
I really don't know why anyone else thought about it...

if the problem is start-up and then it runs fine then maybe,your PSU can't always give the required power to your system.

I'd go out and get a PSU...your system isn't that heavy,a 400W one is more than enough and costs around what? 30$?

I'd also suggest cleaning the whole system and especially fans that may be clogged up

 

[joybeba6679]

Ok, it simple, I installed Windows 7 Home Premium on my 8 yrs old Dell PC having 512MB of ram, Pentium 4 CPU 3.00ghz and an incompatible sound card and drivers (really old). It worked like a charm, installed some old xp sound drivers in XP mode and worked great, no slow downs, no nothing, so Im sure his pc will hold up just fine. Now if u just wanna keep whatever u have thats not windows 7 (really recommend going 7) then Google that bsod error and follow instructions to fix it, chances are people have passed thru that already

 

[exangel]

This first comment may be offensively obvious but I'll say it anyway. Are you certain the airflow in your PC is unobstructed? Have you blown the dust out of your Heatsink/Fan assembly and made sure that your RAM is being properly cooled? Same for your video card.

If you open the machine up and examine it, you may also try making sure all of the internal connections are solid. I'm just trying to think of what would ordinarily be the cause of those kinds of problems occurring during the startup.

Have you ever reformatted this PC? Have you tried booting from a liveCD like ubuntu and seeing how long that takes? If you still experience errors when booting from a liveCD then you can be pretty sure that a reformat and install of win7 won't fix everything.

 

[Originality]

A weak PSU would cause consistent problems and certainly wouldn't tollerate a moderately graphics based game like TF2 to run without failing.

Whilst overheating can cause problems to occur at the most random of times, it typically does not result in BSoDs, and, again, it would likely not tollerate TF2 running if it happens even just trying to turn it on.

Dust can be a problem (or one of). If the CPU fan is obstructed, that can cause BIOS to throttle the CPU and try various means of protecting the system from destroying itself, which can spaz out and cause random BSoDs. However the fix for that is easy - just do what exangel said and clean the HSF out. Dust on other parts (i.e. the motherboard) can also create static fields, which is something you don't want in your computer. Clean it all out (or as much as you can).

If there is a BIOS problem, clearing the CMOS is the quick fix - as above, unplug everything, take out the battery from the motherboard, press the on button, wait 20 minutes (although some say wait 2 days) for all the energy to drain from the BIOS circuit, then put it back in and try again. If BIOS has become corrupted, I'm not sure how much help that'll be but it's usually a sign to get a new motherboard. Also, if other small parts in the motherboard are failing (like the VRMs) then that can also cause the random errors and BSoDs you're seeing. Unfortunately the motherboard can fail in so many different ways, producing so many different symptoms, that it's difficult to diagnose specifically.

Next up, the HDD. If it's got corrupt data, it can send a lot of BSoDs or random crashes and little else, which makes it by far the most likely cause of your problems. exangel's suggestion of a LiveCD helps most in this area. If the errors stop, then it's likely the HDD is the problem. If the errors continue, then the problem is almost certainly elsewhere (at which point I look to the motherboard). Do that before trying to reinstall XP or install W7, if you choose to. It would also help if you knew someone with a computer and a lil technical knowhow - to take the drive out, plug it into their machine, and have them run a scan for errors. On the other hand, it could simply be a problem with the cable - either something slightly wrong with it (damage) or it might've come loose on either end - to check, just unplug the cable and plug it back in each end.

Finallly, the last part I can think of that might cause problems - the CPU. The CPU is old, and probably in a dusty case with a stock HSF on top (stock ones from Intel are usually the most inefficient). It wouldn't be surprising if some part of the CPU was wearing down and unable to correctly do it's math (as Dark Star One's diagnostic program put it). There are programs to check on that, but I don't know them.

 

[exangel]

It wouldn't be surprising if some part of the CPU was wearing down and unable to correctly do it's math (as Dark Star One's diagnostic program put it). There are programs to check on that, but I don't know them.

I did actually look into some of those but wound up not suggesting them because programs like that tend to fall under the category of stress testing, because evaluating the computations can generate a lot of CPU heat over pretty much whatever period of time you decide is satisfactory to verify that it's working right. For some reasons, the heat generation is exactly why it* is frequently used as a "burn-in" when a CPU is first installed in a motherboard- this way the initial settling of the thermal compound (used to increase heat transfer between the CPU and Heatsink) can be done at an (ideally) controlled high temperature.
*Prime95 is one that I used in the past when I actually did overclocking, lapping, modding, and whatnot. I didn't want to suggest it before confirming that the Heatsink/Fan is A-OK

 

[kylehaas]

Sounds like your harddrive is in trouble.
I would use a different computer to compile Hiren's Boot CD and use that to check for harddrive errors pre-boot on your screwy PC.

Also check for viruses and other shit while your at it.
Sounds to me like your harddrive is dying though. It happens after a long time or if it has been exposed to a lot of heat or physical abuse.

If I'm correct, then your only real choice is to buy another harddrive and start over.
Luckily, you can use Hiren's Boot CD to also backup all your stuff onto a flash drive by using Mini Windows XP.

You should be able to find what you need online.

 

[Matthew]

Have you tried a livecd to check if its the bios and not windows?

 

[tijntje_7]

I have not tried a live cd yet. Why? Because my cd drive doesn't boot automatically, and there is a password. Which I haven't set, and nobody else did, it just appeared one day :/
Though, somehow... The problems have stopped again for the last few days.
And, I'm getting a new pc very soon ^^

Soo..
Thanks, and I hope this problem stops occuring, and my new pc works xD

Oh btw, I have cleaned my computer not too long ago, maybe a month~ 2 months ago.