BSOD when doing random things. Mostly games though 0x000000F4

ShawNMusliM · 15 May 2016

Sorry, but looks like I have to open this back up. Now my computer restarts without an error message. I just did a fresh install of Windows 7 and updated all the drivers. And when I say no errors I mean there is no dump file. My wife says throughout the night my computer would shut off and reboot. Today I was watching an episode of gumball, don't judge me, and it was like the power cable was unplugged. It just shut off without warning. I tried to find the dump for it but I have 0 dum files. Furthermore, my event viewer, as far as I can tell, just says that the restart was unexpected.

Any help here is again appreciated,

Shawn

**axe0** · 15 May 2016

There is a huge difference between restart/shutdown, freeze & BSOD crashes where the most important difference between them is that only a BSOD crash creates a dump.
Why? A BSOD crash is the only crash that Windows catches to prevent corruption, with a freeze crash Windows cannot respond & with a restart/shutdown crash Windows does not have enough time to react.
Basically with all system crashes you get an 'unexpected shutdown' event log because Windows didn't shutdown properly.

Lets start with basic troubleshooting, though a restart can be very difficult to troubleshoot as it can be caused by various of things, as can a freeze crash and BSODs but with a BSOD there is at least a log.

Please boot into the BIOS and let me know what the 3.3v, 5v and 12v values are.
What PSU are you using?
What cooler are you using?

A restart/shutdown crash can be caused by:

Improper 3.3v, 5v and/or 12v values,
PSU is improper, meaning that it is failing or cannot give enough power for everything
Cabling is improper, defect cable or improper connected
Drivers can somehow cause this too, I've seen the chipset drivers, GPU drivers, CPU drivers & internet drivers causing this
A corrupted task can cause a system to shutdown,
In the BIOS a definition that for protection the system shuts down when a component reaches a certain temperature (a.k.a. overheating)
A circuit problem = motherboard defect.

These are the things I would think of as a basis, but there are many more causes like a BIOS that needs updating or a USB device that is faulty.

ShawNMusliM · 15 May 2016

Thanks for the reply.

I actually dont know what the v values you are referring to are(3.3 5 and 12). Is that associated with my RAM or mobo or CPU?
Im using a 550w antec basiq power PSU. Id say its older but I dont have another one to test with. Furthermore, id like to not keep spending money here if I dont have to. Ive already spent 100 bucks for a new 8gig stick of RAM and a 240g SSD.

In my event viewer I have some currupted tasks and something with my ISP.

"Name resolution for the name wpad.attlocal.net timed out after none of the configured DNS servers responded."
"The description for Event ID 7023 from source Service Control Manager cannot be found. Either the component that raises this event is not installed on your local computer or the installation is corrupted. You can install or repair the component on the local computer."

The guy I talked to at Fry's suggested updating my bios. I had to take 2 sticks back to them because their ddr3 1600mhz sticks would not allow my system to post. Only the fans would come on for a second or two and it would power cycle in a loop like that. My most recent stick, clocked at 1333, also DDR3 ofc, is working fine.

My temps are good, im using hardwaremonitor to monitor my temps and I have an h80? h50? corsair "water" cooler.

Wondering how one checks the integrity of these power cables. Is there a tool IT technicians use? I work with cat5/6 and fiber and we have tools that will show us faults on our lines.

Id be up to betting its either the PSU or motherboard. There were times when I was swapping around my RAM that my system would get power, fans going full blast, but none of my USB devices would receive power. No lights on my ethernet port except an occasional amber light either.

**axe0** · 15 May 2016

The 3.3v, 5v and 12v values are 3.3 voltage, 5 voltage and 12 voltage values.
These voltage give power to the chips and (as I've learned to call it at school) 'moving parts' on the motherboard.

The best way to test the cables is by replacing them, or with some lucky you can find somewhere damage on it or on the connections but then again you need to replace them.

To test the PSU

PSU - Test DC Output Voltage

ShawNMusliM · 15 May 2016

I understand the v represents voltage. I am asking where do I found them in the bios? What are they labeled with in the bios? And if they are not set correctly then what will they most likely be set to?

Layback Bear · 15 May 2016

Different brands of motherboards have different bios and methods.
Your specs show MSI.
I use Asus motherboards so I don't know the exact way to look into a MSI motherboard bios.

If you look in the manual that came with your MSI motherboard it will show you how to find volts in the bios plus a lot more.

Code:

I am asking where do I found them in the bios?

I hope this helps you. I will go back to watching.