'Random' BSOD, Freezes and resets. Suddenly started.

[writhziden]

Regarding Prime95 - is it okay if I use safe mode? It's almost certain to freeze or reset before three hours are up if not.

If it will run in Safe Mode, you can try it. It's just to test the hardware and see how things behave, whether temperature is a concern, etc. I would try it in normal mode first to see if there is any indication as to why it freezes.

If the temperature gets above the 50s, consider reapplying thermal paste and adjusting the heat sink or getting a better heat sink if thermal paste does not fix the temperatures. Anything over 70 would be very bad.

 

[writhziden]

|MG| Video Memory Stress Test passed - all okay, with a couple of not compatibles.

Will see what temp the burn out test maxes out at now.

EDIT: It seems to level out at 73 degree Celsius max. It didn't reset while doing that for 15 minutes.

Oh, nevermind, that is the GPU, right? That should be fine.

 

[Kewne]

Ran Prime95 for 8 hours (I fell asleep) in safe mode with no errors.

 

[writhziden]

Any idea what temperature the CPU reached?

 

[Kewne]

Unfortunately not - I can't run the sensor program in safe mode and if I try to boot in normal mode, it'll soon enough BSOD, freeze or reset. I can try and see if it's one of the lucky times that it lasts a long time though.

It's just finishing Memtest now, with 0 errors. About to run the Windows Memory Diagnostics tool.

 

[writhziden]

Let us know what happens with the temperatures running in normal mode if you are able to do so.

 

[Kewne]

I believe there were no memory errors - I stepped away from the computer during the Windows Diagnostic Memory test and by the time I came back it was on the normal enter password screen, frozen. I'll find the log as I can get on.

After resetting I tried to get on normal mode 5 times. 1 time is BSOD, 4 time it froze. All within a few minutes of getting into windows. Usually it lasts longer. This was right after the computer had been on a long time doing the various memory tests.

I'm giving it some time turned off for the moment, to see if that helps.

 

[writhziden]

The most common causes for a computer having problems after being on a while are overheating and memory corruption. Try turning the computer off, unplugging it from the wall, holding down the power button for 30 seconds, plugging it back in, and turning it back on. That will clear any memory corruption. If it still has problems starting, it is probably overheating.

If you have questions about the 30 second power button step, see Use Hard Reset to Resolve Hardware and Software Issues HP Pavilion dv5000 Notebook PC series - HP Customer Care (United States - English) for information about why it works. Holding the power button down with no power supplied to the system closes the circuit and drains any power from capacitors and components.

 

[Kewne]

Tried the memory corruption solution - after that it first BSOD and next after logon went to a black screen for about 20 seconds with a mouse pointer showing, then froze. Boots into safe mode without a problem though.

EDIT: In Safe Mode now - apparently Windows Memory Diagnostic detected no errors either.

 

[writhziden]

Were you able to narrow down the cause of your crashes? Did you do any temperature monitoring?

 

[Kewne]

I can say it's certainly not the hard drive or ram sticks themselves, since I've tried replacing those. I wasn't able to do any further temperature monitoring in normal mode as it crashed before a long enough time had passed.

For now I've passed it onto a friend who runs a very small computer repair company, but he's not been able to solve it yet either. He's tried another PSU also.

 

[writhziden]

Sorry to hear it still has not been tracked down. Do keep us posted if you find the solution. Best of luck!

 

[Kewne]

Will do. Thanks.

 

[writhziden]

You're welcome. Any news from your friend?

 

[Kewne]

Unfortunately not. Since it's a favour for me and he's doing it without pay, it's getting slowly worked on occasionally, after any paid work that he does and fun things that he does.

Last I heard he was still stumped and was going to try a new graphics card, just because everything he'd tested including that said everything should work so try replace a bit at a time for what he has spares for.

 

[writhziden]

Understandable. These things often take a bit of time, and moreso when a person is doing it as a favor, so I'll check in every few weeks and see how it progresses.