Solved Spent a year travelling while my desktop at home, crashes upon booting

[Moodus]

*Update*

Last night I brought my machine to my friend's place to see if we could both try and figure out what the real issue with my pc was. He had a brand new HD and we swapped mine out. At first my pc wouldn't recognized it but we tested connections, different SATA ports and finally it recognized it.

We then inspected my machine and noticed that the graphics card was really dirty (lots of dust clogging up the fan). We took it out, cleaned it by blowing out all the dust, and then reseated it.

I noticed my pc was running much faster after that

I then swapped my old HD back in and ran SeaTools DOS Long Scan on it. My HD passed!

However, my PC is still crashing upon boot. I try in safe mode and as it is loading, it crashes just after loading one of the drivers (not sure which one but I can run again and let you know).

I will run Memtest86+ to see if it is my motherboard/ RAM.

It is at least good to know I can rule out HD failure and that it must be another piece of hardware

Again, I apologize for my ignorance. This is all so new to me and I greatly appreciate all the help I've received!

Further input would be greatly appreciated
I will now try and test my Motherboard/RAM with Memtest86+

 

[gregrocker]

Two days ago I had suggested to reinstall the video card. Glad that got done.

The troubleshooting tutorial which has also been given several times also shows how to read the logs to help figure out what is crashing your system. Use the Diagnostics-Performance log. Have you completed all of the Troubleshooting steps yet?

There are perhaps a dozen steps that have been given that have not been performed so what would help now is to go back to the top of the thread and check off each one. In cases like this the fix is almost always a step which has been given and skipped or ignored.

Sounds like it might also be video card. Make sure you have the latest driver, consider reinstalling the card itself.

Since you have a bootable install go over your install thoroughly using Troubleshooting Steps for Windows 7 which start with the hardware tests and also go over the OS to access all of the troubleshooting resources.

 

[Moodus]

Two days ago I had suggested you reinstall the video card. Glad that got done.

The troubleshooting tutorial which has also been given severa times also shows you how to read the logs to help figure out what is crashing your system. Use the Diagnostics-Performance log. Have you completed all of the Troubleshooting steps yet?

There are perhaps a dozen steps you've been given that have not been performed so what woudl help now is for you to go back to the top of the thread and check off each one. In cases like this the fix is almost always a step which has been given and skipped or ignored.

Sounds like it might also be your video card. Make sure you have the latest driver, consider reinstalling the card itself.

Since you have a bootable install go over your install thoroughly using Troubleshooting Steps for Windows 7 which start with the hardware tests and also go over the OS to access all of the troubleshooting resources.

Thanks again Greg! I will follow your advice and keep you update. Your patience and knowledge make you a saint, really

 

[Moodus]

*Update*

I went back to step 1 for the Troubleshooting Steps for Windows 7 and ran the Drive Fitness Test. It ran over the course of 2 hours and upon almost completing the media testing it crashed again. Do I have to run this if I already passed the SeaTools DOS Long Scan to check my HD?

 

[gregrocker]

I would want two HD Diagnostics tests to confirm its condition. If HDFT does not run but Seatools did and passed the drive, you can probably rely on installing to Win7 CrystalDiskInfo - Software to confirm that. If you'd like to do another booted scan from CD, try Partition surface test with Partition Wizard.

In addition do the Disk Check

 

[Moodus]

*Update*

As of last night we tested the HD again and it was fine. After doing so we tried booting into Windows 7 again and were successful. We then ran Chkdsk twice. The first time ran it stopped half way and displayed a notification that there was a dirty drive. The second time I ran it, it completed successfully and found nothing. I also ran Microsoft Security Essentials, malwarebytes, and avast to check software and everything passed.

We left the machine idling while updates were installing, however; we were greeted with a BSOD during installation. We let it rest overnight and tried again this morning.

As of now, I am unable to even boot into any mode, as well as from my Reinstallation Disk. PC always crashes upon boot.

I know my next step in Troubleshooting would be to run chkdsk again, but I am unable to even get into System Recovery Options to access a command prompt.

Thanks again for your wisdom and patience

 

[gregrocker]

How were you running MSE and Avast scans? Are both of these AV's installed? This is never a good idea. I would uninstall Avast if so.

Can you boot into Safe Mode to post up the BSOD output so our analysts can determine the cause? Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) Posting Instructions - Windows 7 Forums

If not what exactly happens when you try to boot? We need the exact error message and behavior. Can you take a video and upload it?

Try also every method given to boot into System Recovery Options and report back the exact failure there too.

Have you checked all of your hardware connections? Try unplugging the DVD drive to see if it is causing the problem. Try unplugging the hard drive to see if you can run a boot disk uninterrupted: Peppermint3 - Create Live CD/DVD/USB To Use For Emergency Backup - Windows 7 Forums

 

[Moodus]

Hi Greg, today I relocated my pc back to my own home. I turned it on and it was able to boot normally int Windows 7. I then took your advice and ran the DM Log Collector and posted my BSOD output in this thread: http://www.sevenforums.com/bsod-help-support/331931-bsod-desktop-after-being-gone-year.html

As far as behavioral patterns, my pc will boot normally into Windows 7 and run fine until I initiate a process such as opening a web browser, opening a folder on my desktop, etc. It will then freeze, switch to the BSOD, and then restart. I'm able to do this roughly twice before my pc begins to crash upon boot. I'll try and boot in any mode and it will show the "windows is loading files" white bar and load % on the bottom of the screen, load all the way, turn to a black screen and the shut off.

Thanks again

 

[ICIT2LOL]

*Update*

Last night I brought my machine to my friend's place to see if we could both try and figure out what the real issue with my pc was. He had a brand new HD and we swapped mine out. At first my pc wouldn't recognized it but we tested connections, different SATA ports and finally it recognized it.

We then inspected my machine and noticed that the graphics card was really dirty (lots of dust clogging up the fan). We took it out, cleaned it by blowing out all the dust, and then reseated it.

I noticed my pc was running much faster after that

I then swapped my old HD back in and ran SeaTools DOS Long Scan on it. My HD passed!

However, my PC is still crashing upon boot. I try in safe mode and as it is loading, it crashes just after loading one of the drivers (not sure which one but I can run again and let you know).

I will run Memtest86+ to see if it is my motherboard/ RAM.

It is at least good to know I can rule out HD failure and that it must be another piece of hardware

Again, I apologize for my ignorance. This is all so new to me and I greatly appreciate all the help I've received!

Further input would be greatly appreciated
I will now try and test my Motherboard/RAM with Memtest86+

Mate try this one it is a physical test as opposed to a file type test it is usually used on spinners
. Best Free Partition Manager Freeware and free partition magic for Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista and Windows XP 32 bit & 64 bit. MiniTool Free Partition Manager Software Home Edition.

See my pic for how to run it

 

[jumanji]

At this stage, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of the processor heating up due to dried thermal paste and causing all sorts of problems.

May be your friend can take out the processor heat sink clean it as well as the processor top plate, apply fresh thermal paste and fasten everything.

Check whether this would resolve your problem.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

At this stage, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of the processor heating up due to dried thermal paste and causing all sorts of problems.

May be your friend can take out the processor heat sink clean it as well as the processor top plate, apply fresh thermal paste and fasten everything.

Check whether this would resolve your problem.

Personally I would make sure the friend uses these

Arctic Silver Incorporated - Arctic Silver 5 < compound and this
Arctic Silver Incorporated - ArctiClean < for the surface preparation a tad expensive but I believe no better cleaning materials than these around - I know folks say alcohol is good enough but in my view it really doesn't clean as thoroughly as this stuff

 

[Moodus]

jumanji and ICit2lol hit the nail on the head

I followed your advice and cleaned out my cpu heatsink/ fan which were incredibly filthy to the point where I wasn't sure if there had been a large accumulation of dust or if someone had ripped off part of a sweater and shoved it into my heat sink. It was that clogged...

I took your advice and bought the ArtiClean and Arctic Silver 5 off of Amazon.com for I think around $10 USD altogether which was well worth it. I cleaned out the heat sink and fan, removed old thermal paste, which at that point looked incredibly dry, and then reapplied new thermal paste.

Booted PC and everything is running smoothly now. Downloaded Core Temp to monitor heat levels and nothing is exceeding 30 degrees Celsius

Bravo friends, thank all of you for all of your wisdom and suggestions. This is a great community with great people! Cheers

 

[Computer0304]

That's good use that it is running smoothly. I guess you could mark this problem as solved. Wait, you already did.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Well glad you got it sorted Moodus and personally I find always good to check temps from time to time because even Arctic silver compound is not infallible.

Another good one is the Noctua NT-H1 but again always check for time to time takes a few seconds and saves a lot of grief. Noctua.at - sound-optimised premium components "Designed in Austria"! a little thicker but the cleaning stuff from Arctic is just the only thing to use in my mind.

 

[jumanji]

Glad to see the solved tick mark on this thread and I had some little part in it..

Sometimes we miss little things and run around in circles but what surprised me was how your knowledgeable friend, who cleaned the video card missed to look at the processor and heat sink.

Anyway all is well that ends well.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Glad to see the solved tick mark on this thread and I had some little part in it..

Sometimes we miss little things and run around in circles but what surprised me was how your knowledgeable friend, who cleaned the video card missed to look at the processor and heat sink.

Anyway all is well that ends well.

Jumanji the solutions I mentioned are the best for them too

 

[jumanji]

^ No doubt.

I think most BIOS do check temps and we never care to get into and look at them - me included.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Yep I know Jumanji there are a few temp measurers around and I guess form what I have seen they are only really reliant on the sensors within any given device.
I did get one of those infra red measurers but it is only good enough for heat sources you can actually track directly onto - for example the cooler fins of a stock cooler.

 

[Layback Bear]

I'm guilty.

I to take for granted that everybody cleans their PC and changes their compound as often as I do. I'm also guilty of thinking that everybody has a temp monitoring program on the Taskbar and checks it often.

At the end you all got it figured out. Good Job.

 

[Moodus]

UPDATE!

Hey everyone, so after I sort of had my pc running again, it crashed.

I did a little research on my BSOD (Kernel power failure) and had a hunch that it may be my psu.

Swapped my psu out for a friend's extra one and eureka! It worked perfectly, just as new.

Took me over a month to figure out it was my PSU giving me trouble. I hope my endeavor may aid another.

Again, thanks a million for all the help everyone. Great community and great advice.