Random Comp Crashes

[Derksoda]

I have been having consistent comp crashes for quite some time now, and not every crash is the same. So far I have had 3 different types, all happening regularly. These mostly occur when I am playing games. When the main type of crash occurs, a quick screech can be heard and then the screen goes weird and pixelated, or sometimes when it crashes, the machine is still running, but the monitor goes to standby. The third is really more of a random comp restart, but still happens on occassion, the main one however is the pixelated screen.

Thanks for your time, any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Chewy]

quick screech

sounds serious, open the case and run the computer for a while and investigate

[Derksoda]

I have run with the side off for awhile now, I do not know much about the inside of the computer, but it does not seem that anything is messed up, i did get all of the dust out of it but that didnt help at all.

[Chewy]

any idea where this sound comes from?

[UncasMS]

any idea where this sound comes from?

==>> harddrive headcrash




- backup your important data

- make sure to have S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology) enabled (in your bios) for the drive(s)

- go to the manufacturer's site and download a diagnostic tool

MAXTOR: => PowerMax

SEAGATE: => Seatools

FUJITSU: => FJDT

HITACHI/IBM: => DFT

SAMSUNG: => Shdiag

WESTERN DIGITAL: => DLGDiag

EXCELSTOR: => ESTest 3.70, GStor Drives => ESTest 3.80



in case this sound actually was a result of a headcrash your drive is dying and you should immeditely backup data and replace/rma the drive

[Chewy]

==>> harddrive headcrash

this is one time I hope you are wrong, for his sake

[UncasMS]

of course i hope it as well, but i know the sound fairly well and i fear......

[Chewy]

of course i hope it as well, but i know the sound fairly well and i fear......

that's what I was afraid of, last one(a raid stripe drive) that I ran into, was clicking for a week before dying, before that one of my last pata maxtors just
blew an IC chip up with a bang(arc and smoke) right next to my head on a work bench.

screech, pow, click?

[Derksoda]

Im going to try and pin point exactly where the sound is coming from, I'll get back to you guys after that, thanks for advice so far.

[Derksoda]

I'm not certain, but hopefully for the better the screech seems to be coming from my speaker when it crashes, i ran the ocmp with the speakers off and when it did the typical crash there was no screech.