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#1
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defective processor ?
Hello all
My computer seems to stop from time to time : After the startup, the machine runs normally for a while. Then everything is stopped. The computer won't respond to the keyboard,.the mouse can be moved, the hard disk telltale lamp is off. All I have to do is wait. Then everything returns to normal. I have tested successively the RAM modules by removing one after the other. I suspect the processor. How to make sure ? What else can be wrong ? |
#2
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defective processor ?
Sydney2 wrote:
Hello all My computer seems to stop from time to time : After the startup, the machine runs normally for a while. Then everything is stopped. The computer won't respond to the keyboard,.the mouse can be moved, the hard disk telltale lamp is off. All I have to do is wait. Then everything returns to normal. I have tested successively the RAM modules by removing one after the other. I suspect the processor. How to make sure ? What else can be wrong ? Monitored the CPU's temperature? |
#3
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defective processor ?
Sydney2 wrote:
Hello all My computer seems to stop from time to time : After the startup, the machine runs normally for a while. Then everything is stopped. The computer won't respond to the keyboard,.the mouse can be moved, the hard disk telltale lamp is off. All I have to do is wait. Then everything returns to normal. I have tested successively the RAM modules by removing one after the other. I suspect the processor. How to make sure ? What else can be wrong ? If a processor was defective, it would most like "crash and go off into the woods". If there is a delay (freeze) and a continuation, a culprit might be a kernel call that is jammed up. The kernel calls should serialize and block, and if one stops when it isn't supposed to, all activity stops too. An example of an "unexpected condition" in the computer, would be a bad sector on the hard drive. It might take up to 15 seconds for the issue to be resolved (sector spared out or whatever). In which time, the computer could experience a delay. And finally, a release, when the kernel call returns. Note - freezes can be very hard to figure out. If you remain puzzled by the source of yours, you would not be alone. We're all at the mercy of "freezing". Only by luck, do you figure them out. You can check the Event Viewer. That's one place to look. But there's no reason for an event to be reported. Freezing doesn't have to leave "bread crumbs" when it happens. Sometimes, the cause can be some driver you updated, some software you added, and so on. If you boot an alternate OS (say, a Linux LiveCD), and the computer halts in exactly the same way, you'd suspect a hardware fault. If symptoms manifest in a different way, then you're no further ahead, in terms of collecting evidence. ******* I had a situation very similar to yours just yesterday. 1) Power up computer not used for six months. 2) Unit had PS/2 keyboard and PS/2 mouse connected. 3) When to Start : Run, and tried to type in devmgmt.msc. As I was typing, the keyboard and the mouse stopped working. 4) Reached for my trusty USB keyboard and USB mouse. Plugged those in (leaving PS/2 devices in place). You can run with two keyboards and two mice if you wish. Windows detected new hardware. So it wasn't "frozen". 5) I was able to finish typing, using the USB keyboard. 6) After I was finished whatever I was doing, I rebooted, and the PS/2 devices were able to complete test case (3) without a problem. When I did Start : Run and entered devmgmt.msc, it worked and Device Manager appeared on the screen. What was the problem ? I haven't a clue... Paul |
#4
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defective processor ?
Sydney2 wrote: My computer seems to stop from time to time : After the startup, the machine runs normally for a while. Then everything is stopped. The computer won't respond to the keyboard,.the mouse can be moved, the hard disk telltale lamp is off. All I have to do is wait. Then everything returns to normal. I have tested successively the RAM modules by removing one after the other. I suspect the processor. Unless the processor is getting too hot and automatically slowing down to protect itself, it's not the problem. A hot processor can be caused by the heatsink being slightly crooked and not making good contact, the heatsink fan spinning slowly because it's starting to seize, or bad airflow due to blockage or even another fan fighting the air flow. Hard disks and memory tend to be the least reliable devices in a system. HD cables can go bad, and SATA cables connectors easily become crooked. HDs should be tested with their manufacturer's diagnostic, but I like MHDD because its scan can report sectors that require several retries to be read. Also PATA IDE drive power connectors on the cable side can come loose. They're made of metal tubes slit down one side, and squeezing them so the slit becomes narrower will tighten them. |
#5
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defective processor ?
Sydney2 wrote: I suspect the processor. How to make sure ? What else can be wrong ? In addition to the hard disk, I would suspect the memory, especially if it has heatsinks over its chips or the actual makers of the chips can't be identified. That kind of memory isn't exactly the best quality and gives a lot, lot more errors than real branded chips. But sometimes problems don't show up until you install new software, including driver software. Most people recommended testing memory with MemTest86+, but sometimes you get different results with MemTest86 and Gold Memory, and the worst results are the ones to worry about. Power problems cause all sorts of miscellaneous errors, so if you have a spare power supply, try swapping it in to see what happens. |
#6
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defective processor ?
Le 01/07/2012 21:44, Paul a écrit :
Sydney2 wrote: Hello all My computer seems to stop from time to time : After the startup, the machine runs normally for a while. Then everything is stopped. The computer won't respond to the keyboard,.the mouse can be moved, the hard disk telltale lamp is off. All I have to do is wait. Then everything returns to normal. I have tested successively the RAM modules by removing one after the other. I suspect the processor. How to make sure ? What else can be wrong ? If a processor was defective, it would most like "crash and go off into the woods". If there is a delay (freeze) and a continuation, a culprit might be a kernel call that is jammed up. The kernel calls should serialize and block, and if one stops when it isn't supposed to, all activity stops too. An example of an "unexpected condition" in the computer, would be a bad sector on the hard drive. It might take up to 15 seconds for the issue to be resolved (sector spared out or whatever). In which time, the computer could experience a delay. And finally, a release, when the kernel call returns. Note - freezes can be very hard to figure out. If you remain puzzled by the source of yours, you would not be alone. We're all at the mercy of "freezing". Only by luck, do you figure them out. You can check the Event Viewer. That's one place to look. But there's no reason for an event to be reported. Freezing doesn't have to leave "bread crumbs" when it happens. Sometimes, the cause can be some driver you updated, some software you added, and so on. If you boot an alternate OS (say, a Linux LiveCD), and the computer halts in exactly the same way, you'd suspect a hardware fault. If symptoms manifest in a different way, then you're no further ahead, in terms of collecting evidence. ******* I had a situation very similar to yours just yesterday. 1) Power up computer not used for six months. 2) Unit had PS/2 keyboard and PS/2 mouse connected. 3) When to Start : Run, and tried to type in devmgmt.msc. As I was typing, the keyboard and the mouse stopped working. 4) Reached for my trusty USB keyboard and USB mouse. Plugged those in (leaving PS/2 devices in place). You can run with two keyboards and two mice if you wish. Windows detected new hardware. So it wasn't "frozen". 5) I was able to finish typing, using the USB keyboard. 6) After I was finished whatever I was doing, I rebooted, and the PS/2 devices were able to complete test case (3) without a problem. When I did Start : Run and entered devmgmt.msc, it worked and Device Manager appeared on the screen. What was the problem ? I haven't a clue... Paul The CPU temperature is 134 the mother board 96 (Fahrenheit). Thanks a lot to all of you. In summary , I check Hd, Hd cables heat sink, fan and come back to you. |
#7
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defective processor ?
Sydney2 wrote:
Le 01/07/2012 21:44, Paul a écrit : Sydney2 wrote: Hello all My computer seems to stop from time to time : After the startup, the machine runs normally for a while. Then everything is stopped. The computer won't respond to the keyboard,.the mouse can be moved, the hard disk telltale lamp is off. All I have to do is wait. Then everything returns to normal. I have tested successively the RAM modules by removing one after the other. I suspect the processor. How to make sure ? What else can be wrong ? If a processor was defective, it would most like "crash and go off into the woods". If there is a delay (freeze) and a continuation, a culprit might be a kernel call that is jammed up. The kernel calls should serialize and block, and if one stops when it isn't supposed to, all activity stops too. An example of an "unexpected condition" in the computer, would be a bad sector on the hard drive. It might take up to 15 seconds for the issue to be resolved (sector spared out or whatever). In which time, the computer could experience a delay. And finally, a release, when the kernel call returns. Note - freezes can be very hard to figure out. If you remain puzzled by the source of yours, you would not be alone. We're all at the mercy of "freezing". Only by luck, do you figure them out. You can check the Event Viewer. That's one place to look. But there's no reason for an event to be reported. Freezing doesn't have to leave "bread crumbs" when it happens. Sometimes, the cause can be some driver you updated, some software you added, and so on. If you boot an alternate OS (say, a Linux LiveCD), and the computer halts in exactly the same way, you'd suspect a hardware fault. If symptoms manifest in a different way, then you're no further ahead, in terms of collecting evidence. ******* I had a situation very similar to yours just yesterday. 1) Power up computer not used for six months. 2) Unit had PS/2 keyboard and PS/2 mouse connected. 3) When to Start : Run, and tried to type in devmgmt.msc. As I was typing, the keyboard and the mouse stopped working. 4) Reached for my trusty USB keyboard and USB mouse. Plugged those in (leaving PS/2 devices in place). You can run with two keyboards and two mice if you wish. Windows detected new hardware. So it wasn't "frozen". 5) I was able to finish typing, using the USB keyboard. 6) After I was finished whatever I was doing, I rebooted, and the PS/2 devices were able to complete test case (3) without a problem. When I did Start : Run and entered devmgmt.msc, it worked and Device Manager appeared on the screen. What was the problem ? I haven't a clue... Paul The CPU temperature is 134 the mother board 96 (Fahrenheit). Thanks a lot to all of you. In summary , I check Hd, Hd cables heat sink, fan and come back to you. 134F is 56.6C. I would work on the cooling, if I was ever seeing 65C on the CPU as a "socket temperature". There are two methods for temperature measurement. "Socket temperature" might be 65C. "Silicon die / digital temperature / core temperature" might measure 90C. When the temperature is measured inside the CPU, it's hotter. Socket temperature measurement is the old way, using an external thermistor underneath the socket or nearby. You can tell the difference between the two, by the dynamics. If you run SuperPi benchmark, which loads the CPU to 100%, a silicon die temperature measurement will pop up instantly. A temperature measurement done at the socket, takes time to respond. It will be lethargic. The time for the temperature measurement to rise, hints at the measurement method (socket or die). http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads..._Mod_v1.5.html (Superpi can be seen running on the left here) http://hwbot.org/image/142719.jpg The processor companies, when they reference temperature on the old processors, call it Tcase_max. If the Tcase_max was 65C, then you'd want to cool the processor to below that value for best results. Modern processors "throttle" or reduce clock rate, if they get too hot. And the THERMTRIP feature, turns off the PC power abruptly (no time to turn off OS), and that is what protects the processor if the heatsink/fan "falls off". Some of the older processors, they're unprotected against certain kinds of failures. If you knocked a heatsink off an Athlon, sometimes the Athlon would fry, because the software protection method would crash before it could activate. To know more about your CPU, you can use CPUZ to get name and details. http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html Use the "No install, 32 bit version" if you wish. Unzip, and use it. http://www.cpuid.com/downloads/cpu-z...-32bits-en.zip CPUZ is on the upper right, of that hwbot.org screenshot. Paul |
#8
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defective processor ?
Le 01/07/2012 21:44, Paul a écrit :
Sydney2 wrote: Hello all My computer seems to stop from time to time : After the startup, the machine runs normally for a while. Then everything is stopped. The computer won't respond to the keyboard,.the mouse can be moved, the hard disk telltale lamp is off. All I have to do is wait. Then everything returns to normal. I have tested successively the RAM modules by removing one after the other. I suspect the processor. How to make sure ? What else can be wrong ? If a processor was defective, it would most like "crash and go off into the woods". If there is a delay (freeze) and a continuation, a culprit might be a kernel call that is jammed up. The kernel calls should serialize and block, and if one stops when it isn't supposed to, all activity stops too. An example of an "unexpected condition" in the computer, would be a bad sector on the hard drive. It might take up to 15 seconds for the issue to be resolved (sector spared out or whatever). In which time, the computer could experience a delay. And finally, a release, when the kernel call returns. Note - freezes can be very hard to figure out. If you remain puzzled by the source of yours, you would not be alone. We're all at the mercy of "freezing". Only by luck, do you figure them out. You can check the Event Viewer. That's one place to look. But there's no reason for an event to be reported. Freezing doesn't have to leave "bread crumbs" when it happens. Sometimes, the cause can be some driver you updated, some software you added, and so on. If you boot an alternate OS (say, a Linux LiveCD), and the computer halts in exactly the same way, you'd suspect a hardware fault. If symptoms manifest in a different way, then you're no further ahead, in terms of collecting evidence. ******* I had a situation very similar to yours just yesterday. 1) Power up computer not used for six months. 2) Unit had PS/2 keyboard and PS/2 mouse connected. 3) When to Start : Run, and tried to type in devmgmt.msc. As I was typing, the keyboard and the mouse stopped working. 4) Reached for my trusty USB keyboard and USB mouse. Plugged those in (leaving PS/2 devices in place). You can run with two keyboards and two mice if you wish. Windows detected new hardware. So it wasn't "frozen". 5) I was able to finish typing, using the USB keyboard. 6) After I was finished whatever I was doing, I rebooted, and the PS/2 devices were able to complete test case (3) without a problem. When I did Start : Run and entered devmgmt.msc, it worked and Device Manager appeared on the screen. What was the problem ? I haven't a clue... Paul It appears after checks of HDD, Hd cables, processor heat sink that the culprit seems to be the application itself (Echecs 3D chess program ). Future use of the computer will confirm or not. |
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