Welcome guest. Before posting on our computer help forum, you must register. Click here it's easy and free.

Author Topic: PC freezes soon after boot, no error message/codes  (Read 2233 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

jonnee

  • Guest
PC freezes soon after boot, no error message/codes
« on: February 08, 2007, 03:47:36 PM »
Hi all,

In the last couple of days my PC [Soltek motherboard, P4 3.03GHz, 2GB RAM] has started freezing, won't reboot unless powered off for over half an hour or so.

I'll include as much detail as poss, please let me know which bits are irrelevant and which bits I've missed out!

- will sometimes get all the way into Windows before freezing, sometimes won't get past POST or freezes in BIOS so not a Windows issue [presumably]
- doesn't operate longer than 10 minutes max before freezing
- will not reboot immediately after failing, code 'FF' on motherboard LED
- suspected overheating but observed CPU temp in Advanced Settings in BIOS and didn't exceed 48 deg (before it locked!)
- not memory as swapped it all out and rebooted with exact same symptoms
- I made no hardware or software changes at all before the problem started

Any guidance please? Duff motherboard? Please let me know before I start taking it to bits [something I've never done before and not keen to learn yet  ;)]

Thanks in advance

patio

  • Moderator


  • Genius
  • Maud' Dib
  • Thanked: 1769
    • Yes
  • Experience: Beginner
  • OS: Windows 7
Re: PC freezes soon after boot, no error message/c
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2007, 05:44:11 PM »
How long did you watch the temps in the BIOS before it locked ? ?
Swapping out the RAM doesn't eliminate the RAM being bad...you should run Memtest on it if the machine will run long enough.
But i suspect it could be a failing PSU. Do you have a known good one with close to the same power rating you could swap in there to test this out ? ?

Let us know.

patio.  8-)
" Anyone who goes to a psychiatrist should have his head examined. "

jonnee

  • Guest
Re: PC freezes soon after boot, no error message/c
« Reply #2 on: February 09, 2007, 03:59:54 AM »
Thanks for the quick reply -
I watched the temp for about 5 minutes before it locked up, showing 48 deg when it froze.
The memory is 2 x 1GB - I booted up with one, then the other, then took out both and replaced with an old Crucial 512MB (that used to be in this machine) - still the same problem each time after rebooting.
I haven't got a spare PSU but will try to borrow one - any other suggestions in the meantime?

Again many thanks!

patio

  • Moderator


  • Genius
  • Maud' Dib
  • Thanked: 1769
    • Yes
  • Experience: Beginner
  • OS: Windows 7
Re: PC freezes soon after boot, no error message/c
« Reply #3 on: February 09, 2007, 05:59:41 AM »
The only other things you could do in the meantime would be:
Open a side panel on the case and make sure all fans are running properly and not clogged with debris. Use canned air to clean in there if you have to. Do NOT use a vacuum cleaner.
DLoad and run Memtest for that RAM...test one stick at a time and then all together. Let it run a few hours for each test...any errors at all means bad RAM.
And lastly DLoad and run the HDD manuf. free diagnostics on that HDD and check for errors...

That's about it for now.

patio.  8-)
" Anyone who goes to a psychiatrist should have his head examined. "

jonnee

  • Guest
Re: PC freezes soon after boot, no error message/c
« Reply #4 on: February 09, 2007, 11:16:10 AM »
Thanks again - all 3 fans were running fine but the CPU fan's heat sink thingy was pretty full of dust so I've now carfully cleaned it out but..... no difference!

It's been powered off all day, booted up and got through POST and as far as just displaying the Windows XP page with the loading bar and froze.
Unfortunately I don't think it'll run long enough to run any diagnostic software.

As a stopgap measure, assuming the HD's not at fault - if I put the HD in another machine as a second disk (it's SATA if it makes a difference), would the other machine recognise it so that I could retrieve files?

Thanks!

patio

  • Moderator


  • Genius
  • Maud' Dib
  • Thanked: 1769
    • Yes
  • Experience: Beginner
  • OS: Windows 7
Re: PC freezes soon after boot, no error message/c
« Reply #5 on: February 10, 2007, 08:07:10 AM »
Yes you should be able to hook up that drive in another machine to retrieve your data...
You will have to install the SATA drivers first though.
" Anyone who goes to a psychiatrist should have his head examined. "