Computer randomly freezes or doesn't turn on...

potnop · Apr 8, 2007, 07:34 PM

So my computer used to randomly freeze or just not turn on. It would freeze, not reboot or anyhting... Sometimes when I turn it on the computer just does absolutely nothing. It sits there with everything turned on, but no video signal is sent and nothing else happens. Then I hit the reset button a few times and it works... Other times the power LED isn't even working. I have to let it sit there for a bit before it starts working again, sometimes for like half an hour. I don't think it's an overheating problem at all. It could be a BIOS problem...

So, the computer wasn't used for like half a year cuz my parents got a new one and I had to use this really old one. We took out all the RAM chips since this one was useless. Well I got tired of using that old slow computer so I tried to fix this one. The RAM chips wouldn't work anymore with the Mobo. It would beep 3 times when I turned on the computer. So I gave up again for a while. Then I decided to see what would happen if I cleared the CMOS, and miraculously the computer worked perfectly again. It had no freezing problems or not starting.

Then I took out the HD from that comp and put it back into my old slow computer and used that one for a week since all my stuff for a school project was on there... I decided to put everyhting back into the good computer a week later and all the old problems with the freezing and not starting came back... OMFG!!!!! I tried clearing CMOS like 10 times and nothign helps anymore. It seems to work pretty well if I don't have the Primary HD plugged in, of course that makes my computer useless as well. What if it's for soem weird reason because I defragged the disk with PerfectDisk on the old slow comp? I use the primary HD for this computer as a primary slave on the slow one since it won't boot ofcourse.

Could it be a problem with the BIOS? RAM? HD? Should I update the ROM on the BIOS? I just hope it doens't freeze while updating ROM, but it might not if HD isn't plugged in...

Maybe overheating? Which I seriosuly doubt because this happens even when I turn it on after it not being in use for a whole day.

The freezing tends to happen most often when on POST it looks for Harddrives, when Windows is loading, or when I'm just using Windows. Maybve it actually happens more when have something liek My COmputer open and it has to find the Disk and stuff. So maybe it is a problem with the disk. But that doesn't explain why the computer doesn't turn on sometimes even when the disk is unplugged.

potnop · Apr 8, 2007, 08:03 PM

Actually never mind. Even when disk is unplugged it still freezes on POST when detecting drives.

If the BIOS chip itself is f'ed up there's no way to replace it since it's built in to the mobo. I might try updating the ROM on it...

ChaosMinionX · Apr 8, 2007, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by potnop

So my computer used to randomly freeze or just not turn on. It would freeze, not reboot or anyhting... Sometimes when I turn it on the computer just does absolutely nothing. It sits there with everything turned on, but no video signal is sent and nothing else happens. Then I hit the reset button a few times and it works... Other times the power LED isn't even working. I have to let it sit there for a bit before it starts working again, sometimes for like half an hour. I don't think it's an overheating problem at all. It could be a BIOS problem...

So, the computer wasn't used for like half a year cuz my parents got a new one and I had to use this really old one. We took out all the RAM chips since this one was useless. Well I got tired of using that old slow computer so I tried to fix this one. The RAM chips wouldn't work anymore with the Mobo. It would beep 3 times when I turned on the computer. So I gave up again for a while. Then I decided to see what would happen if I cleared the CMOS, and miraculously the computer worked perfectly again. It had no freezing problems or not starting.

Then I took out the HD from that comp and put it back into my old slow computer and used that one for a week since all my stuff for a school project was on there... I decided to put everyhting back into the good computer a week later and all the old problems with the freezing and not starting came back... OMFG!!!!! I tried clearing CMOS like 10 times and nothign helps anymore. It seems to work pretty well if I don't have the Primary HD plugged in, of course that makes my computer useless as well. What if it's for soem weird reason because I defragged the disk with PerfectDisk on the old slow comp? I use the primary HD for this computer as a primary slave on the slow one since it won't boot ofcourse.

Could it be a problem with the BIOS? RAM? HD? Should I update the ROM on the BIOS? I just hope it doens't freeze while updating ROM, but it might not if HD isn't plugged in...

Maybe overheating? Which I seriosuly doubt because this happens even when I turn it on after it not being in use for a whole day.

The freezing tends to happen most often when on POST it looks for Harddrives, when Windows is loading, or when I'm just using Windows. Maybve it actually happens more when have something liek My COmputer open and it has to find the Disk and stuff. So maybe it is a problem with the disk. But that doesn't explain why the computer doesn't turn on sometimes even when the disk is unplugged.

Well since it ran fine after you cleared cmos, and only started freezing/locking up after you started adding hardware, leads me to believe you have something configured wrong, or plugged in wrong.

Couple things to check,

If you use and PCI cards, make sure they are plugged in right, take them out and use a can of air on the ports and clean em out good. PCI can cause system hangs and crashes if there is even a little bit of dust in them, or the card itself isnt plugged in right.

Check all your connections, make sure you have everything hooked up where it should be. More times than not it is probably something you over looked.

Check your IDE devices and make sure the jumpers are set where they should be.

And finally check your bios settings for voltages and frequencies. That could also be a problem.

Dyre Straits · Apr 9, 2007, 05:48 AM

Please give us a rundown on your system specs. Include OS, Motherboard, RAM, Video Card, Sound Card, Power Supply, and any and all devices plugged in and/or installed.

potnop · Apr 9, 2007, 07:36 PM

Well IDK if it'll help to know system specs. But here they are. It's as specific as I can get without being able to turn on the computer and seeing them myself.

Win XP Pro SP1
Onboard Soundblaster Card of soem sort (I can't get too specific without turning computer on iteslf)
AMD Sempron 2.06 ghz.
either 1 Ghz RAM or 512, I just took out one of the chips...
WD400 40Gb harddrive.
ATI Radeon 9250 256 MB VRAM (Omega Drivers installed so it thinks its a 9200 pro?)
Austin Power Supply DR-B300ATX (Just soem Generic one that came w/ the comp)

Not sure what Mobo, I know chipset is VIA KM400-M2 and it has that very crappy IGP as well. So would that also be the name of the Mobo?

Phoenix Bios thing...

OK, if that helps...

It could possibly be the PSU also after seeing what happens. I turn on the computer without even any RAM chips in the Mobo. Normally its supposed to beep 3 times. It doens't even do that sometimes. There's also quite a bit of dust in certain spots. IDK if it'll help too much but I probably should remove it. What should I use, obviosuly not a damp napkin or a static electricity thing that attracts dust. It's in some hard to reach places too, should I use an airspray type of thing?

And I doubt it's because of new hardware because I was simly putting back in an old HD. And when I took everythting out it still happens...

IDk if I should try updating ROM, it might freeze while updating it and totally mess everything up...

In CMOS setup I cleared it many times, that helped only the first time as I said before. And I also set it to failsafe defaults, that also didn't help...

And it's totally safe to plug a different PSU into the computer, right? I checked the label on a different PSU so I coudl try it out. It's some Deer Computer Company one form an old ass comp. It's the same type of PSU kinda, but some of the wattages are different on the label. I'd have no doubts if they were the same you know...

potnop · Apr 9, 2007, 09:22 PM

OK I tested and it's probably not the PSU. I tried a differnt one and it worked at first, but later on the same symptoms happened. It also said my CMOS battery failed when I had the other PSU plugged in.

And my mobo isn't VIA KM400, that's the chipset. I can't f'in find the name of the motehrboard anywhere on it. All I see everywhere is KM400-M and it's pissin me off... I could try to run a utility to tell me the motehrboard brand, but it's gonna be annyoingly hard to get it working long enough without freezing the comp. I remember it tended not to freeze when playing Doom 3 for some reason, heh...

Also another pretty weird thing I guess is that when it freezes in a DOS type of environment, be it POST, or DOS itself, the blinking cursor stays blinking if it's on screen at the moment. So something must be going on inside the computer whenever that happens...

Apr 8, 2007, 07:34 PM	#1
potnop HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 16 Rep Power: 0	Computer randomly freezes or doesn't turn on... So my computer used to randomly freeze or just not turn on. It would freeze, not reboot or anyhting... Sometimes when I turn it on the computer just does absolutely nothing. It sits there with everything turned on, but no video signal is sent and nothing else happens. Then I hit the reset button a few times and it works... Other times the power LED isn't even working. I have to let it sit there for a bit before it starts working again, sometimes for like half an hour. I don't think it's an overheating problem at all. It could be a BIOS problem... So, the computer wasn't used for like half a year cuz my parents got a new one and I had to use this really old one. We took out all the RAM chips since this one was useless. Well I got tired of using that old slow computer so I tried to fix this one. The RAM chips wouldn't work anymore with the Mobo. It would beep 3 times when I turned on the computer. So I gave up again for a while. Then I decided to see what would happen if I cleared the CMOS, and miraculously the computer worked perfectly again. It had no freezing problems or not starting. Then I took out the HD from that comp and put it back into my old slow computer and used that one for a week since all my stuff for a school project was on there... I decided to put everyhting back into the good computer a week later and all the old problems with the freezing and not starting came back... OMFG!!!!! I tried clearing CMOS like 10 times and nothign helps anymore. It seems to work pretty well if I don't have the Primary HD plugged in, of course that makes my computer useless as well. What if it's for soem weird reason because I defragged the disk with PerfectDisk on the old slow comp? I use the primary HD for this computer as a primary slave on the slow one since it won't boot ofcourse. Could it be a problem with the BIOS? RAM? HD? Should I update the ROM on the BIOS? I just hope it doens't freeze while updating ROM, but it might not if HD isn't plugged in... Maybe overheating? Which I seriosuly doubt because this happens even when I turn it on after it not being in use for a whole day. The freezing tends to happen most often when on POST it looks for Harddrives, when Windows is loading, or when I'm just using Windows. Maybve it actually happens more when have something liek My COmputer open and it has to find the Disk and stuff. So maybe it is a problem with the disk. But that doesn't explain why the computer doesn't turn on sometimes even when the disk is unplugged.

Apr 9, 2007, 07:36 PM	Thread Starter #5
potnop HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 16 Rep Power: 0	Well IDK if it'll help to know system specs. But here they are. It's as specific as I can get without being able to turn on the computer and seeing them myself. Win XP Pro SP1 Onboard Soundblaster Card of soem sort (I can't get too specific without turning computer on iteslf) AMD Sempron 2.06 ghz. either 1 Ghz RAM or 512, I just took out one of the chips... WD400 40Gb harddrive. ATI Radeon 9250 256 MB VRAM (Omega Drivers installed so it thinks its a 9200 pro?) Austin Power Supply DR-B300ATX (Just soem Generic one that came w/ the comp) Not sure what Mobo, I know chipset is VIA KM400-M2 and it has that very crappy IGP as well. So would that also be the name of the Mobo? Phoenix Bios thing... OK, if that helps... It could possibly be the PSU also after seeing what happens. I turn on the computer without even any RAM chips in the Mobo. Normally its supposed to beep 3 times. It doens't even do that sometimes. There's also quite a bit of dust in certain spots. IDK if it'll help too much but I probably should remove it. What should I use, obviosuly not a damp napkin or a static electricity thing that attracts dust. It's in some hard to reach places too, should I use an airspray type of thing? And I doubt it's because of new hardware because I was simly putting back in an old HD. And when I took everythting out it still happens... IDk if I should try updating ROM, it might freeze while updating it and totally mess everything up... In CMOS setup I cleared it many times, that helped only the first time as I said before. And I also set it to failsafe defaults, that also didn't help... And it's totally safe to plug a different PSU into the computer, right? I checked the label on a different PSU so I coudl try it out. It's some Deer Computer Company one form an old ass comp. It's the same type of PSU kinda, but some of the wattages are different on the label. I'd have no doubts if they were the same you know... Last edited by potnop; Apr 10, 2007 at 04:01 AM.

Apr 9, 2007, 09:22 PM	Thread Starter #6
potnop HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 16 Rep Power: 0	OK I tested and it's probably not the PSU. I tried a differnt one and it worked at first, but later on the same symptoms happened. It also said my CMOS battery failed when I had the other PSU plugged in. And my mobo isn't VIA KM400, that's the chipset. I can't f'in find the name of the motehrboard anywhere on it. All I see everywhere is KM400-M and it's pissin me off... I could try to run a utility to tell me the motehrboard brand, but it's gonna be annyoingly hard to get it working long enough without freezing the comp. I remember it tended not to freeze when playing Doom 3 for some reason, heh... Also another pretty weird thing I guess is that when it freezes in a DOS type of environment, be it POST, or DOS itself, the blinking cursor stays blinking if it's on screen at the moment. So something must be going on inside the computer whenever that happens... Last edited by potnop; Apr 10, 2007 at 03:44 AM.

Apr 8, 2007, 08:03 PM	Thread Starter #2
potnop HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 16 Rep Power: 0	Actually never mind. Even when disk is unplugged it still freezes on POST when detecting drives. If the BIOS chip itself is f'ed up there's no way to replace it since it's built in to the mobo. I might try updating the ROM on it...