Computer Freezing/Not Starting Problems

WillC · Sep 28, 2008, 05:44 PM

Hey, a while back I had some troubles with memory and freezing issues and I had started to live with it, but lately I wondered why they were even occuring if my system is up-to-date and with relatively good components.

The problem, as I see it, is kind of complex.
1. The computer will some times hang on the very first screen and will fail to go past this into the windows loading screen.
2. After a normal startup (slight freezing of the loading bar in the windows loading screen) I get periodic freezing where the mouse won't move for about 8 sec that doesn't seem to stop, also can't type.
3. In rare cases I can restart/start the computer and it stays on the first screen for longer than usual (about 2 minutes) but it works fine after I log in.

I memtested with memtest86+, and it passed after a day of running. I reformatted and the problem came back. I think it's either the BIOS or faulty HDD's but they seem to work most of the time (same goes for BIOS). One HDD is SATA and the other is IDE, I have no clue if a RAID is setup or if I need one. I think it boots off the IDE (Sata doesn't like to boot for some reason, needs the IDE in there to start).

Thanks in advance for any help

Partizan · Sep 28, 2008, 05:50 PM

What motherboard are you using?

As for the s-ata drive: usually you need a floppy drive with s-ata drivers on it to install windows.

What are the mb and hard drive temps? Have you checked the drives for any errors?

OldBuzzard · Sep 28, 2008, 05:59 PM

This happens periodically to me.

What causes it in MY case is a SATA connection on one of my drives.

I don't have locking SATA cables, and one of them is not a very tight fit at the MB. So, if I move the tower just a bit, and sometimes I think just for the wee bit of vibration from the various cooling fans, it backs out JUST enough to cause problems. I really do need to find a SATA cable that has a tighter fit

I'd REALLY like to use locking SATA cables, but, my MB SATA connections aren't setup to use them

Now, I'm not saying that this is YOUR problem, but it wouldn't hurt to check the SATA cables and make sure they are pluggen in properly.

WillC · Sep 29, 2008, 02:50 AM

Ok well my mobo is a GA-965P-DS3 from Gigabyte. I dont ever remember installing the drivers for an Sata HDD, but i can store files on it as my F: drive. I was just wondering if there was a clashing of Windows installations.. and a possible fix if that was the problem. I do not know the temps right now, but as I remember it the last few months they were cool.

My sata cables are the non-locking type too, but could this still be a problem if it does not start up with this HDD?

Thanks

GigaWatt · Sep 29, 2008, 07:45 AM

if you have any updates installed, uninstall them, or better yet (if you have the time) format the hard drive, and reinstall WinXP, or Vista, or soem other OS, and see if it does that same thing under a "clean" (brand new) OS. that way you can be shure if it is the hardware caousing the problem, or if it's software/driver related. if it doesn't do that any more, don't install any updates and just install driver by driver, rebooting after each install and see if it does the same thing again. try the same thing with the software, install one application after another, reboot after installing, and see if it does the same thing again. when (if) it starts doing the same thing, you'll know which application is causing the problem (the last one installed).

it could also be the version of the OS installed, some editions do whell on some machines and others don't, i guess it has something to do with the hadrware already installed on the machine, but that's just a guess... i have the same problem with WinXP SP2, i have two editions of SP2, one works great on my machine, the other doesn't work at all, it installs but doesn't boot up, not even in safe mode... so a different edition might fix it.

and about the temps, don't always trust what the temp meters say, sometimes they are rigged to show lower temps, or sometimes the manufacturers install low quality temperature sensors, so the real temp the motherboard, CPU, GPU, HDD have, are far off from what the temp meters say. touch is the best tool. touch the CPU heatsink, the GPU heatsink, the motherboard (north bridge) heatsink, and see if they are warm or hot. wear some kind of plastic or rubber gloves (medical rubber goves will do just fine) while touching the heatsinks. althow all the heatsinks are grounded (through the case of the CPU, the screws from the north bridge heatsink are GND attached too), sometimes you could transfer static electricity trough your fingers to the heatsink and although they are grounded and all the static electricity should pass to GND, sometimes the static electricity can pass through any of the pins of the chips and glitch the chip (they have a built in protection for that, nowardays all CMOS built technology has, but every once in a while...), or even worse, damage the chip (CPU, GPU, etc.). so be carefull...

OldBuzzard · Sep 29, 2008, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillC

... My sata cables are the non-locking type too, but could this still be a problem if it does not start up with this HDD?

Thanks

Yes, because they ARE non-locking they can back-out, and cause this problem. I'm not saying that it IS the problem, but it can't hurt to make sure that they are plugged in all the way.

WillC · Sep 29, 2008, 05:22 PM

I disconnected the Sata HDD and all of the cables and it booted up fine (knocks wood) I hope that was the problem becuase thankfully it is not my main drive, I can do without it for a bit until I figure out how to fix it. When you mentioned locking cables, what is that? Do the cables have locking connections on them or does the mobo/hdd have the locks?

Thanks

OldBuzzard · Sep 29, 2008, 06:24 PM

OK, now, plug that cable back in and see what happens. If it does it again, it could just be a bad cable, and all you do then is replace it.

If it works, then it was just not seated well.

The 'lock' would be on the cable. BUT for it to work, the SATA connector on the MB would have to be the right type. If it's just the 'L' then they won't work. The 'locking' ones have the 'L' that is surrounded by a raised box with a 'bump' on one of the long sides.

If you scroll down a bit at this link, you will what they look like.
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1033056983

The ORANGE ones at the top right in the picture

WillC · Sep 30, 2008, 09:53 PM

Ok well for some reason my computer refused to start this morning, it hung on the motherboard screen for quite some time and still did after a restart. So I turned off the PSU and left. When I got back today I flipped the PSU back on and it started pretty smoothly. However, while I was using it I had another few freezes even with the SATA HDD disconnected. So now I even disconnected my DVD-drive that connects using the same type of cable. So far I haven't gotten a freeze (knock wood yet again) and the startup was actually very fast.

So could the problem be the motherboard (it is about 1 year old). I'm afraid to reconnect the HDD in case it fries it/the mobo or something else irreversible happens.. I really have no clue heh I just don't want to have to replace the motherboard and not be able to use my pc for a few weeks.

Sep 28, 2008, 05:44 PM	#1
WillC HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 114 Rep Power: 0	Computer Freezing/Not Starting Problems Hey, a while back I had some troubles with memory and freezing issues and I had started to live with it, but lately I wondered why they were even occuring if my system is up-to-date and with relatively good components. The problem, as I see it, is kind of complex. 1. The computer will some times hang on the very first screen and will fail to go past this into the windows loading screen. 2. After a normal startup (slight freezing of the loading bar in the windows loading screen) I get periodic freezing where the mouse won't move for about 8 sec that doesn't seem to stop, also can't type. 3. In rare cases I can restart/start the computer and it stays on the first screen for longer than usual (about 2 minutes) but it works fine after I log in. I memtested with memtest86+, and it passed after a day of running. I reformatted and the problem came back. I think it's either the BIOS or faulty HDD's but they seem to work most of the time (same goes for BIOS). One HDD is SATA and the other is IDE, I have no clue if a RAID is setup or if I need one. I think it boots off the IDE (Sata doesn't like to boot for some reason, needs the IDE in there to start). Thanks in advance for any help

Sep 28, 2008, 05:50 PM	#2
Partizan Fun loving criminal Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Slovenia Posts: 1,182 Rep Power: 62 System Specs	What motherboard are you using? As for the s-ata drive: usually you need a floppy drive with s-ata drivers on it to install windows. What are the mb and hard drive temps? Have you checked the drives for any errors? __________________ Live and let live!

Sep 28, 2008, 05:59 PM	#3
OldBuzzard DH's oldest Geek Join Date: May 2003 Location: Oberlin, OH Posts: 2,783 Rep Power: 145 System Specs	This happens periodically to me. What causes it in MY case is a SATA connection on one of my drives. I don't have locking SATA cables, and one of them is not a very tight fit at the MB. So, if I move the tower just a bit, and sometimes I think just for the wee bit of vibration from the various cooling fans, it backs out JUST enough to cause problems. I really do need to find a SATA cable that has a tighter fit I'd REALLY like to use locking SATA cables, but, my MB SATA connections aren't setup to use them Now, I'm not saying that this is YOUR problem, but it wouldn't hurt to check the SATA cables and make sure they are pluggen in properly. __________________ When looking for a reason as to why things go wrong, never rule out sheer STUPIDITY

Sep 29, 2008, 07:45 AM	#5
GigaWatt Now In Color :D Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Macedonia, Skopje Posts: 2,116 Rep Power: 81 System Specs	if you have any updates installed, uninstall them, or better yet (if you have the time) format the hard drive, and reinstall WinXP, or Vista, or soem other OS, and see if it does that same thing under a "clean" (brand new) OS. that way you can be shure if it is the hardware caousing the problem, or if it's software/driver related. if it doesn't do that any more, don't install any updates and just install driver by driver, rebooting after each install and see if it does the same thing again. try the same thing with the software, install one application after another, reboot after installing, and see if it does the same thing again. when (if) it starts doing the same thing, you'll know which application is causing the problem (the last one installed). it could also be the version of the OS installed, some editions do whell on some machines and others don't, i guess it has something to do with the hadrware already installed on the machine, but that's just a guess... i have the same problem with WinXP SP2, i have two editions of SP2, one works great on my machine, the other doesn't work at all, it installs but doesn't boot up, not even in safe mode... so a different edition might fix it. and about the temps, don't always trust what the temp meters say, sometimes they are rigged to show lower temps, or sometimes the manufacturers install low quality temperature sensors, so the real temp the motherboard, CPU, GPU, HDD have, are far off from what the temp meters say. touch is the best tool. touch the CPU heatsink, the GPU heatsink, the motherboard (north bridge) heatsink, and see if they are warm or hot. wear some kind of plastic or rubber gloves (medical rubber goves will do just fine) while touching the heatsinks. althow all the heatsinks are grounded (through the case of the CPU, the screws from the north bridge heatsink are GND attached too), sometimes you could transfer static electricity trough your fingers to the heatsink and although they are grounded and all the static electricity should pass to GND, sometimes the static electricity can pass through any of the pins of the chips and glitch the chip (they have a built in protection for that, nowardays all CMOS built technology has, but every once in a while...), or even worse, damage the chip (CPU, GPU, etc.). so be carefull... __________________ It's not schisophrenia... it's just a voice in my head...

Sep 29, 2008, 06:24 PM	#8
OldBuzzard DH's oldest Geek Join Date: May 2003 Location: Oberlin, OH Posts: 2,783 Rep Power: 145 System Specs	OK, now, plug that cable back in and see what happens. If it does it again, it could just be a bad cable, and all you do then is replace it. If it works, then it was just not seated well. The 'lock' would be on the cable. BUT for it to work, the SATA connector on the MB would have to be the right type. If it's just the 'L' then they won't work. The 'locking' ones have the 'L' that is surrounded by a raised box with a 'bump' on one of the long sides. If you scroll down a bit at this link, you will what they look like. http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1033056983 The ORANGE ones at the top right in the picture __________________ When looking for a reason as to why things go wrong, never rule out sheer STUPIDITY Last edited by OldBuzzard; Sep 29, 2008 at 06:43 PM.

Sep 29, 2008, 02:50 AM	Thread Starter #4
WillC HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 114 Rep Power: 0	Ok well my mobo is a GA-965P-DS3 from Gigabyte. I dont ever remember installing the drivers for an Sata HDD, but i can store files on it as my F: drive. I was just wondering if there was a clashing of Windows installations.. and a possible fix if that was the problem. I do not know the temps right now, but as I remember it the last few months they were cool. My sata cables are the non-locking type too, but could this still be a problem if it does not start up with this HDD? Thanks

Sep 29, 2008, 05:22 PM	Thread Starter #7
WillC HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 114 Rep Power: 0	I disconnected the Sata HDD and all of the cables and it booted up fine (knocks wood) I hope that was the problem becuase thankfully it is not my main drive, I can do without it for a bit until I figure out how to fix it. When you mentioned locking cables, what is that? Do the cables have locking connections on them or does the mobo/hdd have the locks? Thanks

Sep 30, 2008, 09:53 PM	Thread Starter #9
WillC HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 114 Rep Power: 0	Ok well for some reason my computer refused to start this morning, it hung on the motherboard screen for quite some time and still did after a restart. So I turned off the PSU and left. When I got back today I flipped the PSU back on and it started pretty smoothly. However, while I was using it I had another few freezes even with the SATA HDD disconnected. So now I even disconnected my DVD-drive that connects using the same type of cable. So far I haven't gotten a freeze (knock wood yet again) and the startup was actually very fast. So could the problem be the motherboard (it is about 1 year old). I'm afraid to reconnect the HDD in case it fries it/the mobo or something else irreversible happens.. I really have no clue heh I just don't want to have to replace the motherboard and not be able to use my pc for a few weeks.