Computer locks up during games

isaak · Feb 24, 2011, 12:36 PM

This is starting to get on my nerves, so I thought I would get in before it drove me really crazy.

Lately I've been playing games and my computer has randomly locked up (frozen, looped sound) and I've had to hit the restart switch to fix it. It has happened anywhere from 10minutes to an hour (possibly more) into gaming, and Event Viewer has no errors of note...

(As you can see, the last error was nearly an hour before the Kernel restart Error)

I know it is not temperature, my CPU and graphics card stay under 65*C.

The graphics card is on nvidia driver 266.58 (the latest afaik)

It happens in games like CoD4, CoD7, BFBC2, Magicka, Rift (beta)

My system is folding 24/7 when I'm not gaming (pause folding)... so I would think it's stable?

What else could it be?

mcdragon2 · Feb 24, 2011, 04:30 PM

I have a similar problem randomly and I have ati video and AMD cpu.
Won't happen for days but is almost always during a game of some sort, has even done it running N64 emulator or flash games

**synthesis204** · Feb 24, 2011, 05:57 PM

Also has happened to me. Hasn't happened in recent memory (aka since I got the new computer) but it's pissing annoying. I think the cause was a graphics driver issue, but don't remember.

blibbax · Feb 24, 2011, 07:01 PM

I had this issue ages back. I couldn't figure it out for ages, then I happened to change my RAM (upgrading from 1GB to 2GB iirc), and that fixed it.

Have you tried any long stability testing outside of f@h?

mcdragon2 · Feb 24, 2011, 09:29 PM

but wouldn't memtest catch it if it was a RAM issue? cause I've run memtest all night before

RoyBatty · Feb 24, 2011, 10:33 PM

Same thing happened to me when my GPU was overheating, but it could be anyhing. I would run Prime95 and memtest to check stability. Maybe FAH is not stressing the system enough.

isaak · Feb 24, 2011, 11:56 PM

I've run 3D Mark multiple times and it hasn't crashed... usually thats the stability tests for graphics cards. I'll have to run memtest... Just a question though, how does the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool compare?

BlueMak · Feb 25, 2011, 12:34 AM

Similar issues with older system (ages ago,early XP period), the problem was one of four.
Temps, GPU failure, drivers, RAM stick.
Since you know it isn't temps and there is no way to test the GPU if it is faulty till and if it dies, you have two things to check...

isaak · Feb 25, 2011, 01:18 AM

What other drivers are there that could cause it other than Graphics? My graphics drivers are up to date.

I will have to run memtest

iPlayer · Feb 25, 2011, 01:35 AM

Update chipset and integrated audio drivers.

isaak · Feb 25, 2011, 02:06 AM

Even if I'm using a Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio?
damn the drivers are crap for them...

I'll try the updating chipset drivers.

BlueMak · Feb 25, 2011, 02:23 AM

Well, I was going to say too any drivers related to the mainboard, but then you mentioned creative+insert any of their products.
So...

Syidi · Feb 25, 2011, 04:14 AM

Running your PC 24/7....
it is good, btw?

Dyre Straits · Feb 25, 2011, 05:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by isaak

Even if I'm using a Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio?
damn the drivers are crap for them...

I'll try the updating chipset drivers.

Just a "FWIW": I've read too many bad things about the Creative X-Fi that I won't even come near one. And, I used to be an avid fan of the Creative SB series.

In some cases, the game's coding for the audio may be at fault. For a test, try disabling the Creative card temporarily in the Device Manager and, if you have any other option, use that. With ATI/AMD video cards, you should have the ATI HD Audio drivers installed.

See what happens.

Good luck!

**synthesis204** · Feb 25, 2011, 05:58 AM

Fwiw, nVidia also installs HD audio drivers (for use with the HDMI ports). I'm not sure what the cause of this is, but it isn't a hardware one...drivers sound about right, just have to figure out for what device.

Dyre Straits · Feb 25, 2011, 07:56 AM

Here is an example of what I'm referring to....

Windows 7 SP1 now Live.

Start at that post and then read what it took to fix it....

Show your new stuff

isaak · Feb 25, 2011, 10:43 PM

Well I've just done a full reinstall of windows 7 so when I get around to reinstalling a few games I'll see how everything goes.

So far windows hasn't found and installed drivers for the sound card, so I'm hoping it could work.

Feb 24, 2011, 12:36 PM	#1
isaak HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 2,286 Rep Power: 112 System Specs	Computer locks up during games This is starting to get on my nerves, so I thought I would get in before it drove me really crazy. Lately I've been playing games and my computer has randomly locked up (frozen, looped sound) and I've had to hit the restart switch to fix it. It has happened anywhere from 10minutes to an hour (possibly more) into gaming, and Event Viewer has no errors of note... (As you can see, the last error was nearly an hour before the Kernel restart Error) I know it is not temperature, my CPU and graphics card stay under 65*C. The graphics card is on nvidia driver 266.58 (the latest afaik) It happens in games like CoD4, CoD7, BFBC2, Magicka, Rift (beta) My system is folding 24/7 when I'm not gaming (pause folding)... so I would think it's stable? What else could it be? __________________ The first step... shall be to lose the way. - Galway Kinnell

Feb 24, 2011, 04:30 PM	#2
mcdragon2 HardwareHeaven Addict Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: West, OH Posts: 252 Rep Power: 17 System Specs	Re: Computer locks up during games I have a similar problem randomly and I have ati video and AMD cpu. Won't happen for days but is almost always during a game of some sort, has even done it running N64 emulator or flash games

Feb 24, 2011, 05:57 PM	#3
synthesis204 Dragonborn Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,175 Rep Power: 97 System Specs	Re: Computer locks up during games Also has happened to me. Hasn't happened in recent memory (aka since I got the new computer) but it's pissing annoying. I think the cause was a graphics driver issue, but don't remember. __________________ Donate the spare computing power of your PC to help to cure alzheimers, ALS, huntington's, parkinson's disease and cancer: Fold for HH!

Feb 24, 2011, 07:01 PM	#4
blibbax What does this do? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 4,230 Rep Power: 254 System Specs	Re: Computer locks up during games I had this issue ages back. I couldn't figure it out for ages, then I happened to change my RAM (upgrading from 1GB to 2GB iirc), and that fixed it. Have you tried any long stability testing outside of f@h? __________________ Donate the spare computing power of your PC to help to cure Alzheimer's, ALS, Huntington's, Parkinson's disease and cancer: Fold for HH!

Feb 24, 2011, 09:29 PM	#5
mcdragon2 HardwareHeaven Addict Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: West, OH Posts: 252 Rep Power: 17 System Specs	Re: Computer locks up during games but wouldn't memtest catch it if it was a RAM issue? cause I've run memtest all night before

Feb 24, 2011, 10:33 PM	#6
RoyBatty HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Czech Republic Posts: 1,941 Rep Power: 122 System Specs	Re: Computer locks up during games Same thing happened to me when my GPU was overheating, but it could be anyhing. I would run Prime95 and memtest to check stability. Maybe FAH is not stressing the system enough.

Feb 24, 2011, 11:56 PM	Thread Starter #7
isaak HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 2,286 Rep Power: 112 System Specs	Re: Computer locks up during games I've run 3D Mark multiple times and it hasn't crashed... usually thats the stability tests for graphics cards. I'll have to run memtest... Just a question though, how does the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool compare? __________________ The first step... shall be to lose the way. - Galway Kinnell

Feb 25, 2011, 12:34 AM	#8
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,465 Rep Power: 349 System Specs	Re: Computer locks up during games Similar issues with older system (ages ago,early XP period), the problem was one of four. Temps, GPU failure, drivers, RAM stick. Since you know it isn't temps and there is no way to test the GPU if it is faulty till and if it dies, you have two things to check... __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

Feb 25, 2011, 01:18 AM	Thread Starter #9
isaak HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 2,286 Rep Power: 112 System Specs	Re: Computer locks up during games What other drivers are there that could cause it other than Graphics? My graphics drivers are up to date. I will have to run memtest __________________ The first step... shall be to lose the way. - Galway Kinnell

Feb 25, 2011, 01:35 AM	#10
iPlayer Filled with noobsauce Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: between the buns Posts: 1,450 Rep Power: 59	Re: Computer locks up during games Update chipset and integrated audio drivers. __________________

Feb 25, 2011, 02:06 AM	Thread Starter #11
isaak HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 2,286 Rep Power: 112 System Specs	Re: Computer locks up during games Even if I'm using a Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio? damn the drivers are crap for them... I'll try the updating chipset drivers. __________________ The first step... shall be to lose the way. - Galway Kinnell

Feb 25, 2011, 02:23 AM	#12
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,465 Rep Power: 349 System Specs	Re: Computer locks up during games Well, I was going to say too any drivers related to the mainboard, but then you mentioned creative+insert any of their products. So... __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

Feb 25, 2011, 04:14 AM	#13
Syidi HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 11 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: Computer locks up during games Running your PC 24/7.... it is good, btw?

Feb 25, 2011, 05:58 AM	#15
synthesis204 Dragonborn Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,175 Rep Power: 97 System Specs	Re: Computer locks up during games Fwiw, nVidia also installs HD audio drivers (for use with the HDMI ports). I'm not sure what the cause of this is, but it isn't a hardware one...drivers sound about right, just have to figure out for what device. __________________ Donate the spare computing power of your PC to help to cure alzheimers, ALS, huntington's, parkinson's disease and cancer: Fold for HH!

Feb 25, 2011, 10:43 PM	Thread Starter #17
isaak HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 2,286 Rep Power: 112 System Specs	Re: Computer locks up during games Well I've just done a full reinstall of windows 7 so when I get around to reinstalling a few games I'll see how everything goes. So far windows hasn't found and installed drivers for the sound card, so I'm hoping it could work. __________________ The first step... shall be to lose the way. - Galway Kinnell