Recently reformatted as it was time for a clean and I noticed it had also started to act a little wacky very rarely, windows freezing up and never unfreezing.

Anyway after the reformat (well 2 actually... seriously 10minutes after the first one and using internet explorer the computer was so inundated with spyware, I just reformatted again :p ) the freezes started to get more frequent but even more frequently the whole computer would just turn off for absolutely no apparent reason. This was usually while playing games, but sometimes just while operating in windows.

Everything would go black and it would just sit there, still turned on, but with nothing going on. After these I would reboot and 4/5 times it would just reboot normally but then sometimes it would also freeze on the post screen or on the windows load screen. Sometimes it wouldn't even start booting, it would just sit there on a blank screen, even after turning it completely off and then back on.

So is this problem likely my mobo f***ing out? Would anything else cause the whole system to just hang like that?
I've only had it for >12months so I'd be a little annoyed if it has just killed itself without my help.

System is:
AMD 3500+ venice
abit av8 mobo
2gig corsair ddr
radeon 9600xt
80gb hdd

In the past 4-5 days since I formatted it has started to gotten much much worse, happening quite frequently and then today it happened and I had to reboot 5 or 6 times just to get past the post screen. I'm writing this from another computer because it won't boot properly and then once it finally made it to windows just before, the whole thing froze about 10mins into looking around the net for new mobos!

help would be mucho appreciated.

oh and if it is likely to be my mobo f***ing out, what is the most stable as f*** socket 939 mobo anyone can recommend? I couldn't really be f***ed getting this one replaced on warrenty because I'd always found it a bit ass anyway.. majorly regretted not getting an nForce board :(

well it's getting hotter so how's your cooling? Could be your PSU isn't up to the job or the cpu/mobo dying. Check the motherboard & see if you can see any capacitors that are bulging out & leaking their magic juice my old abit board blew the power caps & the symptoms where similar :(

Reseat all your components - all cards and ram, clean you ram contacts (use an eraser as in what you use to rub out pencil).

Run www.memtest86.com to check your RAM.


Highly unlikely its the HDD if its having issues POSTing, but get the diagnostic tool from the manufacturers website if you want to check that out.


Sounds very much like PSU or motherboard problems to me. No easy test for those apart from swapping in another board/PSU.


What PSU do you have? (brand and power rating)


I have been very happy with my Asus A8N-SLI board apart from the chipset fan. They can be had for just a bit over $100 for an A8N-SLI SE model, just slap on a passive zalman chipset cooler and you'll be sweet. Otherwise get the A8N-SLI Premium model for abour an extra 50-60 which has heatpipe cooling as stock.

Orrrr the A8N32-SLI Deluxe which is a fair chunk more at like 250 or something - personally wouldn't bother unless you planned to run SLI as this one offers full 16x bandwitdth for both PCIe slots.

my computer would do the same with an underpowered psu. games would cause my video to start tearing and freeze. the computer would just freeze for no reason when idle too. a larger watt psu fixed it.

I'm running a 430W thermaltake psu

Its funny actually because when I first built this pc I did have a problem with the psu where the computer would turn on, get half way through booting and then turn off. But then I got this psu and havn't had a problem for almost a year now and I havn't added any new components. I only run 1 hdd and 2 optical drives, I'm not very demanding on the psu.

Looks like it'll be a new mobo for me :( which also means new videocard :)

I just got a new video card & it keeps on freezing :(
I fear it's my 2 dvd drives, 3 hard drives and 9 fans & o/c cpu running off a 480W psu. Oddly enough it too is a thermaltake PSU. Co-incidence? perhaps.

its probably got more to do with the fact that you have a retarded number of things running off such a puny PSU :P

i upgraded recently too

im running 3 hard drives 1 cdrom drive a front lcd dignostic pannel and an X1900GT. off a 450Watt generic 3 year old powersupply.

AND I HAVEN'T HAD A PROBLEM! except with cooling. :(

Format.

Sounds like USB to me. Do you have a USB hub? if so, unplug it and see how you go. If not, try other USB devices.