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Geek Culture / Windows crashing and strange display errors.

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Isocadia
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Joined: 24th Jul 2009
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Posted: 18th Dec 2011 21:00
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So, lately, my pc has been acting stranger and stranger. Windows seems to crash more and more after running for a period of an hour or 4. It simply stops updating. No bluescreen, no input and no ouput possible. Also, sometimes my task bar start flikkering and I see the clock projected 3 times across it ( left corner, center and right corner ). If I then click on the taskbar it goes away but within some 30 minutes it does it again.

Is this my windows installation failing, my harddrive or my GPU?

Windows 7 Home Premium SP1
AMD Phenom II x4 955 3.2GHz
NVidia GTS250
4GB Corsair CL9 1333MHz RAM
ASUS M4N98TD EVO
Corsair 750HX
Samsung Spinpoint F3 7200RPM SATA III but connected trough SATA II
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Indicium
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Posted: 19th Dec 2011 00:58
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Typical windows eh? I'm hardly an expert, but this is the list of things I would try:

First I'd check what processes were running during these freezes, see if anything is taking up an unusual chunk of resources. If you find something, sort it out, and the problem is hopefully fixed.

If it doesn't work, or you don't find anything, you could try using different RAM sticks, taking one out and keep on in, see if that fixes it. If it does, faulty ram stick.

If you've got an integrated graphics chip on your motherboard, you could try running off that and seeing if it does anything to help. Failing everything else, do a reinstall.

Hope that helps.

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Isocadia
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Posted: 19th Dec 2011 16:43 Edited at: 19th Dec 2011 20:01
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Well, few questions:

1. How do I see what processes were running when freezing, cause after the freeze I can't really open up task manager.

2. Already running memtest. I'm not keen to testing each stick since it usually happens after 4 hours of runtime and I do not really want to run with 2GB only for 8 hours (testing both sticks )

3. Sadly, I do not have an intergrated GPU.

Edit: Currently on 3 times 600% with memtest ( running 3 of them at the same time ).

Edit: 1000% each and still no errors, I think the RAM is safe.
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Isocadia
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Posted: 19th Dec 2011 21:28
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So, I've let it run till 1500% in all 3 instances I think I can conclude that the RAM is alright. Also I've been watching the processes and nothing strange is going on. Even better, my computer has been running for over 5 hours now and the flickering hasn't even shown up. Maybe it's gone
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MrValentine
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Playing: FFVII
Posted: 20th Dec 2011 00:21 Edited at: 21st Dec 2011 00:43
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was either a dead memory cell that the memtest helped burn out so windows ignores that sector... but it also might have been the gpu... check the heatsinks.. and fan...

Most visual errors are caused by faulty memory [true for integrated or shared memory... some dedicated cards use system memory to boost their own forgot the word for it]

and others a fried gpu

anyhoo let us know if it happens again

btw what brand is your gpu?

EDIT

Fried... typo

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bitJericho
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Location: United States
Posted: 20th Dec 2011 13:02
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Have you updated your video drivers?


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Isocadia
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Posted: 20th Dec 2011 17:33 Edited at: 20th Dec 2011 17:37
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I'm currently running the latest NVidia builds ( 285.62 ) and it's from ASUS. If the memory's dead than it doesn't matter that much, getting new ( 16GB upgrade ) for christmas. If it's the GPU I'm gonna be more scared. Wanna wait till 600 series to buy a new one.

Edit: Just opend up the PC. There is some dust on the GPU heatspreaders. But all heatsinks and heat spreaders ( GPU CPU and 3 on the board. I suspect north/south bridge ) are cool to touch when only running skype and youtube. Not sure if that's a good thing, I think they should atleast be a little bit warm...
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Isocadia
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Posted: 20th Dec 2011 21:03
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So, my computer has been running for 4 hours now without a single problem. Strange thing, windows task manager now says I have 4095 MB of RAM instead of 4096... Maybe memtest did indeed burn out something. Anyway, it fixed it
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MrValentine
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Posted: 21st Dec 2011 00:44
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Another successful Diagnostic

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Isocadia
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Posted: 26th Dec 2011 14:26 Edited at: 26th Dec 2011 20:54
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Well, it's back. I've got new RAM lying around but first I want to know. If it's the RAM that's faulty again, can the motherboard be destroying my RAM? It's running at stock frequenty ( though the motherboard is set to 1600 while it only supports 1066, 1333, 2000(O.C.) but has been on this setting for over a year and only has been showing problems now ). I don't want to start destroying my new RAM so I want to know whether it's simply faulty RAM, my motherboard that's causing the problems or that the problem is somewhere else ( GPU ). I personally don't think it's the GPU because it's only the taskbar clock that's acting strange.

Edit: Changed RAM and still having the artifacts. I really hope it's the windows installation and not the GPU
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