Help please! What's wrong with my computer?

letuongthuy2000

Recently my computer kept restarting while running or when I opened some prgrammes (yahoo messenger, macromedia, etc.), when I turned it on again it showed a panel (or some panels, one coming after the other ones) with serious error massage then restarted again for one or two more times before working again. However when I tried re-opening those prgrammes (after the system works again) it get restarted again. I then decided to re-install fresh Win XP. I formatted the hard drive, then run the set up disk, however installation always interupted by a blue dump screen (saying error and suggesting me check the hardwares). The only hardwares on the board are a HD, DVD drive, and AGP card. I tried many times but the screen appeared after the installation load drivers from the disks, or while copying set-up files. I checked the install disk, it's fine and can be read from other computer.

What do you think that happens to my computer? I think it's the motherboard because normally the system is not stable if I connect both the HD and DVD drive onto the IDE slot on the board (what I used was to put the HD to the IDE slot on the board, and another HD and DVD drive to a PCI IDE card). Now when installing windows, I need to put both the DVD drive and HD on the IDE slots of the board (the system does not recognise the HD on the PCI card), and would this cause the error? I'm thinking of buying a new motherboard, but I need to ask your advice before doing so.

Thanks in advance,
Le

DrBenway

Definately hardware as you have worked out. But you are some missing pieces
of hardware that you haven't thought about.

1. Memory - duff memory, can you swap it or only use one stick ?

2. PSU - is the drain on PSU flipping it out. Boot and install are the hardest times on the hardware. Can you remove unused items while installing (nic or agp vga etc...) to reduce the load ?

3. Cooling/Fans - is the system overheating and frying the cpu, chipset or memory ?

letuongthuy2000

I only used one stick memory (I'm pretty sure it's working, but I can't check it as it's SDRAM and none of my friends using this ram). I was once thinking of the PSU as the system sometimes not restarted but went to a dimmed screen (black), there was a sound like when you turned off the system but the CPU fan is still on. Would it possible that the PSU drains out during the installation and caused the error? I reduced all I could as there's no graphic card on the board, the graphic card must be on.

If you were me, would you buy a new PSU to try on before deciding to buy a motherboard?

DrBenway

It depends on your budget really.

You might be able to get hold of some second hand gear locally
at computer fairs/car boots that could be used to get the system up
and running.

Maybe someone on the forums has the right gear that you need
that is sat in the cupboard doing nothing. I just moved house and ended
up giving away a couple of old computers to a guy who hunts out gear at the local tip.

If you buy new bits at least you have got new kit.

Any chance you can use your bits in a mates pc ?

hechizero

If you google the main blue screen error message"0007x..." it should point out what type of hardware is problematic. After that you can perhaps only replace what needs replacing.

T4i

Can you get someone to make you a bootable CD-ROM?

http://www.memtest86.com/

If so, show them that ^^ webby and follow the instructions on how to make a bootable CD-ROM. Go into your BIOS and select CD-ROM as 1st boot device.

Start the test going and leave overnight. Does it report any errors? This way you can rule out RAM faults and start looking at PSU/Heat/CPU problems.

nej

You can boot memtest from a floppy. I'd recommend doing that first. It once identified to me that the RAM I'd moved from an old machine to a new one wasn't up to the job, and was causing my constant BSODs.

One thing it could be is overheating if it's only happened the last few days. Yesterday my fan was REALLY noisy, and I could see it was spinning much faster than normal. This was simply down to the heat in the room topping 30C.