Random Freezeups

[Edi]

So, my computer developed a problem yesterday.

One of the case fans had to be changed for a new one because its bearings were going and it was making a massive racket. I replaced the standard Antec 3 speed fan with a Scythe Gentle Typhoon 120mm, 800 rpm one. That was the day before yesterday and no problems whatsoever. Yesterday my girlfriend said the computer would randomly lock up for 15 to 30 seconds and go completely unresponsive. I didn't have any such problems yesterday, but today I would get them every few minutes. This is while doing simple things like surfing the net or using office apps, not even under heavy load.

The problem is strange, because the computer is not running particularly hot. CPUid tells me he processor temperatures are in the 46 to 52 C range, the GPU is running 38 to 42 and the motherboard somewhere around 36. Hard drives are at 36 degrees.

The system is six and a half years old, E6600, Asus P5B Deluxe motherboard with Radeon HD5750, two Western Digital hard drives, 3 GB of RAM (2x 1GB and 2x 512MB sticks) and a 650W Corsair power supply. Both case fans are connected directly to the power supply, not the motherboard.

All in all, there are no visible reasons why these problems should start now. I don't think the new fan is such a power hog that it would have any impact on system performance. I figured asking for some second opinions here would be less hassle before I take the insides of the computer apart rather than doing that first and then asking. So, aside from removing and reinstalling everything, on the mobo, any advice on how to start troubleshooting this?

It could be that the system is finally starting to crack up after years of constant use (current power on hours are somewhere in the vicinity of 43k), but I do not think it is that yet.

[Napoleon the Clown]

Have you checked to see memory usage vs available memory? One of the memory sticks may be close enough to failure for you to run out of memory but not to the point of it interfering with the computer being able to even boot.

[Vendetta]

Might be worth checking the hard drive, especially if it's had a very long uptime (moving parts and all that). Random lockups are generally a case of the OS waiting for something the hard drive never gives it.

[Edi]

Might be worth checking the hard drive, especially if it's had a very long uptime (moving parts and all that). Random lockups are generally a case of the OS waiting for something the hard drive never gives it.

The HDs are both fairly new. The older of the two had 2600 hours and the newer one a little over a thousand. I had to replace the OS drive last summer when it started to give up the ghost after less than 100 hours short of 40k. I also did check them with CrystalDiskInfo, and neither one shows any problems.

Could be the memory, but I need to check that more systematically. It would also explain the boot problems the computer also developed yesterday. Required several attempts to boot before it got out of POST-mode (where it hung right after the basic tests but before loading OS). Had to go through BIOS both times and then exit without saving any change. Any good programs for testing memory cards?

[Terralthra]

memtest86

[TronPaul]

If it's a Western Digital I've been having issues with mine. Locked up today on I/O and I've only had it since August. You can check the SMART status of the hard drive, but that doesn't always give the best picture if the sectors are still good. If you're having slow or locked up start ups you can try unplugging the non-OS hard drive, that's what confirmed my going bad HD.

[Edi]

Thanks.

TronPaul, I'll have to try both of those today. My non-OS HD is the older one, the OS drive is newer and neither of them shows anything unusual with SMART which has usually been a good way to catch strangeness.

More probable that it's the memory at this stage, though.

[Melchior]

It's probably not this, but have you checked for dust in the DIMM slots?

[Edi]

I'm going to remove the DIMMs and clean them as well as the slots today. If that doesn't remove the problem, I'll probably have to take the insides of the case apart and put the lot of it back together and see what happens. I'd rather not lose this machine, as I had intended to make it a backup machine/testbed/server when I get a new one later this year.

[Edi]

The problem seems to have vanished after I removed the memory cards and put them back in. Probably a combination of dust and them possibly getting jostled when I rearranged something. Funny how that can happen, even if they sit in there so tight you almost need a pickaxe and a crowbar to get them out.

[TronPaul]

It was more likely chip creep. The heating and cooling of computer parts can make them shift over time.

[Napoleon the Clown]

Yeah, sometimes getting moved about makes the memory unseat. Better to have it be something stupid like that then something actually failing.