Member Avatar for sirkamran32

Hey, i have a computer that i built. It has been freezing and restarting lateley. I did memtest, and THAT froze. I went out and purchased compatible high quality corsair RAM thinking that would solve my problem. THis failed, and my computer still freezes on memtest. When my computer does freeze it is usually during intense things like games or installing windows. When it freezes once, if I wait a bit, it helps, but if i immediateley start it up again then it freezes upon boot. This looked like a CPU problem, so when my computer froze i checked my temperature. That was way WITHIn the temperature limit, so my CPU is not overheating. I enabled "beeping" for my cpu temp and its voltage, and no beeping happens. However when i enable beeping for DDR voltage, my computer constantly beeps. Is this because of my power supply, motherboard or what? What should i do?? i dont understand what is going on!! ANY HELP APPRECIATED THANKS!!
Here are the specs of my computer:
Windows XP Home (SP2)
Intel Pentium 4 HT (3.06ghz, 2mb level 2 cache)
1 GB RAM (pc 4200, brand: pqi)
ABIT AL8 mother board
NVIDIA geforce 7600 gt
linksys wireless adapter
DVD read-write
150 gb hdd
350W power supply(i think...dont know how to check, it might be 400W but i doubt it)
ANTEC case

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Power-delivery and board-level faults are the most likely causes when a system fails under heavy load and diagnostic runs stall. Several replies already pointed this direction (see and ). The checklist below is ordered to isolate the fault quickly, with safety notes and next steps if the problem persists.

  1. Minimal configuration boot: remove every nonessential device (optical drives, extra HDDs, wireless adapters, USB hubs). Fit a single known-good DIMM in one slot and try the memory tester again. Test each module one at a time and in each slot to separate bad modules from bad slots.
  2. Power-supply check next: swap in a known-good, higher-quality ATX PSU if possible. If swapping fixes the freezes, replace the original. If you must test the existing unit, use a dedicated PSU tester or a multimeter to check +12V and +5V rails for correct voltages and excessive ripple under light load (safety: only do this if comfortable and unplugged when reconnecting).
  3. Visual and electrical inspection: with the case open and power removed, inspect the motherboard VRM area and caps for bulging, leaking, or burn marks. Bad capacitors or VRM faults create unstable DRAM voltages and intermittent freezes.
  4. BIOS and settings: ensure memory timings/voltages are set to JEDEC/default values (not aggressive XMP/overclock). Only consider a BIOS update after the system is stable enough to flash reliably.

If those steps don't locate the problem, the fault is likely the motherboard or the CPU memory controller and typically requires swapping the board/CPU or an RMA. Note that a BIOS CMOS reset (as mentioned by ) is useful for settings but will not cure failing capacitors or a dying PSU. Handle components with ESD precautions and seek a friend/repair shop for PSU or board swaps if you lack spare parts.

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Member Avatar for JakeCourtney

Did you reset the cmos? Try getting it to start up with safe settings in BIOS.

Member Avatar for sirkamran32

ive done that. my computer starts up now. only thing is, my original problem remains...
the computer freezes upon intensive tasks.

Member Avatar for Ehart

Did you ever find out what was causing this problem, i have also reset cmos and have all the same symptoms. Cant get through a memtest... How did you solve this ?

Member Avatar for vicec64

Yes this could very well be a PSU going bad.

Member Avatar for sittas87

looking @ detailed specs on a website it can be power failures cos you only have a 350(400w) PSU.Test your system on a higher PSU. even though you operating on one gig memory its still possible.
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