Member Avatar for Wikk

Hi. About 4 or 5 days ago all the games on my computer (including ones on the internet) started acting funny. All the games work fine for about 10 minutes of play or so, then they just freeze the entire computer. I end up having to restart my computer and the same thing happens again. I've tried all sorts of scans/test/etc. but nothing comes up. Can anyone tell me what could be wrong? Thanks in advance!

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Dani AI

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Short summary and context: the pattern described by — games run for about ten minutes, then the whole machine freezes — most often points to three categories: driver/utility instability under 3D load, thermal/fan or power-delivery failure, or faulty memory/hardware. was right to request specs, and 's driver-angle is a plausible lead; the checklist below expands those ideas into a practical, prioritized diagnostic flow.

Recommended diagnostic order (quick to deeper):

  • Check the Windows Event Viewer (System and Application) for errors at the freeze time to distinguish driver faults from hardware failures.
  • Monitor temperatures under load (CPU and GPU). Rapid freezes after several minutes often mean overheating or a stalled fan. Clean dust, verify fans spin, and reseat heatsinks if needed.
  • Run a full memory test (memtest86+) to rule out RAM errors that cause total system hangs.
  • Perform a clean video-driver removal and reinstall: uninstall display drivers, remove any third-party clocking/monitoring utilities, reboot to Safe Mode to confirm removal, then install a known-stable driver build. Disable any driver-managed dynamic clocking or overclocking while testing.
  • Verify power: an underperforming PSU can collapse under GPU load. If available, test with a known-good PSU or check voltages under load.
  • Check disk and system files (chkdsk /r, sfc /scannow) and reinstall/repair DirectX runtimes if games report DirectX errors.

If freezes stop in Safe Mode or with basic drivers, the cause is almost certainly driver/software related. If freezes persist despite clean drivers and passing memtest, the GPU or PSU is the next suspect — swapping the GPU into another machine (or swapping in a different card) is a quick isolation step. Caution: back up data before BIOS flashes or major system changes, and take ESD precautions when handling components.

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Member Avatar for xcellpro6

Hi

We would be glad to help you but can you provide a little more information about your super computer.

For example your Motherboard, memory type of graphics (video) card if any.

If you are running XP on your desktop Right Click on MY COMPUTER and select Properties let us have the information about the computer listed here.

HTH

Darren
South Africa

Member Avatar for Wikk

Oh! I'm sorry! Of course! *Smacks head*

Graphic/Video Card: Radeon9200SE
Mainboard: ECS P4VMM2
Computer Itself/Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.66GHz 512 GHz, 512 MB of RAM.

I hope that helps. ^_^

Member Avatar for xcellpro6

Hi

And the operating system xp win2000 win me????

Darren

Member Avatar for Wikk

Sorry, Win XP.

Member Avatar for Dortz

I had that exact same problem too. Mine came up when I updated my catalyst control center to include the 'overdrive' crap they have.

I had the same pentium 4, 1 gig ram, a stock dell mobo, and a Radeon x800 XT PE.

What i ended up having to do, was uninstall Catalyst control center, and install: 'ATI Tray Tools' by Ray Adams. This program is specifically for radeon cards, and lets you clock it however you want, instead of using the 'dynamic clocking' or whatever the overdrive thing in catalyst is.

try doing that, and make sure your drivers are updated properly.

Member Avatar for xcellpro6

Pros:
Was compatible with Windows XP Service Pack 1a.
Cons:
ATI Radeon 9200SE w 128MB is incompatible with Windows XP's Service Pack 2. Some computer retailers, like mine, may not be interested in dealing with this problem. But you are still left with the problem.

Comment:
My computer has a the full Intel Pentium 4 at 2.4 GHz on an ASROCK motherboard with the ATI Radeon 9200SE and its 128MBs. Screen resolution of 800x600 was possible with Windows XP SP1, but after installing Service Pack 2 I could no longer change the screen resolution. The computer would reboot, but the screen resolution never changed to what I requested.

HTH

Darren
South Africa

Member Avatar for Wikk

Thanks for all your help, guys! I appreciate it!

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