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[Charcoal]

I looked through the BSOD logs and noticed some interesting stuff.

Either before or during every crash, Windows picks up 10-20 warnings. They all look something like this:

Task Scheduler service found a misconfiguration in the NT TASK\Microsoft\Windows\Media Center\ReindexSearchRoot definition. Additional Data: Error Value: %SystemRoot%\ehome\ehPrivJob.exe.

Could this reflect a software conflict?

 

[oneran]

Just noticed a typo in my above post. Should be:

[1]   C:\Windows
[2]   G:\Windows
[3]   G:\Windows

Not all C: drives

The repair Windows option doesn't work as it doesn't see any Windows installs. When I do diskpart using an install disk, I get the following:

list disk

Disk ###   Status       Size       Free       Dyn    Gpt
---------  ------       ----       ----       ---    ---
Disk 0     Online       238 GB     450 MB
Disk 1     Online       931 GB     100 MB      *
Disk 2     Online       931 GB        0 B      *

DISKPART> select disk 0
DISKPART> list partition

Partition ###  Type              Size     Offset 
-------------  ----------------  -------  -------
Partition 1    Primary            238 GB  1024 KB

I should be able to boot into either C: for Windows 10 or G: for Windows 8.1. Disk 1 and 2 above are mirrored 1TB hard drives with Windows 8.1 installed.

I'm pretty sure my boot folders/partitions got deleted. I think I need to rebuild them, just not sure how.

Select disks 1 and then 2 and do a list partition is there a system partition type on any of them?

I looked through the BSOD logs and noticed some interesting stuff.

Either before or during every crash, Windows picks up 10-20 warnings. They all look something like this:

Task Scheduler service found a misconfiguration in the NT TASK\Microsoft\Windows\Media Center\ReindexSearchRoot definition. Additional Data: Error Value: %SystemRoot%\ehome\ehPrivJob.exe.

Could this reflect a software conflict?

Open task Scheduler and try to find out what it's doing exactly, if you don't know try disabling it and see if your problems go away. I doubt it's causing a blue screen though.

Any Excel/Spreadsheet wizards able to lend a hand?

I need something to itemize Christmas gifts with a running tally of how much I've spent per recipient and found this template on Google Docs that's really close but the summary on the right seems to break when I insert multiple new lines.

I know nothing about Excel/Google Docs so is going to Insert --> Row Above/Below even the right way to add more items to the list?

Also, I need to be able to add more recipients than just 4 but I don't know if that'll also break the spreadsheet.

https://drive.google.com/previewtemplate?id=0AmJBGxHxI5tfdGUzR2NfOVZqT28xWTViOHZudHFRZ0E&mode=public

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

If you insert a new row you have to edit the formula to include data whatever you added

 

[Rktk]

I got a new USB stick, I want it to be encrypted and I want to read and write to it on Windows and OSX, what's the best way to do that?

 

[h0tp0ck3t]

so what would be the most likely thing to cause a computer to randomly not turn on

I'd say the power supply is on it's last legs.

 

[Eferim]

Edit: Oops. Turns out it was just my monitor drivers. Went to Dell's website and downloaded the drivers directly from there. That seemed to fix my issue. D'oh!

Hello TechGaf. I apologize for the long-winded explanation but I think I need to illustrate so that it's known where I'm coming from and what I've tried to do to remedy my situation.

My video card is a MSI GTX 980 Ti Gaming 6G and I'm running on Windows 7 btw.

So I bought a new monitor, the Dell S2716DG, love the monitor, great quality. Coming from an old 20'' 1050p @ 60 htz it's amazing.

At first though, Windows was only giving me the options of 23/24 htz. Figured out it was my battery backup apparently, plugged the monitor directly into the wall outlet and Windows gave me my maximum of 144 htz.

Everything was working fine, resolution, refresh rate, gsync. Perfect. So I plugged in my old monitor via DVI to have a multi-monitor setup (keep in mind all the plugging and unplugging of displays that I did was while the computer was running; not sure if that matters or not). Windows scaled the new Dell down to 23 htz and was only giving me the options of 23 or 24, like when the monitor was on the battery backup. The old monitor ran fine at 1050 @ 60 htz.

I had heard about this issue from others on the internet so I tried some of the fixes (one of them being to set the scaling to GPU instead of Display). Nothing worked, so I unplugged the old monitor and my new monitor went blank. Tried fixing it, restarting the computer, nothing worked. I unplugged the new monitor and using the old one did a system restore, unplugged the old one, plugged in the new one, and everything was fine again.

The next day, wondering if the issue was with the monitor or the power, I tried plugging in my TV via HDMI which sits across the room. Same thing happened as before: TV was displaying at 1080 @ 60 htz but Windows was only giving me the options of 23 or 24 htz for my new monitor. Couldn't get it to work, unplugged the TV, and Windows still was only giving me the options of 23 or 24. Tried reinstalling video drivers and monitor driver and still couldn't get it to work. Did a system restore to the same point I used last time (and making sure to plug in the new monitor after I had done so) and still was only getting the options of 23 or 24 htz.

Uninstalled all my drivers again, went into the registry and deleted everything related to my video card, restarted the computer, still only 23 or 24. Checked my connections, tried to find some fix on the internet and couldn't find anything. Finally after a while I gave up and took the nuclear option. I reinstalled Windows 7 thinking that it would have to fix my problem but upon reinstalling I found that the maximum refresh rate Windows was giving me was 85 htz. Updated Windows and my video card, still only a maximum of 85.

I really have no idea where to go from here. I haven't changed anything hardware wise or plugged into a different outlet or anything. I don't understand why it was working before but plugging in my TV made everything go haywire and I can't get it to go back to where it was. It has to be a software issue, right?

My only option now I feel is to call MSI and see if I can get anywhere with them. I'm not expecting much though. I'd really hate having to send the monitor back but I don't know what to do at this point.

Once again, apologies for the long explanation. If anyone has any idea what I should do or has ever heard of this issue I'd really appreciate any advice. Thanks guys.

 

[Polioliolio]

Is my graphic's card dead?

It's a gtx 680 .. been using it for at least 4 years, but I don't play games all that often.


Anyway, here's what happened:

Just got home from work. Went downstairs to wake up the computer. It makes a sort of a sound as if the graphics driver failed (it has always done that on rare occasion and instantly recovers)

However, then the screen is all garbley looking, like Missingo Pokemon with a low resolution cursor on top of it. It keeps flashing... I unplugged the DVI cable and tried HDMI... Nothing.. I reset the computer.. Still nothing.. So I unplugged the HDMI cable and plugged the DVI into the onboard graphics ports.. I get the display.

I went to devices and tried updating the driver... now I'm going to try that cable again. Wish me luck. But your advice is more appreciated.


EDIT: Back baby... After the driver update, I reset the computer. I put the DVI cable into the 680 and the display is showing.

I have an inkling that this f.lux display dimming software might be responsible for glitching it out.. Or should I be worried for things to come??



Actually, while I'm here, I could still use your help Tech GAF... I'm thinking of getting a more mobile computer, if just so I can take it places and do art and paint and game with friends on the go... What laptop would be recommended that would have the balls to handle large canvases in image editing or painting programs, and heck, be able to run Dark Souls 3 on high? Is there such a small beast?

If I could have what I have now, on the go, I'd be quite happy. I have an intel i7 3770, 16gb memory, motherboard is z77 h2-a3, geforce GTX 680 ... Is there a reasonable match for me? Looking for something 15" or smaller. Thanks fellas!

 

[oneran]

Is my graphic's card dead?

It's a gtx 680 .. been using it for at least 4 years, but I don't play games all that often.


Anyway, here's what happened:

Just got home from work. Went downstairs to wake up the computer. It makes a sort of a sound as if the graphics driver failed (it has always done that on rare occasion and instantly recovers)

However, then the screen is all garbley looking, like Missingo Pokemon with a low resolution cursor on top of it. It keeps flashing... I unplugged the DVI cable and tried HDMI... Nothing.. I reset the computer.. Still nothing.. So I unplugged the HDMI cable and plugged the DVI into the onboard graphics ports.. I get the display.

I went to devices and tried updating the driver... now I'm going to try that cable again. Wish me luck. But your advice is more appreciated.

The best way to tell is to view the splash screen and the bios on boot if they're both distorted then chances are it's a hardware fault with your card.

 

[dragonlife]

Hopefully someone can steer me in the right direction.

My PC has recently started to shut itself off while playing games, and only when I play games. It used to be that it took about 25~ minutes for it to automatically shut itself off. I suspected it might be my CPU, so I checked the thermal paste.

Lo and behold, the heatsink came right off and the stock thermal paste was basically dried and nonexistent. I bought new thermal paste (Arctic Silver 5) and applied it like it said on the website (middle dot, and I cleaned the CPU and heatsink to a shine with isopropyl alcohol and lint-free cloth), and honestly thought that would solve my issues. It didn't.

Now I'm not sure what it could be, and everything seems to be toasty in the PC still, even when idle (and only slightly less because of the new paste). And now the PC shuts off even quicker (5~ min, even in menus).

I've had this exact build for 5 years now (except the GPU, which was given to me after my original died earlier this year) without issue. Is it just inevitability of age? Because this all came out of nowehere.

To reiterate, it ONLY happens when a game is running. I can do everything else just fine, but I'll leave my PC on instead of powering it off before bed like I always do to see if shuts off eventually.

When the PC does shut off, I have to flip the PSU switch off, then push my tower's power/reset button, then switch the PSU back on to hear the hum of my speakers getting a current. Hitting the power button a second time turns it on to be greeted by the usual "your PC didn't shut off correctly" or whatever. If I don't do that sequence, it won't turn on.

Here are the hwmonitor stats:

Left is idle; middle is running Tales of Zestiria at 1080p fullscreen at a mix of high/mid settings and loading into a field; right is Shadow of Mordor with a mix of med/low settings at windowed 720p in the menu 2~ minutes after closing Zestiria.

My specs:

It's a stock heatsink. I have nothing overclocked. I have two 120mm fans--one intake (side) and one exhaust (back).

 

[opticalmace]

Hopefully someone can steer me in the right direction.

My PC has recently started to shut itself off while playing games, and only when I play games. It used to be that it took about 25~ minutes for it to automatically shut itself off. I suspected it might be my CPU, so I checked the thermal paste.

Lo and behold, the heatsink came right off and the stock thermal paste was basically dried and nonexistent. I bought new thermal paste (Arctic Silver 5) and applied it like it said on the website (middle dot, and I cleaned the CPU and heatsink to a shine with isopropyl alcohol and lint-free cloth), and honestly thought that would solve my issues. It didn't.

Now I'm not sure what it could be, and everything seems to be toasty in the PC still, even when idle (and only slightly less because of the new paste). And now the PC shuts off even quicker (5~ min, even in menus).

I've had this exact build for 5 years now (except the GPU, which was given to me after my original died earlier this year) without issue. Is it just inevitability of age? Because this all came out of nowehere.

To reiterate, it ONLY happens when a game is running. I can do everything else just fine, but I'll leave my PC on instead of powering it off before bed like I always do to see if shuts off eventually.

When the PC does shut off, I have to flip the PSU switch off, then push my tower's power/reset button, then switch the PSU back on to hear the hum of my speakers getting a current. Hitting the power button a second time turns it on to be greeted by the usual "your PC didn't shut off correctly" or whatever. If I don't do that sequence, it won't turn on.

Here are the hwmonitor stats:

Left is idle; middle is running Tales of Zestiria at 1080p fullscreen at a mix of high/mid settings and loading into a field; right is Shadow of Mordor with a mix of med/low settings at windowed 720p in the menu 2~ minutes after closing Zestiria.

My specs:

It's a stock heatsink. I have nothing overclocked. I have two 120mm fans--one intake (side) and one exhaust (back).

Could be your power supply failing. What PSU do you have and how old is it?

I would also suggest double checking your CPU temps in RealTemp, which is pretty accurate (you can ignore idle temps).

 

[dragonlife]

Could be your power supply failing. What PSU do you have and how old is it?

I would also suggest double checking your CPU temps in RealTemp, which is pretty accurate (you can ignore idle temps).

It's a 500w Cooler Master PSU. It's 5 years old.

RealTemp doesn't seem to work for me because I have an AMD CPU. The one application that did work wasn't showing me any info, really. I have Core Temp for my CPU needs at the moment.

I'm suspicious of the PSU as well, but I'm not sure what to look for in the data and voltage to see what's right. And if it is the PSU, is it just because it reaches a certain temeprature/wattage use and just poops itself, you think?

 

[Rafy]

Hey guys, I am in need of some pretty urgent advice.

A week after replacing my hard drive which died on my and managing to recover a fraction of the files, some of which are important photos of mine. Now yesterday, a week after a clean install I got hit by ransomware (cryptolocker 2016). Unfortunately my WD Red that I was going to use for backup was shipped only a couple of days ago, so I am screwed on that front. However, in order to make the transition to an SSD in January easier, I partitioned my drive and gave the Windows Install (C 80GB and the rest I left for Data (F.

Ironically, the ransomware appears to have only infected the Data partition (which houses the files I managed to salvage from the other drive). That leads me to conclude that the culprit is something I downloaded to that partition. The only questionable file I downloaded to that drive, was the Blade & Soul JP to English patch from the blade and soul dojo forums.

The ransomware pop-up was there when I woke up this morning and woke my PC from the Sleep Mode. I restarted and tried to use the Windows Defender Offline usb disk but that failed and the pop-up did not show up again. However, I do have a "help_your_files.txt" file along with an html file titled the same way. That makes me believe this is some sort of CryptoWall software.

I only have 3 questions:

1. How screwed am I?
2. Can system restore also restore my data partition since they are technically the same drive?
3. Can I just format the Data partition and be done with it?

 

[opticalmace]

Hey guys, I am in need of some pretty urgent advice.

A week after replacing my hard drive which died on my and managing to recover a fraction of the files, some of which are important photos of mine. Now yesterday, a week after a clean install I got hit by ransomware (cryptolocker 2016). Unfortunately my WD Red that I was going to use for backup was shipped only a couple of days ago, so I am screwed on that front. However, in order to make the transition to an SSD in January easier, I partitioned my drive and gave the Windows Install (C 80GB and the rest I left for Data (F.

Ironically, the ransomware appears to have only infected the Data partition (which houses the files I managed to salvage from the other drive). That leads me to conclude that the culprit is something I downloaded to that partition. The only questionable file I downloaded to that drive, was the Blade & Soul JP to English patch from the blade and soul dojo forums.

The ransomware pop-up was there when I woke up this morning and woke my PC from the Sleep Mode. I restarted and tried to use the Windows Defender Offline usb disk but that failed and the pop-up did not show up again. However, I do have a "help_your_files.txt" file along with an html file titled the same way. That makes me believe this is some sort of CryptoWall software.

I only have 3 questions:

1. How screwed am I?
2. Can system restore also restore my data partition since they are technically the same drive?
3. Can I just format the Data partition and be done with it?

I think you should probably start a new thread about this. It has come up before on gaf and you'll get a lot more visibility.

 

[Rafy]

I think you should probably start a new thread about this. It has come up before on gaf and you'll get a lot more visibility.

Will do, thanks opticalmace

 

[mcarlie]

I don't know if this is the right thread for this but I bought Metal Gear Solid 3D on the eshop a couple of days ago and I haven't been able to start it. I get the "an error has occurred please restart" screen when trying to start it. The eshop repair tool gives me error code "17-395" using the tool does nothing though. I just get the same error again.

 

[CountAntonius]

This has happened a few times last few weeks and now happening constantly when I try playing a game. First FPS crashes then my entire PC becomes unresponsive and I hear buzzing. Only happens while gaming and I usually have to hard reset. I'm thinking it my videocard failing but not sure?

 

[opticalmace]

This has happened a few times last few weeks and now happening constantly when I try playing a game. First FPS crashes then my entire PC becomes unresponsive and I hear buzzing. Only happens while gaming and I usually have to hard reset. I'm thinking it my videocard failing but not sure?

Could be. Monitor your GPU temperatures when you're gaming, and pop the side of the case off and identify which fan is buzzing.

 

[CountAntonius]

Could be. Monitor your GPU temperatures when you're gaming, and pop the side of the case off and identify which fan is buzzing.

It's not the fan that's buzzing it's in my headphones. Like the game sound looping. The game never crashes though it's just my whole pc that becomes unresponsive.

 

[BoosterDuck]

Is there any mini-itx case that rivals the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv that's not the m1 or the Prodigy or the 250D?

Wait wrong thread

 

[opticalmace]

It's not the fan that's buzzing it's in my headphones. Like the game sound looping. The game never crashes though it's just my whole pc that becomes unresponsive.

Oh, just a standard lock up then. Check your GPU and CPU for overheating, and maybe run memtest86 on your ram.

 

[Femmeworth]

My PSU (Seasonic X650) is making a squeaky noise. I don't know if it is just coil whine or the fan. After looking around online, I'm worried that it could be a sign that the fan might fail. It's not a loud squeak and I want to say it sounds like a squeaky fan. It's been operational for 10 months now. Should I take the risk of opening it up putting some oil in the fan or try to get a replacement?

 

[opticalmace]

My PSU (Seasonic X650) is making a squeaky noise. I don't know if it is just coil whine or the fan. After looking around online, I'm worried that it could be a sign that the fan might fail. It's not a loud squeak and I want to say it sounds like a squeaky fan. It's been operational for 10 months now. Should I take the risk of opening it up putting some oil in the fan or try to get a replacement?

I would be inclined to contact Seasonic to see what they suggest. You don't want to accidentally relinquish your warranty.

 

[test_account]

Is there an easy way to uninstall/remove Windows 7 from a HDD? I was helping a guy and i accidentally installed Windows 7 on his backup HDD instead of on his empty HDD. What is the best/easiest way to fix this? Do i first need to take a backup of his backup-HDD, then format it (to remove Win7), then copy the files (pictures etc.) back to it, and then install Win7 again, but this time selecting the correct HDD for it to be installed on?

 

[Zepp Twofist]

Is there an easy way to uninstall/remove Windows 7 from a HDD? I was helping a guy and i accidentally installed Windows 7 on his backup HDD instead of on his empty HDD. What is the best/easiest way to fix this? Do i first need to take a backup of his backup-HDD, then format it (to remove Win7), then copy the files (pictures etc.) back to it, and then install Win7 again, but this time selecting the correct HDD for it to be installed on?

That's the least messy way, yes. You can just install on his main drive and manually delete windows off the other disk, but it will leave boot entries and such that you also have to remove manually.

 

[test_account]

That's the least messy way, yes. You can just install on his main drive and manually delete windows off the other disk, but it will leave boot entries and such that you also have to remove manually.

I see, thanks. Whats the easiest way to format by the way? Just open CMD and write format C: ? I dont remember if the HDD had more than one partition.

EDIT: Seems that inserting the Win7 disc and booting from that allows you to format the disks. I guess i'll do it through there.

 

[Eferim]

Edit: I'm an idiot. Just my monitor drivers. All that hassle for something so simple

*snip*

I was starting to suspect that my PSU was the problem. It's a multi-rail system and my 250w card was higher than the 216w provided by a single rail so I used two different rails to power it. Thought perhaps that was causing an issue (even though, like I said, it was working fine before). Before I did that though, I was still looking for solutions via software. I tried changing to a custom resolution/refresh rate but my screen would go blank.

Finally, I changed my timing from automatic to CVT reduced blank and tested it only to be met with a blank screen. Strangely, the computer didn't need to be forced to shut down and when it restarted I found I could change my refresh rate from a maximum of 85 hz to a maximum of 100. Weirder still, when I restart the computer it defaults to 85 but allows me to go up to 100.

Uhh, what? I didn't actually change any setting, I was just testing a new timing method. Why am I allowed to use 100 now? And why doesn't it default to 100 on start-up?

To say the least I'm very confused.

 

[Femmeworth]

I would be inclined to contact Seasonic to see what they suggest. You don't want to accidentally relinquish your warranty.

Seasonic isn't good about honoring their warranty, going by Newegg reviews. Also if I did send it in I'd have to pay the shipping.

I opened up my computer and discovered I had improperly installed the psu. I put it in with the fan pointing up, which wouldn't have been bad except the case has a plate that covers the psu. Not a lot of clearance was above the fan as a result. So I think that might have caused the psu to be running too hot and put more wear on the fan. Guess I'll be looking into repairing or replacing the fan.

 

[mrklaw]

why is my 'system and compressed memory' task using up 3-5% of my CPU and 10Mb/s of my network bandwidth?

I have 8GB ram with task manager performance tab showing only 55% used (so 2.5GB unused). So why would it be compressing anything?

 

[Herne]

Never mind.

 

[ChoklitReign]

What is the best disk burning software for a DVD-R DL? It seems that the latest version of ImgBurn contains OpenCandy and I would like an alternative, preferably free/legal.

infrarecorder suited my needs

 

[Femmeworth]

I ended up opening my PSU and applying two drops of Singer all purpose machine oil to the fan. Also I flipped the PSU so the fan is facing down and can get more air. So far it seems to be doing better. There's still a bit of (different) noise but I think it is just coil whine. I probably need to apply some to my case fans too. :\

 

[Vire]

Hey GAF,

Question, is there any signature pads out there that I can use for a Mac Device? I bought these Topaz Signature Pads and it does not seem compatible.

I need something that will be compatible with everything because the signature needs to go into some proprietary software.

 

[Con_Smith]

Any good templates for self evaluations? I want to submit a sheet to our contractors to see what their strengths/weaknesses lie, as well as what tech training/assignments may fit best for them, but i keep finding survey templates.

 

[Keyin]

May or may not be the right place for it, but any feedback is appreciated...

I purchased a manufactured home late last year. The land it resides on is rented land in a mobile home park. In the excitement of purchasing my first home, I neglected to check what internet services were actually available. I assumed it would be a non-issue, being that I was moving about a mile from where my apartment was and I currently had 100Mbps download speeds through Time Warner Cable. During the process of getting all my utilities transferred to my new home, I discovered TWC did not service the mobile home park I was moving into. I was crushed to discover all the surrounding neighborhoods were covered by TWC, but not the mobile home park. Because the park is owned and operated by a private company they have control of all the utilities that are available in the park and apparently they are content with the existing infrastructure ATT has in place.

So, for the past year I have been learning to cope with ATT 6Mbps downloads. I've attempted to speak with park management to see what we can do, but no one seems to be interested in improving the service.

Has anyone else dealt with a situation like this? Outside of continuing to beg the park to allow TWC into the park is there anything else I can do?

Thanks!

 

[Rushersauce]

I don't know if this goes here, but I have a doubt regarding BF4 performance. In some areas my FPS drop a lot, and not even online.

The game is usually over 70-80 at ultra. My specs are:
Intel Core i7 4970
16gb ram 1600mhz
R9 390

Is it my pc, or are some parts of the game that give problems?

 

[Sini]

I have a problem with what I assume is Shadowplay keeping gpu alive when computer isn't doing much. Fans are off when nothing uses the gpu, but sometimes Shadowplay gets stuck active or something (I see it at gpu activity tray icon) and fans turn on for a bit every 5 minutes.
Has anyone experienced and solved this?

 

[3phemeral]

Both left and right CTRL keys stopped working suddenly and it's only the CTRL keys.

1) USB keyboard CTRL works
2) Uninstalling/Reinstalling keyboard drivers doesn't solve it
3) Touchscreen CTRL works

Not sure what would have happened to make the only the CTRL keys non-functional.

 

[Baleoce]

My PC has been crashing as of late, and I can't determine what exactly is causing it. It's been cleaned out recently with compressed air. I always use an anti static wrist band. Generally, once it crashes for the first time (typically during gaming, where I either see a direct x error, a full hang, or a weird hang where I can't use the mouse or any input functions, yet the background music is still playing and is still technically active), it'll keep crashing either on the splash screen when it boots back up, or shortly after the desktop has finished loading.

Booting into safe mode doesn't crash the system at all. Also, leaving the computer off for a few hours seems to help. At least, it doesn't crash right away. I've noticed it seems to either crash after loading up a game, or having too many USB devices attached. I'm not able to narrow it down.

Is there any diagnostic tools I can use to determine exactly whats going on, or perhaps something to look for in the event viewer.

Graphics drivers are up to date. It's also a recurring issue, as it was happening during the end of my Windows 8.1 install, which prompted me to upgrade to 10 as I thought perhaps it would help fix it. But the problem persists. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Charcoal]

I've literally been having the same issues as you, it's detailed a page or two back.

I'm thinking it's a HDD issue, but I can't say that for sure. I spent hours working with EVGA support and even RMA'd my card, but I'm still having issues.

I'm building a new PC right now, so I'm hoping I can troubleshoot some more over the holiday.

 

[Baleoce]

My PC has been crashing as of late, and I can't determine what exactly is causing it. It's been cleaned out recently with compressed air. I always use an anti static wrist band. Generally, once it crashes for the first time (typically during gaming, where I either see a direct x error, a full hang, or a weird hang where I can't use the mouse or any input functions, yet the background music is still playing and is still technically active), it'll keep crashing either on the splash screen when it boots back up, or shortly after the desktop has finished loading.

Booting into safe mode doesn't crash the system at all. Also, leaving the computer off for a few hours seems to help. At least, it doesn't crash right away. I've noticed it seems to either crash after loading up a game, or having too many USB devices attached. I'm not able to narrow it down.

Is there any diagnostic tools I can use to determine exactly whats going on, or perhaps something to look for in the event viewer.

Graphics drivers are up to date. It's also a recurring issue, as it was happening during the end of my Windows 8.1 install, which prompted me to upgrade to 10 as I thought perhaps it would help fix it. But the problem persists. Any help would be much appreciated.

Bump

 

[Gav47]

My video card drivers have been crashing (nvlddmkm.sys has stopped responding) and bsoding my PC since I upgraded my motherboard and cpu on Friday. At first I thought it was Windows 8.1 but I just did a fresh install of 7 on a spare drive and its happening there as well. If you look at the furmark results in the image below you can see the card will preform fine for a few minutes before performance degrades and then returns to normal, this repeats until the system either hard locks or bsod. The memory controller load seems strange as well. It will also occasionally hard lock when opening videos with MPC.

I can't figure out what could have happen to the four hours it took to change the motherboard that would be causing this. Could it be a problem with the psi, gpu or motherboard?

 

[velociraptor]

I have a major, major problem with my GPU.

AA isn't working in any game I play. It's pissing me off.

I have a GTX 970 with the latest Nvidia drivers installed. Battlefield looks butt fucking ugly - it's full of aliasing, despite putting 4xMSAA in game.

 

[RedSwirl]

Just got a new laptop. Dell Inspiron 7000, came with Windows 10. After about a day of setup I get this issue where the PC locks up for a second every few moments. Sometimes the whole screen will freeze for a second but the system still takes commands which then show after it unfreezes. Other times different programs will freeze independent of the mouse for a second. The last thing I installed before this happened was Microsoft Office 2007.

Right now I'm thinking it's a video driver issue but that could just be a whole separate problem. For some reason the system is only using the Intel HD drivers and not the Nvidia drivers (which I upgraded as soon as I got Windows running). The intel HD drivers have already crashed twice. If I disable the Intel drivers in the Device Manager it won't switch over to the Nvidia drivers. I also don't see any option for video devices or drivers in the display settings (from right clicking on the desktop). I'm thinking maybe I can go into the BIOS and disable the Intel HD device but I haven't been able to figure out how to get to the BIOS in Windows 10 (the last system I used is on Windows 7). All I can reach is some system restore menu or something.

Full specs:
Dell Inspiron 7000 (non-touch)
Skylake i5 (not sure exactly which one right now).
8GB RAM
GTX 960M 4GB GDDR5
256GB SSD

 

[Wafflecakes]

Do all power cords work for all PC'S if they fit the socket? I left mine at home while traveling for Xmas, so I plugged in a spare at my family's house, but it will not turn on. Not sure if the cord is wrong, or if something got damaged in transit.

 

[Baleoce]

Bump

To add to it again, the event viewer error is "Event ID 41, Task Category 63"

 

[oneran]

To add to it again, the event viewer error is "Event ID 41, Task Category 63"

All event Id 41 tells you is that the system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down, it gives you no real insight to your actual problem. Is there any other critical or error events?

I would suggest starting by running the Windows Memory diagnostic tool(Search>Windows Memory diagnostic> Restart now and check for problems) if you haven't already.

I have a major, major problem with my GPU.

AA isn't working in any game I play. It's pissing me off.

I have a GTX 970 with the latest Nvidia drivers installed. Battlefield looks butt fucking ugly - it's full of aliasing, despite putting 4xMSAA in game.

Ensure the Nvidia control panel is not overriding your application's settings, (Control panel > Nvidia control panel > 3D Settings> Manage 3D Settings> Global Settings Tab) ensure the AA settings are App controlled. Also ensure the program settings in the program settings tab for your specific game also reflect the Global values you've set.

You can also try doing a clean install of your Nvidia drivers by selecting the clean install option under custom setup of your Nvidia drivers.

Do all power cords work for all PC'S if they fit the socket? I left mine at home while traveling for Xmas, so I plugged in a spare at my family's house, but it will not turn on. Not sure if the cord is wrong, or if something got damaged in transit.

Typically they should, just ensure the cable isn't frayed or damaged and if your power supply has a on/off switch ensure it's properly set. You may also want to try another outlet if at all possible and check the internal connections are all fastened snugly (if your comfortable with it).

Just got a new laptop. Dell Inspiron 7000, came with Windows 10. After about a day of setup I get this issue where the PC locks up for a second every few moments. Sometimes the whole screen will freeze for a second but the system still takes commands which then show after it unfreezes. Other times different programs will freeze independent of the mouse for a second. The last thing I installed before this happened was Microsoft Office 2007.

Right now I'm thinking it's a video driver issue but that could just be a whole separate problem. For some reason the system is only using the Intel HD drivers and not the Nvidia drivers (which I upgraded as soon as I got Windows running). The intel HD drivers have already crashed twice. If I disable the Intel drivers in the Device Manager it won't switch over to the Nvidia drivers. I also don't see any option for video devices or drivers in the display settings (from right clicking on the desktop). I'm thinking maybe I can go into the BIOS and disable the Intel HD device but I haven't been able to figure out how to get to the BIOS in Windows 10 (the last system I used is on Windows 7). All I can reach is some system restore menu or something.

Full specs:
Dell Inspiron 7000 (non-touch)
Skylake i5 (not sure exactly which one right now).
8GB RAM
GTX 960M 4GB GDDR5
256GB SSD

May want to try installing the latest Chipset and Intel® HD Graphics Driver for your system from dell's support website if you haven't already.

You may want to open task manager/ resource monitor and see if any specific program is using a lot of system resources when the Pc slows down, and if you haven't already manually run windows update and ensure every thing is up-to date and isn't stuck on one particular update (the windows update service and be a notorious hog when it doesn't get its way or is just doing stuff).

 

[RedSwirl]

May want to try installing the latest Chipset and Intel® HD Graphics Driver for your system from dell's support website if you haven't already.

You may want to open task manager/ resource monitor and see if any specific program is using a lot of system resources when the Pc slows down, and if you haven't already manually run windows update and ensure every thing is up-to date and isn't stuck on one particular update (the windows update service and be a notorious hog when it doesn't get its way or is just doing stuff).

Will do. I just went and updated the Intel HD driver (I just assumed Windows did that since W10 is doing so much other shit automatically) and finally figured out how to switch to the GTX. I'll see of that changes anything.

 

[Baleoce]

All event Id 41 tells you is that the system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down, it gives you no real insight to your actual problem. Is there any other critical or error events?

I would suggest starting by running the Windows Memory diagnostic tool(Search>Windows Memory diagnostic> Restart now and check for problems) if you haven't already.

Many thanks for the reply. I've just ran the diagnostic tool and no errors were detected.

 

[Banjo Tango]

I'm putting together a mini-board (GA-Z170N) and have three fans in my Corsair case, but only one system fan header on my MB.

This fan hub seemed to be what I would need, but when I hooked it all up, the fans were all running at full blast (and were pretty damn noisy).

The package said that speed control only worked with PWM fans which made me think, "OK, I'll order three PWM fans!"

Hooked it all up last night, exact same problem.

So, in summary...

* One fan connected to the MB = silent 750 RPM bliss
* Fan hub connected to the MB + 1 or more fans = 1500 RPM whirring noisepocalypse (I did connect one of the fans to the speed detector, which seems to work judging by the BIOS rpm display)

Another strange detail - adjusting the fan speed in the BIOS doesn't seem to do anything (it defaults to bios-controlled) regardless of whether I have just one fan connected or all of them.

So GAF - any help / suggestions?

 

[RedSwirl]

May want to try installing the latest Chipset and Intel® HD Graphics Driver for your system from dell's support website if you haven't already.

You may want to open task manager/ resource monitor and see if any specific program is using a lot of system resources when the Pc slows down, and if you haven't already manually run windows update and ensure every thing is up-to date and isn't stuck on one particular update (the windows update service and be a notorious hog when it doesn't get its way or is just doing stuff).

Okay, I checked the task manager and each time the computer locks up something called "System and Compressed Memory" jumps up to the top, taking up like 30% of CPU resources.

Also, the Intel HD driver has still been crashing even though I think I switched over to the Nvidia driver. Just now, the whole system suddenly did a hard reset. I checked the event viewer and a critical error called "Kernal-Power Event 41" showed up.

Edit: I'm not completely sure about this, but the issues seem to come up after I wake my computer up from sleep.

Edit 2: It's still primarily using the Intel driver. I still need to figure out how to get to the BIOS to disable the iGPU.

 

[velociraptor]

All event Id 41 tells you is that the system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down, it gives you no real insight to your actual problem. Is there any other critical or error events?

I would suggest starting by running the Windows Memory diagnostic tool(Search>Windows Memory diagnostic> Restart now and check for problems) if you haven't already.



Ensure the Nvidia control panel is not overriding your application's settings, (Control panel > Nvidia control panel > 3D Settings> Manage 3D Settings> Global Settings Tab) ensure the AA settings are App controlled. Also ensure the program settings in the program settings tab for your specific game also reflect the Global values you've set.

You can also try doing a clean install of your Nvidia drivers by selecting the clean install option under custom setup of your Nvidia drivers.

I tried a clean uninstall with DDU. Doesn't seem to have made a slightest of difference. There is aliasing in almost every game I boot up and it's driving me nuts.