Hello,,,,i am writing in your forum because i really can't take any of my systems behaviour anymore....to begin with,i have a lot of problems with my pc....one day it started to getting slower and slower...i have changed my hard drive,i have done 4 formats,but nothing changed....it takes 5 minutes to start windows,tha temperature of the cpu is always 67-74C,and i can't run any programs that require much cpu and ram.....

i really need some advices on what to do next,in order to fix my pc....thanks in advance!


my system parts are:
CPU intel pentium D 805 2.6 gh
RAM 2x 512 trancent DDRII 533mh
GPU ati radeon x550 512mb
Motherboard Asrock775Dual-880
HHD Seagate 250gb Sata
Power Supply 400watt

Windows XP (prof) SP2

This post has been edited by fordimodi: Apr 27 2008, 07:39 AM

Hi fordimodi



Well, that doesn't sound good. But first thought i get, is cleaning......Dust build-ups can and will over time cause this behaviour, where heat is trapped in any dust.

Heres an excellent guide how to clean the interior : Cleaning the interior of your PC

Regards Abydos

Fist of all,thanks for the fast response Abydos..!.now,i have cleaned tha interior several times,but unfortunately tha only thing that changed was 1-2C down in the cpu .....i ' ll clean it again correctly ,but i really don't think it will help a lot.......i have a question...can any temperature problems be solved by replacing the cpu??or something else may have caused the overheating ????

Hi fordimodi

I think I have to pass on that one in generel. Not much of a hardware geek.

But possible scenarios could be fans. Do all cooling fans spin freely?

Is the cooling ribs on top of the CPU dustfree? (Thats the chrome colored block sitting in between your CPU and CPU fan) Canned air is useful to blow out dust from here.

If a thourough cleaning doesn't do the trick, I think you'll have to wait for a more competent hardware geek than I.

Regards Abydos

Well,you are right,the cpu fan is running slower than usually,but it's dust free...i have cleaned it several times and i didn't get any results:(...i'll try give my case a throughout cleaning like you said,and i hope it will help....if someone has any suggestions or have experienced a similar problem i would be happy to know!

Abydos thanks for your time and suggestions,

regards,
Fordimodi

Hi fordimodi

If you are absolute certain that your CPU fan is rotating slower than it should be. It might be reasonable to look at a replacement for it.
Or it might in worst case scenario be the PSU that doesn't deliver the right amount of voltage to the fan (check that all cables leading to it are intact and sits well)

After a good cleanup, and if the problem still there, you might want to take it to a tech, and get a qualified answers to those two things above. This is just a suggestion on my part, as I said earlier, not much of a hardware geek

Regards Abydos

This post has been edited by Abydos: Apr 27 2008, 08:24 AM

I am all for a good cleaning but I am afraid the referenced article is obsolete and unsafe.

I note in the article it states to plug the power supply in while cleaning. This is bad advice and I have contacted the primary author about this.

The ATX Form Factor standard, which nearly all PCs comply with, requires +5Vsb standby voltage be applied across many circuits on the motherboard whenever the power supply is simply plugged in (and if equipped, the master power switch on back is enabled). This voltage is required for the front panel power switch, Wake on LAN, Wake on Modem, Wake on Keyboard, Wake on Mouse, and many other commands. Cleaning a computer with live voltages inside is unsafe. Always unplug the supply when working inside your computer. Just make sure you do not build up a "difference of potential" between you and the case by frequently discharging yourself to the bare metal of the case. If you and the case are at the same "potential" there will be no static discharge.

As for the CPU fan running slow, that would not be the PSU, or other 12V devices would be having problems too - unless that connector is bad. Where is the CPU fan plugged in? If to the motherboard, look in the BIOS Setup Menu for any fan control options and disable them for now, and you might try connecting the CPU fan directly to a PSU power connector (not labeled for fans) and see if runs full speed. If it does, you do not need a new fan.

Thank you both,

well you are right,i always disconect my system from any power supply before cleaning it...yes Digerati the cpu fan is connected in the motherboard...i will try disabling the features and connect it to the PSU and i hope it will help....unfortunately i faced another problem....suddendly the computer shut down. I pressed the power button again,i heard the fans working and then it fainted...i waited 1-2 minutes and then it started "normally"(like before).....what could that mean????bad psu?or overheating cpu?

This post has been edited by fordimodi: Apr 27 2008, 09:40 AM

One OR the other - disabling features does nothing if not connected to the controlled fan header.Could be all sorts of things. RAM, failing CPU, leaky capacitors, failing PSU, failing motherboard and more. First thing I would do is back up your critical data. You need to be watching your temperatures too.

CPUs don't normally overheat in the first few seconds unless something else is wrong - fan frozen, no TIM (thermal interface material), abnormal voltages. Who assembled the PC?




BTW, my computer typically takes over 4.5 minutes to boot.

A company from where i bought the pc assembled it.,if this is hapenning due to a hardware problem,how can i detect what causes the system failure???any program that can help?

Sadly, it is hard to troubleshoot these types problems without a bunch of spare parts.

You can test your RAM using one of the following programs. Both require you to create and boot to a bootable floppy disk or CD to run the diagnostics. Using the floppy method is generally easier and yet another reason I still include floppy drives in my new PC builds. However, the CD method is just as effective at detecting RAM problems. Allow the diagnostics to run for several passes or even overnight. You should have no reported errors.

Windows Memory Diagnostic - see the easy to follow instructions under Quick Start Information.
or
MemTest86+ (for more advanced users) - an excellent how-to guide is available here.

Your motherboard utilities disk should have a monitoring program to monitor your temperature - most also monitor voltages and fan speeds, if your motherboard supports that - (or check for a more recent version on your motherboard or PC maker's website). If none, I recommend CoreTemp for newer Intel and AMD64 CPUs. Speedfan is a great and popular alternative, or you can try Motherboard Monitor. Unfortunately, I have found that these programs often have problems properly identifying and labeling the sensor they are reading. The temperatures shown are as accurate as the inexpensive, low-tech sensors will allow, but it may say System Fan instead of CPU Fan. Fortunately, the programs do allow you to edit the labels, so I use Everest to verify the temperatures (as it is able to put sensor to label correctly), then edit the label in the monitoring program. In Everest, look under Computer > Sensor, then wait a couple seconds for the readings to appear. Unfortunately, Everest does not minimize to the system tray to show real-time temperatures, otherwise, you could use Everest instead of the others.

I keep a FrozenCPU Ultimate PSU Tester in my travel tool bag. It is not as good as a qualified technician testing the power supply unit (PSU) under a "true" (realistic) load with an oscilloscope or power analyzer, but close. The advantage of this model is that it has an LCD readout of the voltage. With an actual voltage readout, you can better detect a "failing" PSU, or one barely within specified tolerances. Lesser models use LEDs to indicate the voltage is just within some "range". These are less informative, considerably cheaper, but still useful for detecting PSUs that have already "failed". Newegg has several testers to choose from. All these testers contain a "dummy load" to fool the PSU into thinking it is connected to a motherboard, and therefore allows the PSU to power on, if able, without being attached to a motherboard - great for testing fans, but again, not a true load. Alternatively, you can swap out the PSU with a known good one that meets the computer's power requirements.

Inspect the motherboard for bulging or leaking electrolytic capacitors. These failed or failing capacitors are a common cause of sudden, but seemingly random system lock ups and reboots.

The capacitors look like tall soda cans, many of which surround the CPU socket. All older and most newer motherboards use electrolytic capacitors, which contain a liquid electrolyte. Failing (including flawed and/or abused/over-heated) capacitors literally bulge at the seams due to excessive internal pressures. Extreme (and very rare) cases result in a firecracker type explosion that can really stink up a room.

Typically, electrolyte just oozes from the pressure relief points stamped in the tops of the capacitor casings (seen as a symbol or letter). The electrolyte can be caustic to motherboards and flesh.

Look for white to dark-brown, dried liquid or foam on the tops or bottoms of the capacitors. Bulging capacitors are a sign leakage is about to occur.

A motherboard with bulging or leaky capacitors can be repaired, but often it is more cost effective in the long run to replace the motherboard.

There's no way to test the CPU without trying it out on another computer (which is dangerous as a bad CPU can take out second motherboard), or try another CPU in your motherboard (which is dangerous as a bad motherboard can take out a second CPU). And just handling the parts can easily result in ESD damage.

This is where taking it in to someone you can hold liable for collateral is a good idea - like a reputable repair shop.

Thank you very much!
I''ll test my RAM and look for leaking or broken capacitors,hoping i'' find something...!

I use everest because i think is more reliable,and usually my cpu temperature is 60-70C or manytimes 70+C...
my motherboard temp is 32-35C and my hard drive temp 34-36C....

Yesterday after a quick cleaning (today i'll deep clean the pc) the CPU temperature touched 50C+....

If i get nothing from the RAM tests and looking at the motherboard,i'll probably ask help from a repair shop....although i thought that if RAM is OK,mobo is OK,HDD is ok,and PSU is ok,i could safely replace the CPU without paying a visit to the repair shop..!?

thank you for the help and time digerati!

Hi there,

Just a quick thought to add along with the excellent advice you've been given so far...

Perhaps things are running fine, except the TIM between the CPU and the heatsink has worn out? The parts you have listed are not necessarily today's technology, so if this computer is a few years old, I would clean out and reapply fresh paste.

The Pentium D processors do run hot, but I believe your temperatures to be "above average", and could be contributing to the problem.

Cheers

Troy

Ummm, no, TIM does not wear out - however, a common mistake is to reuse TIM and you should not do that. Many of today's advanced TIMs "cure" after several heat/cool cycles. So if you pull the heatsink fan for some reason, you should clean the mating surfaces thoroughly and apply a new fresh thin layer of TIM.

I agree with Troy concerning the heat, however, and temps over 70°C is too high. The it dropped significantly after cleaning obviously indicates the need for more frequent cleaning - I normally recommend a visual inspection of computer interiors once a month, and cleaning if necessary.

Oh, and for the record, I will never buy a case again that does not come with a washable filter - they do make a huge difference.

So i'll procced to deep cleaning in about an hour and i wish the problem is solved...thanks for the advices....now, i reaplyed the paste just when the problems started,and that's summer...i only achieved a descrease of the temperature,about -2C......i''ll deep clean the pc but i really don't think the problem will be completely solved...i hope i can find out if RAM and PSU have a problem through the tests.....i'll post the results as soon as i procced....


thanks for the help

fordimodi....