Computer Hangs at BIOS Screen

Well just tried looking around, and the consensus is that speedfan is not what it used to be, sorry I had not seen that it has lost it's standing on newer systems, alternate options seem to be HWMonitor and "removed see edit", I've used the first one, but not the second, but with luck they will give a clearer answer, I do know that speedfan can throw up some extreme temp's, but those are false ones, like the -70 one you have, those type of readings usually mean there is no sensor present for that reading.

 

Well playing heavy games on it will certainly help show if the crashing is only during such heavy demands, where temp is too high, or something just can't cope and starts to play up, so other than seeing what these show for system temp's and the like, see if the system is behaving after doing what you have so far, if it is then thats the best we can hope for, if it doesn't then it's time to think again, and maybe dig deeper to see if there are more specific clues.

 

And as a thought, if you run junk file cleaners, do NOT run them for a while, lets see if it can catch a crash dump file, that may be a big help in looking for the cause, if you do not run junk file cleaners, get and run WhoCrashed, see if there are any crash reports, if there is save them and upload here, they may contain helpful info if there are any to be seen, but lets hope what you have done so far is enough to get you back to normal.

 

 

*edit

Warning, I removed this program as it does not show anything special, and unless your on your toes it will install all sorts of crud with it, I give it it's due, it does ask, but it's easy to miss that it's asking about another program(s) rather than itself, so I do not suggest using this one.

8210,  Thanks for that edit..  Hadn't gotten to that one yet… I have installed HWMonitor on my computer and it appears to be working fine.  I also put it on the problem child computer and the install went fine and the window opens and shows an icon with my wifes computer name, but nothing else at all…  Strange… maybe because she has XP????

 

Edit…  When logging on as me on her computer (administrator rights) the window comes up just fine…????

 

Edit1….  It does also confirm a TEMPIM0 as 84C…

 

Bob

8210,  Below is the monitored stats saved from HWMonitor…

 

Bob

 

8210,  Installed WhoCrashed on the problem computer and had it analyze.  It found several crashes, but they were from the November timeframe when I was having issues with my NVidia display card, which has since been replaced…  Nothing on any of the freezes you've been helping me out with… 

 

Bob

Quick side note, not sure why you swapped cards, but if you were running the Nvidia drivers that were causing problems, and thought the card was bad due to freezing\crashing, it may not be a faulty card, it could of just been a victim of a spate of bad drivers that went on a few months, thought it worth a mention just incase.

 

As to launching in xp, only thing I can think of is if they were using a limited user account, it's not uncommon for a file to require admin rights to run, not sure on other causes, but this is confirming the speedfan readings pretty much, so it's not as bad as some were saying, because it was a great program and served me well for many years.

 

Only things I can think of trying, is remove the side, and have a fan blowing into the case if you have one to use, watch the temp's with it running like that, if it starts to drop then we need to figure out where that heat is being reported from, otherwise just run it as normal, and see what happens, mind you one last thought, when you removed did you remove the drivers properly ?

 

Given it had Nvidia drivers, even if uninstalled if anything was left behind that could be causing problems, you could get and run Driver Fusion, select only the Nvidia DISPLAY option, not the other Nvidia products just incase they are needed, but thats all I can think of for now, so use as normal and see if it behaves, fingers crossed.

8210,  The NVidia card is long gone now…  But, you may be onto something about the drivers still being installed and possibly causing some side effects.  I'll have to look into it, I don't think that I uninstalled anything, I just put the ATI card in and installed its drivers.  Is Driver Fusion shareware?  I'm really trying to avoid spending any money on a 6 year old computer…

 

You were correct about the HWMonitor, once I ran it with my permissions (even though logged in as my wife), it does come up normally.  I've placed a 9" fan blowing into the open side of the computer now for several hours.  HWMonitor reports that TMPIN0 has remained rock solid on 84C with not even a slight change in temp.  Starting to believe that whatever sensor that reports that temp might be bad?  I just find it very hard to believe that I couldn't drop that temp even 1C over that time.  Plus, when running the computer virturally 2 minutes after being off overnight, I find it hard to believe it comes up to 84C that fast…

 

Bob

The software is free, although they do have a paid for version, but I always put forward free solutions, "IF" one was that required and the only choice, I would say so at the time, but on that link it's the one on the left that is free, on the right is the paid for solution, but the free version does all we need.

 

I agree, that the reported 84 degrees has to be a false reading after you doing that, normally when it's due to a false reading it's a ridiculous number, but for now I think ignore that now, at least until anything shows up that could be related, but if you run with no heatsink (which I do NOT suggest lol), you will see just how fast it can increase, I did it many years back for some reason lol, but can't recall why lol.

 

I guess the biggest question now is how is it running ?

Have there been any more issues\crashes since we have started ?

Should everything be behaving I would be tempted to say run it as is, PC's do not like being disturbed when they get old, it only takes a very small change\move to upset them, so other than clearing out the old Nvidia drivers (won't hurt to create a restore point before this for peace of mind), just run it as is, and see how you go.

8210,  The computer has run fine since cleaning and putting the heat sink back on yesterday evening.  It ran for about 4 hours after I did that before being shut down for the night.  Today, it has been running non-stop since about 10am (it is now abotu 8:30pm) with no crashes and the kid has been playing minecraft on it for probably 8 of those hours (schools closed today due to one half inch of snow).

I'll go ahead and take one last look at HWMonitor before pulling the fan off and putting the cover back on.

Will attempt to look into the Driver Fusion tomorrow and report back on what it found as well as the latest status on the computer.

Thank you again for all your patience and help, I can't tell you enough how nice it is that there are folks out there like yourself that help others with these damn computers!  If you ever make it to the Washington, DC area, please let me know, I owe you some beers!

 

Bob

Well I think we have a result then, even though we haven't been able to 100% say it was "X" that was the problem, but with all that has been done, it does look like it was a heat issue, and reseating the CPU rectified that, it is the only conclusion I can draw as nothing else was really changed or touched, but I can't say there was no other problem behind it, but time will tell.

 

I wish I could get over to the states, I'd almost kill to get there lol, but the way things are going I don't think I will ever go anywhere like that again, but Thanks for the thought, but ultimately we are all here helping, because we were all where people who need help now are at one point, and know just how much it means to get help, and as we get to know more, we start giving back by passing on that same help that we once (and still do at times) needed, so it's all good, but now I have to raid the fridge, you just made me thirsty lol, glad you seem to be sorted anyway. 

8210,  Wanted to provide an update…  The computer has been running without any issues now for several days.  I think you might be right about just cleaning and reseating the CPU heat sink…  also think that maybe the heat compound maybe breaks down and doesn't work as good after a number of years?  Anyway, the results have been so good that I decided I would be proactive and do the same thing to my computer and my daughters.  I ran HWMonitor on both and captured all the parameters prior to each cleanup and then again afterward.  I was absolutely amazed with the differences.  My computer's temps were brought down by 10C (mine wasn't too bad inside), but by daughters temps were halved…  Her computer had never been opened up in over 3 years and the heat sink and CPU fan were pretty much caked with dust.

Thanks again for all your help and patience.  My offer stands if you ever make it over across the pond, I think you would actually enjoy it over here where I'm at in horse country… Plus there is a really good Irish pub in town!

 

Bob

Thanks for the update, and I think it's pretty conclusive now that heat was the issue, and Yes, the thermal compound definitely reduces over time, hardcore users (usually overclockers and gamers) renew it on a yearly basis, but then they are pushing their systems to the extreme, the average user can go many years without any problem at all, but there is no absolute time frame for how long it will last.

 

There are to many variables like the compound itself, cheap ones won't be as good as quality ones (Arctic Silver 5 is the choice of most), the cooling in the case, better airflow maximises the systems ability, your environment, basically if you live in high temperature areas, or freezing areas, it all has an effect on the system, another major factor is the heatsink, if using the stock one, it will do it's job fine, but, use an aftermarket solution and you often see a big difference, but when renewing the compound, it is essential to clean it as best as possible, it will make a big difference if you don't, and the cleaners I linked above are fantastic at this.

 

My system always runs around 30 degrees, no matter what I do, but then I have everything you can do (as mentioned) done, but the rule of thumb for most that I would suggest is treat it like a spring clean, clear out any dust build up once a year (unless it needs it sooner), then run the software to see what the temp's are like, and if they are OK then you are as good as can be, no need to start going to reseating if it's not going to make a difference.

 

Now temperatures, these again are not set in stone, to many variables again, and some processors are known to run extremely hot compared to others, so a little research is sometimes needed if your worried about high temp's to check what you would expect from your CPU.

 

My rule of thumb is 30 degrees is the sweet spot lol, up to 60 degrees can be bettered (may need a better heatsink or case cooling), up to 70 degrees time to start looking for solutions to reduce, above this and you could be getting into danger of damaging the CPU, anything higher then I would be seriously concerned and aim to better it ASAP, glad this has helped anyway, and Thanks for the offer, I can only dream lol.