Computer freezes randomly, please help!

ulkan

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Dec 31, 2012
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10,510
Big update: changed thread name as it does not seem to be just lan cable, but will keep my original post, as to show how it evolved


Ok, so i am almost ready to throw in the towel.

My computer "turns off" after random amounts of time when my lan cable is plugged in, sometimes its right when the windows loading screen comes up, other times a few hours can have gone by before it happens, both my screens will just go black while the sound keeps playing, and then after a min or so the sound freezes up as well. Cant use keyboard or mouse, and the only way to reboot is manually holding down the power button.

I have reinstalled windows about 4 times now, this last time using a completely seperate windows 7 dvd and serial key (bought a new one since i first thought it might be a bad installation and i wanted win7 ultimate anyway)

If i unplug the lan cable i used it over 24 hours without a problem, about 5min after i tried plugging in the lan cable the computer crashed. I have also booted up in safe mode with the lan cable in, and there seems to be no problems when doing this.

Other things i have tried:
full virus scan on my 3 hdd's.
Full malwarebyte scan.
Using another port in my router.
Cleaned my ethernet port (integrated into motherboard) for dust.
Checked lan cable with a cable tester.
Reset my tcp/ip protocols.
Updated my ethernet driver.


I would love some help, its my christmas holiday now and not being able to use the internet would really suck ;(

(sorry for any spelling mistakes, using ipad)

update:
Just tested unplugging lan cable from router but not the computer, after about 1 hour computer crashed...

Update 2:
Ok so it is not my cable... I think, computer just crashed again, no cable plugged in... And it seems to be getting worse
 
How many RAM sticks do you have? Might try taking one stick out, seeing if that helps, then trying the other, trying other slots, etc.

It could also be your motherboard going bad. You have done pretty much everything I would have suggested first :p Since you have reinstalled Windows and used different actual installs, I highly doubt it is a software problem, which leads me to believe something to do with RAM or MoBo.

How old is the computer?
 

ulkan

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Dec 31, 2012
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I have 3 ram blocks running in triple channel mode, but if it is the ram blocks i would be getting bluescreens mostly (i think?) but i have some spare RAM blocks i can put in just to test.
the motherboard was also one of my guesses... Dont hope so, wont be able to get one until after x-mas :(
Is there a diagnostic thing you can run on the motherboard to check and see if it's faulty ?

Computer is around 2 years old, but i have upgraded the hardware once in a while when needed. Not the motherboard or powersupply though.
 
Yeah I'm just trying to think of everything, cause computers are stupid and never are broken the right way lol And you don't need to put in different sticks, you can just try taking one out at a time. This will make the computer slower, but won't harm it at all. Plus, if it's one of the actual DIMM slots, putting in a new stick won't help diagnose it.

You can try just looking at the MoBo closely to see if you notice any leaking caps, or short spots. I don't really know of a utility to test MoBo's, but there may be one.

Also, check that your CPU heatsink and fan are seated correctly and working, and monitor your temperatures. This can also cause freezing and crashing, but again, usually will BSOD (but not always)

I'm trying to help you have a good Christmas!!

Edit: What CPU do you have?
 

ulkan

Honorable
Dec 31, 2012
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10,510



I have an I7 950 cpu, but i had a heating problem about a year back so that was the first thing i checked, cleaned it, applied fresh thermal paste, and made sure it was secure ^^
Motherboard looks clean and with no burn marks or leaks.

i will try pulling the ram blocks and test it out in the morning, thanks for the tip

And thanks for taking the time to make my christmas better, i appreciate it a lot! :D