Computer is Dying. Can't figure out what's the problem.

[rehpresent]

I believe my computer is dying. I've been trying the past few days (when the problem arose) to diagnose what's wrong. I'm not too sure if it's a software issue, driver issue, or even a hardware. I'm leaning towards hardware issue after my efforts to figure out what's wrong (likely PSU, or maybe motherboard).

So, I'll try to write this chronologically to the best of my abilities.

First off: I got my homebuilt computer from my friend. He wiped the hard drive, installed a bootlegged windows (windows 7 home premium 64 bit, that could never update), and gave it to me. Link to my rig: http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/7105107

Starting 2 days ago, my computer started having bsod. I tried to figure out what was causing the crashes, so I looked at bluescreenview to see what caused the problems. The results were "kmode exception not handled" (pacer.sys) and "attempted execute of noexecute memory"(hal.dll). As a result, I thought these were driver issues. I tried to update the drivers for the graphics card/chipset. Afterwards, things were fine for the next day and half.

However, starting this morning, more problems came. My computer started crashing again and failed to boot multiple times. Sometimes the monitors would light up, displaying that the computer failed to boot. Other times, it wouldn't display anything and instead would begin beeping (4 consecutive short beeps. Based on AMI, signified that I had a system timer failure). I turned off the power and turned it back on. The computer would then properly boot up. However, it relapsed once more to the previous problem of failure to boot. But I did the exact same thing, and now it seems to be "fine" the past few hours ( as in it would boot up successfully every time). Things keep getting worse and the comp would sometimes turn off and boot up again (as though the power had gone out. This has been a reoccurring theme throughout the past few days, and would scarcely happen over the past 6 months).

Some more blue screens occurred throughout the day, but my memory doesn't serve me well enough to remember between which events each bsod happened. Throughout the day, I've had bsod for the following reasons ( in chronological order): System PTE misuse, System service exception, page fault in nonpaged area, system thread exception not handled, and finally bad pool header. I've decided to system restore today, to see if there would be any progress made, but it's stuck on "preparing to restore your system" for the past hour.

I've tried using msdiag to determine if there's any problem with any problem with the RAM, and the results didn't state anything was wrong with them. I can only think that there's a problem with the software (since it's bootlegged), Motherboard, or possibly the PSU (there might be a small hint of problems lying within the RAM).

Any suggestions? I'm seriously pulling out my hair trying to figure out what's the problem. The inconsistency with the boot up and the fickle reboots aren't helping me conclude the problems.

*I'll continue to update. I know my writing is poor, because my brain is scattered all over the place.

*Edit 1: Just got 2 bsod's while preparing to restore. First was "System thread exception not handled" (due to wdf01000.sys) and "System PTE misuse" (again).

*Edit 2: Reinstalled windows 7 (with a legit copy). Still have bsod, but with "memory management" errors.

 

[shep611]

i am not an expert but i have had dealings with bootleg OS systems and always ended up with issues like yours . i would first recommend getting a legit OS . its always worked for me . i have read somewhere the causes for this BSOD and decided to share it with you


This error can be caused by incompatibility of your hardware, firmware or any software. Anyway, These are the common things that can cause BSOD –

Any faulty or incompatible third-party software.
Incompatible drivers & hardware.
Incorrectly configured hardware.
Corrupted RAM or module.
Erased or damaged system files.

and being you have a bootleg OS i am leaning towards that as being you problem. they do tend to have corrupt files being that it is bootlegged .

again i am no expert . but i do hope this helps out . i will be watching this thread maybe ill learn something from this

 

[rehpresent]

i am not an expert but i have had dealings with bootleg OS systems and always ended up with issues like yours . i would first recommend getting a legit OS . its always worked for me . i have read somewhere the causes for this BSOD and decided to share it with you


This error can be caused by incompatibility of your hardware, firmware or any software. Anyway, These are the common things that can cause BSOD –

Any faulty or incompatible third-party software.
Incompatible drivers & hardware.
Incorrectly configured hardware.
Corrupted RAM or module.
Erased or damaged system files.

and being you have a bootleg OS i am leaning towards that as being you problem. they do tend to have corrupt files being that it is bootlegged .

again i am no expert . but i do hope this helps out . i will be watching this thread maybe ill learn something from this

Now that I look at it, I kinda agree with you. I've noticed recently problems with applications. Chrome/Firefox closing. Seems like the OS issue. I'll buy one today and see if it'll fix it. Not too sure what's the best OS to go for. If I should buy windows 7, 8, or 10.

 

[shep611]

i am not an expert but i have had dealings with bootleg OS systems and always ended up with issues like yours . i would first recommend getting a legit OS . its always worked for me . i have read somewhere the causes for this BSOD and decided to share it with you


This error can be caused by incompatibility of your hardware, firmware or any software. Anyway, These are the common things that can cause BSOD –

Any faulty or incompatible third-party software.
Incompatible drivers & hardware.
Incorrectly configured hardware.
Corrupted RAM or module.
Erased or damaged system files.

and being you have a bootleg OS i am leaning towards that as being you problem. they do tend to have corrupt files being that it is bootlegged .

again i am no expert . but i do hope this helps out . i will be watching this thread maybe ill learn something from this

Now that I look at it, I kinda agree with you. I've noticed recently problems with applications. Chrome/Firefox closing. Seems like the OS issue. I'll buy one today and see if it'll fix it. Not too sure what's the best OS to go for. If I should buy windows 7, 8, or 10.

that would depend on what you like to do . my self went with windows 7 64 bit pro cause i like gaming and its IMO better then 8 8.1 or 10 lol . just save all you stuff that you want and back it up if you can do so still . windows 7 64 pro i recommend . but again it is all up to you . good luck

 

[Chicano]

To isolate the cause; Hardware ir Software; start the computer in Safe Mode. If the problem doesn't show up, it's Software... it continues, if hardware.

1. Four short beeps: indicate bad RAM...
2. System Timer failure: Bad RAM
3. Contiuous reboots and bsods: Bad RAM
4. Boot issues: Bad RAM
5. Page fault in non paged area: Bad RAM
6. Bad Pool Header: Bad RAM, Bad HDD
7. System_thread_exception_not_handled: drivers, registry corruption.
8. System file corruption: (drivers, registry); RAM errors, PSU.
9. System Restore failure: Registry errors

10. Bad_Pool_Header Error
Software causes:
Corrupt Device Drivers.
Faulty/Corrupt Registry Entries.
Corrupt Windows System files.
Anti-virus or Anti-Malware Softwares

Hardware causes:
Damaged Hard Disk.
Bad RAM

Test your RAM one stick at a time on all slots to determine which or if both are bad or if it's a RAM slot issue. Another Remote possibility may be bent CPU Socket pin and that can also cause RAM errors... but from all the related errors, it's most likely bad RAM. I wouldn't trust MSDiag... so if you still need to test it, use Memtest.

 

[rehpresent]

To isolate the cause; Hardware ir Software; start the computer in Safe Mode. If the problem doesn't show up, it's Software... it continues, if hardware.

1. Four short beeps: indicate bad RAM...
2. System Timer failure: Bad RAM
3. Contiuous reboots and bsods: Bad RAM
4. Boot issues: Bad RAM
5. Page fault in non paged area: Bad RAM
6. Bad Pool Header: Bad RAM, Bad HDD
7. System_thread_exception_not_handled: drivers, registry corruption.
8. System file corruption: (drivers, registry); RAM errors, PSU.
9. System Restore failure: Registry errors

10. Bad_Pool_Header Error
Software causes:
Corrupt Device Drivers.
Faulty/Corrupt Registry Entries.
Corrupt Windows System files.
Anti-virus or Anti-Malware Softwares

Hardware causes:
Damaged Hard Disk.
Bad RAM

Test your RAM one stick at a time on all slots to determine which or if both are bad or if it's a RAM slot issue. Another Remote possibility may be bent CPU Socket pin and that can also cause RAM errors... but from all the related errors, it's most likely bad RAM. I wouldn't trust MSDiag... so if you still need to test it, use Memtest.

Ya, I just reformated my hard drive with a legit copy of windows 7, and I'm still getting bsod's with the "memory management" error. Also think it might be RAM issue now. Will check each one.

 

[rehpresent]

So I haven't tried out the stick RAM quite yet, because I'm still trying to get my drivers installed first. However, I keep having problems getting my AMD radeon graphics card drivers installed (using their crimson installer). I was hoping to do the RAM testing afterwards, but I can't seem to get past problems with installation. I'm beginning to wonder if it's possible the problem may lie in the motherboard (and/or possibly the RAM as well). How would I go about testing if it's the motherboard, or am I just foolish for thinking it might be?

Since my re-installation of windows 7, I've had 3 types of crashes again:
Memory management
NTFS File System
Page Fault in NonPaged Area

The bsod crashes leads me to believe it's the RAM's fault, but the unforeseen graphics card driver errors hints towards motherboard (maybe I'm just ignorant).

 

[Chicano]

"Memory managemenet"
Defective RAM

"NTFS File System"
HDD condition and Bad HDD sectors

"Page Fault in NonPaged Area" Can be caused by:
1. Drivers
2. virtual memory
3. RAM
4. HDD bad sectors

Driver issues can be caused by bad disk sectors, bad memory... and recently installed Windows may not install some drivers, with continued trouble installing them... most common I've experienced are Sound and Network adapter drivers, but any drivers can have trouble installing on newly installed Windows from Vista to 8.1 and probably 10. This is said to be solved by starting Automatic Windows Updates and when a few have been installed (try at least 5), reboot the computer and try installing the graphics card driver. If still having the same GPU driver problem, take care of the RAM problem and try again.

BTW: BSOD crashes are caused by mainly driver issues, but also by RAM, power issues. And you can only suspect a motherboard defect after taking care of all other causes... If it persists.

 

[shep611]

So I haven't tried out the stick RAM quite yet, because I'm still trying to get my drivers installed first. However, I keep having problems getting my AMD radeon graphics card drivers installed (using their crimson installer). I was hoping to do the RAM testing afterwards, but I can't seem to get past problems with installation. I'm beginning to wonder if it's possible the problem may lie in the motherboard (and/or possibly the RAM as well). How would I go about testing if it's the motherboard, or am I just foolish for thinking it might be?

Since my re-installation of windows 7, I've had 3 types of crashes again:
Memory management
NTFS File System
Page Fault in NonPaged Area

The bsod crashes leads me to believe it's the RAM's fault, but the unforeseen graphics card driver errors hints towards motherboard (maybe I'm just ignorant).

just got off work and seen whats going on . have you tried the safe mode method yet ? chicano nailed that on the head . i would follow that suggestion . just to say tho if you are having an issue with those 3 problems i would say it is a ram issue . but try that safemode option first . i have a feeling its a hardware issue and not software being that you just reinstalled the OS and a legit version at that . so you shouldnt have anything on your system now that would cause those problems . so i am leaning towards hardware . mainly rams . also to note .. i do not think anything is going to work right with out good ram .. including gpu .. let us know if you tested ram cards and did start up in safemode .

 

[rehpresent]

"Memory managemenet"
Defective RAM

"NTFS File System"
HDD condition and Bad HDD sectors

"Page Fault in NonPaged Area" Can be caused by:
1. Drivers
2. virtual memory
3. RAM
4. HDD bad sectors

Driver issues can be caused by bad disk sectors, bad memory... and recently installed Windows may not install some drivers, with continued trouble installing them... most common I've experienced are Sound and Network adapter drivers, but any drivers can have trouble installing on newly installed Windows from Vista to 8.1 and probably 10. This is said to be solved by starting Automatic Windows Updates and when a few have been installed (try at least 5), reboot the computer and try installing the graphics card driver. If still having the same GPU driver problem, take care of the RAM problem and try again.

BTW: BSOD crashes are caused by mainly driver issues, but also by RAM, power issues. And you can only suspect a motherboard defect after taking care of all other causes... If it persists.

First of all, I'd like to thank both of you guys for assisting me. It's incredibly invaluable. As a working college student, I just got to classes this morning. However, I ran Memtest86 while I slept last night. Unfortunately, the test had gone through 3 and 1/2 passes and returned 0 errors (about 8 and half hours of testing). Is this test conclusive to say that the RAM might not be at fault? Or is it insufficient, and I should just test each individual stick of RAM (of the 4)? If it's not enough, I'll do the testing when I get back from classes in the evening.

(if memtest86 is sufficient) Is the next possible culprit the hard drive? How would I go about testing the hard drive? I've read somewhere about Ultimate boot CD or Hiren's (not sure if they're for testing Hard drive of CPU). Also another thing to note: I didn't wipe the other 2 partitions when I reinstalled windows. Should I wipe them out? Lastly, does the available space remaining on both of the partitions play a role in this problem? The C: drive is perfectly fine on space (~60-70 gigs remaining). The D & E drive both contain about 10 and 30 gigs of available space respectively.

I'll try updating windows again before I try to update the gpu drivers again.

 

[rehpresent]

So I haven't tried out the stick RAM quite yet, because I'm still trying to get my drivers installed first. However, I keep having problems getting my AMD radeon graphics card drivers installed (using their crimson installer). I was hoping to do the RAM testing afterwards, but I can't seem to get past problems with installation. I'm beginning to wonder if it's possible the problem may lie in the motherboard (and/or possibly the RAM as well). How would I go about testing if it's the motherboard, or am I just foolish for thinking it might be?

Since my re-installation of windows 7, I've had 3 types of crashes again:
Memory management
NTFS File System
Page Fault in NonPaged Area

The bsod crashes leads me to believe it's the RAM's fault, but the unforeseen graphics card driver errors hints towards motherboard (maybe I'm just ignorant).

just got off work and seen whats going on . have you tried the safe mode method yet ? chicano nailed that on the head . i would follow that suggestion . just to say tho if you are having an issue with those 3 problems i would say it is a ram issue . but try that safemode option first . i have a feeling its a hardware issue and not software being that you just reinstalled the OS and a legit version at that . so you shouldnt have anything on your system now that would cause those problems . so i am leaning towards hardware . mainly rams . also to note .. i do not think anything is going to work right with out good ram .. including gpu .. let us know if you tested ram cards and did start up in safemode .

First of all, I'd like to thank both of you guys for assisting me. It's incredibly invaluable.
Is there valuable information that I could get from running it in safe mode? Wouldn't it only conclude that it's hardware failure?

 

[shep611]

So I haven't tried out the stick RAM quite yet, because I'm still trying to get my drivers installed first. However, I keep having problems getting my AMD radeon graphics card drivers installed (using their crimson installer). I was hoping to do the RAM testing afterwards, but I can't seem to get past problems with installation. I'm beginning to wonder if it's possible the problem may lie in the motherboard (and/or possibly the RAM as well). How would I go about testing if it's the motherboard, or am I just foolish for thinking it might be?

Since my re-installation of windows 7, I've had 3 types of crashes again:
Memory management
NTFS File System
Page Fault in NonPaged Area

The bsod crashes leads me to believe it's the RAM's fault, but the unforeseen graphics card driver errors hints towards motherboard (maybe I'm just ignorant).

just got off work and seen whats going on . have you tried the safe mode method yet ? chicano nailed that on the head . i would follow that suggestion . just to say tho if you are having an issue with those 3 problems i would say it is a ram issue . but try that safemode option first . i have a feeling its a hardware issue and not software being that you just reinstalled the OS and a legit version at that . so you shouldnt have anything on your system now that would cause those problems . so i am leaning towards hardware . mainly rams . also to note .. i do not think anything is going to work right with out good ram .. including gpu .. let us know if you tested ram cards and did start up in safemode .

First of all, I'd like to thank both of you guys for assisting me. It's incredibly invaluable.
Is there valuable information that I could get from running it in safe mode? Wouldn't it only conclude that it's hardware failure?

If you start your system in safemode you can narrow down your problem . if the problem persist that means its a hardware issue . if it does not it means its a software problem. it helps narrow it down a bit . like i said in earlier post tho if you did a fresh install you shouldn't have a software issue at all . BUT you did say you didnt wipe it so you may have something on it still . i would try the safemode first and see what happens . when you do this and it does not cause problems then its software and would recommend a clean install.

personally i would test each stick of ram at a time even tho you can test them all at once . also go to http://www.crucial.com/ to see if your sticks are compatible with your mobo. also if you have more than 1 stick of ram and you have lets say for example 4 slots and you have 3 slots filled with same type of ram and 4th is a different brand. that could as well be a problem . they may not be compatible with each other even if they are with mobo.

first things first tho do the safemode option first lets see what we have to deal with

 

[Chicano]

Yeah, the RAM test should be enough but you also need to do the physical RAM test with all four modules one at a time. If it passes, I would suspect a HDD or PSU issue.

A bad HDD can have all sort of issues from data that is treated the same way bad ram would; losing it, have trouble reading it, not saving it, corrupting it, etc. etc. along with boot issues, restarts, bsods, etc. Check the HDD with Hard Disk Sentinel to know it's performance and general condition.

A bad PSU, well all components need a stable flow or the right voltage and since all hardware are electrical and handle data, so the symptoms can be similar. And because the RAM test haven't been conclusive you need to test all possible culprits. You either need to test the PSU on another computer or test your computer with another PSU.

UBCD and Hiren's BCD are ISOs to build a bootable disk with a Windows enviroment, that help access the hard disk for diagnoses and test, data recovery, etc. It does have some HDD testng and recovery tools but I don't think either includes Hard Disk Sentinel which is what I regularly use to know a HDD's condition.. Hiren's probably does include Crystal Disk but I don't think this program is as conclusive ad HD Sentinel.

 

[rehpresent]

This an offtopic question. My friend that gave me the computer told me to install any drivers i would need from the following link: http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z68%20Extreme4%20Gen3/?cat=Download&os=Win764
My question follows that I believe I'm inexperienced and don't exactly know which drivers I should definitely be downloading.
Should I download the bios for the intel management engine driver (including the axtu)? Would any of these drivers be inhibiting my gpu driver from installing?

 

[rehpresent]

So I haven't tried out the stick RAM quite yet, because I'm still trying to get my drivers installed first. However, I keep having problems getting my AMD radeon graphics card drivers installed (using their crimson installer). I was hoping to do the RAM testing afterwards, but I can't seem to get past problems with installation. I'm beginning to wonder if it's possible the problem may lie in the motherboard (and/or possibly the RAM as well). How would I go about testing if it's the motherboard, or am I just foolish for thinking it might be?

Since my re-installation of windows 7, I've had 3 types of crashes again:
Memory management
NTFS File System
Page Fault in NonPaged Area

The bsod crashes leads me to believe it's the RAM's fault, but the unforeseen graphics card driver errors hints towards motherboard (maybe I'm just ignorant).

just got off work and seen whats going on . have you tried the safe mode method yet ? chicano nailed that on the head . i would follow that suggestion . just to say tho if you are having an issue with those 3 problems i would say it is a ram issue . but try that safemode option first . i have a feeling its a hardware issue and not software being that you just reinstalled the OS and a legit version at that . so you shouldnt have anything on your system now that would cause those problems . so i am leaning towards hardware . mainly rams . also to note .. i do not think anything is going to work right with out good ram .. including gpu .. let us know if you tested ram cards and did start up in safemode .

First of all, I'd like to thank both of you guys for assisting me. It's incredibly invaluable.
Is there valuable information that I could get from running it in safe mode? Wouldn't it only conclude that it's hardware failure?

If you start your system in safemode you can narrow down your problem . if the problem persist that means its a hardware issue . if it does not it means its a software problem. it helps narrow it down a bit . like i said in earlier post tho if you did a fresh install you shouldn't have a software issue at all . BUT you did say you didnt wipe it so you may have something on it still . i would try the safemode first and see what happens . when you do this and it does not cause problems then its software and would recommend a clean install.

personally i would test each stick of ram at a time even tho you can test them all at once . also go to http://www.crucial.com/ to see if your sticks are compatible with your mobo. also if you have more than 1 stick of ram and you have lets say for example 4 slots and you have 3 slots filled with same type of ram and 4th is a different brand. that could as well be a problem . they may not be compatible with each other even if they are with mobo.

first things first tho do the safemode option first lets see what we have to deal with

So I just did a fresh reinstall of windows and wiped all the data off all internal drives.

The 4 sticks of RAM are all the same types (and by the same brand). If my computer has been working fine for the past year, why would they suddenly become incompatible? Wouldn't they always be compatible?

Also, I'm curious as to how I should go about testing the RAM. If I use only one stick of ram, what should I run to see if my computer will crash? Because my computer has been fine so far. And when it did crash yesterday, it would crash randomly (though more often when I'm watching a stream/video).

 

[rehpresent]

Yeah, the RAM test should be enough but you also need to do the physical RAM test with all four modules one at a time. If it passes, I would suspect a HDD or PSU issue.

A bad HDD can have all sort of issues from data that is treated the same way bad ram would; losing it, have trouble reading it, not saving it, corrupting it, etc. etc. along with boot issues, restarts, bsods, etc. Check the HDD with Hard Disk Sentinel to know it's performance and general condition.

A bad PSU, well all components need a stable flow or the right voltage and since all hardware are electrical and handle data, so the symptoms can be similar. And because the RAM test haven't been conclusive you need to test all possible culprits. You either need to test the PSU on another computer or test your computer with another PSU.

UBCD and Hiren's BCD are ISOs to build a bootable disk with a Windows enviroment, that help access the hard disk for diagnoses and test, data recovery, etc. It does have some HDD testng and recovery tools but I don't think either includes Hard Disk Sentinel which is what I regularly use to know a HDD's condition.. Hiren's probably does include Crystal Disk but I don't think this program is as conclusive ad HD Sentinel.

I'm curious as to how I should go about testing the RAM. If I use only one stick of ram, what should I run to see if my computer will crash? Because my computer has been fine so far. And when it did crash yesterday, it would crash randomly (though more often when I'm watching a stream/video).

Is it fine/Should I run Hard Disk Sentinel on my SSD aswell? But I'll go ahead and test the HDD while I wait on a response about the way I should test my RAM.

Lastly, this PSU is the only one strong enough to sustain my computer (that's overclocked). Would it be possible fine to test my current PSU on a weaker computer (if it'll fit in the rig)? How would I go about testing it if I do hook it up to another computer? Just leave it idling or should I run it on high load with an intensive program?

Thanks for putting up with my Technical ignorance! It means a lot.

 

[shep611]

Yeah, the RAM test should be enough but you also need to do the physical RAM test with all four modules one at a time. If it passes, I would suspect a HDD or PSU issue.

A bad HDD can have all sort of issues from data that is treated the same way bad ram would; losing it, have trouble reading it, not saving it, corrupting it, etc. etc. along with boot issues, restarts, bsods, etc. Check the HDD with Hard Disk Sentinel to know it's performance and general condition.

A bad PSU, well all components need a stable flow or the right voltage and since all hardware are electrical and handle data, so the symptoms can be similar. And because the RAM test haven't been conclusive you need to test all possible culprits. You either need to test the PSU on another computer or test your computer with another PSU.

UBCD and Hiren's BCD are ISOs to build a bootable disk with a Windows enviroment, that help access the hard disk for diagnoses and test, data recovery, etc. It does have some HDD testng and recovery tools but I don't think either includes Hard Disk Sentinel which is what I regularly use to know a HDD's condition.. Hiren's probably does include Crystal Disk but I don't think this program is as conclusive ad HD Sentinel.

I'm curious as to how I should go about testing the RAM. If I use only one stick of ram, what should I run to see if my computer will crash? Because my computer has been fine so far. And when it did crash yesterday, it would crash randomly (though more often when I'm watching a stream/video).

Is it fine/Should I run Hard Disk Sentinel on my SSD aswell? But I'll go ahead and test the HDD while I wait on a response about the way I should test my RAM.

Lastly, this PSU is the only one strong enough to sustain my computer (that's overclocked). Would it be possible fine to test my current PSU on a weaker computer (if it'll fit in the rig)? How would I go about testing it if I do hook it up to another computer? Just leave it idling or should I run it on high load with an intensive program?

Thanks for putting up with my Technical ignorance! It means a lot.

physical RAM test meaning one stick at a time if its bad .. well lets just say you will know. and as for your computer crashing while watching videos? well couple things could be that issue . update your video card driver . even adobe flash and if still does it then its best bet that your gpu is going bad or just over heating .

and as Chicano said it very well can be your power supply . just because it powers up doesn't mean its working correct.

now back to the ram issue before i forget it .. only use one stick at a time . you do not have to run anything to test them .. but you can run the memtest if you like . most cases you can have many sticks working and one bad and system will boot or past tests . in most cases if only using one stick of ram and its bad . you will get beeps and system will not boot up . this may happen in your situation and if it does then great just do not use it when you replace the others back in . if all boot your system up one at a time well then try the memtest one at a time .

now back to your computer crashing while watching videos . it sounds to me after reading what Chicano said about the PSU could the problem . again after updates to adobe and driver for your video card and if correct the voltage to card may not be getting enough power . hence your crashes you are getting . it could very well be your psu tha'ts causing all these issues. after all your friend had it for how long ? and then you had it for how long?...nothing lasts forever lol . you did state your system is overclocked which would put a bit of a strain on psu . in anycase would have it checked out . take it to a pc tech don't just see if it works in another comp .. all pc's are going to be different there for you may not have an issue using it on a different one .

i do however would like to know how the safemode test came along if you have done it yet .

 

[Chicano]

Since you have clean installed Windows, you need to download and install all the drivers you find in the ASRock downloads page. As for the BIOS, updating it is not necessary if everything works normally, specially the CPU.

If anything, the Intel Management Engine should help improve motherboard performance so it shouldn't inhibit GPU driver installation.

Read full Intel Management Engine description here
http://forums.tweaktown.com/gigabyte/55149-intel-management-engine-interface-needed.html


What's that,.. is your computer overclocked?
If it's not done right, that could be the source of RAM issues.
You should disable the overclocking at least untill you have solved all present issues.

You can save the BIOS overclocking settings for later use, next disable them by setting the failproof or optimal default settings.

 

[rehpresent]

I would like to apologize. I can't work on my computer anymore today. I have an exam tomorrow morning that I need to prepare for. I'll continue testing tomorrow and applying what you guys have suggested.

Also, the safe mode test has been perfectly fine from what I've seen. Over the course of 30 minutes, I've left the computer idle and it didn't crash. In fact, the computer has been fine so far ( granted I haven't done much with it today) and hasn't crashed. I'm starting to think it might be more likely the Hard Drives being overburdened. But, I'm still planning to test each stick of RAM after my exam tomorrow.
I really hope it's not my PSU, as I don't see a way I can check it without having to pay (as you suggested shep611). Once again, thank you so much for the help. And I hope to work together some more tomorrow!

*Quick Edit: I'm going to test Hard Disk Sentinel while I'm studying. I'll report back as soon as I get a result from it.

**Results from trial version conclude from 93-100% Health and in perfect condition for the 3 hard drives. The highest reported temperature is 51, 57, 47 degrees celsius. Anything in particular I should run/do ?
Looks like hard drive's not at fault. Only things could possibly be: RAM, PSU, (possibly motherboard). Even though the memtest86 isn't sufficient to say the RAM isn't at fault, it's possible it might not be the RAM. I'm thinking maybe this might all just be because of the bootlegged software that originally caused this problem and then maybe my failure to properly download drivers?

 

[shep611]

I would like to apologize. I can't work on my computer anymore today. I have an exam tomorrow morning that I need to prepare for. I'll continue testing tomorrow and applying what you guys have suggested.

Also, the safe mode test has been perfectly fine from what I've seen. Over the course of 30 minutes, I've left the computer idle and it didn't crash. In fact, the computer has been fine so far ( granted I haven't done much with it today) and hasn't crashed. I'm starting to think it might be more likely the Hard Drives being overburdened. But, I'm still planning to test each stick of RAM after my exam tomorrow.
I really hope it's not my PSU, as I don't see a way I can check it without having to pay (as you suggested shep611). Once again, thank you so much for the help. And I hope to work together some more tomorrow!

*Quick Edit: I'm going to test Hard Disk Sentinel while I'm studying. I'll report back as soon as I get a result from it.

**Results from trial version conclude from 93-100% Health and in perfect condition for the 3 hard drives. The highest reported temperature is 51, 57, 47 degrees celsius. Anything in particular I should run/do ?
Looks like hard drive's not at fault. Only things could possibly be: RAM, PSU, (possibly motherboard). Even though the memtest86 isn't sufficient to say the RAM isn't at fault, it's possible it might not be the RAM. I'm thinking maybe this might all just be because of the bootlegged software that originally caused this problem and then maybe my failure to properly download drivers?

from what i gather you re did the install correct and wiped the hard drives? if so then you would not have a software issue then lol . good to hear that things are going smooth for you now . i went back and e read everything and noticed you reinstall the legit version again i must have missed that part lol. at this point it down to updating and installing what you need .

in my previous post before i stated to update adobe and video drives . do those first see what takes place then . hope it runs smooth for you down the road

 

[rehpresent]

Hello again. So things were looking promising the past 2 days. Didn't receive a single crash, until now. I decided to download some drivers (some kind of intel display drivers, which included a vga driver aswell). Then, I decided to install Recuva (a recovery system for reformatted hard drives). I searched a couple times and recovered some previously not-backed-up files. Then, I decided to turn on Twitch.tv to watch some streams while my computer does another "deep scan" (via Recuva). However, my system freezes and loops the sound, then proceeds to bsod. The reasoning was "system thread exception not handled" (due to atikmdag.sys). Then the system attempts to boot up and fails, which prompts the proper beeping. Again, it's 4 short high frequency beeps (System Timer Failure based upon AMI). I left it try and boot up 2 times again. I then proceed to disconnect the power from it and wait a short while. Afterwards, I turn back on the power and press the power button. It fails to boot once more, then proceeds to boot the OS.
Currently, I have it running on safe mode. Everything seems to be fine. I'm wondering if it may just have been the drivers I previously installed today. I'm contemplating a system restore to the point prior to the driver updates. However, it's clear the problem isn't gone yet. As Chicano previously said, the system thread exception is due to Registry corruption or driver error. Also, Hard Disk Sentinel still says my hard drives are fine.

So again, I'm concluding RAM, PSU, or driver problems? But I don't think driver errors would cause a failure to boot, so again hardware?
My friend did confirm that the power supply is about 4 or 5 years old.

 

[Chicano]

Your hard drives seem OK but you also have to check for bad secotors which HD Setinel also points out, and a few bad sectors are acceptable, start paying them some attention when the count sarts to increase. Health has to get down below 50% before you should start paying close attention. Generally, the bar colors indicate the level of condition.

Let's hope it's something as simple as bad PSU, a bad RAM module, or the driver updates solve it. But a possibility we haven't fully covered is the 4 short BIOS beeps... BIOS Central says; AMI BIOS = 4 short beeps - "System timer failure - The system clock/timer IC has failed or there is a memory error in the first bank of memory".

The failure is consistently attributed to RAM error, or to System Timer failure which can eventually lead to failed motherboard. So, as RAM has checked ok till now, if PSU and drivers don't solve it, mobo failure is another possibility to preppare for... that's if the system clock timer failure keeps comming up. Some comment said about clock timer failure: "it's something you have to live with, or replace the motherboard". So let's hope it doesn't come to that.

Check the suggestions in the howtogeek thread for additional checkups that we may have not covered.

4 beeps at start, then nothing happens
http://www.howtogeek.com/forum/topic/4-beebs-at-start-then-nothing-happens

 

[rehpresent]

One hard drive had 162 errors occur while data transferring. It was while I was playing a game (to test out how my computer is doing). Since then, no more errors occurred during data transfers. From what I understand, Hard Disk Sentinel suggests the problem is likely from wires of the hard drive.

I was going to test out each stick of ram in a minute, but you say "So, as RAM has checked ok till now," should I not bother checking it anymore? If that's the case, then I'll likely do what I did before to cause the crash and see what happens. If it occurs again, I'm going to assume it's either a PSU or Motherboard problem.
But how do I figure out if it's the PSU or motherboard afterwards (if it's not the RAM)? Seems like both things don't have an actual test to determine which one might be failing. Do I just take a blind shot and buy a replacement to the cheaper one?

 

[shep611]

One hard drive had 162 errors occur while data transferring. It was while I was playing a game (to test out how my computer is doing). Since then, no more errors occurred during data transfers. From what I understand, Hard Disk Sentinel suggests the problem is likely from wires of the hard drive.

I was going to test out each stick of ram in a minute, but you say "So, as RAM has checked ok till now," should I not bother checking it anymore? If that's the case, then I'll likely do what I did before to cause the crash and see what happens. If it occurs again, I'm going to assume it's either a PSU or Motherboard problem.
But how do I figure out if it's the PSU or motherboard afterwards (if it's not the RAM)? Seems like both things don't have an actual test to determine which one might be failing. Do I just take a blind shot and buy a replacement to the cheaper one?

couple things will ask you and need to know what the answers are .

1 are you using both your video card and your onboard graphics?...if so you only need use the one so disable the other . recommend using the card and leave onboard alone .

2 you stated your pc was running fine past couple days then just decided to crash do to the error you posted . atikmdag.sys if memory serves me . running multible things at once like both onboard and you amd radeon r9 290 and scans would lock you up specially if you are not getting enough power ( correct voltage ) to run those things .

did you download these drivers then the crash happened or did you down load them after ? need this answered

also you said you ran you system in safemode with no issues . tells me it is software that is the problem but something does not seem right there first things first .

do like i said in step 1 only use the one . see what happens then .

tell you the truth at this moment i am really starting to think it is your psu . its old and could not be putting out the right voltage you need to run those things and while doing many things at once your system is struggling to get the power where it needs to be . if it takes away from your hdd to place else where well you are gonna get errors . if you understand what i mean .

also check the battery on your mobo see if it is still good . also when you boot your system up get into your bios make sure your time and dates are set correctly . if not correct can also cause issues .

and to awnser your other post stop checking everything hdd rams all of it just disable the onboard video and use your card . dont download any more drivers except for what you will be using . and as i stated im leaning towards a bad psu you have . i would simply just get another brand new one and replace your old . you can never go wrong with that . curious to know what kind of psu is it and what wattage is it ?

 

[rehpresent]

I believe I have the onboard graphics off. Maybe the drive that I downloaded from Intel some how turned it on (not sure if it included the driver for the onboard graphics card). Also, I system restored to a point right before I downloaded the driver, then I tried to replicate the same situation that caused the previous crash. (un)Fortunately it didn't crash again. I wasn't able to make it crash again. So I'm thinking again that it might just be the drivers and OS. I later chose to download HWMonitor to see the voltages and temperatures for my hardware. I tried looking online for what ideal voltages I should be looking for, but I located nothing that told me what I should see/ want to see. The PSU is an ocz fatal1ty 550W. Values I saw seemed to hover around 3.3 (though would drop as low as 3, and up as high as 3.4). Everything else was around 1.2 Volts. Though, there were 2 voltages I saw that were around the range 1.5 - 1.8 if my memory serves me correct. I can't verify these numbers since I'm currently away from my computer.

The temperatures that I produced (in my short testing) seemed to be okay. Everything would stop around the higher end of acceptable temperatures. My GPU spiked at 87 degrees celsius (under 100% load). Processors peaked around low 60's. And I saw on Hard Disk Sentinel that the highest any of my hard drives was 57 degrees celsius. So I don't think that anything was overheating before hand? (Just incase any of this information is necessary: I have a H20 620 Antec liquid cooling system. Also, I believe I have one additional fan. Though, this fan would sometimes rattle as though it had a loose screw, but it would eventually return back to silence.

I'll do as you say when I get back in the evening.

I feel like everything points to Drivers (and previously OS) issues. But the reboot failure (and 4 beeps) that happened in 2 previous instances points towards hardware issues. I guess it could be possible that the computer could Sometimes fail when drivers aren't acting properly (because everytime it failed to boot, it would fix in the following minutes).