Crashes, freezings, distorted image

[Lance Aurora]

Sorry to be asking such a vague and overly-mentioned request, but I have a problem with my PC.

It keeps crashing/freezing, sometimes with a distorted image on the screen. I'll turn it off, and once I turn it on again, I'll sometimes have other problems, like the screen refusing to work at all and the fans on the machine going crazy.
It'll sometimes boot up on different screens, like the "start windows normally" one, or it'll boot up Startup Repair (I think it's called). I ran that by the way, it didn't resolve anything.

It's happened most days for the last few weeks (time to take some action), but a weird thing is that it's no more than once a day. After a hard shutdown, it'll run fine for hours and hours on end.

That's as much of a description I can give. I need to figure out the problem, and preferably, solve it.
I'm running Windows 7, 64-bit, and it's rather newly formatted, three months ago or so. The machine itself is almost 2 years old, so not too bad.

Any help will be most appreciated, thanks in advance.

 

[Jacob McIntosh]

1) Are you using Integrated graphics, or do you have a GPU?
2) If you arew using a GPU, and have a HDMI/DVI/VGA port on your motherboard, plug your monitor into there. It might be that your GPU is dying.

 

[Lance Aurora]

1) Are you using Integrated graphics, or do you have a GPU?
2) If you arew using a GPU, and have a HDMI/DVI/VGA port on your motherboard, plug your monitor into there. It might be that your GPU is dying.

I am using a Sapphire Radeon HD 6870, DVI. Or, rather, the screen cable is VGA, but I use an adapter, since there's no VGA port.

 

[Jacob McIntosh]

Hmm. Run a full virus scan (if you haven't already), and plug your monitor into the motherboard. [strike]This might fix it.[/strike]

UPDATE: Not fix it, but it might diagnose the problem.

 

[Lance Aurora]

Hmm. Run a full virus scan (if you haven't already), and plug your monitor into the motherboard. [strike]This might fix it.[/strike]

UPDATE: Not fix it, but it might diagnose the problem.

My MOBO doesn't have any video-out port.
Did a virus-check, came back clean. No luck there.

Is there anyway to check the system's hardwares for failures?

 

[Jacob McIntosh]

Go here for info on system failures... http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001088.htm

What virus program are you using?

 

[Lance Aurora]

Go here for info on system failures... http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001088.htm

What virus program are you using?

Avira.

 

[Lance Aurora]

My problem seems to be growing, as I have have problems a few times every day. It prohibits me from successfully running any proper tests on my hardware (as each of them takes hours and hours on end). Endless to say, I am becoming quite frustrated and philosophically pessimistic about planned obsolescence.

Anyway, as for something constructive, I have one detail to add to my problem. My machine, instead of crashing, freezing, or on occassion blue-screening, will instead decide for a sudden reboot. No shutdown of any kind, just black screen, and then it starts up again.

 

[Jacob McIntosh]

Hmm. I dont really know. If you have multiple HDDs, unplug all of them except the one with the OS on it. There could be a virus on one, but at this point, im not completely sure. You should take it to a computer shop, or repost this thread, and maybe SR-71 Blackbird will see it. He's got an answer to just about every question on the forums.

 

[Lance Aurora]

Well I contacted my retailer, and they've been kind enough to send me a RAM kit. So I'll be testing if that works within the next few days (hopefully).
I'll check here for other responses until then, and I'll make sure to make a follow up on what happens.

 

[Jacob McIntosh]

Alright. It could be a piece of hardware that is failing, and that very well may be the problem. Hopefully it is, so that you don't loose all your files. Unless it is a high end thing, like your CPU or GPU. That would really stink.