New Build Crashing Constantly

[pawink]

Hello, I just built my first PC and am running into some problems. It booted up okay, installed Windows 7 64 bit and the drivers for all of my components. The computer ran fine for several hours while I did basic stuff like download Chrome and browse the internet.

Then it crashed about 2/3 through downloading a game off Amazon. The image on screen just froze; there was no error message or anything. I turned it off, and when I turned it on this morning it was in a startup loop. I went in the boot menu and ran the Windows repair option, which stopped the startup loop, but now it crashes and restarts within 10 minutes of starting windows whether I'm doing anything or not. The image freezes in a sort of "snow" pattern, then a blue screen with words flashes too fast for me to read and it restarts. The cpu and system temps have always been between 20C and 30C. Windows memory diagnostic Test says there are no problems with the memory. I've tried updating various drivers/utilities but I'm repeatedly told they're up to date. As a first time builder, I don't really know what else to try so any help would be appreciated.

Here are the components:
Motherboard: MSI 890GXM-G65
CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1090t
PSU: 700 Watts FSP Gold
Ram: GSkill Ripjaws 8 gigs 1600
HD: WD Caviar Black 1 TB
GPU: XFX HD-685X-ZNFR Radeon HD 6850 1GB
DVD: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black

 

[rozz]

You could shutdown the automatic restart on blue screen -

Right click on computer > properties > Advanced System Settings (left hand side) > Advanced Tab > Startup and Recovery > uncheck "automatically restart"

You can at least read the BSOD now and see what system file or hardware is giving you an issue.

 

[pawink]

Thanks. I'll edit when it crashes again.

 

[pawink]

It crashed right after I unchecked "automatically restart" but just stayed frozen in the "snow" pattern rather than going to the blue screen.

 

[rozz]

Hmm - might wanna check your video card.. try reseating it - checking power cables to it. Better yet, try putting it in another PCI Express slot.

The snow pattern is kinda suspicious

 

[pawink]

I unplugged the graphics card and got it running with the mobo's integrated graphics card, but it's still crashing, unfortunately.

 

[rozz]

ok so the video card is completely removed from the computer and you are working on onboard?

 

[pawink]

Yeah.

 

[rozz]

does it do the snowy crash without the video card - or the BSOD?

also - did you check your sound card drivers?

 

[pawink]

No snow, just the BSOD. It just said to uninstall any new hardware that might be causing problems.

Under audio devices it has "high definition audio device" and "unknown device" and says the drivers for both were up to date. I'm not sure how I would manually check for updates to those. I've been using an hdmi cable to a TV for audio and there's an audio jack on the front of the case connected to the motherboard.

 

[rozz]

yeah - try going here

http://www.msi.com/product/mb/890GXM-G65.html#/?div=Driver&os=All

and downloading the realtek audio driver and install it

 

[rozz]

and grab and HDMI audio driver

 

[swifty_morgan]

turn off the Hybrid crossfire and make sure you have the right BIOS to run the 6core processor properly.

 

[pawink]

When I try to download and install BIOS updates off MSI's website, I get an error that the update is not compatible with my version of Windows and to double check 32bit v. 64bit. But MSI doesn't seem to have separate updates for 32bit v. 64bit.

Also, MSI's update utility, Live Update 5, says I have the latest BIOS for what it's worth.

 

[pawink]

I was able to install the audio drivers, but it doesn't seem to have resolved the issue.

 

[swifty_morgan]

been to windows update lately ? Did you disable the hybrid cross fire ? did you install the mother board and NIC drivers off the disc ? Go into the device manager and delete the ati audio driver if not using it. reboot. You can also try doing it in the control panel/sound or make it point to on board sound in the BIOS. could be a conflict.

 

[epidot]

Someone please correct me, if Im wrong, but could it be the 1600 ram? My understanding is that alot of AMD boards dont like to see more than 1333 and 1600 or higher can create or cause issues?

 

[pawink]

been to windows update lately ? Did you disable the hybrid cross fire ? did you install the mother board and NIC drivers off the disc ? Go into the device manager and delete the ati audio driver if not using it. reboot. You can also try doing it in the control panel/sound or make it point to on board sound in the BIOS. could be a conflict.

The computer crashes whenever I try to run windows update. I let the computer download the motherboard drivers off the internet because I understood those would be more up to date. The USB control driver was missing so I downloaded it off MSI's website. All the other devices and drivers seemed to be in the device manager. The crashing started several hours later.

I don't think hybrid crossfire is enabled; I didn't enable it, and I can't find the "Catalyst" program my motherboard manual says to go to to enable it anywhere.

Would I be using the ATI audio driver if I was getting my audio from an HDMI cable plugged into the graphics card?

 

[pawink]

Someone please correct me, if Im wrong, but could it be the 1600 ram? My understanding is that alot of AMD boards dont like to see more than 1333 and 1600 or higher can create or cause issues?

Would changing the ram to 1333 in the BIOS be a potential solution if this is the problem? It is detecting it as 1600.

 

[epidot]

Would changing the ram to 1333 in the BIOS be a potential solution if this is the problem? It is detecting it as 1600.

At this point with the issues your having its worth a try. It wont hurt anything to change it and if no improvement its just as easy to put it back to 1600.

Im no expert on this. But I have read many posts with recent past and older AMD MB's can have that 1333/1600 issue. My understanding is...and maybe Im wrong...but the MB may see it as 1600 but not know what to do with it at 1600. Most of the newer AM3/AM3+ boards have fixed this I think.

 

[swifty_morgan]

try running with 1 stick of ram. Can you try another PSU ? I don't understand why windows stops downloads. Have you run a check disc for errors/recover bad sectors. ? for your hard drive. you need to check your BIOS for that Hybrid xfire and terminate it. ....... and how's about pulling your graphics card and just using the onboard video for a bit......any progress with downloads ? and you said to use chrome. Delete that and see what happens and close all apps that are active and try downloading. .......... YES to the sound through HDMI.

 

[pawink]

I took out the graphics card and have been using the onboard graphics since rozz suggested it. I also uninstalled chrome pretty early on. I don't have another psu to try, unfortunately. I wasn't .able to finish any windows updates, either, and now it's crashing in the BIOS/before I get to windows, so I'm pretty limited in what I can try.

Is this pretty clearly a software issue? I don't really have the resources to test the components, and they all seemed to work at least initially. I'm just wondering for RMA purposes.

 

[swifty_morgan]

sounds like hardware not software. I tried looking up this board to get decent specs but can't find the board on the manufacturers page... strange. Did you try resetting the CMOS ? and do you have enough thermap paste on the processor and is the heat sink mounted right ? and you tried with 1 stick of memory at 1333 and the voltage is right ? Did you try doing a windows repair install ? Does that board support that high capacity drive ?

 

[pawink]

Here's the product page for the motherboard: http://www.msi.com/product/mb/890GXM-G65.html

I tried the one stick of memory but I couldn't change the voltage to 1333 because it started crashing early at that point. I'm double checking the heatsink now; any time I checked the cpu and system temps were between 20 and 30C. I'm going to try resetting the CMOS while I'm in the case. Windows repair install got me out of the startup loop earlier but didn't resolve the whole issue.

If it's hardware, do you think the motherboard?

 

[swifty_morgan]

I tried to get that page and it wouldn't load. I see the memory supported is 1.5 volts. if that ram supposed to run at 1.65 you could be having a problem........... the memory voltage....... not 1333, that's what I wanted you to test the ram at. ( 1600 vs 1333 ) the voltage should only be bumped a very little bit. You should see "some" options in the ram settings in the BIOS.
Now make the HD first boot device and the dvd/cd rom second..... and while I think of this........ if you have anything that says floppy, disable it, in where you make the boot sequence ( just described ) and on the first bios page..... should say something about floppy there... set to none/disable/uninstall, whatever. F10 then ENTER to save.