New Computer Bluesceens

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ShemaghSkink

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Oct 29, 2014
19
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4,510
I finally finished my first computer build, but now I am running into some sound issues and occasional crashes. before I go any further, here is my parts list. http://pcpartpicker.com/user/shemaghskink/saved/f7LwrH

What happens:
During music, a video,or at random times the audio will suddenly become very screechy and distorted. It seems like at this time all of my usb2 devices are shut off, as my wireless adapter is connected and videos stop loading (my mouse and keyboard work from usb3 and ps2). I am not able to click on anything, and shortcuts stop working. Finally, the bluescreen, it shows error code f4. Now the weird part, I have my computer set to record small memory dumps when it crashes, however, not a single one has been saved to C:/windows/minidump. The folder isn't even created. I have updated all drivers and I am running windows 7. Any help would be appreciated


 
Solution
I don't think it's the hard drive... I have never seen one act that way, the taskmanager lists running Windows and third party processes (programs)... among them possible malware, adware, etc. You have to identify in the Taskmanager the process that consumes the highest resources... See which uses the highest CPU and Memory... Identify the program, disable it from Search or Run typing MSCONFIG and from the MSConfig / Startup tab, uncheck to disable the program, and next uninstall it with Revo Uninstaller using it to removing leftover registry data... restart the computer when/if suggested by the system or uninstaller.

ShemaghSkink

Reputable
Oct 29, 2014
19
0
4,510
Alright, well now I am back to square one. I decided to completely wipe the hard drive with DBAN and reinstalled windows. As usual it worked for a while, but now it crashes again. Unfortunately, the blue screen gets very distorted, and I am unable to read what it says.

I am really considering the possibility of it being my gpu because of the weird video output. Pretty much all of the symptoms from my first few posts are back as well.
 
That's what it seems like... I'd suggest you RMA it... but before that, see if you can borrow one, or buy a cheap card just for testing purposes and according to results, you'll know if the cause is the GPU or something else.

To test the Hard Drive use Hard Disk Sentinel (if you haven't already used it) the Performance & Health scan should give you an accurate idea of the HD condition. It should also tell if the HD has bad sectors.
 

ShemaghSkink

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Oct 29, 2014
19
0
4,510
I am now 98.4% sure that the problem is the motherboard. The usb ports malfunctioning, the audio problems, and now when I take out my gpu and use the mobo's graphics it crashes almost instantly. I'm going to rma it soon and hopefully get a replacement before the Christmas shipping rush.
 

ShemaghSkink

Reputable
Oct 29, 2014
19
0
4,510
Update time!

I RMA'd my Motherboard, completely wiped my hard drive, and did a fresh install of windows 10 preview. This worked perfectly for about a month, but now I am having issues again. I haven't talked to ASUS to see if they even did anything to my mobo, but I will probably try to soon.

The symptoms are the same, with the usb's not working, and the computer freezing, but now it seems like audio and video played during a crash are in slow motion. I have gotten kernal data inpage error, and critical process died error messages on bluescreens.

I also had a question about the amount of play there should be between the gpu heatsink and pcb. My gpu is pretty long so i understand why there could be a little, but it seems like there is a little bit too much. All of the screws and fasteners are in the right place, so I don't know why or how it could be doing this.
 
See if any of these help:

USB issues.. if you're using USB 3.0 ports without installing drivers for them, they don't work properly without them. If you haven't run SlimDrivers on Window 10, do it next to get all your drivers updated.
https://www.slimwareutilities.com/slimdrivers.php

F4 Error Code Is related to Hard Drive issues.
http://www.sevenforums.com/bsod-help-support/282617-bsod-stop-codes-f4-7a-almost-constant.html

Cathalyst... The AMD Catalyst software is known to cause issues... a few days ago someone had this sort of issues and I suggested he removed the Catalyst and that solved it.

GPU Heatsink... The Heatsink should fit snugly on the GPU chip to disipate heat properly or GPU may overheat and cause video issues, and if you are getting audio out of the GPU, audio issues would be included. The GPU heatsink should also be kept in contact against the chip by the thermal grease and that looseness makes me suspect insufficient thermal grease is compounding the problem. Install HWiNFO to check the GPU temperature.

Windows 10 Is still in beta stage and may be part of the issue.. try another OS; Windows 7 or 8.1 with ClassicShell start menu installed to make it like Windows 7
http://classicshell.net/
 

ShemaghSkink

Reputable
Oct 29, 2014
19
0
4,510
I completely uninstalled Catalyst and the AMD USB tool, and that worked for a while without any issues, but now I'm getting crashes again. I ran WD's DOS hard drive utility and seatools, so I am positive that it isn't the hard drive. However, I ran sfc /scannow again, and even after a computer refresh, it still says that I have corrupt files. Could this possibly be from my flash drive, or maybe something else weird, keep in mind that my hard drive was wiped before the install, so it couldn't have been from that.
 
I have noticed Windows 7 and 8 have crash issues when recently installed and drivers are not updated, this has been a problem posted here for which I have suggested updating drivers and results have been successful... as Windows 10 seems to be derived from Windows 8 it may have the same solution. I'd suggest using SlimDrivers or manually installing the drivers from the Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard product page / Support / Downloads.

Have you solved the lose GPU heatsink problem? Any heatsink has to make good contact with the chip to cool it properly... use a System Information program such as HWiNFO to verify the GPU temperature.

A way to know if the flashdrive is the cause:
1. For USB hardware drivers are to be updated
2. For USB media, a virus and malware scan or a format would be suggested
3. Among "weird" causes, I would include malware and virus, corrupted files and data, hardware connection issues, defficient power power supply or connections.

I would therefore suggest updating drivers, specially USB drivers if you suspect USB issues. Running full virus and malware scans, checking data and power connections, trying a different PSU if possible, and resetting the BIOS along with a system hard reset. That would be removing AC power from the computer, removing the BIOS battery, pressing the power button and holding it pressed for a minute, waiting for 5 to 10 minutes for the BIOS to reset and see if it makes any difference.

http://www.hwinfo.com/
https://www.slimwareutilities.com/slimdrivers.php
https://www.malwarebytes.org/lp/lp4/02_r/?gclid=CLTm64OplMMCFQdafgodypIAhA
 

ShemaghSkink

Reputable
Oct 29, 2014
19
0
4,510
I reinstalled, and updated all of my drivers with slimdrivers. Unfortunately it seems as if all the drivers on the Asus website are outdated, so slimdrivers seems to be my best option. I also ran a virus scan, which came back clean. I cleared the cmos too, but that didn't help either.

One thing I noticed during crashes is that if I open task manager it shows that the disk is using 100% of resources, to me this seems strange so it just may be my hard drive after all. Any thoughts on this?
 
I don't think it's the hard drive... I have never seen one act that way, the taskmanager lists running Windows and third party processes (programs)... among them possible malware, adware, etc. You have to identify in the Taskmanager the process that consumes the highest resources... See which uses the highest CPU and Memory... Identify the program, disable it from Search or Run typing MSCONFIG and from the MSConfig / Startup tab, uncheck to disable the program, and next uninstall it with Revo Uninstaller using it to removing leftover registry data... restart the computer when/if suggested by the system or uninstaller.
 
Solution

ShemaghSkink

Reputable
Oct 29, 2014
19
0
4,510
I checked again, but when I looked at the individual programs nothing was using a large amount of resources. It was like my hard drive was suddenly full, and nothing could be written to it.
 
1. Was your hard drive apparently full... or is it actually full?
2. Other issues like changed user permissions done by malware can also prevent writting to the HD.
3. One other possible cause is that the HD may be running irregularly due to PSU issues.

A:1. Some malware fill the hard drive with junk. Try running Malwarebytes on the Full Scan mode.
A:2. You may have to reset the HD to default user permissions. See the article on how to reset them to default.
A:3. • Check your power connections, • try a different PSU, • If you can borrow a different hard drive to test the PSU... you don't have to install Windows on it (though it would be a good way to test your HD), just use it as a data hard drive and see if accessing it moving or accessing data to it, makes any difference in system performance. This could help determine if it is a power or hard drive issue.

How to reset the Registry and the File Permissions to default
http://www.winhelponline.com/blog/reset-the-registry-and-the-file-permissions-in-windows-xp/
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-security/how-to-reset-all-user-permissions-to-default/9da312d2-c99b-4283-a275-e74d93dcc366

EDIT:
If the Hard Drive is actually full, you may have to delete unknown files from an external source; such as the Hiren's Boot CD or USB.. it would also be possible from another computer but if there is an infection causing the issue you would risk infecting it also. and if the OS is reasonably fast you could try deleting the junk from it... but deleting with the Explorer context menu, files are only hidden and can be restored, so virus or malware could return later... so, use a file shredder that not only deletes but destroys data permanently.

http://www.fileshredder.org/