Sporadic OS Freezes and Unexpected Reboots
Greetings;
First, I am a hardware novice (I'm much better when it comes to software).
I may have 1 problem, or, 2 separate problems. I will try and explain the symptoms as best I can.
I thought at first these symptoms might occur do to a corrupted operating system (I'm running Windows 2008 R2 Standard SP1). Last Saturday I performed a clean install of the OS. The symptoms continued after the clean install, so, I doubt the operating system is at fault.
1. This symptom began far and few between and has progressively become worse as of approximately 10 days ago. My mouse and keyboard freeze unexpectedly. By freeze I mean neither the keyboard nor the mouse seem to have any effect on the computer. CTL-ALT-Delete does not have any effect. I press the hardware reset button in order to reboot. About as often as my computer keyboard and mouse freeze, however, the computer will unexpectedly reboot as if the hardware reset button were pressed. This sudden reboot does not seem to be tied to a specific application.
2. This symptom involves Internet connectivity. The symptom started more progressively than the first symptom. As of today, about 50% of the time I wish to go to a web site, or, download a file, the connection between my computer and the Internet fails. My solution is to unplug my router and plug it in again. After the router talks to the cable modem all is well until the next time.
My hardware layman brain is thinking this may be a power supply issue. The computer was built in 2006 and is almost never turned off. I have ordered a power supply tester from NewEgg Software which should arrive tomorrow (Thursday, June 6th).
Any assistance you can offer is greatly appreciated ... David
First, I am a hardware novice (I'm much better when it comes to software).
I may have 1 problem, or, 2 separate problems. I will try and explain the symptoms as best I can.
I thought at first these symptoms might occur do to a corrupted operating system (I'm running Windows 2008 R2 Standard SP1). Last Saturday I performed a clean install of the OS. The symptoms continued after the clean install, so, I doubt the operating system is at fault.
1. This symptom began far and few between and has progressively become worse as of approximately 10 days ago. My mouse and keyboard freeze unexpectedly. By freeze I mean neither the keyboard nor the mouse seem to have any effect on the computer. CTL-ALT-Delete does not have any effect. I press the hardware reset button in order to reboot. About as often as my computer keyboard and mouse freeze, however, the computer will unexpectedly reboot as if the hardware reset button were pressed. This sudden reboot does not seem to be tied to a specific application.
2. This symptom involves Internet connectivity. The symptom started more progressively than the first symptom. As of today, about 50% of the time I wish to go to a web site, or, download a file, the connection between my computer and the Internet fails. My solution is to unplug my router and plug it in again. After the router talks to the cable modem all is well until the next time.
My hardware layman brain is thinking this may be a power supply issue. The computer was built in 2006 and is almost never turned off. I have ordered a power supply tester from NewEgg Software which should arrive tomorrow (Thursday, June 6th).
Any assistance you can offer is greatly appreciated ... David
Also sounds like symptoms of bad capacitors. Your computer is 2006 vintage which is prime for this problem. See this link for more info.
http://www.badcaps.net/pages.php?vid=5
It can be fixed but requires desoldering the capacitors and soldering in new replacements.
http://www.badcaps.net/pages.php?vid=5
It can be fixed but requires desoldering the capacitors and soldering in new replacements.
ASKER
Greetings;
I downloaded and created a bootable CD for memtestx86. The test ran for approximately 50 minutes with no discernible errors reported. I don't know if I should have let the test run longer or not. Perhaps you can advise me.
I removed the 4 2GB memory sticks and using compressed air ensured there was no dust in the memory sockets on the motherboard. I also blew off the memory sticks and reseated them. I didn't replace the sticks in any particular order, so, there is a chance some sticks went into different slots. The sticks are all identical however.
I haven't visually checked for bad capacitors as yet. The power supply tester will be here tomorrow and I will examine the motherboard for signs of "oozing crap" around capacitors ... LOL.
Thank you for suggestions and help so far ... David
I downloaded and created a bootable CD for memtestx86. The test ran for approximately 50 minutes with no discernible errors reported. I don't know if I should have let the test run longer or not. Perhaps you can advise me.
I removed the 4 2GB memory sticks and using compressed air ensured there was no dust in the memory sockets on the motherboard. I also blew off the memory sticks and reseated them. I didn't replace the sticks in any particular order, so, there is a chance some sticks went into different slots. The sticks are all identical however.
I haven't visually checked for bad capacitors as yet. The power supply tester will be here tomorrow and I will examine the motherboard for signs of "oozing crap" around capacitors ... LOL.
Thank you for suggestions and help so far ... David
when running a memtest leave it running at least for 1 full pass - better 3 passes
but i suppose that's not your problem
freezes do come from many sources - mostly hardware though
in order to know how to diagnose - How often does the freezes occur ? evry 10 minutes - or after 3 hrs?
te be sure it's hardware - if they happen frequently - boot from a live cd, and test for 2x the time between freezes (at least)
if no freezes - the problem stems from software, and a fresh install should fix it (or a factory reset)
live cd : http://www.ubcd4win.com/ ubcd Win
but i suppose that's not your problem
freezes do come from many sources - mostly hardware though
in order to know how to diagnose - How often does the freezes occur ? evry 10 minutes - or after 3 hrs?
te be sure it's hardware - if they happen frequently - boot from a live cd, and test for 2x the time between freezes (at least)
if no freezes - the problem stems from software, and a fresh install should fix it (or a factory reset)
live cd : http://www.ubcd4win.com/ ubcd Win
ASKER
Greetings;
I performed a clean install of the OS 9 days ago. Using compressed air, I blew out the dust bunnies inside the case. I removed the memory sticks and blew out the memory sockets. I went to the ASUS sight (I have an ASUS P5WDG2 WS PRO motherboard) and downloaded and paid for a utility called Drive Tuner. I installed all drivers it said were out of date or were not installed.
The freezes and sporadic reboots continue to happen. Now, one or the other usually occurs at least once a day. The last freeze which occurred about 12 minutes ago left a footprint in the Event Log:
"The following fatal alert was generated: 48. The internal error state is 552.".
The Event Log recorded the following 2 entries from previous freezes/unexpected reboots:
A fatal hardware error has occurred.
Reported by component: Processor Core
Error Source: Machine Check Exception
Error Type: Bus/Interconnect Error
Processor ID: 1
And
A fatal hardware error has occurred.
Reported by component: Processor Core
Error Source: Machine Check Exception
Error Type: Bus/Interconnect Error
Processor ID: 0
After another freeze/unexpected reboot the Event Log reported:
The computer has rebooted from a bugcheck. The bugcheck was: 0x00000124 (0x0000000000000000, 0xfffffa80071a0038, 0x0000000000000000, 0x0000000000000000). A dump was saved in: C:\Windows\Minidump\060913
Question: Would replacing all memory sticks be advisable at this point? Or, would a different action be advised?
Much thanks ... David
I performed a clean install of the OS 9 days ago. Using compressed air, I blew out the dust bunnies inside the case. I removed the memory sticks and blew out the memory sockets. I went to the ASUS sight (I have an ASUS P5WDG2 WS PRO motherboard) and downloaded and paid for a utility called Drive Tuner. I installed all drivers it said were out of date or were not installed.
The freezes and sporadic reboots continue to happen. Now, one or the other usually occurs at least once a day. The last freeze which occurred about 12 minutes ago left a footprint in the Event Log:
"The following fatal alert was generated: 48. The internal error state is 552.".
The Event Log recorded the following 2 entries from previous freezes/unexpected reboots:
A fatal hardware error has occurred.
Reported by component: Processor Core
Error Source: Machine Check Exception
Error Type: Bus/Interconnect Error
Processor ID: 1
And
A fatal hardware error has occurred.
Reported by component: Processor Core
Error Source: Machine Check Exception
Error Type: Bus/Interconnect Error
Processor ID: 0
After another freeze/unexpected reboot the Event Log reported:
The computer has rebooted from a bugcheck. The bugcheck was: 0x00000124 (0x0000000000000000, 0xfffffa80071a0038, 0x0000000000000000, 0x0000000000000000). A dump was saved in: C:\Windows\Minidump\060913
Question: Would replacing all memory sticks be advisable at this point? Or, would a different action be advised?
Much thanks ... David
plse post the dmp : C:\Windows\Minidump\060913
it may contain more info on the cause
it may contain more info on the cause
ASKER
it says :
WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR (124)
A fatal hardware error has occurred. Parameter 1 identifies the type of error
source that reported the error. Parameter 2 holds the address of the
WHEA_ERROR_RECORD structure that describes the error conditon.
Arguments:
Arg1: 0000000000000000, Machine Check Exception
Arg2: fffffa80071a0038, Address of the WHEA_ERROR_RECORD structure.
Arg3: 0000000000000000, High order 32-bits of the MCi_STATUS value.
Arg4: 0000000000000000, Low order 32-bits of the MCi_STATUS value.
Debugging Details:
------------------
BUGCHECK_STR: 0x124_GenuineIntel
CUSTOMER_CRASH_COUNT: 1
DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID: WIN7_DRIVER_FAULT_SERVER
PROCESS_NAME: System
CURRENT_IRQL: 0
STACK_TEXT:
fffff880`01ff16f0 fffff800`01cdaca9 : fffffa80`071a0010 fffffa80`06d0c040 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 : nt!WheapCreateLiveTriageDu
fffff880`01ff1c10 fffff800`01bbbe87 : fffffa80`071a0010 fffff800`01c352d8 fffffa80`06d0c040 00000000`00000000 : nt!WheapCreateTriageDumpFr
fffff880`01ff1c40 fffff800`01b23285 : fffff800`01c96ae0 00000000`00000001 fffffa80`06fc8120 fffffa80`06d0c040 : nt!WheapProcessWorkQueueIt
fffff880`01ff1c80 fffff800`01a99251 : fffff800`01cfcb00 fffff800`01b23260 fffff800`01c35200 00000000`00000000 : nt!WheapWorkQueueWorkerRou
fffff880`01ff1cb0 fffff800`01d2dede : 00000000`00000000 fffffa80`06d0c040 00000000`00000080 fffffa80`06d03040 : nt!ExpWorkerThread+0x111
fffff880`01ff1d40 fffff800`01a80906 : fffff880`009b8180 fffffa80`06d0c040 fffff880`009c2f40 00000000`00000000 : nt!PspSystemThreadStartup+
fffff880`01ff1d80 00000000`00000000 : fffff880`01ff2000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 : nt!KiStartSystemThread+0x1
STACK_COMMAND: kb
FOLLOWUP_NAME: MachineOwner
MODULE_NAME: GenuineIntel
IMAGE_NAME: GenuineIntel
DEBUG_FLR_IMAGE_TIMESTAMP:
FAILURE_BUCKET_ID: X64_0x124_GenuineIntel_PROCESSOR_BUS
BUCKET_ID: X64_0x124_GenuineIntel_PRO
Followup: MachineOwner
---------
_GenuineIntel_PROCESSOR_BUS
you can test with another cpu - or motherboard, depending on the price, and what you have around
WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR (124)
A fatal hardware error has occurred. Parameter 1 identifies the type of error
source that reported the error. Parameter 2 holds the address of the
WHEA_ERROR_RECORD structure that describes the error conditon.
Arguments:
Arg1: 0000000000000000, Machine Check Exception
Arg2: fffffa80071a0038, Address of the WHEA_ERROR_RECORD structure.
Arg3: 0000000000000000, High order 32-bits of the MCi_STATUS value.
Arg4: 0000000000000000, Low order 32-bits of the MCi_STATUS value.
Debugging Details:
------------------
BUGCHECK_STR: 0x124_GenuineIntel
CUSTOMER_CRASH_COUNT: 1
DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID: WIN7_DRIVER_FAULT_SERVER
PROCESS_NAME: System
CURRENT_IRQL: 0
STACK_TEXT:
fffff880`01ff16f0 fffff800`01cdaca9 : fffffa80`071a0010 fffffa80`06d0c040 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 : nt!WheapCreateLiveTriageDu
fffff880`01ff1c10 fffff800`01bbbe87 : fffffa80`071a0010 fffff800`01c352d8 fffffa80`06d0c040 00000000`00000000 : nt!WheapCreateTriageDumpFr
fffff880`01ff1c40 fffff800`01b23285 : fffff800`01c96ae0 00000000`00000001 fffffa80`06fc8120 fffffa80`06d0c040 : nt!WheapProcessWorkQueueIt
fffff880`01ff1c80 fffff800`01a99251 : fffff800`01cfcb00 fffff800`01b23260 fffff800`01c35200 00000000`00000000 : nt!WheapWorkQueueWorkerRou
fffff880`01ff1cb0 fffff800`01d2dede : 00000000`00000000 fffffa80`06d0c040 00000000`00000080 fffffa80`06d03040 : nt!ExpWorkerThread+0x111
fffff880`01ff1d40 fffff800`01a80906 : fffff880`009b8180 fffffa80`06d0c040 fffff880`009c2f40 00000000`00000000 : nt!PspSystemThreadStartup+
fffff880`01ff1d80 00000000`00000000 : fffff880`01ff2000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 : nt!KiStartSystemThread+0x1
STACK_COMMAND: kb
FOLLOWUP_NAME: MachineOwner
MODULE_NAME: GenuineIntel
IMAGE_NAME: GenuineIntel
DEBUG_FLR_IMAGE_TIMESTAMP:
FAILURE_BUCKET_ID: X64_0x124_GenuineIntel_PROCESSOR_BUS
BUCKET_ID: X64_0x124_GenuineIntel_PRO
Followup: MachineOwner
---------
_GenuineIntel_PROCESSOR_BUS
you can test with another cpu - or motherboard, depending on the price, and what you have around
ASKER
Greetings;
I understand and agree my symptoms are likely to be hardware or possibly driver related.
I use a backup and restore program called Retrospect. Without fail, when I run Retrospect and request a task which is either medium or long in duration, my system freezes. I have written to Retrospect and described my symptoms about 10 days ago. They replied it is not their software. This may be true, however, if memory serves me correctly, Retrospect does provide their own drivers (at least in part) to read and/or write to devices.
I am writing Retrospect again to update my symptoms with them. Their software may not be at fault, however, if their drivers are interfacing with hardware on my computer, and, my hardware is at fault, Retrospect may be able to shed more light on this.
I appreciate your patience. Yes, I do plan to invest in a new computer when I can afford it.
Much thanks ... David
I understand and agree my symptoms are likely to be hardware or possibly driver related.
I use a backup and restore program called Retrospect. Without fail, when I run Retrospect and request a task which is either medium or long in duration, my system freezes. I have written to Retrospect and described my symptoms about 10 days ago. They replied it is not their software. This may be true, however, if memory serves me correctly, Retrospect does provide their own drivers (at least in part) to read and/or write to devices.
I am writing Retrospect again to update my symptoms with them. Their software may not be at fault, however, if their drivers are interfacing with hardware on my computer, and, my hardware is at fault, Retrospect may be able to shed more light on this.
I appreciate your patience. Yes, I do plan to invest in a new computer when I can afford it.
Much thanks ... David
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ASKER
My apologies for not responding in a more timely manner. I have a newer computer.
I would like to award nobus the points for sticking with me on this issue.
Thank you!
I would like to award nobus the points for sticking with me on this issue.
Thank you!
send the old one to me...
If other components fail (e.g power supply, Harddrives or Mainboards) the Server usually just bluescreens or downright flames out.
Is it a Server hardware or client hardware?
I'd run a memory checker over it. Some Server Hardware manufacturers offer bootable diagnostics tool such as HP's Smart Start CD.
If it is a client hardware, you could use memtestx86 which is a bootable iso that you could run from a CDRom. It runs checks on your memory banks and will be able to tell you if there is a fault there.
Hope this helps