PC Issues

Man you really can't catch a break lately :P Hope you get it sorted soon - try not to stress too much

Dani C

I have no advice to provide, I just wanted to share my awe of all these amazing people above me who know so much about computers that they can help you over the internet with so little information to go off :) You guys rock!

Ina Durcekova

Have you checked the flux capacitor? it has to go at the rate of1.22 gigawatts which is .01 faster than time travel. I wanted to be as helpfully non-helpful as everyone else........hahahahaha.

o

Without seeing for myself what it's doing or knowing your exact setup, the first thing that comes to mind is a memory issue, probably a bad RAM module. So, steps to diagnose I would take are: ! Before touching the hardware: shut down your PC, turn the power off on you power supply (there is a switch next to where you put the power cable), remove the power cable from your PC and wait untill every light is off ! 1. Make sure the RAM is properly inserted. Open the case, push the RAM sticks down firmly placing a finger at either end of the RAM stick, but not to the point you start bending the motherboard. If you hear a click when doing this, than great: that was it. 2. Do a mem test. Google 'Mem test 86' and follow the instructions on the site (you need to install it to a USB drive and use that USB drive as a boot disk for your PC). The instructions they supply are very detailed. If you get a bad result, you know it's your memory and you can replace the faulty module. 3. If you get a positive result from the mem test (or if you can't finish it due to freeze / crashing), try taking out some RAM modules. Grab the manual of your motherboard before you do this, and look up in which spots you need to place the RAM modules if you don't use all of them. So if you have 4 sticks of RAM right now, remove 2 (look up which ones to remove and how you should place those 2 sticks, it's usually in spot 2 and 4). If you have 2 sticks of RAM, remove 1 (again, look up how to place it). Try every configuration of RAM sticks and make sure you test every stick. If you have the option, replace the RAM sticks with a complete different set (don't mix them). If you're still having issues with all the RAM in all different configurations (and I would really recommend trying a different set before continuing, but I know not every one has that option), the next component I'd check is the video card. 4. Check if the graphics card is inserted properly. High-end cards especially have the tendency to sag due to the weight of the coolers. So push the card up from the bottom right (where to power cables connect to it) with one hand untill it's about level, and push it firmly towards the motherboard with the other hand. Again, push firmly, but not to the point where the motherboard starts to bend. If you hear a click when doing this, than that was propably it. Maybe try to add something to hold the card level. 5. If you have a CPU with onboard graphics (to find out, Google your CPU name, go to the manufacturers site about that CPU and look for terms like 'onboard graphics', 'integrated graphics' or 'APU'), remove the GPU completely. There are 2 or 3 screws where it connects to the back of the case, a latch where it connects to the motherboard and the powercables to undo. Then you can pull it out. Next, plug your screen into one of the outputs on the motherboard (usually HDMI these days, but could also be DVI or even VGA). If you're still having issues after testing all these, my next suspects are either the motherboard itself or the CPU. These can not be tested without replacing them, so this will be the point where you'd use your warrenty if you have any, or go to a computer repare shop that can test these things for you.

Dave Lemmens

Sounds a bit like a GPU issue to be honest since the PC keeps running but screen goes black, had a simillar issue a while ago (with a pretty new GPU aswell). Do you maybe have a second GPU laying around somewhere you can test it with to check if it's the GPU?

Jalios

Wooow that sucks :-( You really can't catch a break :-/ Did you try to scan it in DOS. As I remember you have to press esc a few times immediately after you turn on your computer. Before your windows reloads. Check there if your hard drive works properly, for any viruses etc. Something similar happened to me. My computer suddenly froze and shut down while I was preparing my presentation for school. I was able to turn it on 2 or 3 times more, but couldn't check for anything, cause it immediately froze and shut down. When I tried again, it didn't want to turn on completely or it just showed grey screen. The maintenance man told me that my hard drive is gone to shit and I had to change it (the hard drive, not computer). My computer was 6 month old at the time. Luckily I previously saved all my data. I hope that's not it for your computer.

PS: Is it a good ol' desktop PC or a Notebook? If it's really a heat issue then for the first try open the (when you're looking at it from the front) the left panel. This allows the heat to escape but at the same time your PC will become a dust collector. If it is a notebook, try putting two spaceholders left and right under it so it doesn't directly stand on the desk. This will also allow heat to escape.

DJ Doena

This is my new computer. I just got this a few months ago

Steven Merced

Maybe an overheating issue? Did you go into the BIOS (depending on the BIOS type it's F1 or F2 or DEL to get into it directly after turning on the PC). There you can usually see how hot your CPU and other important components are.

DJ Doena

It's either time for a new battery or a new computer, dude.

Nic