ME again

mxfun

mxfun

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I've a feeling my PC going to die on me very soon ..

I'm getting the inconsistent disc messages on startup more frequently now,where windows does a repair or something similar i can't quite remember (it doesn't always happen when i boot up ).

Another thing thats started recently is ,just say that i log on to TP open it up and start having a look around ...ie ..classifieds,i'll open it up and when i scroll up and down the page it leaves some text behind as though there are two layers,then on other occasion ,the two layers start to vibrate and freeze then the blank blotchy screen and straight after the PC crashes .

I'm planning to take PC to a shop to see if this can be repaired ,i'd like to have an idea of what the problem might be before hand ,so any help from you guys on here would be great....:thumbs:
 
A reformat.... I take it that's like starting from scratch ? . I mean pc runs fine when the issues aren't happening .

And I take it a reformat wipes everything ?. It's something I've never done before so don't know much about this .
 
Think I'll be leaving it then ,don't know enough about them to attempt this , thanks for your input .
 
Sounds like a graphic card problem to me, with the text getting stuck. Does the PC have a seperate card? If so, check the the fan on it (if any) is spinning and not blocked. It could be overheating and crashing, taking the rest the of the PC with it. If it doesnt have a fan, it might just be dying, or the drivers are out of date.

Reformating might help, if its not the GFX at fault. You'll need the windows install disk to do this.
 
mxfun said:
I mean pc runs fine when the issues aren't happening .
Click to expand...

Mine runs fine too when there's no issues:D

Seriously - just make sure you back up any important data to an external hard disk or memory stick before you get to that day where you're sat staring at a black screen
 
How much memoy does the PC have and how many programs are you trying to run on it?

You can check the memory usage by clicking Alt Shift Del simultaneously to bring up th Task Manager.

Click on the "prformance" tab and then check the 2 panes on the LH side.

The top shows CPU usage (how hard your CPU is working) and the bottom one shows hoy much memory is being used by the processes running.

I like to have at least 3x the RAM memory over what the programs are using.

Looking at mine at this minute it shows very low CPU uasge - 5% - and 371MB of RAM being used.

Since I have 1GB RAM on this PC it is mostly ok.

EDIT: I have just checked these figures with Windows 7 and the CPU uasge is still about the same but the RAM usage is over 700MB with a minimal configuration - which is why you need at least 2GB, and preferably 4GB, of RAM if you're using W7.

.
 
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petersmart said:
How much memoy does the PC have and how many programs are you trying to run on it?

You can check the memory usage by clicking Alt Shift Del simultaneously to bring up th Task Manager.

Click on the "prformance" tab and then check the 2 panes on the LH side.

The top shows CPU usage (how hard your CPU is working) and the bottom one shows hoy much memory is being used by the processes running.

I like to have at least 3x the RAM memory over what the programs are using.

Looking at mine at this minute it shows very low CPU uasge - 5% - and 371MB of RAM being used.





Since I have 1GB RAM on this PC it is mostly ok.

EDIT: I have just checked these figures with Windows 7 and the CPU uasge is still about the same but the RAM usage is over 700MB with a minimal configuration - which is why you need at least 2GB, and preferably 4GB, of RAM if you're using W7.

.
Click to expand...

I'm using Vista home premium .4GB of RAM

CPU usage at the moment is at 1%

Memory is at 1.16 GB

What do these mean ,i'm clueless on this :D
 
petersmart said:
How much memoy does the PC have and how many programs are you trying to run on it?

You can check the memory usage by clicking Alt Shift Del simultaneously to bring up th Task Manager.

Click on the "prformance" tab and then check the 2 panes on the LH side.

The top shows CPU usage (how hard your CPU is working) and the bottom one shows hoy much memory is being used by the processes running.

I like to have at least 3x the RAM memory over what the programs are using.

Looking at mine at this minute it shows very low CPU uasge - 5% - and 371MB of RAM being used.

Since I have 1GB RAM on this PC it is mostly ok.

EDIT: I have just checked these figures with Windows 7 and the CPU uasge is still about the same but the RAM usage is over 700MB with a minimal configuration - which is why you need at least 2GB, and preferably 4GB, of RAM if you're using W7.

.
Click to expand...

Not on pc at the moment ,off the top o my head it has 4GB of RAM ,amd 9650 quad core processor operating on a 32bit operating system
 
Right ... I'm in the computer management lookin at my gfx card , now the card that was fitted as an upgrade is showing but so is the old one ,how's this ? . I go into properties and it's saying both devices are working properly . Now I'm confused ,how can something be working properly if it's not there ,or am I having a dolly moment .

Update on Cpu usage it's hovering from 8% to 30% at the moment
 
mxfun said:
Right ... I'm in the computer management lookin at my gfx card , now the card that was fitted as an upgrade is showing but so is the old one ,how's this ? . I go into properties and it's saying both devices are working properly . Now I'm confused ,how can something be working properly if it's not there ,or am I having a dolly moment .

Update on Cpu usage it's hovering from 8% to 30% at the moment
Click to expand...

if the original graphics card was built into the motherboard then it will still show up. shouldnt cause an issue.

potentially though it will be taking a chunk of memory if it is still active, ideally it will need disabling in your bios.
 
I'm getting the inconsistent disc messages on startup more frequently now,where windows does a repair or something similar i can't quite remember (it doesn't always happen when i boot up ).
Click to expand...

Maybe this bit is the most important part of the problem.

I'm lost as to what this has to do with graphics, what programs are running etc........
 
ChrisH said:
Maybe this bit is the most important part of the problem.

I'm lost as to what this has to do with graphics, what programs are running etc........
Click to expand...

I don't know enough to agree or disagree Chris .

I've just installed an updated driver for the Gfx card so will see what happens .


I've just installed an updated driver for the Gfx card so will see what happens .

Think i should also mention at this point ,that on booting up PC there's sometimes a very audible wine comes from the Hard drive (i'm assuming it's the hard drive) ,but again this is not always .
 
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ChrisH said:
I'm lost as to what this has to do with graphics, what programs are running etc........
Click to expand...

Agreed.....

A more likely situation is that your hard drive is about to fail. Make sure all your data is backed up.

Does the "disc message" run chkdsk on startup? Checking for bad sectors etc.

AFTER you have backed up your data.

Download this program:
SeaTools for Windows

Run through all the tests, start by running each of the quick tests, and if it still isn't finding anything try the deeper scans. Note, the longer tests can take some time.

--------------------

The most likely situation is that the hard drive is failing, and will need to be replaced. Not particularly difficult to fix, providing you have backed up your data first. It would also be wise to make a seperate clone of your drive, as that's easier to restore than completely reinstalling Windows. - Unless you fancy doing that.
 
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someguy201 said:
Agreed.....

A more likely situation is that your hard drive is about to fail. Make sure all your data is backed up.

Does the "disc message" run chkdsk on startup? Checking for bad sectors etc.

AFTER you have backed up your data.

Download this program:
SeaTools for Windows

Run through all the tests, start by running each of the quick tests, and if it still isn't finding anything try the deeper scans. Note, the longer tests can take some time.

--------------------

The most likely situation is that the hard drive is failing, and will need to be replaced. Not particularly difficult to fix, providing you have backed up your data first. It would also be wise to make a seperate clone of your drive, as that's easier to restore than completely reinstalling Windows. - Unless you fancy doing that.
Click to expand...

this is basically what i was thinking when i asked about check disk etc.
 
only data i worry about is photos and my wife has them copied in her laptop ,so there's nothing on my PC i'm bothered about .
 
mxfun said:
only data i worry about is photos and my wife has them copied in her laptop ,so there's nothing on my PC i'm bothered about .
Click to expand...

Carry out the steps given in my previous post. I also strongly recommend getting an image of the drive. If you have to swap drives, it's much less bother to simply put the image back on, rather than reinstall everything.

A new hard drive will NOT come with Windows on it. You will need to reinstall it yourself if you don't wish to make a disc image.
 
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someguy201 said:
Carry out the steps given in my previous post. I also strongly recommend getting an image of the drive. If you have to swap drives, it's much less bother to simply put the image back on, rather than reinstall everything.

A new hard drive will NOT come with Windows on it. You will need to reinstall it yourself if you don't wish to make a disc image.
Click to expand...

How do I make a clone of my hard drive never heard of this .my head is minced now feeling a bit overwhelmed by all this information and what looks like what I need to do .
 
You'd be suprised what a failing graphics can do and cause.. trust me. I had to replace an entire system becasuse of a dodgy card.
It might not be that, but why else would text on a screen duplicate and go funny then crash the system if not for the graphics card?
My iMac did exactly that and turned out the card was overheating. Downlaoded a small program to adjust the fan speed and its been fine since.

You should always have backups of your data, at all times, not just when you suspect there might be a problem developing.

My PC sometimes comes up with the inconsistant disk messgage and its a brand spanking new setup with brand new Hard disks, doesnt instantly mean the drive is failing.
 
mxfun said:
How do I make a clone of my hard drive never heard of this .my head is minced now feeling a bit overwhelmed by all this information and what looks like what I need to do .
Click to expand...

I will post up a tutorial in a bit, it's pretty simple to do. Do you have an external hard drive that you could save the image too?

TCR4x4 said:
You'd be suprised what a failing graphics can do and cause.. trust me. I had to replace an entire system becasuse of a dodgy card.
Click to expand...
I'm aware of what a GFX can do.
It might not be that, but why else would text on a screen duplicate and go funny then crash the system if not for the graphics card?
Click to expand...

About 100 different reasons.

The point is, it's not where you should start. If there is any risk to the HD, you should check it out first to prevent a complete loss of data. The symptoms initially point to the HD, that doesn't mean it is the HD, but it's where you should start.

My PC sometimes comes up with the inconsistant disk messgage and its a brand spanking new setup with brand new Hard disks, doesnt instantly mean the drive is failing.
Click to expand...

Brand new HDs doesn't mean they are perfect and in fantastic order. Something is causing chkdsk to run, you should try and find out what it is. - No, that doesn't mean the HD is failing, other things can cause chkdsk.
 
I don't have an external hard drive or any other .
 
someguy201 said:
Brand new HDs doesn't mean they are perfect and in fantastic order. Something is causing chkdsk to run, you should try and find out what it is. - No, that doesn't mean the HD is failing, other things can cause chkdsk.
Click to expand...

Its brand new SSD, it also did it with a brand new 500GB Seagate drive. I know exactly what can cause chkdik, which is why I suggested checking out the graphics card drivers.
Its an avenue to try, doesnt mean it is or isnt that.

If I were you, I'd buy a new hard drive and just start again if there is nothing on the exisitng drive of value. If the problem keeps ocourring, then it wasnt the disk.
 
I don't have an external hard drive or any other .
Click to expand...

Have you run, or are running, Seatools for Windows?

TCR4x4 said:
Its brand new SSD, it also did it with a brand new 500GB Seagate drive. I know exactly what can cause chkdik, which is why I suggested checking out the graphics card drivers.
Its an avenue to try, doesnt mean it is or isnt that.

If I were you, I'd buy a new hard drive and just start again if there is nothing on the exisitng drive of value. If the problem keeps ocourring, then it wasnt the disk.
Click to expand...

I'm sure you know every single possibility of chkdsk triggers. :thumbs: You should also try and stop chkdsk on your own computer, if it's triggered it indicates an issue somewhere.

Buying a new HD, and reinstalling everything just to diagnose an issue, you must be an IT tech.

There is no need to buy anything until it's confirmed it's broken, swapping out a HD can be daunting for an inexperienced user and it's currently unnecessary at this stage.
 
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someguy201 said:
Have you run, or are running, Seatools for Windows?



I'm sure you know every single possibility of chkdsk triggers. :thumbs: You should also try and stop chkdsk on your own computer, if it's triggered it indicates an issue somewhere.

Buying a new HD, and reinstalling everything just to diagnose an issue, you must be an IT tech.

There is no need to buy anything until it's confirmed it's broken, swapping out a HD can be daunting for an inexperienced user and it's currently unnecessary at this stage.
Click to expand...

Well, its had a new processor, new ram, new MB, new power supply, new hard disks, even a new case. The only thing it hasnt had is a new graphics card.. Go figure..

I didnt change it for this, I upgraded to an i7 Sandybridge from an i5. It was doing it before the upgrade too, with guess what.. The same graphics card.
 
neil_g said:
that offends me... i know what im doing so a reformat is way down the list ;)
Click to expand...

It was a joke :lol:

Far too many self proclaimed IT Techs around who will reformat anything they can't fix by updating the drivers.
 
I'm sure there must some checks I could try before I go down the hard drive renewal road isn't there ?
 
someguy201 said:
Have you run, or are running, Seatools for Windows?

I'm sure you know every single possibility of chkdsk triggers. :thumbs: You should also try and stop chkdsk on your own computer, if it's triggered it indicates an issue somewhere.

Buying a new HD, and reinstalling everything just to diagnose an issue, you must be an IT tech.

There is no need to buy anything until it's confirmed it's broken, swapping out a HD can be daunting for an inexperienced user and it's currently unnecessary at this stage.
Click to expand...


Have not even heard of seatools never mind using I'm afraid ,you're dealing with a total greenhorn here I'm afraid .
 
Ok . Sorry I didn't really read the post properly . Will do this tomorrow night ,too tired to do this just now .
 
That's ok, there are a couple of other things to try if that doesn't find anything. There is no need to replace part unnecessarily.

I will also get some instructions on how to clone your drive - my internet is atrociously slow at the moment so I will post some up tomorrow probably.
 
someguy201 said:
That's ok, there are a couple of other things to try if that doesn't find anything. There is no need to replace part unnecessarily.

I will also get some instructions on how to clone your drive - my internet is atrociously slow at the moment so I will post some up tomorrow probably.
Click to expand...

Ok thanks for this
 
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