Random Reboot PC Issue - please help!

[hockey2112]

Random Reboot PC Issue - please help!


I recently built a new computer, and posted about some power issues about a month back. That issue has been resolved, and it was an extremely stupid mistake on my part (had the power supply switched to 220 instead of 110... I live in the US... wrong voltage was listed in the guide I was using... duh...).

Anyway, I have built my computer, and I am having an issue that is driving me insane. On a completely random basis, my computer freezes momentarily (2 or 3 seconds), and then reboots itself. I receive no error message at the time of reboot, nor do I receive one when Windows pulls back up. My device manager shows all hardware as working correctly, and the computer is virus-free, according to Norton Systemworks with the latest virus definitions.

I was having these issues a week or so ago, and decided to reinstall windows completely. I took all components out of my case, put them back in, and built the PC component by component. I pretty much did the longest install ever, to make sure that all drivers were loaded properly. Evertything was working fine, until last night when I plugged my external hard drive into my firewire PCI card. I plugged it in, very closely following the manufacturer's instructions, and it seemed to be installing fne. All of a sudden, the PC rebooted, without freezing first. I cussed and fussed, and waited for Windows to pull back up. It did, and the hard drive appeared in MY Computer, and I was able to access it quite easily.

A little later that night, I plugged a MS Pro Duo into my case's card reader, and accessed several folders on the card. I hit the "back" button so that I would eventually return to My Computer, and my PC froze and rebooted when I reached the PSP root folder on the stick. (Side note: when I was having these issues a week ago, this same thing would happen to me when I accessed a PSP memory card via the Mobo's built-in USB ports). A little later still, I was using IE to browse DCEmu, and the PC froze and rebooted while I was using the mouse's scroll wheel (basic PC mouse, corded, ball). I let it reboot, went back to DCEmu, and it froze and rebooted while I was idley reading a page. It did this several more times before I gave up. This morning, I had the same thing happen while I was reading a page on CNN using FireFox, so it is not a browser-specific issue.

Any ideas on why this would be happening? Did plugging in my external HD overload the power supply or the capabilities of the Mobo or something? Is another piece of hardware (like my card reader, for instance) a piece of crap, and should I trash it completely?

I am using Windows XP, SP1, by the way. I installed from an older Windows disk, and updated to SP1.

Computer specs are listed below this next brief issue...



Another issue I have been having: When I use Firefox to browse the internet, everything runs smoothly (as long as I do not reboot). However, when I use IE, I experience huge delays in page loads. For instance, I will come to DCEmu, the top banner and blue background color load up, and the status bar on the IE browser says that it is done loading. A good ten or 15 seconds later, the page content finally displays in my browser. The funny thing is that the content loaded basically loads up like it had loaded when I first got to the page.

Sounds confusing, I know. For example, let's say that I had the topmost post on the page I was trying to load. As you can see, I have an animated GIF as a signature image. When the page finally loads, my signature is on the last frame or two of its animation. So it is like the content is loaded up that whole time, only I am experiencing the 10-15 second delay before I can actually view the content. Any ideas on this one?



Finally, my computer's parts:




Main parts:

Motherboard/CPU combo: ECS nForce4A-939 & Athlon x2 4600+
http://www.portatech.com/catalog/viewitem.asp?ID=13568&O=4336

eVGA 256-P2-N615-TX Geforce 7600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130062&ATT=vga&CMP=BAC-thardware_vga_sky

CORSAIR XMS 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWINX1024-3200C2 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145449

Ultra (2 x 512MB) PC3200 DDR 400MHz CL3 Memory - I HAVE NOT ADDED THIS TO MY COMPUTER YET
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=586829

Broadway Com Corp Okia-black-650 ATX 650W Power Supply 115/230 V cUL , UL , CSA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817162014

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) ST3250620AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
This is my main drive, on which my Windows OS is installed. Please see the IDE settings on the two drives below this one-- would this be a potential problem?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148144

Western Digital 120 GB hard drive from old computer (was the Slave in old computer, is now the master on the IDE chain)
WDC WD1200JB-00FUA0

Western Digital 60 GB hard drive from old computer (was the Master in old computer, is now the slave on the IDE chain)
WDC WD600BB-75CAA0

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119068



Extraneous items:

MyHD TV Tuner Card: - I HAVE NOT ADDED THIS TO MY COMPUTER YET
http://www.digitalconnection.com/Products/Video/mdp130.asp

Zonet ZFN2600 IEEE1394 3+1-Port Firewire PCI Host Card
http://www.amazon.com/Plus-Port-Firewire-Card-Pci/dp/B0000DCK7I/sr=11-1/qid=1162497824/ref=sr_11_1/002-7116110-2756845

USB card - I HAVE NOT ADDED THIS TO MY COMPUTER YET
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00008NRR2/ref=pd_luc_mri/002-7116110-2756845?%5Fencoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance

LINKSKEY LKA-CR15BW 52-in-1 USB 2.0 Internal 3.5" USB Card Reader
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?ATT=20309001&CMP=AFC-SlickDeals&item=N82E16820309001


(NOTE: some of these links may now be dead)

You can also see below for a JPG of my device manager screen... Maybe someone will see something in there that is amiss.

THANK YOU for any help you can provide!!!!!

[Tomlo]

I can already say that your problem is the ecs motherboard. Simply put they are junk, and have tendencys to fry cpu's and ram. I personally went threw three cpu's on one of their boards before I realized that.

I recomend you try flashing its bios first but if that doesnt stop your problems ditch it for a good brand like ASUS or DFI before something blows...

I first suspected the PSU since it isnt a major name, but after I saw ecs I knew that was your problem, but just to be sure check your voltage ratings to see if they are steady during operation using sensor probe software.

Im not the only person to have problems with ecs also it seems that they are always having their products pulled from store shelves from retailers not willing to deal with the returns...

[dvdhl89]

I think that maybe some part of your PC is overheating, it can be the motherboard or your processor, after the system reboots check the temperature of your motherboard and cpu on the bios.

Or take out the cpu and put it back, dont know why but it worked for me, when I built my pc it just restarted every 5 seconds after turned on.

[DPyro]

Yep it`s the motherboard. ECS boards are junk, and I highly recommend you replace it. Get an ASUS, DFI or Gigabyte mobo and you should be fine. :)

[Malksta]

Yep it`s the motherboard. ECS boards are junk, and I highly recommend you replace it. Get an ASUS, DFI or Gigabyte mobo and you should be fine. :)

I built my computer about 2 years ago and i'm using a ECS board, No problems yet :D

[DPyro]

I built my computer about 2 years ago and i'm using a ECS board, No problems yet :D

Your one of the lucky few. If you do a Google search you'll see all kinds of problems with ECS boards.

[semicolo]

You can maybe increase the cpu voltage, I've got a motherboard very unstable at standard rating, but since I saw on the Internet to increase vcore by 7 to 10 % it's ok.

[hockey2112]

I can already say that your problem is the ecs motherboard. Simply put they are junk, and have tendencys to fry cpu's and ram. I personally went threw three cpu's on one of their boards before I realized that.

I recomend you try flashing its bios first but if that doesnt stop your problems ditch it for a good brand like ASUS or DFI before something blows...

I first suspected the PSU since it isnt a major name, but after I saw ecs I knew that was your problem, but just to be sure check your voltage ratings to see if they are steady during operation using sensor probe software.

Im not the only person to have problems with ecs also it seems that they are always having their products pulled from store shelves from retailers not willing to deal with the returns...

Thanks for the input. I really hope it is not the mobo. How does one go about installing a new mobo? Do you just need to hook everything up and install the new board's drivers, or do you need to reinstall windows as well to get a nice clean install?

I should be heading to Radio Shack one night this week to get a voltage meter, so I will see if that is the problem.



I think that maybe some part of your PC is overheating, it can be the motherboard or your processor, after the system reboots check the temperature of your motherboard and cpu on the bios.

Or take out the cpu and put it back, dont know why but it worked for me, when I built my pc it just restarted every 5 seconds after turned on.

The temp is usually around 35 degrees Celsius, which seems like a pretty good temp, huh?

Have not tried removing and reseating the CPU. I may try that



Yep it`s the motherboard. ECS boards are junk, and I highly recommend you replace it. Get an ASUS, DFI or Gigabyte mobo and you should be fine. :)

Can you recommend a specific model that would be someone equitable to the cost of the ECS that I have, and will work with my current components?



You can maybe increase the cpu voltage, I've got a motherboard very unstable at standard rating, but since I saw on the Internet to increase vcore by 7 to 10 % it's ok.

How would I go about increasing the voltage?



Thanks to everyone for their replies!

[steve-b]

wait...you ran it at the wrong voltage? It's all the same components? You're lucky it didn't blow up. I'd be surprised if all the hardware made thru unscathed.

[DPyro]

On that page you linked to here (http://www.portatech.com/catalog/viewitem.asp?ID=13568&O=4336) it also lists the ASrock and Gigabyte boards. Either one of those would be fine and would work with the components you have now.

[hockey2112]

Hey guys, just wanted to give you an update on my situation. I ran into a family friend yesterday, and realized that his line of work is computer hardware. I told him about the issues I was having, and the first thing he said was that it was probably the ECS mobo.

He recommended that I reflash the mobo bios, then test the RAM, and then check out the Power Supply. I reflashed the bios last night, and have not yet had another reboot. We'll see how things go for the rest of the week... hopefully it remains stable, and I can upgrade my mobo at a little later time (need to give the credit card a little time to cool off, so the wife stays happy :D ).

If anyone else has any additional input on these issues, it is more than welcome. For all I know, my PC could be rebooting itself right now (I am currently at work).

[hockey2112]

On that page you linked to here (http://www.portatech.com/catalog/viewitem.asp?ID=13568&O=4336) it also lists the ASrock and Gigabyte boards. Either one of those would be fine and would work with the components you have now.


What about this ASUS? Would this one be suitable?

http://www.portatech.com/catalog/viewitem.asp?ID=13553


By the way, it rebooted overnight, so we're back to the original problems. This is so frustrating!!!! Next time, I'm getting a Dell. ;)

[steve-b]

I would suggest stripping all the extra hardware out of the PC. Just run a barebones setup...no extra cards, drives, bare minimum memory. If the bare bones set up works, then we are getting somewhere.

I'd then add 1 component back in at a time until the reboots started happening again. This way, you'd be able to figure out if 1 component is fried.

I'd be very surprised if everything is A-OK after running at the wrong voltage.

If the bare bones set up still reboots, then I'd reckon something very fundamental to the system is fried.

You mentioned it was ok till you plugged into the firewire PCI card. This suggests either the firewire drive or the card or the PCI interface is fried.

I don't know how bad running at 220 is when you are supposed to be on 110, but I have seen 220 ran at 110 and produce some lovely big blue sparks and lots of smoke.

[hockey2112]

Hey guys, I am just going to get a new mobo.

Can you give me your opinion on these boards, and give me any other suggestions? I am looking for something in the $80-150 (US) range that has one or two firewire plugs, PCI-Express, DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) support, SATA capable. I will primarily use it for graphics (photoshop, etc) and video processing (capturing, converting, authoring DVD's, etc)... not much gaming.



ASUS
Asus A8R-MVP Socket939/ATI RD480/2PCI-E/SATA2 Motherboard $122.99 North Bridge ATI CrossFire Radeon Xpress 3200 & South Bridge ULi M1575 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131004
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard $132.99 North Bridge NVIDIA nForce4 SLI http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131540

GIGABYTE
GIGABYTE GA-K8N Pro-SLI Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard with 1394b $99.99 North Bridge NVIDIA nForce4 SLI http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128301
GIGABYTE GA-M55SLI-S4 Socket AM2/ nForce4 SLI/ DDR2/ SATA2/ ATX Motherboard $92.99 North Bridge NVIDIA nForce4 SLI http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2436198&Tab=2&NoMapp=0
GIGABYTE GA-M55PLUS-S3G ATX Socket AM2 Motherboard for AMD Athlon 64 X2 $119.99 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 (Northbridge) & NVIDIA nForce 430 (Southbridge) http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=BROWSE&N=200137+4294964965+4294964951&Ne=303962&product_code=340656&Pn=ATX_Socket_AM2_Motherboard_for_AMD_Athlon_64_X2
GIGABYTE GA-M51GM-S2G ATX Socket AM2 Motherboard for AMD Athlon 64 64 FX, Athlon 64 X2, Athlon 64, Sempron $114.99 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 (Northbridge) & NVIDIA nForce 430 (Southbridge) http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=BROWSE&N=200137+4294964965+4294964951&Ne=303962&product_code=52191798&Pn=ATX_Socket_AM2_Motherboard_for_AMD_Athlon_64_64 _FX#ts



By the way, the tech guy at the company that I purchased the ECS board was very defensive when I remarked on its quality. He said that I should look into timing issues and bios block in my OS (or something like that) before deciding that the mobo is the problem. What would I check for timing issues, and how would I do it... and what is Bios block in my OS?

Thanks!



----

By the way, I am kind of leaning towards this board, as I can pick it up locally today:
GIGABYTE GA-M55PLUS-S3G ATX Socket AM2 Motherboard for AMD Athlon 64 X2 $119.99 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 (Northbridge) & NVIDIA nForce 430 (Southbridge) http://www.compusa.com/products/prod...D_Athlon_64_X2

What do you think of it? Do you see any major drawbacks or advantages of this board?

[steve-b]

I have no experience with gigabyte kit, but ASUS usually rocks. I've had 3 mobo's from them and each has been rock solid.


BTW, your userbar is awesome.

[hockey2112]

I have no experience with gigabyte kit, but ASUS usually rocks. I've had 3 mobo's from them and each has been rock solid.


BTW, your userbar is awesome.

Haha, thanks dude. I guess I got aggravated with people having 20 of them in their sig, and decided to make that one. Hopefully it made a difference. ;)

I think I have decided on this one:

ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131540

[Tomlo]

Ya ASUS is my brand of choice, I highly recomend them...