i tried this on /g/ too but i know i won't get much before the thread is derailed or deleted, so if any of you guys have PC knowledge i'd really love some help:
i built my PC about 2 years ago and everything was working fine until february. it has started crashing literally like 3+ times a day, and if it doesn't crash, the sound completely stops and is replaced by an endless beeping noise. there's 3 main types of reoccuring issues
>screen freezes, endless loud beep noise until hard reset
>screen freezes, no beep noise, just silence
>sound goes away and replaced by endless beep, i am able to mute it by muting in the sound options. the volume bar still shows it's playing music, or videos or whatever i had going. (also worth noting, if i put my PC into sleep mode and then wake it up the problem goes away for a while)
someone on tomshardware told me to try setting the HDD to never turn off, and that actually did somehow seem to make the crashes go away for like 3 days. no clue if that was coincidental or not.
i have an i5 4690k, 8gb ram, 800w psu, 1TB WD Blue and a gtx970 if that helps. let me know if you need any other info
please just give me some leads or info on what to check or how to find the problem, i've lost so much work to these crashes already, i can't take much more. thanks
Does it freeze when being used only or does it freeze when idling? Is it under high loads whe it freezes?
Hard to pin point it. Did you do any updates around the time it started crashing?
Does it blue screen at all? Or just freeze.
>>17162848
doesn't freeze when idling as far as i can tell but i don't leave it idle long. usually if i leave the house or am not on it i put it in sleep or turn it off.
it's not. i played crysis 3 for 3 hours last night with no problems and then crashed twice while browsing the internet / listening to music
is there a way to check that? it automatically updates sometimes, i dont keep track of it.
no it doesn't. same type of crash every time, solid freeze.
>>17162865
try memtest first. Did you install anything new? Software conflicts are what I'd assume first when a pc starts crashing randomly. After that, check your components. Ram first, then possibly gpu next, mobo, processor, psu, etc.
>>17162865
>>17162865
does it crash when gaming at all? Or is it limited to one activity? Such as music or internet browser?
I turn off all my auto updates and do it myself due to problems with updates in the past but dont recommend unless you know what youre doing.
I would go through and update everything. All your drivers. Your OS. Pretty much everything you can except for BIOS. Then start doing memchecks and bunch of over tests. Could be a number of things.
Whats your OS?
Im assuming windows and a later edition of windows, if so, press windows key + w i believe and should bring up search bar. Type in update. Look at all the updates if any available and do all of them, including the extras
>>17162876
tried memtest thanks to tomshardware, nothing came up. 100% pass. i left it running while i was at work for hours. i don't remember installing anything new or dangerous
>>17162887
it's crashed once or twice while gaming but the bulk of it happens when i'm just listening to music and browsing the internet. my music player is pretty much always on when i'm on my PC but if you think it could be possible i'll try not using one or the other for a bit and see what happens.
windows 7, it's pirated so i never got the option to update to 10. i've been on pirated windows for 2 years with no problems though so i doubt it's got anything to do with that.
i'll look around for updates and drivers and see if there's anything major.
i should also mention the last problem i had with my pc was when i tried installing a firewire port into my mobo without grounding myself first, when i turned my PC back on there was no sound besides static. i bought a sound card and changed the main sound to that in BIOS. don't know if that's a possibility but it happened about a year ago when i was really unexperienced.
so i went into the Event Viewer to look at the errors i was getting, googled that and found this thread.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/46250-63-random-restarts-critical-kernel-power-event-task
the guy says after he stopped using a surge protector the problem went away.
i currently have a battery backup surge protector, i've had it for around a year now but could that maybe be a problem? i'll test it out tomorrow.
>>17163008
also, farther down they mention Kernel 41 means the PSU is bad. how can i check for this?
>>17163008
Ahh maybe with the release of windows 10 something may of updated and conflicts with your version. And since you cant update with getting a new OS pirated i wouldnt worry about that.
Yeah try running it straight to your power point and see if that makes a difference. I wouldnt think it would. Power supply connections etc all good? Your power box is heating up too much? Is it all dust free?
>>17163008
Ready through that thread and hits me. Back on windows 7 i had the same issue. I remember it was something in BIOS i changed that fixed it. But I think I may of installed a GPU at the time. I cant remember sorry. Try things suggested in that forum like turning off sleep mode etc. Im pretty sure my drama was linked with that.
Definitely saying a PSU issue. Check all your connections. Make sure they are in good and no dust. Have a play around with BIOS settings (be very very careful) and have a back up of BIOS settings if you can. Or at least note what changes you are making in case it wont boot. If no luck with any of that. Might be worth looking at a new PSU. See if anyone can spare one just for you to try (an old or spare one) to if its the issue before spending money
>>17163100
it's getting pretty late but i'll put that with the other help here on what to check for tomorrow. i'll make sure my power supply connections are all good, give the outlet a test and give it a few days to see if the problem is solved. appreciate the help!
>>17163126
i'll pay close attention to the PSU. it's only 2 years old and there's a 5 year warranty on it so if it's fucked up ill send it to the manufacturer. i dont have a spare but my old computer has one in it i could probably swap out for a test if need be. thanks