Hello,

My computer has been locking up lately, and it's an intermittent problem with no origin that I can decipher.

Here's what happens:

- Usually (but not always) when I hit the power button, I quickly get one long system beep. If I let it carry on, the computer will then shut off. However, I can hit the reset button, and usually after 3-4 tries, I won't get the beep and the system will boot. Sometimes it freezes at the initial startup screens, sometimes it boots Windows and I can use my computer from about 2 minutes to an hour.
- At some point in the session, the screen becomes garbled (usually brightly colored vertical lines in a 70's-wallpaper kind of array). The computer continues to run, and seems to be operating correctly (still hear sound, etc.), though I cannot see any change on the screen. At this point I usually reset and restart the process.
- This garbled screen happens at any point in the session, from startup to full-fledged computer use. The only place I've never seen it happen is the BIOS.

Here's my setup:

- Soyo SY-KT333 Dragon Ultra (Platinum Edition)
- ATI Radeon 8500LE video card
- 1 GB (2x512MB sticks) Corsair PC2700 DDR memory
- JustPC case (piece of crap, power supply is intermittent when the cables are jiggled, which may be related to this problem - though power remains consitent even through the lockups)
- Western Digital 80GB HD, about 4-5 years old
- I have other peripherals, but have removed them all and still have this problem

Here's what I've tried:

- Removing all but the essential peripherals. This didn't seem to change much, if anything.
- Resetting the BIOS memory with the MB's dip switch. Didn't seem to change anything.
- Tinkered with BIOS settings, including loading fail-safe defaults, turning off FOC (fan-off control, which automatically turns off the PC in situations where it thinks the processor fan is out). Didn't do anything.
- Switched memory slots; memory seems to be OK, the computer recognizes all of it every time that I boot.
- Reinstalling Windows. This was a chore because each time it would reboot to continue the installation, I'd have to be quick with the reset button trick or else I'd have to start installing all over again.
- Swapping video card. I have an older backup card that has always been reliable, and I either have (A) the same problem exactly, or (B) a new problem where the monitor will suddenly switch to scan mode (it says that it can't get a video signal).
- Crying, yelling, swinging my arms...

The system is marginally stable at idle; however, some things that have set the problem in motion:

- Opening a new browser window, video overlay (e.g. in a browser window - any browser, tried the 4 major ones), or application. This only happens sometimes, and it's definitely a direct result of one of these actions - the timing is so close that it's got to be related.
- Booting - sometimes, at any point in the boot to Windows XP, the system will lock up like this.
- Going into a screensaver.

It seems to somehow be related to calling up system resources of some sort, the machine just bails out as soon as it realizes it can't hang.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions, or need any more info. This is very frustrating, and I can't afford to buy a new PC, take it to a tech, or start buying and swapping new components! I'm also aftraid to reFlash the BIOS, as I could have this problem in the midst of that and then be REALLY in trouble.

Thanks everyone!

Have you run through the troubleshooting outlined in the mobo manual?

Hi Dan,

Thanks for your reply!

I did run through all of the troubleshooting tips in the manual and what I could find on the Soyo website. I've tried everything except:

- Switching the memory. I don't have access (or money) to swap the memory. However, I have tried as many combinations of sticks/slots as is feasible - using only 1 stick in each slot (tried both sticks, one at a time in each slot), and both sticks in each possible combination. I wouldn't guess that it would be likely that both sticks would have suddenly gone bad, but I could be wrong.
- ReFlashing the BIOS. This may solve the problem, but it's an absolute last step for me since it's almost certain to fail (the system is so unstable that it will almost certainly crash during reFlash, and I'll have to send it back to Soyo anyway).

Other than that, I've tried almost everything that I can think of.

A couple of other possibilities that came across my mind - what do you think:

- Could it be a bad HDD? If the HDD with Windows on it were to fail intermittently, could it cause these symptoms? I have 2 HDDs, and I would install Windows on the second drive to test this, but I have data on there that I don't know how to back up without a stable system.

- Occasionally what happens is that my video shuts off and I get a generic monitor message that says "Frequency out of range." The computer otherwise continues to run. I get this with either video card that I use (1 is AGP and the other PCI), but the older one (PCI) causes the problem more frequently. Could there be something wrong here?

Thanks again for your help!

OK, I have another symptom that seems to point to a faulty PSU. I had a hunch that the PSU was very possibly at fault when I realized that pulling the wires leading into the PSU a certain amount would cause intermittent power failure (like a loose wire connection or something). I also noticed that my video card was a little warm, and that a couple of wires leading from the PSU to my Mobo were a little toasty. Maybe a short? I jiggled the wires leading from my Mobo power connector to the PSU, and lo and behold, I've had more stability now than I have had in a while. I'll replace my PSU as soon as possible, but does it seem like this could be what is really at the root of the problem?

Thanks!

It certainly does. I'd also refrain from using the system as much as possible until you have installed a new PS unit. You risk lost or scrambled data by using it.