Hi, a few eeks ago my PC started crashing ... BSOD .. something about accessing a page in "non-paged area".

Though it was as kids had been online, but ran all checks and could find nothing.
System was ok(ish) just occasional crash, but would always crash when trying to do anything intense .. like converting an AVI to DVD.

Opened it up and cleaned out all dust and checked all board connections etc.
Removed heatsink from Processor to give a good clean, but made no real difference.

After a couple of days it would occasionally crash, reboot then be ok but then it started totally switching off... could not power back on had too turn of on switch at rear to restart or remove mains lead and restart.
Saw on here about thermal paste needs to go on between CPU and heatsink so got some of that today aswell as cleaner and though it would sort it, but alas its the same.
could the couple of days without renewing paste have damaged to CPU? or the power supply?
Is this why its turning off totally now?

It will boot sometimes for 10 to 20 mins and event viewer shows no records around the times of the power down.
Although there are regular faults (even when no crash has happened) from ATI (graphics card I have) saying CRT invalid !!
Is it a graphics card problem?

Rather lengthy I know just trying to explain as much as I can...
Thanks in advance....

could the couple of days without renewing paste have damaged to CPU? or the power supply?

A couple seconds without TIM can destroy a CPU! But typically, if functioning properly, an overheated CPU simply shuts down. There really is no reason to remove a heatsink fan (HSF) assembly unless you are replacing the HSF or CPU. It is best to clean it in place. TIM does not go bad, dry out, or crack on its own and will easily last 10 years or longer - unless the cured bond is broken. And then, it should always be completely removed, the mating surfaces thoroughly cleaned, and a fresh new thin layer reapplied. No TIM would not affect the PSU, but it is always a good idea to ensure you have proper voltages from your supply. See my canned text below on testing PSUs.

It does sound like this is graphics problem. Did you clean that heat sink too? A blast of compressed air (while holding the fan still) would help that. And you need to ensure that fan spins too. A failing or stressed PSU can affect graphics so again, I would want to ensure I am supplying good power. You also need to ensure all your temps are good. Your motherboard utilities disk should have a monitoring program (or check for a more recent version on your motherboard or PC maker's website). If none, I recommend CoreTemp for newer Intel and AMD64 CPUs, or RealTemp for Intels. SpeedFan is a great and popular alternative, or you can try Motherboard Monitor. Unfortunately, I have found that these programs often have problems properly identifying and labeling the sensor they are reading. The temperatures shown are as accurate as the inexpensive, low-tech sensors will allow, but it may say System Fan instead of CPU Fan. Fortunately, the programs do allow you to edit the labels, so I use Everest to verify the temperatures (as it is able to put sensor to label correctly), then edit the label in the monitoring program. In Everest, look under Computer > Sensor, then wait a couple seconds for the readings to appear. Unfortunately, Everest does not minimize to the system tray to show real-time temperatures, otherwise, you could use Everest instead of the others.
***
PSU Testing:

To properly and conclusively test a power supply unit (PSU), it must be tested under various realistic "loads" then analyzed for excessive ripple and other anomalies. This is done by a qualified technician using an oscilloscope or power analyzer - sophisticated (and expensive) electronic test equipment requiring special training to operate, and a basic knowledge of electronics theory to understand the results. Therefore, conclusively testing a power supply is done in properly equipped electronic repair facilities.

Fortunately, there are other options that are almost as good. I keep a FrozenCPU Ultimate PSU Tester in my tool bag when I am "in the field" and don't have a good spare power supply to swap in. While not a certain test, they are better than nothing. The advantage of this model is that it has an LCD readout of the voltage. With an actual voltage readout, you have a better chance of detecting a "failing" PSU, or one barely within specified ATX Form Factor Standard tolerances. Lesser models use LEDs to indicate the voltage is just within some "range". These are less informative, considerably cheaper, but still useful for detecting PSUs that have already "failed". Newegg has several testers to choose from. All these testers contain a "dummy load" to fool the PSU into thinking it is connected to a motherboard, and therefore allows the PSU to power on, if able, without being attached to a motherboard - great for testing fans, but again, it is not a true load or suitable for conclusive testing.

Note the required voltage tolerance ranges:

NOTE: Disregard the -5VDC reading. It is no longer used.

Swapping in a known good supply is a tried and true method of troubleshooting used for years, even by pros. If you have access to a suitably sized, spare power supply, carefully remove the suspect supply and replace it with the known good one, and see if the problem goes away.

I do not recommend using a multimeter to test power supplies. To do it properly, that is, under a realistic load, the voltages on all the pins must be measured while the PSU is attached to the motherboard and the computer powered on. This requires poking (with some considerable force) two hard and sharp, highly conductive meter probes into the main power connector, deep in the heart of the computer. One tiny slip can destroy the motherboard, and everything plugged into it. It is not worth the risk considering most multimeters, like plug-in testers, do not measure, or reveal any unwanted and potentially disruptive AC components to the DC voltages.

The voltages can be checked in the BIOS Setup Menus of most motherboards but they do not reveal ripple or other anomalies either. And the Setup Menu places very little demands on system resource so, like the temperature readings found in BIOS Setup Menus, they may not reflect values obtained when the computer is processing demanding tasks.

And remember, anything that plugs into the wall can kill. Do not open the power supply's case unless you are a qualified electronics technician. There are NO user serviceable parts inside a power supply. If you do not have a tester or a suitable spare to swap in, take the PSU to a qualified technician for testing.

Thanks for the reply.
If I enter my bios under PC health it shows the following :-
CPU temp 32c
system temp 26 c
cpu fan speed 3391 rpm
system fan speed 2033 rpm
Vcore 1.472v
+5.0v = 5.030v
+12v = 11.863v
-12v = -11.825v
-5v = -4.876 to 5.327v ( this one fluctuates, the others stay quite constant - is this a problem with PSU?)
battery = 3.5v
+5v SB = 4.945v

Under AGP settings I can see :-
AGP Apeture size set to 128Mb although my card is 256Mb
Also Boot Device Select is set to CRT should I change this?
The PC was originally supplied with CRT monitor but I upgraded ages ago to LCD is this why sometimes in event viewer it says CRT invalid? Had these messages long before the crashes etc.

When I first removed the heatsink I did not remove any paste the original was left.
When I put new on I did clean CPU and heatsink thoroughly with correct cleaner.

All fans are running and I did blow out the graphics card etc but did not remove heat sink as I did on the CPU

I have left it booted in safemode with networking and browsed and as of yet no crashing or switching off I'll see how long that lasts !! I guess if no crashing it is definately graphics card faulty ???

-5v = -4.876 to 5.327v ( this one fluctuates, the others stay quite constant - is this a problem with PSU?)

See the note under the tolerances chart above.

Boot device is set to CRT? Typically, a boot device is a drive - not a monitor. Sure that's what it says? And are you sure it says CRT invalid, and not CRC?

Safe Mode boots with minimal drivers. So while it is still pointing to the card, I cannot be certain. If here, I would try another card, since I have several laying around.

Also note that checking temps in the BIOS is not really a valid check. If they showed high temps in the BIOS Setup Menu then that would be bad. But since running the BIOS Setup Menu is probably the least demanding task you can ask of a computer, this does not show what happens when the system is working hard.

Hi, Yes the bios page for AGP options it is set to boot device select = CRT, which if I highlight other options are auto, LCD etc.

And also yes in event viewer under system I have "error" source is ati2mtag it definately says "CRT invalid display type." and when running on normal start up sometimes the monitor used to go into stand by mode (light by power button flashing) which I used to be able to recover by unplugging power lead from monitor for 10-20mins and when reconnected it was ok, but I raised this issue ages ago and was told unplugging etc could in effect " restart the Graphics card communicating with monitor" although this hasn't happened recently, but I suppose could be a sign of failing graphics card getting progressively worse?

I know what your saying about temps in bios, should I try converting an AVI in safe mode? Will ConvertXtoDVD run correctly in safe mode?

Would this then prove it definately is graphics card? Or would convertX have problems running in safe mode ??

Its been in safe mode for couple of hours now with no crash or power off, but I assume graphics card is still powered up but drivers are not running, is that correct? Driver issue then? I wouldn't of thought a driver issue would result in the power going off totally and having to either turn off switch at rear or remove power lead to allow me to restart PC??

just downloaded core temp but it will not run in safe mode.... driver failed to load !!!

OK that failed , got to about 60% converting a 70 min AVI then crashed in safe mode...

Event viewer gives me no info at time of crash..
When PC restarted after bios loading screen I just got a load of random flashing box then freeze...
Held front power button for 5 secs to power down then powered back up in normal mode.

Core temp is running showing 45 low and high of 50c went on internet cpu went to 100% briefly with no rise in temperature.... will leave running idle to see if it now crashes in normal mode while idle...

Nothing will prove it is the graphics card except trying another card. But it does look like it is the problem. Did you update the driver?

I don't think your BIOS setting is your freeze problem, but if me, I would set it to auto.

When in Safe Mode, you are using default VGA drivers built into Windows, and for which all cards are supposed to support.

What you can do is safe mode is very minimal. I don't know about running that monitoring software because I'm not familiar with it but playing games, converting video, etc will not work because windows only loads very generic drivers that really aren't that useful. Safe mode is basically for diagnostics or troubleshooting and not really as an alternative to normal mode for your everyday tasks.

Amberle,
You've had a warning from me, and an action from Broni. One more and you'll be Banned.