computer: K9NU mobo, amd 3800+ dc, 1gb ram, nvidia 7800le (1gb ram)

it randomly reboots. i tried changing the paging file to 1538mb, still does it. i get a bsod with a dump.

the ram is good, it's been tested. should i try increasing the paging file further or try something else?

[Edited on March 2, 2008 at 11:31 AM. Reason : ram]

3/2/2008 11:20:40 AM

also... it's strange when it does happen.

sometimes i won't be doing anything, no programs are open aside from the usual background stuff, and it reboots. sometimes it happens when i plug in a usb drive. sometimes it happens when i've got one large program open (like illustrator or indesign) and sometimes it happens if i've got a txt file open.

it hasn't been connected to the internet in probably 8 months, i keep it off to protect the data on there, it's for art only. at one point it got a nasty attack from a virus that got into the network in my old office, but i didn't have problems until way later on.

any ideas would be helpful :/ i'm giving it a week then trying a reinstall of xp pro.

3/2/2008 11:23:47 AM

I'm not sure what the page file would have to do with any of that, I'd just leave it at the system managed setting or whatever.

Probably time to go ahead and reinstall XP

3/2/2008 12:31:15 PM

yeah playing with the page file unless you have a reason we arent aware of is pretty retarded

3/2/2008 1:43:28 PM

Reinstall XP unless you feel like attempting to fix and can provide actual BSOD details so we can diagnose.

3/2/2008 2:24:14 PM

What's your error message on the BSOD? Something with nv4_disp.dll?

How did you test your RAM?

3/2/2008 5:16:11 PM

Quote :

"yeah playing with the page file unless you have a reason we arent aware of is pretty retarded"

i put myself through 3 years of school as a computer tech. i can fix 90% of the problems i encounter, but i don't know everything. i am willing to try something if recommended by a pro. one of my clients owns a (very reputable) computer repair shop and suggested, based on my description of the problem and also what i have tried before to try changing the paging file size. it didn't hurt anything, and you can change it back. i saw no problem in trying something when there were no other obvious solutions. thanks, though.

Quote :

"Probably time to go ahead and reinstall XP"

yes, i'm kinda feeling that too... it's such a pain in the ass and i hate doing it, but it fixes a lot of problems.

Quote :

"Reinstall XP unless you feel like attempting to fix and can provide actual BSOD details so we can diagnose."

next time the screen comes up, i'll note what the actual error code is. and now that i've made a thread, of course it hasn't rebooted itself since friday.

Quote :

"How did you test your RAM?"

i put it in another machine, ran fine. i still doubted it, so i took it to my old place of employment and had the tech there test it. still ran fine. i need more ram anyway, so before i do a reinstall i'm going to get another stick and swap it out to see if that fixes the issue... who knows, i hate windows. :/

3/3/2008 10:45:00 AM

try booting a linux live CD and see if it reboots then.

3/3/2008 10:52:33 AM

i wish i didn't have to run windows, but for my software, i do. :/

3/3/2008 10:55:33 AM

Could be a finicky driver or incoming HD failure.

A clean reinstall of XP would be your best bet.

3/3/2008 11:06:35 AM

ok, i don't even do any sort of computer-related ANYTHING as a profession and i can tell you, most of y'all are going about this the wrong way... some good suggestions though to try.

first, enable logging of the error, via small or full dump... post the BSOD error and the dump and we could assist you in actually FINDING what's wrong before just defaulting to a reinstall.

second, check the event logs, see if there's conflicts, warnings, errors listed. if so, post the results here.

third, run memtest86+, to test RAM

fourth, run a hard drive diagnostics program provided from your hard drive manufacturer

fifth, run a scandisk on your primary OS drive/partition to fix bad sectors

my guess if it randomly reboots, it's most likely driver related or hardware related. i'd rule out heat because it's an old PC that has run fine before, but that's a third option.

most common problems for random reboots, network driver conflicts or corruption, video card memory going bad, RAM memory going bad, hard drive going bad, or heat issues.... you can rule out driver issues if you get a different BSOD everytime.... there is a slim chance too that if you had a hard crash that it caused registry or file corruption causing BSOD's

reinstalling XP should be your last resort, but it's the typical IT response because it puts time & convenience over actually doing anything "specific" to find the root of the problem. if you choose to do this, just realize you are taking the risk of going through a whole reinstall when it may, or may not fix the problem (in the case of hardware failure)

i do like the suggestion of trying to run a LiveCD of another OS to see if it crashes as well, as can be a good signal of whether it's OS related or not

[Edited on March 3, 2008 at 11:59 AM. Reason : .]

3/3/2008 11:46:52 AM

Quote :

"reinstalling XP should be your last resort, but it's the typical IT response because it puts time & convenience over actually doing anything "specific" to find the root of the problem."

Hey now, don't say it like that! The number of hours that I've put into diagnosing unknown/unfixable BSOD errors over the years tells me that sometimes reinstalling Windows is the quickest and fastest solution available for a majority of users. Now I don't mean you should always reinstall XP, since I, for one, certainly try to figure it out every time I come across one ... however, he sounded like he knew what he was talking about (mostly) and said that he already tested the RAM.

Regardless ...

There are hundreds of reasons for a BSOD, my post was mainly sarcastic since he was asking for help with a BSOD and his computer randomly rebooting without providing technical details. That's like going into the Garage and asking why his car is randomly shutting off.

While your suggestions are good and valid, he needs to test one thing at a time, not fire a shotgun of solutions all at once.

So ... post the BSOD.

3/3/2008 5:59:38 PM

how could you have been a pc tech and given such a horrible explanation of the problem - you must know what you have given is nowhere near enough information to diagnose or even to begin troubleshooting over the internet

3/3/2008 6:02:29 PM

^^ seapunky is a "she"

3/3/2008 6:19:54 PM

Oops, thanks! Sorry bout that, seapunky

3/3/2008 6:33:05 PM

gs7 - my points were meant to be done one at a time, but without posting the BSOD or dump file, where else can I go but to post ALL the options.... and my post was not directed at you in any way shape or form.... since you were the first to suggest posting the BSOD details....

read my first response:

Quote :

"first, enable logging of the error, via small or full dump... post the BSOD error and the dump and we could assist you"

And I've come across a lot of BSOD error's in my time, and nearly all of them when I'm given a dump file are easily solved without requiring a reinstall. The only BSOD's that have been difficult to fix are hardware related one's in which a reinstall won't fix.

And I agree with OmarBadu, we need a heckuvalot more information in order to give you any sort of informed response other than "Reinstall XP".

[Edited on March 3, 2008 at 7:37 PM. Reason : .]

3/3/2008 7:10:00 PM