Strange lockups...

[Vook]

Posting this because it's happened twice now in the past 3 days:

Computer will just randomly completely freeze/lock up. Like, literally out of nowhere. I'll just be minding my own business, browsing the web or browsing files, when everything will just come to a halt and stop working.

I thought it might be an issue with my GPU bugging out or something, but nope, I tried connecting to the "frozen" computer via my iPhone with remote desktop, and it can't connect, so apparently the entire system is locking up and becoming 100% unresponsive.

Any idea what might be causing this? It just started happening out of the blue. Haven't installed anything new to my knowledge, besides maybe a Flash or Java update.

[Milkshake86]

No idea what pc specs you have or even operating system, these are all possible factors, aswell as a corrupted harddrive.

[Vook]

Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit

3 gHZ Intel Core2 Quad
8GB DDR2 RAM
1GB GTX 460
OCZ Vertex2 120gb SSD
Also have a 600GB Western Digital HDD connected that I use for storage.

I do hope it's not a corrupted hard drive, replacing my SSD the first time it fried was annoying as hell.

Oh, and if it means anything, when it crashed half an hour ago (the 2nd time overall), I was browsing the web, and all of a sudden, pages just stopped loading (as if my internet crashed) and then it froze ~10 seconds later. I'd go to open a new site in a new tab, and it just wouldn't do anything. No loading swirly-thing, just a blank white page.

[hapylol]

How long have you had the computer?

How hot is your CPU running(might need realtemp for this)

[Vook]

How long have you had the computer?

Since...Summer 2009, I think? I got it in the middle of Ulduar. But since then, I've upgraded the CPU (was originally 2.4 gHZ) and the GPU (was originally a 512mb nVidia gt120 or something)

How hot is your CPU running(might need realtemp for this)

Normal temperatures; I was just running Google Chrome and no other programs, when it froze.

[Misen]

Is there any audio with these crashes? screeching in speakers etc?
I'd test individual ram sticks.

[Shinzai]

Has the lock-up occurred with sounds running at all? If so, do the sounds loop and repeat rapidly?

[Deleted]

time for a new pc

[Vook]

Has the lock-up occurred with sounds running at all? If so, do the sounds loop and repeat rapidly?

Is there any audio with these crashes? screeching in speakers etc?
I'd test individual ram sticks.

Wasn't playing any audio during the freezes. That's all that's happening; it's not "crashing", it's just completely freezing.

time for a new pc

...So if any problems occur, the solution is "buy a new computer" ? ಠ_ಠ

[Shinzai]

Wasn't playing any audio during the freezes. That's all that's happening; it's not "crashing", it's just completely freezing.



...So if any problems occur, the solution is "buy a new computer" ? ಠ_ಠ

As Misen said, I'd recommend testing the RAM first, after that I'd check for any hard drive issues.

3 of my WoW guildies have had the same issues with SSD drives, no particular reason from what we could tell, they just tend to develop issues quite easily.

[vesseblah]

Start from www.memtest.org to check out RAM, run scandisc & S.M.A.R.T. monitor on all HDDs and have temperature monitoring software running. If something's physically broken and overheating, that can happen even on empty desktop.

Most likely problem is the RAM or the SSD.

edit:

I got the exact same symptoms from first gen P67 motherboard that had the SATA2 port bug. SMART monitor listed millions of CRC errors on all discs even though the HDDs were intact. So one potential cause can also be the motherboard or SATA cables, especially if you see lots of errors on S.M.A.R.T.

[skyclops]

This kind of thing happens when hdd( harddrives) are on the way out
Time to back up & replace -asap

[Vook]

Start from www.memtest.org to check out RAM, run scandisc & S.M.A.R.T. monitor on all HDDs and have temperature monitoring software running. If something's physically broken and overheating, that can happen even on empty desktop.

Most likely problem is the RAM or the SSD.

How do I even use Memtest? I can't find an exe anywhere, it's all either source code, ISO or BIN file downloads...

I honestly don't think it's overheat problems, as I run D3 all the time and that gets my temps up high, nothing ever happens, yet on both "freezes", I've only been running Chrome and maybe an open folder or two.

This kind of thing happens when hdd( harddrives) are on the way out
Time to back up & replace -asap

So my SSD is "on the way out" after having it only 4 months?

[vesseblah]

How do I even use Memtest? I can't find an exe anywhere, it's all either source code, ISO or BIN file downloads...

You're meant to burn the ISO image to CD and boot computer with it. Can also install it to USB stick with right tools and boot from there.

So my SSD is "on the way out" after having it only 4 months?

Consumer electronics break either during first ~five months or after several years. 4 months is pretty long time, but it can still be original manufacturing defects.

[Vook]

You're meant to burn the ISO image to CD and boot computer with it. Can also install it to USB stick with right tools and boot from there.

Well, I remember a while ago, I used a memory testing program that just ran as an exe file.

Consumer electronics break either during first ~five months or after several years. 4 months is pretty long time, but it can still be original manufacturing defects.

Well, jeez. I would have never gotten an SSD if I had known they were this volatile. =/

My first SSD fried itself after a month, but this one's been working fine since the middle of March, haven't had any freezes like this until now.

[Cilraaz]

Well, I remember a while ago, I used a memory testing program that just ran as an exe file.

Not a good one. Any RAM tester worth anything will run in its own environment (ie. load from CD or USB). As soon as the OS is loaded into memory, testing every inch of memory becomes extremely difficult.

Well, jeez. I would have never gotten an SSD if I had known they were this volatile. =/

My first SSD fried itself after a month, but this one's been working fine since the middle of March, haven't had any freezes like this until now.

vesseblah was talking about electronics and computer components in general, not just SSDs.