Tech Questions

W

Waynos

Member
ok here goes;

Issue #1
the last few days when i first loaded GW2,
at character selection screen my pc would freeze and my screen looked like disney threw up (yes that many colors lol)
so i disconnected my monitor from the video card and ran it into the motherboard VGA port
using the onboard/built in graphics.
since i have done this i get no more screen issues so my assumption is the video card is spent.

If the Vid card is bad i looked into a new card that is capable of running GW2
Here is what i found:
Diamond AMD Radeon HD 6670 2GB GDDR3 PCI-E 2.0 (x16) Graphics card for $89.99

=======================================================================================

Issue #2 when i first start it up,
it boots as far as the Windows 8 screen then shuts off..on second time hitting the power button it boots up fine
other than the notification saying it shut down and had to be restarted

Incase it is the Power Supply here is whats available in my area
Antec BP550 Plus 550 Watt Continuous Power for $89.99

NOTE: i removed the Video card and my PC starts up now without crashing on the first boot
so i'm thinking it isn't my powersupply..what's your thoughts?

=======================================================================================

Issue #3
I am unable to get my DVD drive to work.
when it boots it will light up for a few seconds but when you put a disc in it nothing happens
and there is no way to install any media via that drive.
I have checked all the connections,changed the IDE slave cable and no changes at all
i have tried 2 other DVD drives and i get the same results


======================================================================================
Ok here are my specs:
Motherboard: ECS A780LM-M = AM3 Socket,ATX 24-pin,DDR3 1333MHz RAM (2 slot 8GB max),PCI-E 2.0 (x16)
CPU: Athlon II x3 450 = Triple Core 3.2GHz Processor
RAM: Crucial Ballistix 4GB 240-pin DDR3 1333MHz RAM
HDD: Seagate 160GB Internal 7200Rpm,Buffalo 500GB External USB Hard Drive (660GB total)
PSU: Corsair CX500 500 Watt Power Supply
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 3000 (onboard runs GW2 at low settings)
OS: Windows 8 Release Preview 64-bit
DVD-RW drive (currently not working)
Monitor: ACER 20" HD LED 12,000,000:1 Widescreen

======================================================================================
ok those are the stats now comes the hard part;
I could use some advice and feedback from the techs at TOJ,CGA and LOE
on what i should do to fix my issues.

PLEASE NOTE: until my DVD/CD drive is working i have to depend on Drivers and Programs via the web
and i'm not sure how that will affect any new parts i may need to add.

And first and foremost,
Thank you all ahead of time for your thoughts,input and advice
GOD bless,
Waynos
 
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Waynos,

Issue #1 definitely sounds like either a video card or monitor problem. I had the same problem with my wife's computer this summer. Unfortunately, I don't remember which one ended up being the problem. All I remember is that I was able to make it work by using a VGA cable, the same solution that you have. If you decide to get a new video card, I would probably go for the radeon 7750 over the 6670 (after rebate this one would be about the same price with a lot more performance newegg). It could be that the onboard gpu is overheating or simply failing. It might also be that the dvi/hdmi connector on the monitor is failing, if that monitor is a couple years old.

Issue #2: Unless your psu is making clicking or staticy noises I doubt that is the problem since it is new. I noticed you said you removed the video card. I thought you were using the onboard graphics? If you had another card installed and removing it fixed this problem, then you have found the issue. Either stick with the onboard gpu, or replace it with another.

Issue #3: Have you had this trouble with the dvd drive since the beginning? I would suspect your problem is a mismatch between the jumper settings on the drive and its placement on the ide cable. Is your hard drive connected through ide on this same cable, or is it a sata drive? Let me know more about how your drives are set up and I can probably narrow down the problem.

As far as drivers go, in most cases you are better off downloading the newest drivers from the manufacturer's website. I rarely, if ever, use driver cds any more. When I build a new computer, my first step is to download the latest drivers for all my parts, even before assembling the new rig. So, don't worry about not being able to use driver cds.
 
cadeyrn said:
Waynos,

Issue #1 definitely sounds like either a video card or monitor problem. I had the same problem with my wife's computer this summer. Unfortunately, I don't remember which one ended up being the problem. All I remember is that I was able to make it work by using a VGA cable, the same solution that you have. If you decide to get a new video card, I would probably go for the radeon 7750 over the 6670 (after rebate this one would be about the same price with a lot more performance newegg). It could be that the onboard gpu is overheating or simply failing. It might also be that the dvi/hdmi connector on the monitor is failing, if that monitor is a couple years old.

Issue #2: Unless your psu is making clicking or staticy noises I doubt that is the problem since it is new. I noticed you said you removed the video card. I thought you were using the onboard graphics? If you had another card installed and removing it fixed this problem, then you have found the issue. Either stick with the onboard gpu, or replace it with another.

Issue #3: Have you had this trouble with the dvd drive since the beginning? I would suspect your problem is a mismatch between the jumper settings on the drive and its placement on the ide cable. Is your hard drive connected through ide on this same cable, or is it a sata drive? Let me know more about how your drives are set up and I can probably narrow down the problem.

As far as drivers go, in most cases you are better off downloading the newest drivers from the manufacturer's website. I rarely, if ever, use driver cds any more. When I build a new computer, my first step is to download the latest drivers for all my parts, even before assembling the new rig. So, don't worry about not being able to use driver cds.
Click to expand...

Ok here is the update and some info you requested.
a few hours after my post it started the shut off on first boot thing again
but no monitor freezing.
the monitor is less than a week old so i am 100% sure it isn't the monitor
i am stumped and at this point my wife is telling me add up what it would cost to replace the parts that were used
and compare it to the price of a prebuilt tower..which would be a huge waste of money seeing how i built this one

as far as the video card is concerned, as far as i know when i am connected to the VGA port it is run through the motherboard using onboard graphics
and not the PCI-E video card (but i could be wrong)
after running this way and no freezes or game crashes i removed the PCI-E 2.0 video card
cause i didn't see any sense powering the fan on it when i wasn't using it

these parts below are used and not new
500w PSU
geforce 8800 GT video card

so here is my thoughts in a budget friendly manner lol
new parts list
XION 850W PSU
Diamond Radeon HD 6670 2GB
$176.59 (includes shipping and takes 3-9 days)
if i add those and still have issues my wife will probably kill me lol


not sure if that helps you any
and thanks for looking into my query and offering advice
 
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If your better half kills you we will just run over there and rez you.
 
I get this occasionally if my computer goes to sleep. Does it go away if you restart GW?
 
RyanB said:
I get this occasionally if my computer goes to sleep. Does it go away if you restart GW?
Click to expand...

when the freeze happened i tryed to open task manager and back out of GW2 but it was froze solid
and i had to restart the PC completely

the only thing that stopped the freeze when loading the game was removing the PCI-E video card
as far as the shut down on first boot im suspecting the power supply (which i bought off of craigslist trying to save a buck lol)

so if i can sweet talk the wife good enough to spend $168.62 at newegg.com
i can purchase the following
Radeon HD 6670 2GB Vid Card for $80
RAIDMAX HYBRID 630W power supply $46 (on clearance from $69.99)
1 4GB stick of Crucial Ballistix 1333MHz DDR3 RAM $27
3 day Shipping $10.64
$5 fee to add cash to Paypal
Grand Total of $168.62

I also got a 10% or $20 savings promo good till Nov 30th of this month that will lessen the amount
and maybe keep me alive when i ask the wife.
don't get me wrong she isn't evil by any means,
she has put up with me through this "build a PC" phase which wasn't easy.
Ghandi would have strangled me by now lol
 
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1. Before you go out and buy anything, do you have all your drivers up to date and all windows updates installed? Sometimes drivers can add odd bugs.

2. Also, I noticed you are using Windows 8 Preview, that means the license is limited until windows 8 has been released, which it has. You will need to buy the release version soon. (sorry I didn't notice that earlier)

3. If you're on a tight budget, there is really no need to buy the extra ram. Yes, it will make things run a little better, but I am running perfectly fine with 4GBs. Also, if the onboard video is sufficient at the moment, you can always hold off on the graphics card. Newegg often has some great deals as it gets closer to Christmas, as does Amazon. If you are willing to wait, you will likely find a better price, probably even a better card for a better price.

4. After I first installed Windows 7 a couple years ago one of the windows updates corrupted and caused some odd crashing issues for me. I would often have the same booting issues you are describing as well as other unusual crashes while in Windows. This can be for any number of reasons, including corruption during a crash (like wen GW2 froze on you). It is very possible that some essential system file has become corrupted or is interacting negatively with another system file. I would start by making sure all drivers are up to date and all updates are installed. If they already are, or that does not fix the problem, I would do a system restore to a point sometime prior to when the issues started. Alternatively you could try a fresh windows install.

5. What about the DVD drive? Is it the only device connected to the cable? Which part of the cable is it attached to?
 
cadeyrn said:
1. Before you go out and buy anything, do you have all your drivers up to date and all windows updates installed? Sometimes drivers can add odd bugs.

2. Also, I noticed you are using Windows 8 Preview, that means the license is limited until windows 8 has been released, which it has. You will need to buy the release version soon. (sorry I didn't notice that earlier)

3. If you're on a tight budget, there is really no need to buy the extra ram. Yes, it will make things run a little better, but I am running perfectly fine with 4GBs. Also, if the onboard video is sufficient at the moment, you can always hold off on the graphics card. Newegg often has some great deals as it gets closer to Christmas, as does Amazon. If you are willing to wait, you will likely find a better price, probably even a better card for a better price.

4. After I first installed Windows 7 a couple years ago one of the windows updates corrupted and caused some odd crashing issues for me. I would often have the same booting issues you are describing as well as other unusual crashes while in Windows. This can be for any number of reasons, including corruption during a crash (like wen GW2 froze on you). It is very possible that some essential system file has become corrupted or is interacting negatively with another system file. I would start by making sure all drivers are up to date and all updates are installed. If they already are, or that does not fix the problem, I would do a system restore to a point sometime prior to when the issues started. Alternatively you could try a fresh windows install.

5. What about the DVD drive? Is it the only device connected to the cable? Which part of the cable is it attached to?
Click to expand...


all drivers are up to date and installed
ill update the windows 8 when i am able
My PSU was bought off of craigslist and could have been faulty when i got it..i paid $30 so i guess that was my fault lol
on newegg.com i am gonna buy a new RAIDMAX HYBRID 650w PSU and a 4GB stick of RAM for now and test the GeForce 8800 GT before i declare it no good
($76 for both due to a sale and a 10% off next purchase promo code)
i tryed a system restore and still have the same issue..I cant do a fresh install due to DVD drive not working
and the DVD drive is on an IDE slave cable that also connects my internal/main Hard drive which is IDE as well (they are used parts as well)

hope that answers your questions..my knowledge is limited in this area lol
 
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Let's deal with the Dvd drive first. Is it on the outer position (master) or inner position (slave)? I tried to download the manual for you motherboard to see if it only allowed one ide drive (I have one board like that), but unfortunately the link was broken. I suspect that is not the problem as that is very unusual. I am guessing one, or both, of your drives have jumper settings that do not match your setup. Either both drives need to be set as "cable select" (cs) or the outer drive as master and the inner drive as slave. It is a common issue with ide drives. If you are unable to tell which jumper settings are in use, I can probably help identify that if I have the model numbers.
 
before throwing more money you need to solve the issues your having now i would see about borrowing a video and dvd drive start with the dvd first
also dvd are cheap get them for around 20 bucks if you have a unuse sata port by that one
your 8800 is a old card it could be incompatible with the pci-e slot
i had a computer the would lock up turn off every time i did anything that involve the graphics card work all day if i was browsering the web
 
cadeyrn said:
Let's deal with the Dvd drive first. Is it on the outer position (master) or inner position (slave)? I tried to download the manual for you motherboard to see if it only allowed one ide drive (I have one board like that), but unfortunately the link was broken. I suspect that is not the problem as that is very unusual. I am guessing one, or both, of your drives have jumper settings that do not match your setup. Either both drives need to be set as "cable select" (cs) or the outer drive as master and the inner drive as slave. It is a common issue with ide drives. If you are unable to tell which jumper settings are in use, I can probably help identify that if I have the model numbers.
Click to expand...

the IDE slave cable has a motherboard connection and 2 others..the master is on my internal hard drive and the dvd drive is on the slave connector (the cable is labeled on which connection goes where)
keep in mind my ECS motherboard suggests to run hard drive via SATA and peripherals/cd-dvd drives on the IDE..my hard drive is not SATA compatible so for now this is my only way of connecting it.

one thing i was gonna try find is an adapter to run my hard drive from IDE to SATA
but im not sure if thats possible because im am not very schooled in tech stuff.
 
decheck said:
before throwing more money you need to solve the issues your having now i would see about borrowing a video and dvd drive start with the dvd first
also dvd are cheap get them for around 20 bucks if you have a unuse sata port by that one
your 8800 is a old card it could be incompatible with the pci-e slot
i had a computer the would lock up turn off every time i did anything that involve the graphics card work all day if i was browsering the web
Click to expand...

i have a total of 3 DVD drives..2 of which i believe work..the other is stuck close so i didnt keep it..
the newest looking one was working long enough to install the Windows 8
shortly after that i noticed it had stopped recognizing it although the lights light up when PC is turned on.
if i can adapt/convert my Hard Drive from IDE to SATA connection as the manual recommends im hoping it will solve the problem (but not positive)

well my PCI-E slot is a 2.0 (x16) and you may be right im not sure of the age of the card
but a fellow CGA member gave it to me out of the kindness of their heart
so i think i will get a PSU either way cause from what i understand the higher wattage PSU the better
and if the PSU doesn't need replacing ill use the 650W in my build and
ill throw the 500W into a tower im slowly building out of spare parts (this will be a second GW2 pc in hopes to lure a family member into playing)
 
1. Have you tried using the other dvd drive?

2. For your setup there is really no need for higher wattage. Your computer only uses a certain amount of wattage, anything above that is unneeded. With a poor quality psu you will need higher wattage in order to make sure it can meet the demands of your system. With a good quality psu, like yours, the extra wattage is unnecessary. My wife's computer has higher energy needs than yours due to the gpu, yet it is running with a 425 watt corsair psu with no problems. The bigger question is, does the power supply work right?

3. There are also other things that could be causing your problem. Other than mouse and keyboard, what usb devices do you have plugged in when the computer boots? External hard drive? Usb flash drive? Card reader? I have seen all three of those things, and others, cause problems similar to yours. I just don't want you to go buy a psu and then find out that there is some other problem.
 
ok i ordered a brand new 650W PSU and 4GB more RAM,
then i will test the video card with a trusted Power Supply and know if i need to replace it or not.

tryed all other drives and no luck..i did get one that will respond by opening and closing when i push the button but thats it
 
cadeyrn said:
1. Have you tried using the other dvd drive?

2. For your setup there is really no need for higher wattage. Your computer only uses a certain amount of wattage, anything above that is unneeded. With a poor quality psu you will need higher wattage in order to make sure it can meet the demands of your system. With a good quality psu, like yours, the extra wattage is unnecessary. My wife's computer has higher energy needs than yours due to the gpu, yet it is running with a 425 watt corsair psu with no problems. The bigger question is, does the power supply work right?

3. There are also other things that could be causing your problem. Other than mouse and keyboard, what usb devices do you have plugged in when the computer boots? External hard drive? Usb flash drive? Card reader? I have seen all three of those things, and others, cause problems similar to yours. I just don't want you to go buy a psu and then find out that there is some other problem.
Click to expand...

The power supply i have was used and bought in a Walmart parking lot via Craigslist for $30
so i can't garauntee it was working 100% and for that price i took a gamble

i have the following connected by USB;
Mouse
Keyboard
Wireless Adapter
External Hard drive
 
in the pre-boot menu it is listed as connected when you choose boot order and other options

Im also thinking about checking my Processor to see if it needs some thermal paste.
when i was building it i had removed the heatsink to make sure the CPU was seated properly
and im not sure if that could have affected the layer of thermal past that came pre-measured

any thoughts if that would be a good thing to check reguardless?
i do know it will have more strain when i hook up my 650W power supply and reinstall the video card
and the last thing i want is to overheat my Athlon II x3 450 3.2GHz triple core CPU (it is my baby lol)
i actually chose the motherboard specifically to run it when i bought my parts
 
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1. Your old power supply may still be ok. Since you have another one on the way it should bepretty easy to determine if that is the problem. I would start by installing only the new psu (not the video card) and see if that fixes the problem. If it does, then add in the video card.

2. If the current psu is faulty, then might also fix the problem wth the dvd drive. It isn't likely, but possible none the less. I suspect the Dvd drives are simply no longer working.

3. I would definitely take off the heatsink, remove the old thermal paste (a slightly moist alcohol swab can help with this, just make sure the cpu is completely dry before proceeding), and then add new. Be careful not to add too much. Too much can be just as bad as too little. Here are instructions from arctic silver if you need them.

4. The psu will not put more strain on the processor. The cpu will only use as much power as it needs. The gpu may make it work a little harder, but I don't think it will be that big of a difference.

5. I might not have answered all your questions. I will try to review it all again later. I am currently working and trying to review ad find errors in all our recent medical bills (oh joy). If there is anything I missed, feel free to mention it again.
 
cadeyrn said:
1. Your old power supply may still be ok. Since you have another one on the way it should bepretty easy to determine if that is the problem. I would start by installing only the new psu (not the video card) and see if that fixes the problem. If it does, then add in the video card.

2. If the current psu is faulty, then might also fix the problem wth the dvd drive. It isn't likely, but possible none the less. I suspect the Dvd drives are simply no longer working.

3. I would definitely take off the heatsink, remove the old thermal paste (a slightly moist alcohol swab can help with this, just make sure the cpu is completely dry before proceeding), and then add new. Be careful not to add too much. Too much can be just as bad as too little. Here are instructions from arctic silver if you need them.

4. The psu will not put more strain on the processor. The cpu will only use as much power as it needs. The gpu may make it work a little harder, but I don't think it will be that big of a difference.

5. I might not have answered all your questions. I will try to review it all again later. I am currently working and trying to review ad find errors in all our recent medical bills (oh joy). If there is anything I missed, feel free to mention it again.
Click to expand...

I followed instructions and removed the old thermal paste from the CPU and the Video Card and re applied new paste
using 90% rubbing alcohol to remove all old paste,let it dry
and then added the pea sized glob in the center allowing the pressure of connecting to evenly spread it out (followed directions from a tech site)

no change in anything..i tryed guild wars 2 with the video card and it still froze minutes after moving my character around
so i shut down and removed the video card and it felt awful warm for only running 5 minutes (not sure if thats normal or not)
but guild wars 2 does run off of built in graphics on low settings so i can still play until i figure this mess out thank the LORD

I did however check all connections and clean all dust from the fans,video card,heatsync and any other areas i saw a slight build up forming.
and made sure my RAM was properly seated.
It did not change the shut down on first boot or dvd issue.

so at least when i get the new PSU it will be installed in a clean tower.
 
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I am not surprised that the video card is hot. That model in particular is known to produce a lot of heat. Did you happen to notice if the fan on the video card was running? I had that problem once...... It wasn't good.....

Hooray for clean towers! I need to do that soon...
 
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