Fecking computers

whyamihere

Over the summer, I built myself a nice new computer. I'd bought the motherboard, RAM and processor as a bundle. A nice dual core processor, 4GB RAM, and enough storage to contain even Andy's porn collection. There was much rejoicing.

Then, the problems started. Programs would start crashing, the system would occasionally lock completely, on the rare times when I was running Windows 7 to play games, I'd get a BSOD after a while.
"It's probably a RAM issue" thinks I, and so run a load of diagnostic tests on the RAM, and replace the sticks. It's not a RAM issue. So, I send it back to the retailer (who will remain nameless for now).
"It's probably a RAM issue" thinks they, and so they replace the RAM and send it back to me.

Naturally, this does feck all. In fact, it actually seems worse than before. So I phone them up, and say "Please Mr Computer man, please fix my computer!". They relent, and say "Oh, you poor sweet boy. Of course we'll fix your computer. We'll come and pick it up on the morrow."

Alas, when they test the bundle, there is no fault found. They send it back to me, saying "We're awfully sorry Mr Chris, but there appears to be sweet feck all wrong with it. Try replacing your power supply."

So, I toddled off and spent more of my small collection of pennies. In return, I received a black shiny box with wires coming from it. I realised I probably looked like an evil terrorist holding a black shiny box with wires coming from it, so naturally I got it out of my bag and walked around New Street Station holding it while giggling. I remained unmolested by the security services, much to my disappointment.

Today was the day! I was going to rebuild the system, which I had been assured was fine, and with my shiny new power supply, it would be sure to work. I could play games to my little heart's content, and wank myself into a frenzy with my massive porn collection.

But, alas, 'twas not to be. I booted from the hard drive, dribbling in anticipation and... It crashed when it got to the Ubuntu login screen. No matter, I think, I shall boot into Windows and then work out what's wrong with Ubuntu. It loaded into Windows. Hooray! I tried to run the Windows update service and it suffered a BSOD. BOOOOO!

"I'll try reinstalling the OSs" I say to my imaginary friend, who is standing next to me. He's called Steven, and he's very nice thank you very much. The Ubuntu installer crashes. The Windows 7 installer bluescreens. By this point, I'm torn between weeping pitifully and descending into a screaming rage, so in the end I do neither. Instead, I phone the retailer.

"It's not working!", I whine.
"Ah now, come on. We can't find a fault, there must be an easy solution. Tell you what, set it up with only your new hard drive and your new DVD drive, nothing else connected. Then run the Windows installer, I'm confident that will work", says the techy man at the end of the phone.

So I do. I try it. I disconnect the other two hard drives and the other DVD drive, and boot into the Windows installer. It seems to be going well... Until the by now familiar blue screen appears on my monitor. Time to phone up again, then.

"It's STILL not working, even after I did what your colleague told me to!", I sob.
"Well I'll be anally rammed by a pole", says the new techy man at the end of the phone. "I have no idea what's wrong with your computer, but I'll authorise it to be collected again and write down more notes that it's still a steaming pile of crap."

So, that's where I am now. Months have passed, summer has turned to winter, and I still don't have the damn thing working. I've been using my laptop exclusively for too long, I want my desktop back.

Fecking computers.

nicklouse

I built a computer last year and it still works fine. I even put Windows 7 on it and it still works fine.

I have no idea what this Ubuntu stuff is though

IhateDNS

Google the blue screen error code?
edit: any bleeps ?
number of bleeps

whyamihere

IhateDNS wrote:

Google the blue screen error code?

Well, I would, but I'm pretty sure it's an error in the northbridge chip of the motherboard. All other diagnostic tests I have access to come up clean.

Chunkers1980

New MoBO then?

whyamihere

Chunkers1980 wrote:

New MoBO then?

Well, that was the plan the first time I sent it back.

And the second time I sent it back.

Until they can confirm the fault, it seems, I'm not getting a new motherboard. Which is irritating, since I have no idea why the fault's not being picked up by them.

nicklouse

it has bad aids with added worms.

Chunkers1980

Is that different to good aids that help you do stuff?

Anonymous

BSODs are ALWAYS hardware or hardware driver faults. Well, 99.9999999999999999999999% of the time.
This is even more apparent since both linux AND windows are both going down.

Could be something as cryptic as an incompatibility between the particular graphics card and the motherboard. Or could be a motherboard in desperate need of a BIOS update.
Or, if you've installed both OSes clean onto this new system, it could be a faulty hard-disk causing issues.
As easy as it is to buy computer bits and stick them together, this is unfortunately where building your own puter is best left to someone who knows what they're doing.

Is it a core i5/i7 range processor by the way? There's a known (but hush hush) problem with ALL "core i" - range motherboards based on intel chipsets, where the PCI express slots cause really bizarre, random lockups.
And by random, I really mean it. The exact same system config will be fine for one guy, and will be problematic for the next.

whyamihere

yeehaamcgee wrote:

BSODs are ALWAYS hardware or hardware driver faults. Well, 99.9999999999999999999999% of the time.
This is even more apparent since both linux AND windows are both going down.

Could be something as cryptic as an incompatibility between the particular graphics card and the motherboard. Or could be a motherboard in desperate need of a BIOS update.
Or, if you've installed both OSes clean onto this new system, it could be a faulty hard-disk causing issues.
As easy as it is to buy computer bits and stick them together, this is unfortunately where building your own puter is best left to someone who knows what they're doing.

Is it a core i5/i7 range processor by the way? There's a known (but hush hush) problem with ALL "core i" - range motherboards based on intel chipsets, where the PCI express slots cause really bizarre, random lockups.
And by random, I really mean it. The exact same system config will be fine for one guy, and will be problematic for the next.

Inbuilt graphics, so it's not that. I can't get it stable enough to flash the BIOS.
It's been tried with 3 different hard drives. 2 of them I've used before, one of them's brand new. I've also run it off a LiveCD with all the hard drives unplugged, off two different optical drives. Locked up every time. This is probably the 6th computer I've built for myself, as well as building systems for others. I am one of those who knows what they're doing.
It's not, it's an AMD Athlon X2, Nvidia chipset.

blister pus

it's why god invented minidumps, what do they keep pointing to?

whyamihere

blister pus wrote:

it's why god invented minidumps, what do they keep pointing to?

They're somewhat difficult to read when you can't get the system to stay up for long enough to access them.

Anonymous

How can you possibly not have it stable enough to flash the BIOS? are you saying it crashes in POST? If that's the case then it is well and truly a fundunkerred motherboard.

anjs

Have you checked to make sure the MB is not shorting on your case?

Anonymous

Ooh, Athlon X2? Now hang on a minute.
EVERY Athlon X2 system I had died prematurely. The capacitors blew on the Epox motherboards, and the processors got destroyed on all the other boards (presumably due to some seriously dodgy power circuitry).

Bin it, and get something sensible. The X2s were the end of my love affair with AMD, stupid pieces of gopping crap.
(and by "every", I mean about 50-odd machines. It was a VERY expensive bad choice of hardware )

anjs

Have you checked to make sure the MB is not shorting on your case?

All power conectors linked up to the MB?

montevideoguy

A Neil Armstrong would fix you up

whyamihere

yeehaamcgee wrote:

How can you possibly not have it stable enough to flash the BIOS? are you saying it crashes in POST? If that's the case then it is well and truly a fundunkerred motherboard.

There's a program I need to run in Windows in order to prepare a USB stick to flash the BIOS, it won't stay up long enough to run that, and I only have Ubuntu on my laptop, so I can't run it on here.

Anonymous

No friends either huh?
Sure one of those could sort out a booting USB pen for you.

whyamihere

anjs wrote:

Have you checked to make sure the MB is not shorting on your case?

All power conectors linked up to the MB?

All checked and fine.

I'm pretty tempted now to try to get a refund on the damn thing. Though I don't know what I'd replace it with. Intel are expensive for the performance. Could try a Phenom I suppose...

whyamihere

yeehaamcgee wrote:

No friends either huh?
Sure one of those could sort out a booting USB pen for you.

None who run Windows...

blister pus

if you can't get any type of stability then you'll have to strip it down and clean everything, slots, RAM pins, connectors, the lot, and do trial and error hardware swaps till you get a stable 5 minute period.

whyamihere

blister pus wrote:

if you can't get any type of stability then you'll have to strip it down and clean everything, slots, RAM pins, connectors, the lot, and do trial and error hardware swaps till you get a stable 5 minute period.

It's going back again on Tuesday. I can't be bothered to try to fix it again, I've been trying everything I, or anyone I know, can think of (other than flashing the RAM, which shouldn't be the issue anyway since it apparently works for the retailer).

blister pus

you'd be amazed what a small speck of green tarnish on RAM pins can do

whyamihere

blister pus wrote:

you'd be amazed what a small speck of green tarnish on RAM pins can do

It's been tried with at least 3 different sticks of RAM though, in both slots.

blister pus

i'm just saying that the slightest bit of misplaced crap or similar cheeky little things like motherboard mounting (seen that cause shorting and BSODs) can and do happen.

whyamihere

Yep, I know. I've been over the thing with a fine toothed comb, and the board's been reseated a few times due to being put in and taken out to go back.

delta5

My money's on it being a duff MoBo.
But one long shot - is your home power supply 'clean'? Tried other sockets / circuits / houses? Some PC power supplies are touchy about fluctuations. It might explain why it 'works okay' at the shop as they are probably powering it up from a UPS.
It's more likely a lame MoBo. Best save more pain and just get it swapped, or a refund.

projectsome

After skimming through said post, If it's all brand new parts I'd say imcompatible parts or bios settings? does the mobo have inbuilt gfx chips etc? try reinstalling without the cards etc if you can. use less ram as well.

Also,

If you have a mobile phone that has a memory card slot, and you still have the cable, it should work as a flash device.

blister pus

can run a live cd so it sees a usb stick? yes, you can copy the .dmp files to the stick and read them on another windows box.

coxy17

how are u installing ubuntu