View Full Version : Fix Old Computer
Hey Guys and Girls :)
So, my summer holiday has started and I decided to fix up the old computer I had in the loft. However I am a bit stumped as to 'diagnosing' the problem.
Bit of history:
About 5 years ago the computer was bought. Worked fine for a good 2 years. However it started giving :bsod: "Page Fault in Non-Paged Area". A nuisance occasionally, but it got to the point on every boot where it would give the error upon every login. We replaced the RAM in the system, however the problem persisted.
After a few failed attempts to get into the system, it would do a persistent, strange thing. Upon pressing the power button, the system would initialise (based on front lights and fans starting up). However, there would be "No signal" from the computer, and the computer would constantly reboot itself roughly every 2 seconds (based on tower's sound). Seeing that there was no video output, we replaced the Graphics Card. It worked for a while (few days) but then the problem cropped up again. We called it a day and bought a new PC.
Present Day:
I plugged in the computer, plugged the screen in and switched it on. It got to the login screen fine (Win XP BTW.) I then hit the power button, and it began to shut down. However, during shutdown, I got :bsod: "Page Fault in Non-paged Area". I Held the button to shut it down, but it started to constantly restart the computer again. After eventually getting to turn off, I tried to boot into the BIOS, but It gave no video out and constantly restarted.
Somewhat of a coincidence: The second computer we bought after a few months decided to :bsod: "Page Fault in Non-Paged Area". But instead of wasting time trying to fix it ourselves, we got a PC engineer to take it and fix it. He said he replaced the graphics card in it, and it worked again.
Which leaves me with a puzzle as how to fix this 'project'. Did I buy a faulty graphics card out of bad luck? and How do I go about figuring out what the problem is if I can't get a Video Out?
Any and all help appreciated as always :)
:dom:
Just a small update:
I powered it all down, and removed and reinserted the Graphics card just incase there was a faulty connection. Upon boot, it gave me a Video Out and I was able to get into the BIOS. However, about 20 seconds in the video froze, and I had to reboot. Upon reboot, I got no Video out and constant reboots, so I had to power it all off.
Any info on mobo, gfx psu etc may help.
could be any one of those, dose the mobo have onboard gfx if so will it boot if you take out the gfx card and run on onboard ?
There is no onboard Video.
MB: Gigabyte GA-8IPE1000 v1.0
Video: Nvidia GeForce 6200
Unsure of the PSU.
RAM: 1GB (2 x 512mb) 184-pin DIMM
I'm going to try various RAM setups to see if it could be a defective stick.
Been mulling this over and thhinking bout the probs i had over the years and tbh when i had a mem prob ive norm had bsod, the only time that i remember having what you discribe ( and it was with my current m/c ) was a weak psu. Have had probs ( at home and work) where a "cold" psu will test ok but when i load test and it warms up it can start to fail but then the gfx could do the same, but tbh i've not had a gfx cause the pc to keep restarting
That does sound probable, because as I described, the Computer seemed to start normally when I got it out of the loft, but now it keeps crashing. I will look into replacing it with a more powerful one later in the week. What I hope to do is leave the PSU to cool, and then try to boot into the BIOS, where it can tell me the power on each of the rails. If any of these are out, I will definitely seek a replacement. Thanks Raven :)
Storm_Seraphin
27-07-2011, 08:29
Just my thoughts,
check all the fans spin freely, make sure everything is in place securely ( mem etc)
if it post’s so you can get into the BIOS, select “Fail-safe defaults” confirm reboot.
( note) if the computer has been sitting for a while, the battery / capacitor probably won’t have charge in it ;) so check your Time / Date settings in the bios (this can cause post interrupts)
Older PSU’s when they click off, make a slight & faint “ting ting” sound when as they switch off (this could be a bad sign).
simple ram check, choose a stick, try it in a previously unused slot, A2 instead of A1.
check out post beeps:
http://www.computerhope.com/beep.htm
Thanks for your Input Stormy.
I took out the Heatsink and the fans, gave them a thorough cleaning and put them back. I also swapped out the RAM, trying different stick in different slots. But with 2 slots, the RAM physically would not sit in them, so I abandoned that and gave up on the RAM.
The PSU hasn't been making any abnormal noise, and there are no Beeps. I'm not even sure if the MB has a PC speaker. I tried booting with no RAM installed, but still no beeps (and also same problem) So I'm guessing no PC Speaker is fitted.
I can no longer boot into the BIOS, as there is no Video Out and the computer continuously reboots (based on the constant re-initialisation of the CD and DVD drive.)
If you suspect it might be a bad/underpowered/failing PSU (and just as a general debugging procedure in these cases) you could try to remove/unplug all of the non-essential components: Floppy drives, CD/DVD drives, PCI cards, excess fans, excess USB devices, the gfx card (if you have an onboard one). If the problem happens to be with one of those devices or if it is a PSU power issue then that might let you boot it up for long enough to properly diagnose the problem.
Good Idea Jiddo, thanks. I'll give that a go now :)
Timosfrag
27-07-2011, 18:13
I just remembered something that happened to me.
My pc was rebooting randomly 1 time per day or 10 times 1 hour. And the problem was the reset buton in front panel, maybe cos of dust or bad contact. I remove the reset pins from mobo (now i cant reset) and it works great :)
I have tried disconnecting various non-essential devices from the computer, but the problem persisted. Sounded like a good idea Timos, however my MB does not have a reset button on the front :(
I have ordered a PSU, and will let you know what happens after I have fitted it :)
but it may still have connections to the front-panel connectors on the MOBO
try pulling them out, pins are bottom right of the board
6142
Thanks Bert. I located the front panel array of jumpers, and the reset jumpers are disconnected. Just to make sure, I cleared away the dust and re-seated the Power Button Jumper, but to no avail.
Hopefully things will be better once the PSU arrives and is fitted :good2:
Did you reset the bios jumper?
Yup, cleared the CMOS to restore factory defaults, but still no luck.
Probably teaching you to suck eggs but have you replaced the battery?
It will likely need doing after a few years of storage anyway
I have not, purely because I read online that the system should be able to boot despite a flat CMOS battery. I will see that it is replaced prior to the installation of the PSU.
Not teaching me to suck eggs Bertie, I appreciate all advice :)
I have researched your issue a bit
The 'non-paged area' is a section of the ran currently being used for essential operations.
A page fault would refer to tge system asking for data from that area that doesnt exist for whatever reason.
If the system is fully booted this is likely due to a driver or other software overwriting the esential data in the 'non-paged area'
If its not booting its likely down to hardware
Principly the RAM itself, ie a fault on the DIMM
Secondly a HDD sector fault
Third a CPU L2 cache problem
Fouth a MOBO DIMM slot problem
I would suggest changing the RAM first, or if you have 2 or more DIMMs take them all out but one, boot and if it crashes swap it.
If you can get it to boot into bios try underclocking the RAM slightly
Good luck
radical red
28-07-2011, 21:41
I once had a similar problem. About the constant reboots without ever getting anywhere. It turned out to be a mobo problem in my case.
Thanks Bert. I have tried swapping the RAM around, trying one stick or using different slots, but nothing worked. I don't expect it to be the RAM, because the RAM was bought to solve the problem. I have also read that underclocking the RAM can help, but I can't boot into BIOS at the moment.
I have disconnected the Old PSU, and am just waiting for a new one to arrive (probably next week :( )
3 days later.
The power supply arrived. Fitted, Functioning, but the Computer will not give a Video Output. I am starting to believe the Graphics card is bust (for whatever reason). Is it possible I bought a fault GFX card?
Or could this be a Hard drive / Motherboard issue :(
ShutUpAndFire
01-08-2011, 11:21
Have you got a different screen you could try? For some reason when I build a new comp my monitor dosent recognise the signal unti I change some settings in the Nvidia panel so I have to use my Plasma tv to set everything up then its fine (and dont ask me why it does this I dont have a scooby, I figured it out by accident :p: )
I am using a different screen to the one that it originally broke on, so I'm going to say it's not the screen or the settings for the screen.
I am going to try and swap out the Graphics card for an old one, and see if I can atleast get into the BIOS to use Fail-Safe settings.
Update: Turns out I don't have a compatible GFX card to swap it with (Mine is AGP, the other is PCIe)
Update 2: I have tried using a voltmeter connected to the PC speaker connectors to try and get some sort of idea for an error code. I got no P.d. across the connectors, meaning no sound. Just to see if the PC speaker was configured for use on this M.b. I removed all the RAM and tried it. Still no P.d. , so I am guessing this M.b. is not configured to produce error beeps.
I am left with the option of buying a new graphics card, however the constant rebooting of the system is leading me to believe that it isn't the graphics card... :(
Whilst I have been poking and prodding, I have noticed that the RAM installed is rated 2.6v, however the M.b only supplies 2.5v . Will this be enough difference to cause my problems?
its no problem
the mobo 'requires' a certain spec and the ram is set to run 'up-to' a certain spec
you will find its running at something like 2.2 or 1.8 really, which is no problem because it just slightly down-clocks the ram
no issue at all
Memory 4 DDR DIMM memory slots (supports up to 4GB memory) (Note)
Supports dual channel DDR 400/333/266 DIMM
Supports 2.5V DDR DIMM
I tried taking the GFX card out and powering up, but it constantly rebooted.
I tried taking the HDD out and powering up, but it constantly rebooted.
So I've had to conclude that the problem is the Motherboard; Don't know what I'll do about it yet, but thanks everyone for your help :)
ravenette
02-08-2011, 08:48
do you have one of thiose multi card readers connected to the pc if so try dissconnecting it see if it makes a difference mine is dissconnected and running ok
No, I don't have any card reader. Just a Floppy drive, CD drive and DVD drive. (Floppy shows how old this thing is) :)
.......So I've had to conclude that the problem is the Motherboard; Don't know what I'll do about it yet...........
Gigabyte GA-8IPE1000 from £24.99 on Ebay