Solved Random crashes while external temp rises.

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MrM0uton

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Jul 1, 2020
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Hello everyone !
I've been having this issue for quite some time and it's time to put an end to it.
I've got my pc for 3-4 years now and sometimes the pc just freeze. It's not a BSOD, the PC is still running and i lose the video and the sound. I have to hard reboot the pc each time.
The thing that bothers me is that it tends to happend much more in the summer when the external temps rise.
Yet i've been using MSI Afterburner to monitor my temps while playing and to check what are the temps when the PC freeze and nothing seems to be overheating.

I know the CPU is very demanding but my psu should be enough.

Do you guys have any ideas ?

http://speccy.piriform.com/results/bQ2eBPuJ4QTWssfMwHA58Co
 
Hello MrM0uton.

Couple of things of note in Speccy but before we go any further can you post the brand and model name or number of the power supply (PSU).
 
Good quality PSU so only thing to suggest is that you check that all of the modular cables are securely connected at both ends.

Couple of questions;

Is or has this computer ever been overclocked at all.

Is there any pattern to the behaviour as in does it only happen when gaming or does it happen when only online browsing or just sitting at the desktop.

RE: Your Speccy report;

The most serious issue that you have is the dangerously low amount of free storage space on the C: drive SSD where Windows is installed.

Partition 2
Partition ID: Disk #0, Partition #2
Disk Letter: C:
File System: NTFS
Volume Serial Number: 28BDA6A3
Size: 930 GB
Used Space: 928 GB (99%)
Free Space: 2,19 GB (1%)

For Windows to be able to run efficiently and to be able to update you need to have between 20 and 25% of the partition or drive available as free storage space at all times, if you don`t you risk Windows becoming corrupt or not being able to update which puts you at risk of malware attack.

Data only storage devices should not be allowed to get any lower than 10% of free storage space of the full capacity of the drive/partition on the drive, this also to avoid data corruption.

Please note that storage devices can physically fail if the amount of free storage space is allowed to drop below the required 10 or 20/25% minimum.

Power Profile
Active power scheme: High performance

I suggest that you change the Windows Power Plan to Balanced, High Performance is a form of overclocking that is known to cause stability and overheating issues and the setting should only be used for gaming type notebooks that have a discrete GPU that needs the extra power.

Windows is out of date;

10/06/2020 2020-06 Mise à jour cumulative pour Windows 10 Version 1909 pour les systèmes x64 (KB4560960)

10/06/2020 2020-06 Mise à jour de sécurité pour Adobe Flash Player sous Windows 10 Version 1909 sur systèmes x64 (KB4561600)

Troubleshooting computer problems is a waste of time when it is known that Windows is out of date as any one of a number of the missing hot fixes could be the solution to any problem that you may be having.

Your USB HDD is about to go into meltdown;

G-DRIVE USB SCSI Disk Device
Heads: 16
Cylinders: 486 401
Tracks: 124 032 255
Sectors: 7 814 032 065
SATA type: SATA-III 6.0Gb/s
Device type: Fixed
ATA Standard: ATA8-ACS
Serial Number: PK2334PEJ7N2DT
Firmware Version Number: MJAOA580
LBA Size: 48-bit LBA
Power On Count: 38 times
Power On Time: 918,5 days
Speed: 7200 RPM
Features: S.M.A.R.T., APM, NCQ
Max. Transfer Mode: SATA III 6.0Gb/s
Used Transfer Mode: SATA III 6.0Gb/s
Interface: USB (SATA)
Capacity: 3726 GB
Real size: 4 000 787 030 016 bytes
RAID Type: None
S.M.A.R.T
Status: Good
Temperature: 50 °C
Temperature Range: Warning (50 °C to 55 °C)
 
Thanks for your quick answer Phill.

I'll go check if the cables are all connected. I didn't know the pc would even start with cables not properly connected.

The pc has never been overclocked and I even underclocked it to help prevent the crashes last summer.

There is no pattern to the crashes except they happen only when the ambient temperature of the room goes up.
During winter there is no issue. That fact made me believe it was a cooling issue but as i said all temperatures seem okay. (Appart from the hard drive you mentioned.)
The CPU is cooled by one of the last Corsair AIO with fans on the top of the case and there are 2 front intake fans and one back outake fan.

For example the temperature has greatly increased those last days and my computer can't even stay in game or under load (sometimes only browsing the internet or watching youtube) for more than 5 min.

The last possible thing I could think of is a PSU overheat but wouldn't that completely shut down the computer instead of freezing it ?

On the matter of your other concerns i've already made some space on the C: drive which has now more than 400 Go of free space.
I've also been browsing the forum and changed the power mode to balanced as you advised in another thread.

I'll try to update Windows if my computer allows it.

And for the overheating hard drive I dont know what i could do.
It's just a drive with files on it and no programs installed.

One more time thanks for your help and have a good night or day !
 
Thanks for the update and you are welcome MrM0uton :)

Just trying to cover all bases with making sure that the modular cables are securely connected.

Something overheating as you describe does look a possibility but you are only addressing issues that needed to be addressed which can only help in the long run.

I would disconnect the external USB HDD while we troubleshoot and then only connect it as and when required afterwards, unlike an SSD a mechanical HDD will start locking up if temps get to 50 °C or above.

Going offline shortly but will check back tomorrow for any update and if you are around we will check your temps and voltages.
 
Sorry for the double post there was a server error and i though my message was not posted.

Hi again !
I've checked the cables and nothing seems to be out of place or not properly connected.

The DDR has been unplugged, I've cleaned the gpu and changed its thermal paste. I've also cleaned the AIO fans and radiator and although the system took a bit more time to freeze it certainly did.

All fans are spinning except the PSU fan.
I don't know what could cause those crashes.

Could it be the motherboard ? After a crash i let the pc running instead of shuting it down to check on everything and the fans are still running but only on a set speed (no more variation on speed to match the components temperatures).
The motherboard seemed hot on touch but not hot enough to burn.
 
Sorry for the delay getting back to you, wasn't aware that you had replied as I did not receive any notification for some reason.

The behaviour of the PSU fan is normal as it only spins up when the computer is under load.

The computer not shutting down completely would normally suggest that it is software related but we will as said check the temps and voltages first, can you also post a new Speccy url when you next reply;

Download Speedfan and install it. Once it's installed, run the program and post here the information it shows. The information I want you to post is the stuff that is circled in the example picture I have attached.

speedfan.png


So that we have a comparison to Speedfan, download, run and grab a screenshot of HWMonitor (free).

To capture and post a screenshot;

Click on the ALT key + PRT SCR key..its on the top row..right hand side..now click on start...all programs...accessories...paint....left click in the white area ...press CTRL + V...click on file...click on save...save it to your desktop...name it something related to the screen your capturing... BE SURE TO SAVE IT AS A .JPG ...otherwise it may be to big to upload... after typing in any response you have... click on Upload a File to add the screenshot.

Screenshot instructions are provided to assist those that may read this topic but are not yet aware of the “how to”.
 
Hello Phill,
The issue seems resolved actually. The crashes became worse so I wiped my drives and performed and clean windows install and no more crashes since.

It was indeed software related. I don't know which software but it's working now.
I'm happy it works now but I would have liked to know what was causing the issue.
If the problem restarts i'll try to identify what I installed last.

Anyway thanks a lot for your help and time it was a pleasure.
I'll recommend this place for sure !
 
Hello MrM0uton,

Pleased to hear that you have resolved the issue and thank you for letting us know how (y)

Suggestion for you, as you reinstall any software make a list of the time and date that you install it and be sure to create a new system restore point before any install of new software or major updates.

You are welcome btw :)
 
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