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Thread: Computer comas

  1. Computer comas

    I posted a bit earlier about the computer issues I had before, which started with hard drive problems, but those have since disappeared.

    Now the symptoms are much more clear cut. My computer is fine as long as it stays on and I never reboot it. Which, if I disable Windows Update, can be weeks. However, if something happens and I get a freeze or I have to reboot, my computer will go into a coma.

    During this time, the computer will not post at all. The case fans and GPU fan come on, but not the CPU fan, and it seems to be stuck in a pre-post boot loop. No beeps, no nothing.

    The only solution seems to be to unplug the computer for an extended period of time, usually several days, and then it will come back to life and I can use it for a few more weeks.

    This is very inconvenient. I feel like this problem should be fixable, since everything is capable of running just fine for weeks at a time, but I really have no idea what's causing it.

  2. Unhelpful post: Sounds like some weird kind of bios/motherboard issue. Your computer works once started so it's obvious that functionally it's fine. Unplugging it for extended periods shouldn't affect anything except some bios storage, which would make sense that something is being saved incorrectly since a fresh boot (likely redetecting your hardware from scratch) comes up just fine. I'm on my phone so I can't really search well at the moment, but you've tried replacing the bios battery, right?

  3. I had similar issues with a video card a few years ago that was tied to micro fractures and heat issues with the board. Keeping the machine at a constant temperature would allow it to run for weeks, but fluctuations due to heavy load on the card followed by quick drops in load would crash the computer and restarting properly would require extended rest (sometimes ten minutes sometimes three days) to cool everything. I only figured this out because it was a common problem on my particular card, I'd never even heard of micro fractures before that.

    So shot in the dark but your mobo might have something similar going on. That's where I'd look at a possible replacement.

    Also what mech said is the very first thing you should try, swap that battery. If that doesn't work swap the board, if either of us are right it will fix your problem.
    Last edited by Opaque; 26 Jan 2013 at 11:25 AM.

  4. Quote Originally Posted by MechDeus View Post
    Unhelpful post: Sounds like some weird kind of bios/motherboard issue. Your computer works once started so it's obvious that functionally it's fine. Unplugging it for extended periods shouldn't affect anything except some bios storage, which would make sense that something is being saved incorrectly since a fresh boot (likely redetecting your hardware from scratch) comes up just fine. I'm on my phone so I can't really search well at the moment, but you've tried replacing the bios battery, right?
    Yeah, I've tried replacing the bios battery (the computer booted up after, but it didn't solve the problem from coming back). But I haven't tried updated/reflashing the BIOS. Maybe I should do that next time it comes back to life. Could be a corrupted BIOS.
    Quote Originally Posted by Opaque View Post
    I had similar issues with a video card a few years ago that was tied to micro fractures and heat issues with the board. Keeping the machine at a constant temperature would allow it to run for weeks, but fluctuations due to heavy load on the card followed by quick drops in load would crash the computer and restarting properly would require extended rest (sometimes ten minutes sometimes three days) to cool everything. I only figured this out because it was a common problem on my particular card, I'd never even heard of micro fractures before that.
    I'm not experiencing any kind on instability at all, though. It's actually been a rock. It only crashed this last time because I tried to run a patched unofficial version of DScaler that my system didn't like. But it was up for two weeks, playing games for hours on end, etc. I'm pretty sure it's not heat-related.
    Last edited by Frogacuda; 26 Jan 2013 at 11:40 AM.

  5. had a kind of similar issue with a computer at work, take the hdd(s) out and run a full chkdsk on them in another computer

    it was an old dell optiplex from the early 2000s that would sometimes get stuck mid-POST, if it managed to get through POST at all it would take a damn long time to load up windows

  6. Oh hey, have you tried not using a CMOS battery at all? Take it out and then see if it restarts.

  7. Quote Originally Posted by cka View Post
    had a kind of similar issue with a computer at work, take the hdd(s) out and run a full chkdsk on them in another computer

    it was an old dell optiplex from the early 2000s that would sometimes get stuck mid-POST, if it managed to get through POST at all it would take a damn long time to load up windows
    Although this would jive with the fact that it started with HDD issues, it won't post even with all the drives removed. Also, boots normally once it boots.

    Mech: Going to try that in a few. Will also try the backwards battery trick. Will report back.

  8. Quote Originally Posted by MechDeus View Post
    Oh hey, have you tried not using a CMOS battery at all? Take it out and then see if it restarts.
    Tried and failed. Also tried putting it in backwards to clear it and then putting it back in the right way. Fail and fail.

  9. The suggestion was mostly based on the hunch that it wasn't saving settings properly, so I wouldn't expect the backwards clearing to work since replacing the battery didn't.

    Actually, wait a minute, I missed this part earlier.
    The case fans and GPU fan come on, but not the CPU fan
    The CPU fan is hooked up through your PSU, not the motherboard, correct? If so, do you have another PSU available to test? (And you've already reseated the PSU connections to the mobo, I'm assuming.)

    p.s. What model/manufacturer is your mobo?

  10. Quote Originally Posted by MechDeus View Post
    The suggestion was mostly based on the hunch that it wasn't saving settings properly, so I wouldn't expect the backwards clearing to work since replacing the battery didn't.
    That hunch is correct, by the way. Sometime after it started doing this it also stopped remembering which drive to boot, so I have to hit F12 and select the drive every single time it boots. There's definitely something fucked there, but apart from the battery and the clear jumper I don't know what else to do about it.

    Actually, wait a minute, I missed this part earlier.The CPU fan is hooked up through your PSU, not the motherboard, correct? If so, do you have another PSU available to test? (And you've already reseated the PSU connections to the mobo, I'm assuming.)
    The CPU fan goes through the mobo too. I have indeed tested with another working PSU with identical results. I'm pretty comfortable ruling that out as a possibility.
    p.s. What model/manufacturer is your mobo?
    It's a Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R. A little hard to find these days if I don't want to shop on eBay or pay a premium. I'm pretty broke these days, so I'm really trying to avoid buying something if at all possible, since it seems like this should be fixable.

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