I recently started to have this problem of my computer locking up when it boots up after bios check. It may lock up during the windows startup logo or at any random periods of using my OS. It stays fine in bios mode. The weird thing is, the only way for me to restart would be to totally cut off power to my computer. The restart button does not work nor holding the power button for 4 secs to force shut it down. There was once where my motherboard totally lost its cmos memory but the problem is gone now that I reseated the battery. I noticed this problem happening after I recently replace my gpu from a HD5850 to HD7870. I suspected it may be a power supply issue. My PSU is about four years old. As I have two internal HDDs plugged two my system (Caviar black 1TB & Caviar blue 1TB), I decided to unplug one (Caviar Blue 1TB) and viola, the system is working. It does not even lock up under heavy stress. I know some of you might suggests that the HDD is probably damaged but I differ as sometimes, after disconnecting the HDD and then reconnecting it back in. The system will boot up with no issues. I can even use the re-plugged in HDD with no signs of slow down or a hint of lock up. The problem will come back after an estimated 12 hours of downtime after shutting it down. I suspect I may need a PSU change. What do you guys think? Professional opinions needed~ My specs are (Never overclocked) i5 760 2.8 MSI P55-GD55 SAPPHIRE HD7870 REALPOWER PRO 650W (Suspected cause of problem) KINGSTON 1333 2GBX2 PCI-E TITANIUM SOUNCARD
More likely the hard drive i would say Nothing being loaded in the BIOS so it won't crash. Is your Realpower PSU by coolermaster? If so it is probably fine.
I say your power supply is the problem, most of the time you get an unstable system is either because the system has an unstable overclock or a bad PSU is usually attributed. Sometimes, your HDD may be a factor if you hear mechanical sounds of failure as well. Also known as the tick of death. deltatux
Couple things, replace the old psu regardless if it’s the cause or not; four years on that unit is enough and it would make a great backup\tester if it’s still good. Check Event Viewer for errors\information Boot to Safe Mode or disable all non-MS Services to check for driver\service problem If problem persists: Re-connect the HDD power and sata cable at both ends. Swap out the sata cables with new. Download WD diagnostic software and run the advanced test on each drive. Run chkdsk /r on each drive And as always: Clear CMOS and check BIOS settings Check for BIOS update Never hurts: Run Memtest86+ over night (12 hours) Good luck.
