Games Crashing

[ComradeWasabi]

Hi,

Edit: Upon review, the term "Crashing" isn't entirely accurate... "Freezing" would be more appropriate.

My games have been freezing intermittently, with no warning, for no apparent reason; it happens at any time, regardless of what game I play or what is on my screen.

I guess I'll fill out the "form"..

1. [1.] The title(s) of the game(s) you are dealing with. - All games I play; for example, World of Warcraft, Company of Heroes, World in Conflict, Warcraft III
[2.] The platform - PC
[3.] Internet Connection method - Cable
[4.] How long the problem has been going on - and whether you have previously been able to play without the current problem - approximately 2-3 weeks; yes, I have been able to play without any apparent problems in the past. Worth noting is that the problems have gotten worse and worse over the last couple of weeks; I noticed WoW freezing randomly every once in a while, didn't really think much of it, but soon I couldn't play anything without a freeze. Sometimes I can play for up to an hour without any freezing (very rare) or sometimes it will freeze after only 90 seconds or less.
[5.] For PC -
1. [a] Operating System - Windows XP Media Center Edition
Microsoft DirectX Version - [B]9.0c
[c] Hardware Summary - Particularly:
1. Motherboard Make & Model - Dell 0YU822
2. Video Card/Chip Make and Model And DRIVER version Number - nVidia 8800 GTX; nVidia Forceware release 169.21
3. CPU Type and Speed - Intel QuadCore Q6600; 2.4ghz
4. RAM details - 4GB DDR Corsair (not sure what else you need)
5. Soundcard/Chip Type - Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi

Some additional information:


avast! scan came up completely clean, no viruses
tried to run Memtest86, but the test froze and I couldn't get a conclusive report
I have encountered a blue screen informing me of a hardware malfunction, stating that a physical memory dump had been completed
My computer is a Dell XPS 720 Red... please no Dell jokes :p


All of this combined with my symptoms leads me to believe I have a problem with one or more of my sticks of RAM. However, I would like a more informed opinion before I go about trying to fix it.

[MaDef]

Sounds like a memory problem, check your event logs, they should have entries corresponding to the "freezing" problem.
Try running memtest using one stick of ram at a time.

What was the bluescreen error? that alone should point you towards the faulty hardware.

[Slinx]

You ram description is incorrect, its not possible you are are running DDR ram with a Quad Core processor and a 8800GTX graphic card, your ram should be DDR2, but what speed is it at? 667mhz? 800mhz?

[ComradeWasabi]

SIW only said "Synchronous DDR", you would know better than I if it's DDR or DDR2.

That being said, it's running at 1066mhz (I didn't touch it, that's how it was configured when I got the PC).

MaDef: I didn't write down what the error said unfortunately.... and where would I check my event logs?

[tdhthndthbte]

i hope this doesn't sound like hijacking a thread but I have the exact same problem, with the same blue screen. have you checked the temperatures/dust accumulation?

[MaDef]

that dell model ships with ddr2 memory.
to access the event logs, click start, run and type "eventvwr.msc" (without quotes) in the run box. check for any errors and/or warnings.

[Slinx]

DDR2, I though so.

tdhthndthbte: The dust would hardly have no effect on your ram, its rare that it will do, the temperature, you could check that, until then, do what MaDef told you and check for your errors before doing anything else.

[tdhthndthbte]

Error code 1000008e plus a bunch of numbers, what does it mean?

[Slinx]

is it:

1000008e, parameter1 c0000005, parameter2 804d9033, parameter3 b9394c38, parameter4 00000000

??? l

[tdhthndthbte]

almost, parameter 1 is the same, but parameter 2 is bf806a19, parameter 3 isbabae730, and parameter 4 is 00000000.

(if ComradeWasabi has a different error then i'll make a separate thread, otherwise it could help us both)

[ComradeWasabi]

Update...

I have been able to play Warcraft III for 75+ minutes in the last couple days... that being said, I tried some LOTRO earlier today and it crashed after only a few minutes.

I went through my error logs and found only one thing worth noting:

Error code 1000000a, parameter1 9a309238, parameter2 00000002, parameter3 00000001, parameter4 80522cfd.

Category (102), Event 1003

There is NOT a separate error entry for every time I encountered a freeze. In the days leading up to my original post (where it was freezing regularly) I can go through my event viewer and see every time that I was forced to restart (it lists the start-up of all of the processes). There isn't, however, an error entry.

Edit: I played World of Warcraft for an hour and a half without any problems, too. I'm utterly confused now. :confused:

Second edit: And just to add to the confusion, I later logged on again and it locked within 90 seconds.

[ComradeWasabi]

My computer has now frozen three times simply while surfing the internet, no game or strenuous applications opened. It seems like the problem is getting worse and worse, rapidly.:dizzy:

[stang10001]

open up and check for dust