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Hi goons, Before diving into the template, I want to give a fair warning that I am a complete novice when it comes to computers, but I've been learning a lot and I am looking forward to learning more. Problem description: A bit of history before diving in: Over the years and once in a blue moon, I noticed that after shutting down my computer, Windows would shutdown but, my machine wouldn't fully turn off (the fans would stop and the machine would go quiet, but the internal lights were still on). Naively (and probably foolishly), I disregarded when this was happening and would just shut off the computer via the power button. Also, my computer was always slow to load after logging into my Microsoft account, so over the years, I've been turning off startup programs, which has helped. Outside of these issues, this computer has been great. I used it for 3D rendering work & gaming. The problem: While playing Overwatch since the start of the new year, I noticed that the game would crash randomly (it sometimes happened after playing for a few hours and sometimes after a few minutes upon launch). After crashing, I was able to open the Battle.net app but, when I tried to open Overwatch, the game would freeze on a black screen and I was forced to do a manual shutdown (aka, pressing the power button). I assumed that because it was only happening with Overwatch that the issue was with the game, so after doing most* of the recommended troubleshooting, I finally submitted a ticket to Blizzard tech support because I noticed that I was still having issues and it was getting worse. Blizzard tech support, upon reviewing my DxDiag and MSInfo files, said the issue was definitely with Windows. During all of this, the issues with my computer being slow and not fully shutting down were getting worse. I read on the internet that I should be more patient in waiting for the computer to shutdown so, I allowed the computer to sit in this half-off state for around 30 minutes. Finally, I manually turned it off, and when I turned it on later, a new problem arose. (I'm also debating if this was a part of the next problem or coincidental**) As the computer turned on, it restarted itself and a blue screen of death appeared. When I launched Windows normally, Windows Explorer would not load (it was constantly refreshing itself), so I had to manually press the power button to shutdown and I rebooted in safe mode. I contacted Microsoft, and yes, paid the $50 for them to remotely go into my computer and look at what was up. They suggested I go back to an earlier version of Windows, so I went back by two weeks. Everything worked for one night, but then Overwatch went right back to crashing and freezing, my computer started being sluggish, and had issues fully shutting down. I'm now backing up everything from my computer onto external drives. I've not opened Battle.net or Overwatch, but I'm noticing that my computer is still sluggish and no longer fully shuts down. When I say sluggish, for example, if I go into Settings > Add/Remove Programs, all the programs won't load and Settings freezes. tldr; My computer is having issues fully shutting down and it seems sluggish when running minor programs. This all seemed to come to a head when recently running Overwatch, where the computer would crash and then upon relaunch, freeze with a black screen. Blizzard and Windows technicians, upon reviewing files I've submitted, think it's an issue with Windows. Attempted fixes: - * Blizzard's recommended troubleshooting tips: resetting video driver settings, closing all background applications, running the game repair tool, uninstalling & reinstalling the Battle.net app & Overwatch, deleting the Battle.net Cache & Tools folders, checking power management settings (which included turning off 'Fast Startup'), running the memory diagnostic tool, updating drivers ** a note about updating drivers: Though I was up-to-date with my graphics card, I decided to reinstall the latest update just in case. The "blue screen episode" happened after this and I wonder if this was related to that particular kernal crash. - Checked for overheating components with Prime95 & Tropics (see my specs as to why not Heaven). Within a few minutes of running Prime95, my CPU ran hot (over 90 C). I took my machine apart and cleaned it (it wasn't that dusty, but the fans around my processor definitely needed to be cleaned). I ran Prime95, again, and while the temperature did go down, it wasn't a significant change. Additionally, the temperature in my room is cool, so I don't think that is contributing. With running Tropics, I didn't notice a jump in GPU temperature. - Went back to an earlier back-up of Windows - Turned off all non-essential start-up programs - Windows Defender did not catch any virus.exe - When I look through the Event Log, the only crashes listed mention "svchost.exe', as well as a kernal crash from the blue screen of death episode. + I have not performed a RunScanDisk because I'm not sure if I have a SSD, and obviously don't want to do that if I do. + I would like to try installing a fresh version of Windows, to see if it's just the software, but I am unsure of how to do this with my system specs. Also, do I need to obtain a Windows 10 CD to do this?** Recent changes: - There are always Windows Updates, so maybe a recent update contributed to this? But, I assume one should do OS updates, so I can't avoid doing them moving forward. -- Operating system: Windows 10 Pro, 64-bit System specs: Digital Storm customized system Chassis model: DS PROTUS Processor: Intel Core i7 950 3.06GHz (Quad Core) *not overclocked* Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth X58 (Intel x58 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6GB/s) System Memory: 12 GB DDR3 1600MHz Corsair Dominator DHX Power Supply: 1200 W Corsair Pro Gold Series (CMPSU-1200AX) (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) Hard Drive Set 1 (Operating System): 2x (1.5TB Seagate Barracuda (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) Configured HDD Set 1 to a Raid 0 Config - stripe performance Hard Drive Set 2: 1x (2TB Hitachi/Seagate (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 760 Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Cooling: Noctua NH-U12P SE Dual 120mm Fans, along with standard factory chassis fans Location: USA I have Googled and read the FAQ: Yes polarbear_terrorist fucked around with this message at 21:25 on Jan 15, 2019 |
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Jan 15, 2019 21:21
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 05:13 |
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Run CDI to verify HD health: https://osdn.net/projects/crystaldiskinfo/downloads/70295/CrystalDiskInfo8_0_0.exe/
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Jan 16, 2019 00:12
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Zogo posted:Run CDI to verify HD health: Thank you! I'll do this tomorrow and will report back.
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Jan 16, 2019 01:21
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Zogo posted:Run CDI to verify HD health: Here are screenshots from CDI: https://imgur.com/a/rvW8YKH   *Edit* And just in case, here's a view of the Disk Management 
polarbear_terrorist fucked around with this message at 16:25 on Jan 17, 2019 |
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Jan 17, 2019 16:19
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With my quick internet search, I'm guessing the "reallocated sectors count" being above 0 isn't a good sign  I don't quite understand SMART, though, and would love to know if this is fixable. polarbear_terrorist posted:Here are screenshots from CDI:
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Jan 17, 2019 17:13
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polarbear_terrorist posted:With my quick internet search, I'm guessing the "reallocated sectors count" being above 0 isn't a good sign Yes, the drive/drives are dying but luckily not completely dead yet. Backup then replace the drives. This is not something that's fixable, but if they're still under warranty they should replace them.
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Jan 17, 2019 21:11
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zharmad posted:Yes, the drive/drives are dying but luckily not completely dead yet. Backup then replace the drives. This is not something that's fixable, but if they're still under warranty they should replace them. If I replace the drives, do I need to get a new OS? Someone mentioned to me that I would have to. Given my machine, with all its components, is 8 years old, should I just consider scrapping it all and building a new machine? *And thank you! Appreciate the help on this!*
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Jan 17, 2019 21:25
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polarbear_terrorist posted:If I replace the drives, do I need to get a new OS? Do you have an OS key or any DVDs that came with the computer? polarbear_terrorist posted:Given my machine, with all its components, is 8 years old, should I just consider scrapping it all and building a new machine? If you have money to spend it wouldn't be the worst idea. Replacing the HD will probably fix your issue (not a 100% guarantee) and also there's always a chance something else will break soon. OTOH, buying a new HD is a small investment. I'd probably just try a new HD.
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Jan 18, 2019 07:16
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Zogo posted:Do you have an OS key or any DVDs that came with the computer? I have the CD & product key, but it's for Windows 7. I don't think this would be an issue, right? I think I'll try a new HD, first. Would I have set-up a RAID again? I've never done it (it was a Digital Storm purchase), but I'm game to learn! ______ Thank you again for your help!
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Jan 18, 2019 18:44
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polarbear_terrorist posted:I have the CD & product key, but it's for Windows 7. I don't think this would be an issue, right? A windows 7 pro key will activate windows 10 pro just fine. You don't HAVE to setup raid again, you can install on a single drive if you want. Depending on your space requirements a single SSD will probably give you more performance for a boot/gaming disk than RAID0 will. I'm still using my ASUS ROG Laptop from 2012 and when my RAID0 (2x 750GB Toshiba HDD) started to fail (bluescreening randomly on boot) I replaced both with 2x 1TB Samsung 860 EVO and the performance has been far better than RAID0 was.
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Jan 18, 2019 21:24
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zharmad posted:A windows 7 pro key will activate windows 10 pro just fine. Fascinating! Good to know! Yeah, I mainly had this setup for rendering, but I'm glad that I can step away from the RAID  Thank you all, again!
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Jan 18, 2019 21:49
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