Hi My system works fine for a few weeks, then it starts to randomly freeze. I realised that one of my RAM sticks was rubbish, so I binned that. Then I worked out that I had a faulty hard-drive so now have a new one in place. However, its still happening. And at this point I can get into safe mode, but if I try normal start-up, it hangs on the XP splash logo. So I usually open it up, fiddle around with a few bits, put it all back exactly as it was, and then restart and I'm (normally) good to go for a few more weeks. I have now just had the brainwave of just unplugging the power and waiting for a bit then reconnecting. Hey presto - the computer is fine. I don't know enough to know what this implies - if anything. Has anyone got any ideas? My only other thought is that the mobo is a PoS - MSI K8N Neo Platinum. (The layout was certainly designed by a drunk) I'd really like to get to the bottom of this. I built this system over a year ago and it has been temperamental ever since. I'm sick of it. Many thanks in advance Tom

try to take out the rubbished ram out 1st and reboot the pc without it. OR 1 of the easy thing to test whether is your pc problem or the HD is, if you have another HD(you can borrow one from your friend), try on your PC, or take the new HD that you are having now, test it on the diff. PC. well, of course i think the HD works, but i am sure if this new HD is the one that cause your PC hang. Wins 98 SE, intel celeron 450MHZ, 128MB pc 100. 6GB HD. ATI rage 128. 24x cd-rom. 8x2x8 cd-rw. "You know what burns my ass? A flame about this high."

I've seen several posts lately where people claim that their RAM has "gone bad". It doesn't "grow old" or "get tired". It's either bad from the day it leaves the factory or something causes it to go bad...power surge, overvolting, extreme heat, mishandling/physical damage. Did you test your RAM with memtest86 & find errors? or did you just guess that it was bad? Same goes for the HDD...did you run a diagnostics test or just guess that it was bad? Obviously you still have the problem so it's possible nothing was wrong with either. One thing that most people don't consider is the power supply...it's usually the last thing that's checked, after the PC has been virtually rebuilt...lol. Is your's a brand name unit or a cheap no-name? At least 350W & no less than 18A on the +12v rail? That MSI board is a good one http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_detail.php?UID=572 Hellz Yea!

Thanks for the comments. jam - I appreciate your help, but please don't put words in my mouth. (Especially not words of an idiot) Yes I tested the RAM (with memtest). It was a cheap stick bought from eBay and I should have known better. It produced errors on all of tests 3 through 8 (although 8 crops up with Athlons apparently) And the hard drive was making a ticking noise indicative of a defect which will, over time, worsen and kill it. (Plus, when it was making the noise, if I tried to view the contents of the drive, I got minutes-worth of delay, and occassional BSoD) I have the most powerful power supply that could be bought about 6 months ago, so I suspect it isn't that either. Please - I do understand what I'm talking about. I only don't know the bits I don't know. And I don't know about things like the need to drain CMOS batteries and how to detect mobo faults. (I also stand by my comment on the K8N - but each to their own) Tom

The only reason I "put words in your mouth" is because you didn't explain your comments. "I have the most powerful power supply that could be bought about 6 months ago, so I suspect it isn't that either." I find it peculiar that you didn't post the make/model of this "Most powerful PSU"? I would have to assume you spent at least $100 on it because a decent quality "normal powerful PSU" sells for about $50. As for the motherboard...you don't have to take my word for it, I'm just an idiot answering questions in a forum. If you check any of the reputable hardware sites that review motherboards, you'll find that your's is one of the top rated S754 nF3 250Gb boards & the layout is one of the things that's praised. Hellz Yea!

Have you tried installing (or reinstalling)the latest nvidia chipset drivers from their website? Just a thought.

Hi Raven55 No I haven't - I will, though. What made you suggest that? jam - The power supply is a Q-TEC 650W Triple fan (25A on the 12v line). This one! Are they a dodgy brand? Tom