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I have a Dell Precision M70, recently had problems with svc host, which are now resolved with the help of this board.

I now have a new problem, the pc freezes quite regularly. The display goes a little grainy around the cursor area and i have to turn off, this is now happening frequently.

I have also encountered similar problems on start up, the display swapping from on to off with 2 second intervals for about 5 mins, before the pc freezes.

I would appreciate any help you can give me

Thanks

Heya Nictaz,

When you have the startup problem of the monitor switching on and off and then it freezing, is that after the Windows splash screen or before?

Depending on when the unit is freezing up, will help you narrow down if it is a hardware or software related problem.

If all your problems occur after the Windows splash screen, then this could be a software problem. I would start by booting the unit into some sort of pre-install environment, such as, Bart PE, or maybe a live linux OS that boots right off of a CD.

If even in the pre-install environments, you have this same problem, I will guarantee you it is some sort of hardware problem. If it is hardware, that is a tough one to determine. My first guess would be memory.

Hope that helps!

Hi Wadd

It is after the splash screen, some times it crashes with a blue screen and a memory parity error message, but lately its took to freezing, with a few different outcomes.
1. Screen flashes on and off
2. screen goes blank, so not sure if its crashed
3. freezes with a noticable graining of the graphics around the cursor area

Have you tried booting into safe mode?

Also, have you tried dusting out your unit, especially around the heatsink? I have seen in a fair number of cases that clogged heatsinks cause freezing. But usually it takes a few minutes for it to heat up. But it's worth a shot. Also, reseating your memory may help.

If you can at least get into safe mode, then I would be even more sure it is a software problem. If you can get into safe mode, there are a few things you can try to fix the errors that are happening. You can try using ccleaner to clean junk out and fix registry problems. I would also use another registry cleaner like registry mechanic since ccleaner's registry cleaner misses a lot of values. You can try running chkdsk /r to see if maybe bad sectors are the culprit. Also, if you can get into safe mode, you can check your event viewer to look for errors.

Worst case scenario would be to try to save all your important data, then try a repair install, or just a full format/restore. If you can't even get into safe mode, that will pretty much be your only option, unless you want to spend hours trying to repair your existing installation of Windows.

There is still the obvious chance that this is hardware related. You can try running memtest to test your memory and also, if you visit the manufacturer's website for your hard drive, they should have a free hard drive tester you can use to check the stability of your hard drive.

Let me know what you run into next.

Hi Wadd

Just checked the ram and it wasnt seated properly, so ill give that a go, thanks

I'll let you know the outcome