Queen of the erm?..DOH!

[Guest keiron]

Every time i do a flight over at least 1000nm with the 747 my gauges on my PFD dissapear and my whole computer locks up to a state where i cannot even ctrl+alt+del, only way is for me to press the restart button. I cannot trace the error as nothing gets saved to the memory dump when it happens. I have done reinstallations after re installations of the PMDG 747, reformatted my PC and done a fresh install of XP and FS9. I am running the newest version of the 747 as thats the one i bought anyhow.. Could it possibly be a Hardware problem? Vital System specs are P4 2.8, 1 gig ddr 400 corsair+ Nvidia 6600GT OC AGP, 40 gig Hdd of somekind, 550W PSU, gigabyte motherboard has 800FSB.Its not the best rig but my frame rates are pretty cool when it is working and i'm 100% positive i am entering the registration details and the up to date Sid/stars + airac. My computer is defragged everyday as its maintained by diskeeper.Any Ideas?-Keiron-

[falcon999 24]

I had a similar issue once. Turned out the problem was hardware stability related to long periods of heavy system loading (aggresive video and memory OC settings as well as cooling over a long period). Set everything back to defaults and system ran great but I did loose a few FPS. I chose stability over FPS. :-)Are you over clocking? :-)

[Guest keiron]

No not at all, system settings are all standard, The only thing that is overclocked is my Nvidia 6600 GT which is the Overclocked version from BFG. My cpu average temperature is around 39 degrees, The 6600 gets hot though after a gaming session, i've seen that on 50 degrees, its probably even hotter during gaming when i'm not looking!I must get some overtime in at work so i can get my new system built up haha. Thanks anyway:]

[falcon999 24]

Just as a test running the 6600 at standard rate and see if that helps. It would be interesting to know if that is what is causing the problem.

[rsrandazzo 6,353]

KeironWhat you are experiencing sounds suspiciously like an overheat....I had a GeForce 6800 that wasn't getting enough cooling early in the 400 development- and that is exactly what it would do to me...Good luck getting that sorted out.... Hardware issues can be a real PITA to find/fix....

[ChuckB 0]

You also mention a 550 watt power supply, but is it a good quality one or just a generic one that came with the case? And even if it is a quality psu, how old is it? I ask because I have had problems in the past that were the results of a quality power supply that simply could not keep up with the demands of the system because it was just old. I would first do as the others have said above and make sure you're not overheating the video card. Once that is checked off, if you still have the problems, I'd take a good look at the power supply.ChuckC-130E/H/H1 Flight EngineerDyess AFB, TXAMD 64 3700+ASUS A8V Deluxe 1.0 gig DDR400 Corsair TwinX 3200XLC2ProWD 120 gig HDDWD 80 gig HDDTwin WD 160 gig SATA HDDsSB Audigy 2ATI Radeon X850 Pro 256CH Products USB Yoke, Pedals, Throttle QuadBelkin Nostromo n52Windows XP Pro SP2

[Guest keiron]

I ended up buying a new power supply and hardrive in the end, i also replaced my ram. Tried a nice long haul flight from EGLL - TNCM, 1 hour later, PFD's went black and computer froze. Could it be something to do with the CPU? I enquired about my graphics card and on load 56 degrees is pretty normal for the 6600GTI've tried benching my computer on 3dmark and i dont really get good results on the cpu phase? I even tried flying with lower settings and a lower resolution and i got the same problem..it crashes to such a state my cpu stops so i cannot even exit via ctrl+alt+delI know for a fact it is nothing to do with my software and PMDG registration because i've done way too many fresh installs now to try and concor this problem! All i wanna do is cross the atlantic! :(:(

[767lover 285]

Keiron.I have been struggling with a similar issue and ended up solving the problem by buying a good power supply. I wasn't really into computer hardware and bought a new CPU, mainboard and graphic card, without upgrading my 350w power supply. Yes, very foolish and the guys at the store didn't tell me anything too. What happened was that each time my graphic card was processing heavy work loads, my hard drive used to make one or two clicking sounds and crash. The only thing I could do is reboot my computer by pressing the power button. I had to throw away several hard drives with this problem, untill I figured that the power supply might be the main issue. I bought a 450 power supply that has a stable output and not just 450w peak. If your new power supply is not of such kind, I suggest you try another one (that has stable output). Maybe you can try one before you buy it. But look at your videocard first, since the problem might be there too. Dirk

[Guest keiron]

You probably just missed my previous post while you was writing yours lol. Yes i have bought the new power supply which is very good and was expensive, a true 600W,with surge sensors, it's SLi ready and everything and made by Jeantech , a very good make. 2 weeks old.I've ordered a new cpu anyhow as it only cost me 70bucks as its the socket 478 P4, if that does not solve the problem then i know what the problem will be...and i'll be sending that problem right back to BFG and demanding a replacement. I will keep you all posted.

[Jeff Nielsen 1,385]

I had a similar problem. Dell replaced my motherboard and video card. It turned out to be a bad stick of RAM. I had all the simptons of a bad vid card. My symptoms were a little more abrupt though. I didn't have an hours worth of time before my CPU locked up. I've never overclocked either.

[Mats_J 2]

Have you checked for dust on/in your heatsinks for the CPU and GPU? That will make any processor overheat and it doesn't matter what fancy equipment you have. I clean my heatsinks and the inside of the case of all my computers at least once a year. I use a vacuum cleaner and the furniture brush. Be careful though with static electricityHope it helps,

[Guest keiron]

Inside my tower is dust free as i too have a special vac to get rid of all the stuff and i clean my tower 6 monthly.So far i have replaced PSU,ram, hdds, and cpu is on its way this week. so if it happens again it will be the graphics card that is the problem..which lucky for me is under life time warranty with BFG. I am quite tempted to buy a better card now they are so cheap!!LIke rsrandazzo quoted early, hardware issues are a real PITA! and often can be expensive!

[Guest SIX]

RAM RAM RAM RAM. Could even be the GeForce RAM, but it is RAM. That is RAM. Yes sir, the problem is ... RAM. I cann't tell you how many times I have solved a problem with FS of similar nature by changing the RAM, on different boxes and setups, not just one machine.Wilson HinesMy Blog: http://www.wilsonhines.com --------------------------------------http://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/747400.jpghttp://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/pmdg_744F.jpghttp://online.vatsimindicators.net/837438/3074.png