strange and worrying computer problem

zelda_pinwheel · 05-24-2009, 07:39 AM

my previous computer would occasionally restart itself spontaneously, with no warning. this became more and more frequent, until one day it shut itself off and wouldn't start again at all, and i had to replace it. i thought the power supply had failed. however the new computer is also showing this behaviour. it is currently only about 6 months old, and i made sure to buy a box with a sturdy power supply, precisely for that reason.

it just did it this morning in fact. when it comes back, it gives me the message "windows has recovered from a serious error."

so now i'm wondering, it seems unlikely that *two* power supplies in a row should fail, with exactly the same symptoms. could this be a problem with the electric outlet in the wall ? (it's an old building and the electrical installation leaves to be desired, to say the least... maybe there is not enough current in there ?) could it be a software problem ? i started with a fresh re-installation of windows, not from a disk image, but maybe there's a conflict between some drivers, or something ? (i have no idea, i'm really just guessing)

any ideas ??? this is really getting to be a problem, and i don't want to have to replace the damned thing less than a year after i bought it.

any help is really welcome.

HarryT · 05-24-2009, 07:44 AM

Might be worth getting a cheap uninterruptable power supply (UPS) and running the PC from that. If you do have a "flaky" mains supply, that should fix it.

zelda_pinwheel · 05-24-2009, 07:50 AM

is that something like this ?
http://www.amazon.fr/Belkin-Universa...f=pd_rhf_p_t_1
i don't see any for less than around 100€, so i don't want to buy one if it's not the right thing, that's a lot of money for me.

HarryT · 05-24-2009, 07:53 AM

Yes, that's a UPS.

Is there anything shown in the system event log to indicate the cause of the reboot? If it's caused by a driver error, there should be an error logged. If it is a power problem, though, there won't be - the event log will just show a reboot with no cause for it logged.

zelda_pinwheel · 05-24-2009, 07:54 AM

i don't know, where do i find the log ?

HarryT · 05-24-2009, 07:57 AM

Right click on "My Computer" and select "Manage" from the pop-up menu. That will open the "Computer Management" window. In the left pane of the window, open "Event Viewer" and select the "System" events.

Over · 05-24-2009, 08:02 AM

When you use your computer at night, do you notice any ocasional dimness or flicker in your light sources (lamps) in the house?

zelda_pinwheel · 05-24-2009, 08:05 AM

i have several "errors" logged today. there are two next to each other :

1. 13:11:20
Source : Service control
Category : none
type : error
ID event : 7022
"Le service DirMngr est en attente de démarrage.

Pour plus d'informations, consultez le centre Aide et support à l'adresse http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp."

"The DirMngr service is waiting to start up.

For more information, consult the help and support center at the address http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp."

2. 13:11:20
source : service control
category : none
type : error
id event : 7034
"Le service DirMngr s'est terminé de façon inattendue pour la 1ème fois.

Pour plus d'informations, consultez le centre Aide et support à l'adresse http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp."

"The DirMngr service has terminated in an unexpected fashion for the 1st time.

For more information, consult the help and support center at the address http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp."

this is about the time the computer rebooted.

zelda_pinwheel · 05-24-2009, 08:08 AM

no, wait, sorry, just before i have a "save dump" which says :
13:09:19
source : save dump
category : none
id event : 1001

"L'ordinateur a redémarré après une vérification d'erreur. La vérification d'erreur était*: 0x1000008e (0xc0000005, 0xbf813017, 0xa9573878, 0x00000000). Un vidage a été enregistré dans*: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\Mini052409-01.dmp.

Pour plus d'informations, consultez le centre Aide et support à l'adresse http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp."

"the computer rebooted after an error verification. the error verificator was : 0x1000008e (0xc0000005, 0xbf813017, 0xa9573878, 0x00000000). a dump was recorded in C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\Mini052409-01.dmp."

this happened before the error, so apparently it's not related.

immediately before the dump, the "event recording service" launched, apparently with no trouble.

zelda_pinwheel · 05-24-2009, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Over

When you use your computer at night, do you notice any ocasional dimness or flicker in your light sources (lamps) in the house?

not that i've noticed, but i'm usually only having one not very bright lamp (low energy lightbulb) lit at those times. i suppose that could happen without me noticing though.

HarryT · 05-24-2009, 08:20 AM

According to Google, the "DirMngr" service is a service which handles security certificates, so that doesn't sound like anything to worry about it particular.

This one, though, definitely does matter:

Quote:

"L'ordinateur a redémarré après une vérification d'erreur. La vérification d'erreur était*: 0x1000008e (0xc0000005, 0xbf813017, 0xa9573878, 0x00000000). Un vidage a été enregistré dans*: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\Mini052409-01.dmp.

A common cause of mysterious reboots is faulty RAM. All is well until the system tries to write to the particular address and then, when it does, you get an error and a spontaneous reboot.

Do you have any small computer stores in your vicinity who could do a thorough test of your PC for you? That's probably the best bet. From your description, it sounds like a hardware error.

zelda_pinwheel · 05-24-2009, 08:23 AM

argh !!!! farking computer !!! the ram is new, the power supply is new. the damned thing is heavy (as i can attest because i still remember when i lugged it home from the shop a mere 6 months ago). there is at least one computer shop nearby which might provide that kind of service, i'll have to check with them. how much is that likely to cost ?

zelda_pinwheel · 05-24-2009, 08:26 AM

now that i think of it though if it is a faulty ram barrette it will be easy to fix : i have 3 installed but they were sold in pairs so i have an extra. should i try to swap out one of them for the spare, and if it reboots again swap the next one, etc. ?

Sweetpea · 05-24-2009, 08:49 AM

The problem with faulty ram is that it might occor. Or it might not. Depending if the faulty bit is written to. So, unless you can reproduce it quickly, it might still be a good idea to check that store.

zelda_pinwheel · 05-24-2009, 08:51 AM

okay, i guess i'll do that.

farking computer.

thanks for all the help, everyone.

05-24-2009, 07:39 AM	#1
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	strange and worrying computer problem my previous computer would occasionally restart itself spontaneously, with no warning. this became more and more frequent, until one day it shut itself off and wouldn't start again at all, and i had to replace it. i thought the power supply had failed. however the new computer is also showing this behaviour. it is currently only about 6 months old, and i made sure to buy a box with a sturdy power supply, precisely for that reason. it just did it this morning in fact. when it comes back, it gives me the message "windows has recovered from a serious error." so now i'm wondering, it seems unlikely that two power supplies in a row should fail, with exactly the same symptoms. could this be a problem with the electric outlet in the wall ? (it's an old building and the electrical installation leaves to be desired, to say the least... maybe there is not enough current in there ?) could it be a software problem ? i started with a fresh re-installation of windows, not from a disk image, but maybe there's a conflict between some drivers, or something ? (i have no idea, i'm really just guessing) any ideas ??? this is really getting to be a problem, and i don't want to have to replace the damned thing less than a year after i bought it. any help is really welcome.

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05-24-2009, 07:44 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Might be worth getting a cheap uninterruptable power supply (UPS) and running the PC from that. If you do have a "flaky" mains supply, that should fix it.

05-24-2009, 07:50 AM	#3
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	is that something like this ? http://www.amazon.fr/Belkin-Universa...f=pd_rhf_p_t_1 i don't see any for less than around 100€, so i don't want to buy one if it's not the right thing, that's a lot of money for me.

05-24-2009, 07:53 AM	#4
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Yes, that's a UPS. Is there anything shown in the system event log to indicate the cause of the reboot? If it's caused by a driver error, there should be an error logged. If it is a power problem, though, there won't be - the event log will just show a reboot with no cause for it logged.

05-24-2009, 07:54 AM	#5
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	i don't know, where do i find the log ?

05-24-2009, 07:57 AM	#6
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Right click on "My Computer" and select "Manage" from the pop-up menu. That will open the "Computer Management" window. In the left pane of the window, open "Event Viewer" and select the "System" events.

05-24-2009, 08:02 AM	#7
Over Wizard Posts: 1,462 Karma: 6061516 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Cascais, Portugal Device: Kindle PW, Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2", OnePlus 6	When you use your computer at night, do you notice any ocasional dimness or flicker in your light sources (lamps) in the house?

05-24-2009, 08:05 AM	#8
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	i have several "errors" logged today. there are two next to each other : 1. 13:11:20 Source : Service control Category : none type : error ID event : 7022 "Le service DirMngr est en attente de démarrage. Pour plus d'informations, consultez le centre Aide et support à l'adresse http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp." "The DirMngr service is waiting to start up. For more information, consult the help and support center at the address http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp." 2. 13:11:20 source : service control category : none type : error id event : 7034 "Le service DirMngr s'est terminé de façon inattendue pour la 1ème fois. Pour plus d'informations, consultez le centre Aide et support à l'adresse http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp." "The DirMngr service has terminated in an unexpected fashion for the 1st time. For more information, consult the help and support center at the address http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp." this is about the time the computer rebooted.

05-24-2009, 08:08 AM	#9
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	no, wait, sorry, just before i have a "save dump" which says : 13:09:19 source : save dump category : none id event : 1001 "L'ordinateur a redémarré après une vérification d'erreur. La vérification d'erreur était: 0x1000008e (0xc0000005, 0xbf813017, 0xa9573878, 0x00000000). Un vidage a été enregistré dans: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\Mini052409-01.dmp. Pour plus d'informations, consultez le centre Aide et support à l'adresse http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp." "the computer rebooted after an error verification. the error verificator was : 0x1000008e (0xc0000005, 0xbf813017, 0xa9573878, 0x00000000). a dump was recorded in C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\Mini052409-01.dmp." this happened before the error, so apparently it's not related. immediately before the dump, the "event recording service" launched, apparently with no trouble.

05-24-2009, 08:23 AM	#12
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	argh !!!! farking computer !!! the ram is new, the power supply is new. the damned thing is heavy (as i can attest because i still remember when i lugged it home from the shop a mere 6 months ago). there is at least one computer shop nearby which might provide that kind of service, i'll have to check with them. how much is that likely to cost ?

05-24-2009, 08:26 AM	#13
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	now that i think of it though if it is a faulty ram barrette it will be easy to fix : i have 3 installed but they were sold in pairs so i have an extra. should i try to swap out one of them for the spare, and if it reboots again swap the next one, etc. ?

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05-24-2009, 08:49 AM	#14
Sweetpea Grand Sorcerer Posts: 9,707 Karma: 32763414 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Krewerd Device: Pocketbook Inkpad 4 Color; Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	The problem with faulty ram is that it might occor. Or it might not. Depending if the faulty bit is written to. So, unless you can reproduce it quickly, it might still be a good idea to check that store.

05-24-2009, 08:51 AM	#15
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	okay, i guess i'll do that. farking computer. thanks for all the help, everyone.