I'm running vista now after a clean reboot. I decided to format and go vista because I'd fucked up XP SP2 with just general tweaking etc over the years.

The bugs and viruses are gone but the computer restarts, BSOD and freezes for no apparent reason. This started happening during the last month of XP after a new power supply unit was installed.

I would have thought the computer restarted cause of overheating but I'm not sure why the freezing.

Any ideas? I might need new or more ram. (Currently 2gb DDR3)

I thought formatting and upgrading to Vista would solve the shutting down and freezing problem. Sounds like hardware.

Could be RAM
Overheating
I don't think it is the CPU.
Started happening when the PSU was replaced.
I don't think it is the mobo

I do think it might actually be the graphics card which is hot and usually the computer freezes when I am loading a video. (But not always).

What to do?

Why Vista? Why not W7? In W7 I'd say to go look in the "Solve PC Issues" screen (on the flag with an X) and it'll say why your pc restarted; not in Vista.

It could be any of the above ... your best bet is to test each component individually.

For testing the RAM I suggest a bootable cd with memtest86+ on it (Ubuntu instalation disk has it, also Hiren CD has memtest on it). Let it perform at least 3 passes.

For testing the video, download ATITool and let is find artifacts for a half an hour. This tool also works on nVidia cards.

To see if the computer overheats, after a blue screen or reboot, check the BIOS and see the overall temperature and/or CPU temperature. If it's almost at the limit it might be overheating. Try reproducing the blue screen while leaving your computer case open and using a normal fan to keep a steady airflow on the components. If while you're doing this the computer is ok, you might want to buy an extra fan or two for your case.

For mobo Hiren Boot CD also has a few tests on it but I can't recommend any since I haven't used them

For the power source, try to measure and check the voltage output.

Also what Gizmo said, get W7, it's way better than Vista.

Good luck. Do let us know how this turns out.

Will definitely try some of these tests. I think it is the power supply or the heating. I did check the temperature and my mate said it was hot. How do you know what the max temp should be?

Also I have noticed that the normal fan stops spinning while the computer is on for about a few seconds, it then starts up again.

I want windows 7, just looking for the cheapest option. Once they offered it for like $30-$50 if you were a student. I can't find that anymore, deal is probably gone.

ATITool found no artifacts after 30 mins.

Temperature tested immediately after system crash restart:

CPU: 52*C or 126F
M/B temp: 40*C or 104F

I only have one fan.
Fan speed is 2667RPM

What voltage specs do i look at when in bios setup?

Vcore voltage was 1.26V but I don't yet know what that means... google.

Note: BSOD displayed this error:
PFN_LIST_CORRUPT

google tells me it is RAM related

I don't know too many people who aren't running the Release to Manufacture version :P

The temp seems to be within limits.

You must run memtest86+ it's the best ram test you'll ever find. Also if you have some fancy DDR3 memory kit, make sure you have them plug in the correct slots on the mobo (you should find some specs in the manual regarding the triple channel setup and all that).

Also when testing the ram, you must do several test. 1. Test the memory modules they way they are set up now. 2. In case you get errors and you have more than 1 module, test each module alone on all the slots.

If one module gives error on more than one slot it's the module. If both modules give errors on the same slot, that memory slot on the mobo might be the problem.

Also (with the risk of Gizmo editing my post but hopefully since I'm part of the somewhat active members here, he won't :D) why would you pay for Windows 7? Just download it.

I agree, memtest will test the everloving crap out of your memory and tell you what doesn't pass par... A bad stick of ram will cause memory issues and cause rebooting and bsod's.

And DG, I mentioned that when I said most people running W7 are running the RTM :P

Doing memtest next.
I really thought the temp was a bit high. Just so you know, the computer freezes, BSOD, and sometimes just restarts.
Working on getting Win7 for free.

Also I do not have DDR3. Just two 1GB ddr2.

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I have a question: I heard that when I put win7 on it will only be able to detect 2gb of ram unless I go 64bit. Is that the case?

Well a bad stick of ram would cause those three issues, just FYI

fscking sick of non of the memtets working as an image file.

Im having trouble making a disc image file dvd.
The nero software im using is new enough to handle it but it can't find the correct supported files in the locations I am sure the memtest and win7 .iso files are in.

It is really irritating.

Ok so I finally figured it out and got win7 on my pc.
It is very smooth. Feels better then Vista. I like it.

Still, the pc is restarting/freezing etc but not at all as much.
Will look into it.

Thanks for the link. I think I will stay on win7.

--

I was on xp for 6 years
I was on vista for 6 days, no joke.

Well, if your memory is screwed up it'll reboot (well, at least cause some sort of malfunction) on ANY operating system...

Download ubuntu, burn the .iso image, boot the dvd, select your language and after that select test memory.