I think my computer is mad at me...

[Grand_Commander13 offline]

Well, we'll start with the latest development first: A smell like burning electronics (that can't be good).

Prior to that, it all started with it crashing when I was in the middle of a game of Age of Wonders 2. When I reboot, it hangs on me while I'm using Internet Explorer and Winamp (hadn't even been on for fifteen minutes) doing the thing where it keeps playing the last bit of sound over and over (we're talking a fraction of a second here) and I can't move the cursor. /me turns the computer off again, and schedules a check disk, only to come back and find the screen be mostly a bunch of vertical white and black lines (alternating), with some sign of where the text from check disk was, but it's not readable anymore.

It gets even worse, as I can't even boot the computer into safe mode. The first time, it actually lets me select the drive I want to boot from, but when I choose to boot into safe mode, it pops up a list of all these files it's loading, then hangs. When I try to boot into XP normally, it pops up the check disk thing, and I hit a key to stop it. Display shows something weird (think Missingno from the original Pokémon games) and then a black screen.

After leaving the computer off for twenty minutes it will actually boot into XP normally. I try to run Spybot, but come back half an hour later to see a black screen and smell the burning electronics...

So what does it seem the problem is? I'd assume my video card is dead/dying (in which case I will have HP's butt for dinner, since the thing has been defective ever since I got the computer), but I can't be certain as I haven't removed it yet.

[Jeremified offline]

doing the thing where it keeps playing the last bit of sound over and over (we're talking a fraction of a second here) and I can't move the cursor.

OHMYGOSH. Our computers must be... like... 2nd cousins. xDD;;
My laptop does just that all the time! It's so annoying.

[Rudger offline]

doing the thing where it keeps playing the last bit of sound over and over (we're talking a fraction of a second here) and I can't move the cursor.

OHMYGOSH. Our computers must be... like... 2nd cousins. xDD;;
My laptop does just that all the time! It's so annoying.

Can I have it? actually in my school my teacher is also a computer technician. I will ask him about this on monday if nobody else answers the problem. an I'll get back to you.

[Grand_Commander13 offline]

I'll keep you guys posted, but to be honest, I'm probably gonna rip my video card out and try another one (like this computer's) tonight. I can't live too long without my computer.

[darktemplar offline]

Tried booting into VGA mode?

[Lyokofreak offline]

If you have your windows cd... purchasing this may be a good idea... Buy comp, pop in Windows, Install, and have fun is the way to go Or you can just do a hard drive transplant . I've had this computer for around 3 months, and i didn't have any hardware problems... especially not a frying motherboard :O

I'll keep you guys posted, but to be honest, I'm probably gonna rip my video card out and try another one (like this computer's) tonight. I can't live too long without my computer.

And if you purchase this comp today or tomorrow, a free AGP card will be included. If your slot is screwed, i can send a PCI.

doing the thing where it keeps playing the last bit of sound over and over (we're talking a fraction of a second here) and I can't move the cursor.

OHMYGOSH. Our computers must be... like... 2nd cousins. xDD;;
My laptop does just that all the time! It's so annoying.

Eh... It might not be safe to use any computer that has a burning silicone scent... I dont think this has anything to do with software either...

[Grand_Commander13 offline]

Weird... The computer is just fine all of a sudden.

Now, the air being vented by the main computer fan (i.e. not the power supply's fan) is HOT (much hotter than the power supply's air), but it's still being vented by a working fan (which rules out one possibility of the fans not working). Perhaps the Radeon 9800's fan is broken and not working all the time, but it was able to work with no problems for three hours this morning, before I had to turn off the computer and leave.

My computer does stuff like this every so often: it breaks for a while and then fixes myself. It can't be a cry for attention, because it gets plenty of that already. Hmmmmmm...