My 1st Vista Rant

Hi there, hopefully someone can help me.

Since its initial release I have always been positive about Windows Vista and where appropriate, have encouraged people to choose this over Windows XP (particularly if using a 64 bit processor).

I installed Vista Ultimate x64 in March and had had no system problems until last week. My system spec is:

AMD Athlon AM2 5200+ CPU
Asus M2N32 Sli Deluxe MOBO
2GB (2 x 1GB) Corsair Denominator RAM
BFG Nvidea GeForce 8800 GTS Graphics Card
Western Digitial 500GB 5000KS HDD

Last week I put my PC into hibernate as I always do. When I came back to my machine it would not come out of hibernate and I had to do a hard reset. From this point onwards it would spontaneously freeze (normally after about 10 minutes of normal use) where a hard reset would be required.

The only change in my system configuration at this point was a game update for Call Of Duty 4. However I used the same installer on 2 other Vista 64 machines (home editions) with identical specs (ones I built for my folks (both keen gamers )) and had no problems.

What I have tried so far:

1) Reinstalled Vista over existing C:\ partition (leaving my data partition)
Results: Still spontaneously crashed
2) Installed Windows XP on another HDD to rule out hardware faults
Results: System Operated Normally (PASS)
3) Zero Filled HDD removing all data and partitions. Then reinstalled Vista
Results: Still spontaneously crashed
4) Installed Windows XP Prof SP2 (removed vista)
Results: System Operated Normally (PASS)
5) Installed Windows Vista AGAIN

Results:

I am still getting the occasional freeze. Most frustrating is the fact that nothing is shown in the event logs at the time of the freeze. I have run memory and HDD diagnostics and these show both components working fine (the fact that everything operated perfectly under XP also backs this up).
Previously when I had re installed Vista, I had installed using the Vista disc then inserted my Motherboard drivers disc and installed the necessary drivers from there. This time I just installed vista, connected to my home network and let it update itself with the "correct" drivers.

I looks to be a vista issue but the event logs do not show anything useful. On one installation attempt, the OS hung before any drivers had even been installed! (i had literally just installed Vista).

Can anyone help or has anyone experienced similar problems. It is such a shame as I have had no problems with Vista up until now. However, I rely on my machine heavily for work and cannot afford this downtime. I am seriously considering going back to XP and demanding a refund for Vista Ultimate.

My concern is not so much the crashing itself, more the fact that the OS's event handling does not capture such an event and that Microsoft's support seems to be limited to FAQ's and How To's

Many thanks,

BF

Well your chances for a refund after all this time is slim. But you can always check with Microsoft and see if theres hope.

As for the freezing... it sounds like when Vista gets going that your system is starting to heat up. I know you said when you ran XPp it passed. But Vista my be stressing your video card or perhaps your PSU. Causeing them to freeze the system. There is no-way this is a informed diagnosis. But sight unseen I would start with making sure you got all the correct drivers for your system and mabe try a different video card and/or PUS while running Vista.

Good luck

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.

This is what I had initially thought, that perhaps certain components were overheating.

I have installed the Asus utility PC Probe and my operating temperatures are as below:

CPU: 40 Degrees Celsius
MOBO: 33 Degrees Celsius

These seem fine. I do not want to jinx it but following the last post I have not had a system crash. This followed me installing the Asus SATA drivers rather than using the default Microsoft ones. If this was the cause of the problem, it could explain why I did not have the same issue with XP on the same disc (although I have installed these drivers before and had an issue).

I have now reinstalled Office 2007, watched a full DVD through Media Centre and have been happily browsing the net.

The true test will be when I reinstall Call Of Duty 4 as this is probably the most demanding application I run.

Will keep you updated, thanks for your feedback.

BF

I'm using the same Mobo (Asus M2N-Sli Deluxe) and the same CPU (AMD 5200+). So far the only problem i'm having with Vista Ultimate 64 is that my pc refuses to hibernate, sleep or anything. The screensaver will kick in after 20 minutes then spend the next 8 hours in screensaver mode until i start using it again. I've read tips from here,Google and Microsoft's site for a couple of days and i'm still trying to figure this one out. It's not a huge issue for me so i'm willing to wait (leave well enough alone) and see if SP1 fixes it. (I'm going to try updating the keyboard/cordless mouse drivers next to see if that might be the problem)

My previous issues were no audio from DVD'S in WMP11, turned out to be solved by a Creative card needing a new driver. Sound works great now also it took a little time to bridge connections between my pc and my Xbox but i figured that out too. I'm not a pc gamer so my Radeon HD 2600 XT 512 mb card doesn't get pushed too hard. I've not experienced any freezes or system performance issues but i'm thankful for this forum. I spend alot of time reading posts here since i installed Vista.
M2N-SLI Deluxe, AMD 64 X2 5200+, 4 Gig ram Kingston ValueRam, Seagate Barracude 320 gb. Hightech 512 mb Radeon HD 2600 XT, Asus dvd-rom, Lite-on dvd-rw.

Hey yall-M2N-MX with an AM2 5200-I have kept her updated and have not had any weird issues.....so far

Just an update to say im back up and running now and no issues since installing correct SATA drivers. Have heard similar issues before relating to wireless peripherals so may be worth trying a bog standard ps2 mouse/keyboard. My biggest problem with vista is that it doesn't give you enough information when these problems DO occur. I know they are trying to make it easier for your typical home user but all I got following my problems was a warning in the event log telling me the "previous shutdown was unexpected". Well I didn't expect it either so nice to see me and V are on track :D

Good luck with your problems. Sometimes its just easier to reinstall....

Yeah running vista from SATA hard drives can cause some weird lockup`s without the correct drivers, the issues with suspending or hibernating can be traced to APCI drivers for yuor motherboard or included in old system drivers.

retroviz said:

Just an update to say im back up and running now and no issues since installing correct SATA drivers. Have heard similar issues before relating to wireless peripherals so may be worth trying a bog standard ps2 mouse/keyboard. My biggest problem with vista is that it doesn't give you enough information when these problems DO occur. I know they are trying to make it easier for your typical home user but all I got following my problems was a warning in the event log telling me the "previous shutdown was unexpected". Well I didn't expect it either so nice to see me and V are on track :D

Good luck with your problems. Sometimes its just easier to reinstall....

Click to expand...

So, it wasn't Vista's fault after all? Interesting. Now, after you've done some diagnostic work it's still Vista's fault for not telling you EXACTLY what the problem was, with a flashing red star over it. That's even more interesting. Flash! Modern OS's and the hardware they drive STILL aren't perfect. Sometimes you have to roll up your sleaves and tough it out, and perhaps learn from the experience.

And for the record, Vista's diagnostic routines and dialogs put XP's to shame. The only problem, for some people at least, is that you have to drill for the data and be able to understand what you're seeing. Also, doing a reinstall to fix common problems is so 1980's. Buy yourself a decent backup program. Schedule a full backup for once a week and incrementals for the other six. Of course you'll still have to pay attention (if you treat your rig like garbage it'll behave that way) to installs and such, but a regime like this will get you out of some fairly dire situations.

Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool

Wasted years of my life with random reboots, restarts, sporadic crashes, etc.