Windows 8.1 random restarts.

[SlippySnowman]

Hi guys,

 

I've been having trouble with my PC since I installed a couple of upgrades to it.

 

I'll start by linking the current PC specs: 

 

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/LCBFbv

 

So yesterday I installed a new CPU (the FX-8320) and a new SSD (the 840 EVO 250GB.) and did a fresh install of windows. I did the SSD install first (cause I was going to have to update my MB bios first to install the FX-8320) and I got windows working no problem on my old CPU (Phenom ii x4 965 Black edition) and although I didn't stay on it too long before changing CPU I didn't see anything unusual and there were no restarts.

 

Then I updated my BIOS and installed my CPU and for that evening the CPU seemed to work fine, until I went on my PC the next day and now every so often my PC will just randomly restart, no BSOD, nothing like that, it just reboots back to the login screen (pretty damn quickly thanks to the SSD ).

 

I was wondering if anyone could help me figure out what the problem is. If I haven't included enough information on anything please just ask, also I'm happy to run any tests you guys think would be appropriate.

 

Thanks

Ed

[Superspeed07]

I would start with looking at your system log and see what is going on right before you find the critical error - Previous power off was unexpected (or something like that)

[SlippySnowman]

I would start with looking at your system log and see what is going on right before you find the critical error - Previous power off was unexpected (or something like that)

 

Thanks for the reply, I have opened event viewer, what kind of stuff am I looking for? (Sorry have never done this before.)

[Superspeed07]

Thanks for the reply, I have opened event viewer, what kind of stuff am I looking for? (Sorry have never done this before.)

 

Goto Windows logs / System the goto the time where the restart happened. You should have one that is critical saying something about the previous shutdown was unexpected or something then check to see what is going on right before that, you might have other errors / warnings and maybe that could point you in the right direction

[SlippySnowman]

Goto Windows logs / System the goto the time where the restart happened. You should have one that is critical saying something about the previous shutdown was unexpected or something then check to see what is going on right before that, you might have other errors / warnings and maybe that could point you in the right direction

 

Ok, I think I have found what you are talking about and I have 8 critical events that were restarts that would seem to correspond to the times of the random restarts. It says, Critical Kernel-Power ID: 41 Category: 63. The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.

[Superspeed07]

Ok, I think I have found what you are talking about and I have 8 critical events that were restarts that would seem to correspond to the times of the random restarts. It says, Critical Kernel-Power ID: 41 Category: 63. The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.

 

Yeah that is what you are looking for, now check and see what events are happening before that message, i.e a driver stopped or fatal error etc or see what it is doing before the restart happens

[SlippySnowman]

Yeah that is what you are looking for, now check and see what events are happening before that message, i.e a driver stopped or fatal error etc or see what it is doing before the restart happens

 

Right I looked at the logs before and after the critical errors and only one of them shows any error other than the restart, and that one says that the Processor Core reported a Fatal Hardware error 5 seconds after the reboot.

[Superspeed07]

I would do the standard - make sure your bios is up to date / drivers for your chipset. You could also give your cpu a little bit more volts and see if that helps out just bump it .02-.04 volts or something small

[VintageCake]

Thermal limit reached on something?

[ZmanFTW]

Make sure your SSD is WELL connected. I had a similar problem where even though the SSD was plugged in I had to sometimes move it around a bit to make sure it was getting a solid connection. I had to buy better SATA III cables than what came with the board. If it does turn out to be really processor related though then the suggestions of updating BIOS/chipset drivers/etc. are good suggestions. Make sure voltage is where it is supposed to be and that the temperature is not getting way too high from anything that may be running in the background. Hope you figure this out.

[SlippySnowman]

Thermal limit reached on something?

 

Thanks for the reply . This was my first thought as it first occurred whilst gaming, but since then the restarts have occurred when the GPU and CPU have been at 34 degrees under idle load. Which makes me think a problem with the PSU maybe?

[SlippySnowman]

Make sure your SSD is WELL connected. I had a similar problem where even though the SSD was plugged in I had to sometimes move it around a bit to make sure it was getting a solid connection. I had to buy better SATA III cables than what came with the board. If it does turn out to be really processor related though then the suggestions of updating BIOS/chipset drivers/etc. are good suggestions. Make sure voltage is where it is supposed to be and that the temperature is not getting way too high from anything that may be running in the background. Hope you figure this out.

 

Thanks for the reply . The temps are fine when the restarts are happening (they have happened at idle load, about 34 degrees). I will fiddle with the SSD connection. How would I check the voltage and what should it be? And the bios and drivers are fully up to date.

[ZmanFTW]

I just pushed in on the connect and moved the cable around a bit. Even if I bumped my case wrong putting the side back on it would sometimes cause it to restart. Not a guarantee that this is your problem though. Have you checked RAM voltage and timings?

[SlippySnowman]

I just pushed in on the connect and moved the cable around a bit. Even if I bumped my case wrong putting the side back on it would sometimes cause it to restart. Not a guarantee that this is your problem though. Have you checked RAM voltage and timings?

 

Well I don't know how to check the ram voltage and timings. What program do I need for this?

[ZmanFTW]

You don't need any program. Usually tap delete or F2 when starting up to enter BIOS.

[SlippySnowman]

You don't need any program. Usually tap delete or F2 when starting up to enter BIOS.

 

Ok, I'm in the BIOS, what exactly am I looking for? I can see the OC tweaker page and this seems to tell me about timings, but I have no idea what I'm actually looking out for (sorry never done this before)

[ZmanFTW]

Also AMD chipsets do not always work well with Samsung SSD's. Samsung will tell you the same thing. I just realized your setup. If you uninstall Samsung Magician it may solve the problem. Look under driver support at this link:

 

http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/samsungssd/downloads/Samsung_Magician_43_Installation_Guide.pdf?CID=AFL-hq-mul-0813-11000279

[ZmanFTW]

Okay well it depends on what RAM you have. In your case voltage should be 1.5v and timings should be set to auto if possible.

[ZmanFTW]

for example cas latency 9 DDR3 1600 timings are often 9-9-9-24 but I have never even heard of DDR3 1600 @ cas 11, that's just horrible!

[SlippySnowman]

Also AMD chipsets do not always work well with Samsung SSD's. Samsung will tell you the same thing. I just realized your setup. If you uninstall Samsung Magician it may solve the problem. Look under driver support at this link:

 

http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/samsungssd/downloads/Samsung_Magician_43_Installation_Guide.pdf?CID=AFL-hq-mul-0813-11000279

 

 

Could it be possible that never having installed the magician software is my problem? (I also now realise I may have been an idiot if this is my problem)

 

Okay well it depends on what RAM you have. In your case voltage should be 1.5v and timings should be set to auto if possible.

 

In that case the RAM timings and voltages are fine.

[ZmanFTW]

No but I would contact Samsung and ask them to troubleshoot it with you because there are other problems between Samsung SSD's and AMD also. I am not aware of all of them but in the future if you need assistance choosing parts just contact me. Save my profile to your favorites/bookmarks. I can recommend the best possible setup for your budget every time!

[SlippySnowman]

No but I would contact Samsung and ask them to troubleshoot it with you because there are other problems between Samsung SSD's and AMD also. I am not aware of all of them but in the future if you need assistance choosing parts just contact me. Save my profile to your favorites/bookmarks. I can recommend the best possible setup for your budget every time!

 

Ok thanks. I PM'ed you to ask further questions.