Random Freeze Upon Wake

dkire13 · August 18, 2016

So for whatever reason, if the computer times out into sleep mode, and is out long enough to require a login, it freezes in about 10-20 seconds upon wake. I have to force a shutdown by holding the power button, and I'm always greeted with the same "Overclocking Failed! Please configure settings in BIOS" prompt after turning it back on. (It won't let you skip this and boot, BTW) Skipping through the BIOS (and changing nothing) makes it boot normally. It also experiences no problems after the boot, even when under full load. Another thing I noticed is that when it freezes, the HDD activity light is solid, and doesn't turn off until fully rebooted. Also, for the record, I am running stock CPU and GPU speeds, while the RAM is set to an XMP mode. Disabling the RAM overclock has proven fruitless, as it still says "Overclocking failed!" even though everything is running at stock speeds.

My guess is that either the BIOS or defective RAM is to blame

Relevant Specs:

I7 6700k @ stock

ASUS Z170 Deluxe

Corsair Vengence LPX DDR4 @ 2133 Mhz (Listed in Motherboard manual, for the record)

PowerColor PCS+ R9 380 @ stock

Samsung 850 Evo

WD Black 2tb

Captain_WD · August 18, 2016

5 hours ago, dkire13 said:

~snip~

Hey dkire13

Since you mentioned that the Storage LED is constantly on have you checked what is using the storage? I'd go to the resource monitor and see which application is using it.

Also, I would suggest resetting the BIOS settings and see if that helps. You should have a guide in your motherboard manual on how to do this.

Checking if you have the latest drives, OS and BIOS updates is also a good thing here. Make sure you install the latest possible updates.

If you doubt your memory try running a test and see if it passes it.

Try running your computer in safe mode and on its bare minimums (CPU only, boot drive and single stick of memory) and see if the problem persists. If it disappears start adding parts one by one and see which part causes the issue.

Check if your CMOS battery is good and if it needs replacement.

In order to be on the safe side that your data is safe I would suggest to run diagnostic tests on both storage drives with tools from the manufacturer. For the WD Black that would be WD Data Lifeguard Diagnostic. Check if the WD Black passes both the quick and the extended tests.

Post back with some test results!

Captain_WD.

dkire13 · August 18, 2016

11 hours ago, Captain_WD said:

Hey dkire13

Since you mentioned that the Storage LED is constantly on have you checked what is using the storage? I'd go to the resource monitor and see which application is using it.

Also, I would suggest resetting the BIOS settings and see if that helps. You should have a guide in your motherboard manual on how to do this.

Checking if you have the latest drives, OS and BIOS updates is also a good thing here. Make sure you install the latest possible updates.

If you doubt your memory try running a test and see if it passes it.

Try running your computer in safe mode and on its bare minimums (CPU only, boot drive and single stick of memory) and see if the problem persists. If it disappears start adding parts one by one and see which part causes the issue.

Check if your CMOS battery is good and if it needs replacement.

In order to be on the safe side that your data is safe I would suggest to run diagnostic tests on both storage drives with tools from the manufacturer. For the WD Black that would be WD Data Lifeguard Diagnostic. Check if the WD Black passes both the quick and the extended tests.

Post back with some test results!

Captain_WD.

Alright. So I ran the Windows Memory diagnostic, Windows hard disk check, and the WD Lifeguard software (The previous link led to an error page, you can also find it through here: Alternate Link for WD Lifeguard) and all the tests came out clean. Also, a correction on my part, the HDD activity light is only solid DURING the freeze, and I've been using it as an indicator of when to restart. It flashes normally to show the activity of the 850 Evo when using Windows.

I decided to update the BIOS since it was still on the version it came from the factory with. (By the way, it was running version 1203 before. It is now running the most recent version: 1902.) Update was successful, if not hilarious with the "Update successfully! Computer Restart now!" splash screen that popped up afterwards.

Since the issue occurs randomly, I won't mark this as solved yet since I can't recreate it. I will report back in a few days though if it doesn't happen.

Captain_WD · August 19, 2016

14 hours ago, dkire13 said:

~snip~

Apologies for the broken link. You got the correct one!

I do hope the issue was resolved with the update.

Bare in mind that the freezes can also be caused by a faulty SATA or Power cable that goes on one of the storage drives while the system is trying to access them for some data.

Have you checked your event log if there's anything that points to the cause of the freezes?

Post back if the issue reoccurs!

Captain_WD.

dkire13 · September 4, 2016

After about two weeks of smooth sailing, it would appear that my computer has had a relapse. I've had the same error message pop up twice in the last 48 hours. I've officially run out of things to blame it on. The memory and hard drive tests still come out clean, and the motherboard BIOS is completely up to date. Absolutely nothing is overclocked, yet it still says "Overclocking Failed."

The crashes have become less frequent though, and it only seems to take effect if the computer is in sleep mode for 4+ hours.

If I REALLY had to take a shot in the dark, it's just a flaw in the BIOS. However, I have absolutely no evidence to support this, so any insight from here would be useful.