PC crashes

[Nick]

I'm still not happy about errors in the logs. Let's see how the next day or so pan out now that the firmware you can upgrade has been done...

[ppppenguin]

I've been doing some experiments with live Linux. This is to try and distinguish between hardware and Windows problems.

I had Ubuntu 14.04.1LTE 64 bit on a DVD so I tried that. This started to boot but got stuck part way. A CD with 11.04 32 bit booted OK and worked well. No crash from cold (switch on wall) boot. Did this a couple of times and worked every time. 14.04.1 worked OK on another PC.

I'm about to try Mint 17.1 Cinnamon once I've burned it on to a DVD.

[ppppenguin]

Very odd. Mint 17.1 won't boot on the troubled PC either. It boots OK on another PC. Possibly the BIOS is preventing something happening. I make no claims to udnerstanding anything to do with UEFI and suchlike.

[Nick]

I note that all PCI slots are occupied. What's in them?

[ppppenguin]

That's curious. Only 1 PCI slot has anything in it, that's the Radeon graphics card.

[Nick]

That's curious. Only 1 PCI slot has anything in it, that's the Radeon graphics card.

Oh. Ok. I must have misread the speccy report...

[ppppenguin]

No, you didn't misread the report. It claims that all slots are in use, even though they're not. Either Speccy has got it wrong or there's something about the mobo that makes it look as if a slot is used even when it isn't.

[ppppenguin]

Glad it's improving

I use AVG Internet Security (the paid-for version), but AVG Free is very good on its own: http://www.avg.com/ww-en/homepage - QIHOO has inbuilt advertising, AVG Free does not.

"PC MAG" Editor's Choice: http://me.pcmag.com/avg-antivirus-free-2...-free-2017

One minor irritation in AVG free is that it puts this at the bottom of every outgoing email. No way to turn it off in the free version.

This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com

[ppppenguin]

Post made inwrong section

[ppppenguin]

I'm back home and on the case again. I've done some experiments and am fairly sure (not 100% but pretty close) that when I switch off using the power button on the PC but leave the mains connected it doesn't hang after switch on. Conversely if I switch off using the power button on the PC and then switch off at the mains it does hang soon after switch on.

If I don't switch off at the mains then the monitors go into standby, the speakers stay active and a small network router stays powered. I can't imagine any of this is relevant to the problem but as well to mention it.

As with most of my PCs I've set the BIOS so that the PC restarts after loss of mains, in other words when I've switched off at the mains I don't have to press the power button to boot the PC. I happen to like my PCs to work this way and it's never caused any problems in the past but I might change this and see if it makes a difference.