Stupid Computer

It's 1:21 AM, and tonight I wanted to be in bed about an hour and 20 minutes ago, but nope! Still up from computer problems that started last night.

• My computer suddenly started locking up and freezing.
• I restarted it and that seemed to fix the issue.
• I recorded Crash Bash with Roxio, one of my current YouTube projects.
• While the video was processing, I just watched TV in order to not have to deal with the lockups I get for the first few minutes of the processing, which is normal for me because processing (and the subsequent saving I do on Windows Movie Maker) takes up RAM, and well, I don't have that much RAM, though they do go away as I use the computer.
• After it finished processing, the lockups did not resolve and persisted.
• I had to kill the processes of the applications I had open (Firefox, Windows Live Mail, and Skype) because they would not close normally and finally got everything closed after, oh, I don't know, 10 minutes!
• I had enough and after clicking on the start menu and waiting for a minute or two for yet another lockup to resolve, I clicked Restart like I did last time.
• It just sat there on the log off screen for over an hour (I watched more TV in hopes that it would be restarted in a few minutes like last time) with "Shutting Down."
• I gave up waiting and manually restarted it with the restart button on the tower.
• It got to the starting Windows screen and had to do a disk consistency check, which, I guess, isn't anything to be too worried about. It's happened with my mom's computer before a number of times, but this was a first for me; however, remembering it's happened with my mom's computer, I wasn't too worried. I think it found some corrupt files and fixed them, but I'm not too sure. I didn't understand it.
• About an hour ago, I finally got back on the computer and haven't had issues since.

It never completely froze, though, and I could still navigate around and stuff, it just took forever, so rather than waiting for my computer to get its **** together, I just restarted it.

Hopefully this was one of those weird one-time things and the computer being off all night after I go to bed in a few minutes will further help it. My mom's computer has been having similar problems for the past week, though, so not sure what that is from. In her case, it doesn't completely freeze, either, it's just very sluggish and all that "fun" technology jazz.

I've dealt with blue screens quite a few times before -- and I haven't had any since -- but at least that's just a matter of letting the computer restart and boom, you're up and running again! Don't have to wait and wade around a computer that's locking up every five seconds.

I do know I need more RAM. I only have 2.00 GB with 1.75 GB usable, which is why when I'm processing a video on Roxio, saving a video on Windows Movie Maker, or the computer is running its daily AVG scan in the morning, it locks up, but if I just let it sit there for a minute or two, it resolves. What happened tonight wasn't from RAM issues, but another weird issue.

 

So until we can get this fixed, I can only do basic things like browse the Internet, unless I want the CPU working on and off due to the high load and getting hot (while it's off, the computer's not responsive except for the cursor), which I don't. Not sure about games. Probably if they're nothing too CPU intensive like RollerCoaster Tycoon 2, but something like RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 would be more trouble.

Due to the CPU fan, which I'm assuming is part of the whole CPU unit, being out for God knows how long, the CPU has probably been receiving little damage each day until it couldn't take anymore Saturday night. I'm just glad it didn't happen until then as I was able to do my New Year's resolution for 2014. That happening earlier could have ruined it, because I'm currently unable to render and edit and save videos. I'm not sure if recording is intensive, but no point in recording if I can't render and edit and save.

See this thread on another forum for a little more detail.

And now I have to go through all of Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories again to get to where I was before recording yesterday: just entering Destiny Islands. I got to the thirteenth floor, just about to enter Castle Oblivion, but lost about an hour and a half worth of recording, because when I stopped the Roxio recording, it didn't save it, it just appeared as if I had recorded nothing. I already saved the game, so it was too late. The same thing happened with Kingdom Hearts II afterward when I got a little over an hour recorded, but I didn't save the game just in case and did end up having to redo Demyx and the rest of that visit to Hollow Bastion, getting a length of about 45 minutes and having no issues that time. I'm not sure if being over an hour caused the problem (it shouldn't have, because I recorded over five hours of Dark Cloud once when that project was still going on). It could have been related to the computer troubles, but, again, I'm not sure. Before the hour of Kingdom Hearts II, I did a test with a length of about two minutes and that worked, but when I had the hour it didn't, but, once again, I'm not sure. Before redoing it, I shut the computer down and cleaned it, so cleaning the computer and disconnecting and reconnecting to the Roxio plugin might have helped, but, once yet again, I'm not sure, as I didn't bother trying an hour or more again.

Edit - Update:

Went in during my mom's lunch hour and had the fan replaced. I haven't tried processing videos again yet, but the guy didn't think the CPU itself was damaged; however, if the problems are still present, bring it back in. The CPU is connected to the motherboard and all that, and basically, since my computer was still working, aside from not being able to perform CPU intensive tasks, then the CPU is likely fine, despite the fan likely being dead for a few months.

The guy also mentioned something about how the fan was previously plugged into the power supply, I think it was, and how it should have been plugged into the CPU, because it was previously always running.

The computer becoming unresponsive when processing / rendering and editing and saving, aside from still being able to move the mouse cursor, was likely simply because the CPU was overheating.

 

Oh, in your posts on my profile I thought your CPU had shut down entirely. No it just kept reducing its clock speed as a last ditch effort to cool. But the technician you talked to was right, there are very few ways to damage a CPU without breaking it entirely. A new cooling unit and a good clean out should be all you need.

 

Ah, no. Sorry about that. My computer was still working, I just couldn't do CPU intensive tasks like process videos without the CPU working on and off -- the mouse cursor still moved, but everything else was unresponsive. It worked for about a minute and then it didn't work for about a minute, with the cycle repeating itself. It took a little longer than normal (for a 45-minute~ video) to get one of the five videos I was processing last night processed, so after the first video finished I just gave up and canceled the processing when the computer became responsive again. It didn't start having problems until about 80% completion, so I'm just guessing that's when it overheated.

The last time I checked the fan was on May 15, 2014 (thanks, Mixt, for finding the thread), which was when I noticed it was barely spinning, so it likely died not long after that. However, it's amazing problems didn't arise until Saturday night. Maybe it was because until yesterday, it had been about three months since I cleaned the computer or it just couldn't handle it anymore.

 

As I said in that thread it can be hard to tell if a fan is dead or if it is waiting for a sensor to tell it to turn on. So it may not have been dead at that point. Or it might have. I really can't say for sure. If it was dead it is likely that the system fan and some mild underclocking kept things in check until the dust buildup became too much, the thermal paste went bad, the system fan weakened, or a myriad of other reasons. Regardless the new CPU cooling unit should have that sorted out.

 

Guess we'll see.

Also, can't you just call it a fan? :P

 

I could but it would crush my little IT heart. There are a lot of configurations for that part, and rarely is it just a fan. In fact it is far more likely to not use a fan than it is to only use a fan.

 

You're referring to just the fan part (that's what was replaced) and not the metal parts, correct?



Who knew it was more than just a fan?

 

That would be the most common type of cooler, a fan attached to a heat sink. (and that whole thing is attached to the CPU plate using thermal paste)

 

computers are lovely~
also, don't forget to replace the thermal paste after some time (i think a year or so?)
just put a tiny pea sized bit
don't need anything more or you'll be icing it like a cake! D:
which is bad!

 

@Mixt, I think replacing the fan (or the cooling unit) made a huge impact on performance.

I just processed a video, which was successful, but it was 48 minutes and those were taking about an hour before to process. It took just 15-20 minutes to process.

 

This is an issue I've had with my desktop that never ever ever gets used ever ... anymore. I could fix it with a new heatsink/fan and thermal paste. Don't really need the heatsink but the thermal paste went bad and the connection was lost. I've got several additional fans I've collected from PC graveyards ... ie my closet. I just don't bother since my laptop is all around better than my desktop. My laptop is my new desktop.

~Nights

 

Can't... Stop... Imagining....

 

I forgot I was playing this video so when I took out my headphones "Data is Corrupted" and Sora saying "Stupid Computer." rang throughout my Computer Class.

 

I hope you blamed it on the MCP.

 

i like how they type like ****ing morons

 

To be fair, I'm sure none us look very attractive when typing.

For instance, my hands turn into actual spiders.

 

I mean Sora lifts his whole arm up and points down on the keys.
It's like a person who has never used a computer before, but comically so.

 

Has he really? I mean has Sora ever actually used a computer before? Before the series, do we even know that Destiny Islands was advanced enough to have a computer in every home? Even if they did, Sora was more of an outdoorsy type so would he have really used one much anyway? It was more of a village, it being an island, and in small communities there is less likely to be people who can use computers. Typing would've been something learned in the later years of elementary, if not high school. Seeing as Sora missed out on the majority of his schooling, it can be assumed he never learned how to type. So ... he may have never used a computer before or not enough to learn how to type on one.

~Nights

 

they fly a spaceship