So I got a lot of bluescreens. Searched Google high and low for an idea what might be the problem. Suggested everything from driver to hardware issue. Downloaded and tested drivers, system software, memtest85+.
One support site mentioned an issue with newer Nvidia drivers for older cards (I have a Geforce 405), another that my Ram was probably screwed. So I decided to try and open up my case to remove my ram one by one to see if I could locate on which stick the fault might be. When I opened up that case I discovered that since ASUS were trying to fit as much as possible in a small case, the RAM was situated beneath the DVD-rom, menaing I would have to take apart half of the computer internals.
I really didn´t feel like doing that at the time since I was already tired and frustrated. Howev, I noticed that there was some dust here and there on motherboard and cards, so I thought I might just try to blow it out. Did that until no more dust flew out, and then closed the case.
I turned on the PC, hoping to get at least an hour of work done before it crashed again, and - lo and behold - it´s been almost a week now and not a single bluescreen! Happy!
Glad you solved your problem. In case you don’t know, it was probably just overheating. It’s a good idea to blow the computer out with compressed air before it gets to that point (every 6-12 months works well for my systems) as your system will most likely last longer if you do. In addition to generally cleaning the dust out of the box, a place where crud loves to accumulate is on the fins of any fans in the system (CPU, GPU, chipset, power supply, etc) which can also lead to overheating as they won’t as efficiently move air around the heatsink.
Had a similar problem with the dust: the cpu air fan was blowing air (and dust particles) on the ram. Over time it formed a tick enough layer on the ram to cause some bsod.
This has also happened to me. My computer stopped working one day so, with some help from a friend, I took it apart to find a paper clip had wedged itself in some precarious place so it would make my computer crash. Everything was also covered with dust that needed to be cleaned off too.
I’m glad you found the solution to your problem.
I have a dusty house (woodstove heat, two hairy cats, attached workshop, etc) so I’ve always used filters in my computers. I use a large intake fan on the side that incorporates the filter with the others blowing out. I buy cheap furnace/Venmar filters on sale at the local hardware store and change them every few months when they look like they’ve accumulated a lot of crud.
Preventative maintenance does wonders to alleviate problems. Or as they say, a stitch in time saves nine. Only problem is that in the school of hard knocks is where you learn these things. Who reads the six hundred page manual that provides valuable insights to your machine when you first get it.
