[OT] Serious computer issue

[Dribble Joy]

Last night I was watching an online video as I have on countless occations previously. Suddenly it stopped and the browser told me flash had stopped working. I tried to reload but then an error message popped up saying some program had crashed (I'm not sure which). I closed firefox and another error popped up, I closed it and it popped up again. And again, and again, etc.

I'm using XP SP3 by the way, no my comp won't run anything newer.

I hit the reset button and before getting to the login screen an error regarding lsass.exe popped up (not sure if this was the program in the previous error messages). Clicked OK and the comp restarted.
Same thing happened several times over. Went to bed, deciding to dig deeper the next day.

This morning I try again and get the same message, but a second time I got a group of subsequent errors for different programs and then a blue screen, this disappears after about a second so I can't tell what's wrong and then the comnp restarts.
I then get on the other comp in the house and start investigating.
Initial searches point to the Sasser worm and several fixes were offered. I noticed though that these were mostly from around 2004-2007 and that MS had released a fix around that time.

First thing I tried was getting into safe mode, which worked. I started my malware program and went off to make a cup of tea. I came back to find an error message (different) that when closed, restarted the comp.
I tried again with safe mode with networking, updated the malware program and started a new scan. At this point the program crashed and crashed when I tried to run it again.

Also tried running it with no auto-reboot, this just gave me a black screen, no error.
Then tried last known working settings, this gave me the error and the blue screen.

Decided to reinstall Windows. Got to the setup which got to about 60% of the first section of installing before hanging. Restarted and it got through to the installing network section and it got through to about 30% before stopping (though the 'progress' animation at the bottom is still moving unlike the time before). This is where it has been for the last ~20mins.

At some point in all this (not sure when) I got a blue screen that didn't disappear and the error reads as follows.

STOP: 0x0000008E (0xC0000005, 0xBF873134, 0xF774FB98, 0x0000000)
win32k.sys Address BF873134 base at BF800000, DateStamp 48025f2a

Does this sound like a hardware issue or is it time for the dreaded format/reinstall? Which obviously would suck monkey scrotes.

[DarkPhoenix]

From what I've searched on Msoft site for those error codes, main one being 0x0000008E, looks like a RAM issue (faulty).

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/findbyerrormessage/a/stop0x0000008e.htm

[Cursed Shadow]

Blah blah blah my computer sucks

I thought you were getting a new machine?

[Dribble Joy]

Yes, but new comp need munnies. Be another 2-3 months before I have enough.

Edit: Restarted and got through the setup. Running a defrag atm.

[Dribble Joy]

Well it's mostly sorted now.

Turns out it was a duff RAM stick. Fortunately it was the smaller and older one. Though now I'm limping along with 512MB.

Since when re-installing it made a new install of windows rather than rewriting the old one, how do I uninstall to new one?

[Drachenpaladin]

Kill it with fire and format it. Quickest and safest. Just backup what you need. And get more RAM.

[Dropout]

Wow dude... Time for a new computer... If it cant run anything newer than XP, that shit needs to be put down..
Not enough money? Sell your dog/sister/mother/car/whatever..
A computer that old needs to die.

BTW, your RAM is probably DDR2, DO NOT BUY NEW ONES! They are overpriced as fuck and definitely not worth it.

[Drachenpaladin]

Wow dude... Time for a new computer... If it cant run anything newer than XP, that shit needs to be put down..
Not enough money? Sell your dog/sister/mother/car/whatever..
A computer that old needs to die.

BTW, your RAM is probably DDR2, DO NOT BUY NEW ONES! They are overpriced as fuck and definitely not worth it.

Also: ^This

Even if it bears the danger that you might get the funny idea of checking out other games but srsly, get a real PC, not an re-hardwired toaster!

[nEo-1664]

If your mobo will accept them, I will have a couple of working 2Gb PC2-6400 modules going spare in about a weeks time :)

See if your board will take them by running the Crucial Memory Scan - http://www.crucial.com/uk/systemscanner/

Tick the box, and run the scanner, then on the webpage that loads, on the left, it will tell you something similar to the following:

Memory:
DDR2 PC2-6400, DDR2 PC2-8500

Memory Type: DDR2 PC2-6400, DDR2 PC2-8500, DDR2 (non-ECC)
Maximum Memory: 4GB
Currently Installed Memory: 4GB
Total Memory Slots: 2
Available Memory Slots: 0

If you can take 2x2Gb in your setup, you are more than welcome to them for no charge :)

[Dribble Joy]

760GXK8MC Mobo
Memory Type: DDR PC2700, DDR PC3200, DDR (non-ECC)
Maximum Memory: 2GB
Currently Installed Memory: 512MB
Total Memory Slots: 2
Available Memory Slots: 1

:D

[Divide]

With a box like that, you could spend the equivalent of ~$200 us and have yourself a system that is quite a step up in every way. You don't need to build out a killer rig to feel the difference.

[skarn]

With a box like that, you could spend the equivalent of ~$200 us and have yourself a system that is quite a step up in every way. You don't need to build out a killer rig to feel the difference.

New MB+cpu+ram means new OS
He will have to find a MB with PATA ports instead of SATA,
Hes on AGP the new card will surely be PCIE then he will need a new gfx card. There are cheap ones but he has a low/no budget.

Dribble, can you say us in what area you live in ? maybe a fellow NC can send free used memory sticks for a few stamps ?

[Dribble Joy]

New MB+cpu+ram means new OS
He will have to find a MB with PATA ports instead of SATA,
Hes on AGP the new card will surely be PCIE then he will need a new gfx card. There are cheap ones but he has a low/no budget.

Dribble, can you say us in what area you live in ? maybe a fellow NC can send free used memory sticks for a few stamps ?
South West England.

Including monitor I'm aiming for a budget of ~£1100/$1800, currently have £400, saving £200-300 a month (car repairs took a toll recently). Hoping to get a few bits for Crimbo.

It's not just NC, I'd like to play other games on this thing rather than my Xbox, plus I need something with grunt for video editing.

[Divide]

New MB+cpu+ram means new OS
He will have to find a MB with PATA ports instead of SATA,
Hes on AGP the new card will surely be PCIE then he will need a new gfx card. There are cheap ones but he has a low/no budget.

Not really knowing his usage scenario, it's hard to really have a rock solid argument here; but, given the fact that he is running the system that he is to this day, it is reasonable to believe he could build a low-power box and see vast improvement in speed over that junker he's running at this time. That said, you are right, he will need an OS. If he's just using this for NC/general usage (to include video/audio editing etc...) he could run any variant of Linux that he wishes. For free.

that said, three words:

amd apu bundle (imo apu w/o discreet for gaming >>> haswell w/o)


the egg had one yesterday for $199; can't find it at the moment, but here is another box which would work for NC and have room to grow if he were to install a discreet card:
Intel Haswell 3.0GHz Dual-Core CPU w/ Intel HD Graphics | ASUS H81M MOBO | Crucial 4GB MEM | 500GB HDD | LOGISYS Case w/ 480W PSU SuperCombo
$192.99



DJ - you sure you want to build out a machine for $1800? I'd argue any day of the week that it would make more sense to buy a $900 machine today and upgrade/rebuild in the next 3 years. That would give you a much more satisfying experience over the course of a 5-6 year run. Given the state of the workstation you have today, I find it difficult to imagine that you are a pc speed freak which is why I ask are you sure you want to dump that much money into a box. If your plan is to run it for 7+ years, it's your money, but imo that is a terrible upgrade schedule.

/edit:
just saw that you intend for a monitor to be part of the purchasing price. You could obviously continue to use the one you have today, and upgrade when you have cash. The fact that you do want to play other games may throw a wrench in the linux option, but Valve is really pushing linux, so only time will tell there. Also, important as many will lead you astray - if you are indeed only editing video, your harddrive is going to be your bottleneck even with a low-end cpu. If you are creating video (3d or 2d) your cpu/gpu become significantly more important.

[Dropout]

South West England.

Including monitor I'm aiming for a budget of ~£1100/$1800, currently have £400, saving £200-300 a month (car repairs took a toll recently). Hoping to get a few bits for Crimbo.

It's not just NC, I'd like to play other games on this thing rather than my Xbox, plus I need something with grunt for video editing.

Why do people always insist on buying overpriced (too new) hardware..?
I payed £650 for my PC 2 years ago, and it still runs everything on at least 'high' settings..
And the great thing with PC's is that you dont have to go "all-in" when it comes to hardware.. You can always upgrade.

As Divide is saying, wait with the monitor, so you can upgrade a little sooner.


As for OS, if you dont mind reformatting your PC every 180 days, you can just use the trial of Win8.
90 days + 90 days more via. cmd (adm) -> "slmgr -rearm" (without the " " ).

[Torg]

the truth is: you dont need a fat PC for most games. i played NC on a AMD system (athlon II 250 energy saver type) and onboard 760 graphics for quite a few years - suitable for everything but too much fire effects and op-fights. so i upgraded with a cheap radeon 6670, which lets me play fallout 3, skyrim, borderlands1+2, civ 5 etc. nicely, still on a weak CPU, 4GB RAM and Win XP3. but since XP will be dead in april 14 you may want to get a win7 disc for under 100, and a new AMD APU chip for 50-100 plus mobo. should even run in your old case. dont wait, buy it. imho.

[Divide]

There are other, much more compelling reasons to go to 7 (even better, 8. but not 8.1) over XP than the drop-dead date for support. The fact that you aren't running a 12 year old OS should be the biggest arguing point there, with a big second point that performance for both typical scenarios and gaming is as follows XP<Vista<7<8. Yes, that is right, 8 is faster than 7.

[Dribble Joy]

My current comp choice is not via... choice... I have not chosen to not upgrade.

Since leaving Uni in 2008, I have not had any disposable income, and never really had any prior.

The current rig is a result of the last one dying (which was a purchase in 2001) and getting what I could for about £250.
I've never had the computer that I wanted.
I'm currently running a hand-me-down monitor running at 1024x768 after my last monitor (a 'donation' from a friend) decided to die.

It's not simply about getting something better than I have now. It's about getting something that actually represents my needs, something I have never had. I am sick of NC running at <10 FPS during OP fights for the last five years (if not more), 720p videos being unwatchable, Youtube lagging, unable to run anything above HL2, my comp grinding to a halt when trying to watch/load more than a couple of streams if I am lucky.

I don't mind buying something that I will need to upgrade. I know that is something that I will have to do regardless. I'm not looking at a £5k+ rig, just something that will handle the latest stuff reasonably.

[nEo-1664]

760GXK8MC Mobo
Memory Type: DDR PC2700, DDR PC3200, DDR (non-ECC)
Maximum Memory: 2GB
Currently Installed Memory: 512MB
Total Memory Slots: 2
Available Memory Slots: 1

:D

Well, that's DDR 1 spec stuff, of which I have some pieces lying around. I'm sure we can get you up to 2Gb RAM without a problem - PM me your address, or find me on IRC, and I'll send you down some DDR 1Gb sticks :)

[Powerpunsh]

I bought me a new rig some weeks ago and spent ~700€ excluding a PSU (kept my old 530WPSU).
It runs perfect and for my latest game x-rebirth i have no issues like some does with their fps.

Hardware components i can recommend are intels Xeon E3 1230 V3 processor which has a very good price-earning ratio and the new R9 X series of AMD. :)

[Dribble Joy]

Hardware components i can recommend are intels Xeon E3 1230 V3 processor which has a very good price-earning ratio and the new R9 X series of AMD. :)

In my previous thread people basically told me not to touch AMD with a barge pole. Are they any better these days or is it their CPUs to avoid?

I'm not planning on overclocking, so is the xeon better than an i5 for the price? I am aiming to be creating/editing full HD videos, which I've heard the i5's 'quicksync' is better at handling.

[Dropout]

In my previous thread people basically told me not to touch AMD with a barge pole. Are they any better these days or is it their CPUs to avoid?

I'm not planning on overclocking, so is the xeon better than an i5 for the price? I am aiming to be creating/editing full HD videos, which I've heard the i5's 'quicksync' is better at handling.

Go with Intel, mate.. Same with Nvidia for gfx IMO.

[Powerpunsh]

only AMD cpus are crap compared to intels. Nvidia may have the better gpus overall compared to their power consumption but in my price segment i picked an AMD card. The R9 270x is much cheaper than a gtx760 and beats it in some benchmarks and supports mantle.


i5 vs. Xeon. You can google the difference. All i understood is that the xeon is as fast as an i7, costs the same as an i5 4770k, has no iGPU and a less power consumption (due to no iGPU). The xeon has hyperthreading like an i7 either which accelerates video editing/rendering programms etc.

[Dropout]

only AMD cpus are crap compared to intels. Nvidia may have the better gpus overall compared to their power consumption but in my price segment i picked an AMD card. The R9 270x is much cheaper than a gtx760 and beats it in some benchmarks and supports mantle.


i5 vs. Xeon. You can google the difference. All i understood is that the xeon is as fast as an i7, costs the same as an i5 4770k, has no iGPU and a less power consumption (due to no iGPU). The xeon has hyperthreading like an i7 either which accelerates video editing/rendering programms etc.

The second you play a game with PhysX (most newer games support this), a Nvidia card - even with lower specs will outperform a AMD card.
Besides there's rarely any bullshit with games, when you use Nvidia (I hear again and again "This game runs like shit on my powerhouse of a computer" - AMD GPU, where as with Nvidia there isnt any problems at all).

Sure the price for Nvidia is quite a lot more expensive than AMD GPU's, but IMO its worth it.

[Torg]

AMD vs Intel: there are no real high-end-cpus in AMDs production, but in the midrange you will get more horsepower for your money. just compare both price and performance. AMD vs Nvidia: both have special advantages (like Physx vs Mantle), again its just a price/performance comparison. or you'd stick with religious beliefs on the superiority of certain brands.

[Divide]

or you'd stick with religious beliefs on the superiority of certain brands.

Torg just won this thread

[Dribble Joy]

New Ramz from Bramz. Pooter goes more fasta now.

I owes you pintage.

[Torg]

Pooter goes more fasta now.dribble won, not me :)

[Cursed Shadow]

New Ramz from Bramz. Pooter goes more fasta now.

I owes you pintage.


I reckon we can make you a decent 'puter and a monitor for under 800.
It will have enough whack.

[Dribble Joy]

I reckon we can make you a decent 'puter and a monitor for under 800.
It will have enough whack.

Including OS, case, PSU, HDD, sata and monitor?

What I have currently is a heap of drom poopoo. I need to start from the ground up.

[Cursed Shadow]

Including OS, case, PSU, HDD, sata and monitor?

What I have currently is a heap of drom poopoo. I need to start from the ground up.

Nothing will be salvaged.

The PC will be awesome, but modest. It will run most/all games on high to ultra, and it will be possible to upgrade it (for teh future)
The trick is: buy the tried and tested, the stuff with the better drivers.
My general rule of thumb: never buy something that has just come out, usually hardware takes 1-2 months to bloom with drivers and compatibility anyway.

Might be like 850-900 if we have to worry about OS too, and it depends which OS :)

Here's what we can do:
Take this to another thread, or to PM.
We can work together to figure out different builds for different budgets, but overall, we can definitely get something for a 500-700, 700-900 range and a 900-1100 range.

Personally, I built a cracking machine 6 months ago and it came to around 900 incl. Monitor, Keyboard, SSD, HDD, OS, RAM, Case etc.
I cannot fault the thing, it handles everything I throw at it.

[Dribble Joy]

Fair enough. There is an existing thread from a while, but it will still be ~2 months before I have enough to buy it (if I save £200 this month and get about £100 towards it for crimbo, then that's about £700), so I won't revive it just yet.
I'll see how the situation is in the new year, but it could be the beginning of Feb.



My general rule of thumb: never buy something that has just come out, usually hardware takes 1-2 months to bloom with drivers and compatibility anyway.
I wasn't planning on going for the latest stuff (especially regarding mobo and GFX). I spotted a Xeon 1230 X3 for £185 a while ago and was thinking about a GTX 770 (worth dropping down to one of the 600 series?).


Might be like 850-900 if we have to worry about OS too, and it depends which OS :)
I spotted Win7 pro for about £100 a while ago, or is Win7 Home Premium enough?

[Cursed Shadow]

I spotted Win7 pro for about £100 a while ago, or is Win7 Home Premium enough?

Windows 8 Pro is about £100 and you can downgrade it to Windows 7.

I'd get a i5 3570K for gaming/video editing, or a i7 3770K That processor packs a serious punch, I'd have to compare the 3XXX series versus the 4XXX pricing now though, as they've probably dropped.

[Agent L]

The case can be salvaged : ) There is no real point in paying anything for the sheet metal if you already have one.

DJ, if you're having trouble with getting all the cash at once, you can upgrade in stages. Hunt for a decent PSU first. Then get the most important mobo+cpu+ram combo and limp on the built in graphics and old HDD for a while (still better than what you have now). Then add a video card and/or new HDD in whatever order.
Some of the stuff might be bought used from ebay for best bang for a buck, like PSU and GPU.

@CS why 3570K? 4670K is same price with better performance and newer platform.

[William Antrim]

Please post here what you intend to buy - prices and retailers if you can be bothered? I am shopping around currently and am facing similar conundrums in what to buy.

[Agent L]

This (http://www.agito.pl/lista-zyczen/22355f10f0f8dc4f2b2f3a5f5b22682c) is setup I have just ordered for work, about £600 total, including monitor, the only thing missing is Windows (site in Polish. £1 = 4,96zł). It's a computer for work - so it'd need to be rebalanced for gaming:
- There is no dedicated GPU while the 1920x1200 monitor (£200) is very demanding because of so many pixels. A bit saner monitor (1600x900) and second-hand HD6850 (£50-60) would make it playable at 40FPS (BF4, Crysis3 on mid-detals, BF3 on max).
- 16GB of memory is too much, 8 should do - ram is expensive nowadays (£50 saved).
- The processor might be reconsidered: dual core G3420 (£55) packs amazing punch for 1/3 of the price of corresponding quad i5-4570 (£155), but certain deliberately f**ed up programs (like newer nVidia drivers) simply require moar cores for no valid reason. Hence the Radeon - if you want a GeForce you'll need i3 at least.
- There is no HDD except the 120GB SSD. It'll do for few games, but primary PC would need extra storage sooner or later.
- Intel box cooler can manage, but Thermalright Macho (£40 - the full size original, ignore the "120" shrunk version!) can do it better while staying dead silent. The Zalman case was chosen only because it's wide enough to be closed with Macho inside. Not many cases can do that.

[Hodo]

This (http://www.agito.pl/lista-zyczen/22355f10f0f8dc4f2b2f3a5f5b22682c) is setup I have just ordered for work, about £600 total, including monitor, the only thing missing is Windows (site in Polish. £1 = 4,96zł). It's a computer for work - so it'd need to be rebalanced for gaming:
- There is no dedicated GPU while the 1920x1200 monitor (£200) is very demanding because of so many pixels. A bit saner monitor (1600x900) and second-hand HD6850 (£50-60) would make it playable at 40FPS (BF4, Crysis3 on mid-detals, BF3 on max).
- 16GB of memory is too much, 8 should do - ram is expensive nowadays (£50 saved).
- The processor might be reconsidered: dual core G3420 (£55) packs amazing punch for 1/3 of the price of corresponding quad i5-4570 (£155), but certain deliberately f**ed up programs (like newer nVidia drivers) simply require moar cores for no valid reason. Hence the Radeon - if you want a GeForce you'll need i3 at least.
- There is no HDD except the 120GB SSD. It'll do for few games, but primary PC would need extra storage sooner or later.
- Intel box cooler can manage, but Thermalright Macho (£40 - the full size original, ignore the "120" shrunk version!) can do it better while staying dead silent. The Zalman case was chosen only because it's wide enough to be closed with Macho inside. Not many cases can do that.

I have never heard 16GB of RAM is too much. I can tell you now, I always get as much RAM as I can when it is cheap, it is best to have the most your system can handle so you never have to worry about any 64bit programs running out of memory. I know I play MUCH more than just Neocron, so I like having the extra RAM just for those programs.

[Dropout]

I have never heard 16GB of RAM is too much. I can tell you now, I always get as much RAM as I can when it is cheap, it is best to have the most your system can handle so you never have to worry about any 64bit programs running out of memory. I know I play MUCH more than just Neocron, so I like having the extra RAM just for those programs.

More than 8 GB RAM is not needed at all (for gaming), it is a waste of money as Agent L said.
Granted, more RAM doesnt HURT, its just not needed - for gaming :)

[Cursed Shadow]

@CS why 3570K? 4670K is same price with better performance and newer platform.

As I stated, it would depend what they're priced at now.
4670K has minor performance over the 3570K to my knowledge. I believed them to be very similar upon initial release.
Perhaps some hardware has begun to capitalize on the 4670K now though?

[Dribble Joy]

As I stated, it would depend what they're priced at now.
4670K has minor performance over the 3570K to my knowledge. I believed them to be very similar upon initial release.
Perhaps some hardware has begun to capitalize on the 4670K now though?
1150 is probably going to be around longer than 1155, so future upgrades without replacing mobo are more likely.

Difference between a 3570k and a 4670k is about £10-15 (roughly 10% of price) at the moment, so I dunno if it's worth it or not.

[Cursed Shadow]

For a CPU which is between 2-6% better depending on the application.
Actually to my knowledge the 4670K is less energy efficient too.

http://www.ocaholic.ch/modules/smartsection/item.php?page=0&itemid=1087

[Agent L]

I always get as much RAM as I can when it is cheapThe problem is, ram isn't cheap today.

I know I play MUCH more than just Neocron, so I like having the extra RAM just for those programs.Well, Crysis3 recommends 8GB for "Hi-Performance" configuration, that's why I suggested setting with that. Neocron runs great on 512MB. If I'd were asked about Neocron machine, I'd say Core2Duo + 2GB + gf9600, no more.


upgrades without replacing moboI think this is a rare scenario, especially with i5k which is and will probably remain top cpu for the platform.
Difference between a 3570k and a 4670k is about £10-15 (roughly 10% of price) at the moment, so I dunno if it's worth it or not.Well, then I'd recommend decision based on the prices and features of corresponding mobos.


For a CPU which is between 2-6% better depending on the application.
Actually to my knowledge the 4670K is less energy efficient too.

http://www.ocaholic.ch/modules/smartsection/item.php?page=0&itemid=1087That's interesting, thnx.

[Dribble Joy]

New thread (http://forum.neocron-game.com/showthread.php?154904-OT-Buying-a-new-computer).