Question PC freezes unexpectedly then restarts after short pause. Appreciate the help. Details in post.
Question PC freezes unexpectedly then restarts after short pause. Appreciate the help. Details in post.
Hello everyone,
I own a PC that has been behaving strangely. It comes prebuilt (HP Compaq 8200 Elite CMT) with the GPU as an add-on card.
GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 1050Ti OC Edition
CPU: Intel Core i5-2400 @ 3.10GHz
RAM: 8GB (two 4GB modules)
OS: Windows 10 Home 64 bit
Power Supply: HP Stock PSU 320W
Storage: 120GB SSD (Windows drive), 500GB HDD, 600GB HDD
Now, regarding the problem. I’m experiencing random freezes that immediately trigger the PC to restart. I don’t understand why, but I sense my screen might be flickering slightly when it freezes. Even when everything seems normal, I notice a faint flicker. Could this be related to the GPU or PSU, even if it’s almost imperceptible?
After a freeze and restart, the system functions correctly. These freezes are unpredictable, and I can’t consistently reproduce them. Honestly, if it were easier, my day would be simpler.
I’ve run three passes of MemTest86 without finding any issues.
I reinstalled Windows from a clean installation, formatting all drives.
Thermal readings show the GPU reaches 80°C at full load—higher than it was a few months ago, and I haven’t changed the thermal paste recently. I’ll check again once it arrives (I’ve ordered it).
The CPU stays around 75°C under heavy load.
I’ve tried using DDU, but I’m stuck. Windows event logs show nothing unusual except one error:
*"volmgr: Dump file creation failed due to error".*
This makes me worry about my RAM.
Anyone else have thoughts? Could this be the PSU issue? I’ve owned this prebuilt for seven years, though the GPU is newer. All other components are older.
Additional details:
Before reinstalling Windows, I encountered a random BSOD error related to "nvlddmkm.sys." I discovered two copies of that file, so I used DDU. It resolved the blue screen, but the freezing and restarting problem persisted.
The SSD is a SAMSUNG EVO model. I live in an area with many scams, and I fell for a fake copy. It turned out to be genuine but counterfeit. Surprisingly, its speed and performance matched the original. I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of fixing it, so I kept it.
I haven’t tested yet if this is the cause, but I’d like to know.
Thank you for your help.