Vista reboots instead of BSOD

I"m running Vista with an nvidia mobo and 8800 GTX graphics card. Whenever I
try gaming or running the nvidia stability test, my machine will reboot
itself in between 10 to 60 minutes. The machine went back to the provider
and they replaced a bad graphics card but it's still happening. I've been
through all the regular tests (memory, hdd, graphics, power, etc). I do
have automatic restart turned OFF and I don't see a blue screen flash, it
just reboots. I am running fully up to date on software, but I've used a new
HDD with a base Vista install and have the same problem. It sounds like
hardware but I have also tried running under XP and it has zero problems with
that so I'm figuring it's Vista-specific and not hardware. I'm about to just
ditch Vista and go with XP but I'd like to try and stay with Vista to keep
from having to migrate all my apps/files. If I could get it to BSOD instead
of reboot I think I can get someone to fix it. Suggestions on stopping
reboot?

On Sat, 1 Dec 2007 06:25:00 -0800, Mac <>
schreef:

>I"m running Vista with an nvidia mobo and 8800 GTX graphics card. Whenever I
>try gaming or running the nvidia stability test, my machine will reboot
>itself in between 10 to 60 minutes. The machine went back to the provider
>and they replaced a bad graphics card but it's still happening. I've been
>through all the regular tests (memory, hdd, graphics, power, etc). I do
>have automatic restart turned OFF and I don't see a blue screen flash, it
>just reboots. I am running fully up to date on software, but I've used a new
>HDD with a base Vista install and have the same problem. It sounds like
>hardware but I have also tried running under XP and it has zero problems with
>that so I'm figuring it's Vista-specific and not hardware. I'm about to just
>ditch Vista and go with XP but I'd like to try and stay with Vista to keep
>from having to migrate all my apps/files. If I could get it to BSOD instead
>of reboot I think I can get someone to fix it. Suggestions on stopping
>reboot?


Had the same problem here, with a MSI P6 Diamond board and a GTX. Kept
rebooting, rather random, sometimes with a BSOD, sometimes without.
The solution was ( found out by just fiddling around in the BIOS ) to
link the MEM speed with the CPU. So, i do not know your Mobo, but try
to mess a bit with mem speed icm with your CPU ? maybe it helps.

good luck.

Stop the computer from automatically restarting when an error is encountered,
viz. Right-click Computer > Properties > Advanced System Settings > Advanced
Tab then click Settings at the bottom alongside Startup and Recovery. In
System Failure untick ‘Auto Restart’. Now, next time you have a BSOD, the
STOP error will be displayed on the screen.

Make a note of the error number (the format is 0x00000aaa, where aaa is the
error number, e.g. 05A) and look for an explanation of your error number
shown in the left pane here
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/ms795508.aspx

"Mac" wrote:

> I"m running Vista with an nvidia mobo and 8800 GTX graphics card. Whenever I
> try gaming or running the nvidia stability test, my machine will reboot
> itself in between 10 to 60 minutes. The machine went back to the provider
> and they replaced a bad graphics card but it's still happening. I've been
> through all the regular tests (memory, hdd, graphics, power, etc). I do
> have automatic restart turned OFF and I don't see a blue screen flash, it
> just reboots. I am running fully up to date on software, but I've used a new
> HDD with a base Vista install and have the same problem. It sounds like
> hardware but I have also tried running under XP and it has zero problems with
> that so I'm figuring it's Vista-specific and not hardware. I'm about to just
> ditch Vista and go with XP but I'd like to try and stay with Vista to keep
> from having to migrate all my apps/files. If I could get it to BSOD instead
> of reboot I think I can get someone to fix it. Suggestions on stopping
> reboot?

I had put that in my original post. Auto restart is turned off yet it still
will reboot sometimes. I have gotten BSOD where it will halt and I can see
the screen but it's only every so often.

"BurrWalnut" wrote:

> Stop the computer from automatically restarting when an error is encountered,
> viz. Right-click Computer > Properties > Advanced System Settings > Advanced
> Tab then click Settings at the bottom alongside Startup and Recovery. In
> System Failure untick ‘Auto Restart’. Now, next time you have a BSOD, the
> STOP error will be displayed on the screen.
>
> Make a note of the error number (the format is 0x00000aaa, where aaa is the
> error number, e.g. 05A) and look for an explanation of your error number
> shown in the left pane here
> http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/ms795508.aspx
>
> "Mac" wrote:
>
> > I"m running Vista with an nvidia mobo and 8800 GTX graphics card. Whenever I
> > try gaming or running the nvidia stability test, my machine will reboot
> > itself in between 10 to 60 minutes. The machine went back to the provider
> > and they replaced a bad graphics card but it's still happening. I've been
> > through all the regular tests (memory, hdd, graphics, power, etc). I do
> > have automatic restart turned OFF and I don't see a blue screen flash, it
> > just reboots. I am running fully up to date on software, but I've used a new
> > HDD with a base Vista install and have the same problem. It sounds like
> > hardware but I have also tried running under XP and it has zero problems with
> > that so I'm figuring it's Vista-specific and not hardware. I'm about to just
> > ditch Vista and go with XP but I'd like to try and stay with Vista to keep
> > from having to migrate all my apps/files. If I could get it to BSOD instead
> > of reboot I think I can get someone to fix it. Suggestions on stopping
> > reboot?

Mac;531248 Wrote:
> I had put that in my original post. Auto restart is turned off yet it
> still will reboot sometimes. I have gotten BSOD where it will halt and I
> can see the screen but it's only every so often.

How long does it take for these "reboots" after a cold start? By this I
mean after the computer has ben off for a few hours. After switch on,
does it randomly reboot after a few minutes, or can you use it for
awhile before a reboot?

Or does the system work without problems until you start playing games?
This could indicate a problem with the graphics card...

Even if you have not done so yourself, you need to make sure that the
computer has not been overclocked, and that the memory timings and
voltages have not been incorrectly tweaked. It's not entirely uncommon
for system builders and dealers to overclock computers they sell to
customers. They do this in order to increase profit margins by selling
lower quality components for the same price as the better ones.

But even if this has not happened, it does not exclude the possibility
of overheating. What you need to check is that your chassis has
sufficient ventilation and that all intake, exhaust and CPU fans are
functioning correctly with no obstructions.

Is your CPU using a stock cooler (usually supplied with the CPU), or a
specialist cooler such as those manufactuer by ThermalTake or
Coolermaster?

Untidy cables can cause poor airflow within the chassis, and can also
lead to overheating.


--
dzomlija

____________________________________
Peter Alexander Dzomlija
Do you hear, huh? The Alpha and The Omega? Death and Rebirth? -And as
you die, so shall I be Reborn-...

- ASUS A8N32-SLI-Deluxe
- AMD Atlon 64 Dual-Core 4800+
- 4GB DDR400
- 128MB ASUS nVidia 6600 PCI-Express
- Thermaltake Tai-Chi Watercooled Chassis
- 1207GB Total Formatted Storage
- Vista Ultimate x64
- CodeGear Delphi 2007'http://dzomlija.spaces.live.com/' (http://dzomlija.spaces.live.com/)

From a cold start, If I immediately use nTune I can get it to reboot fairly
quickly. nvidia's nvmonitor can track temps on the CPU, system, and GPU.
I've set it up to track the temps every 4 seconds and even when gaming, the
temps are well under the limits right up to reboot. The system was built by
Velocity Micro so the parts are decent (nvidia 680i mobo, 8800 GTX gpu). I
did buy the system with the intent on overclocking, but wanted it to run
solid on base settings first (they didn't overclock it before shipping). The
CPU has Arctic Cooling fan on it. Not the best but the temps I'm seeing
aren't too high so it's working. VM does a great job of routing cables so
the internals seem to have good airflow for cooling. I figure if it was a
temp or bad graphics card issue, I'd hit it when running the same system
under XP but it runs like a champ there. I'm still leaning towards it being
a standard driver issue, but unless i can get it to blue screen instead of
rebooting I'm not sure how to prove it.



"dzomlija" wrote:

>
> Mac;531248 Wrote:
> > I had put that in my original post. Auto restart is turned off yet it
> > still will reboot sometimes. I have gotten BSOD where it will halt and I
> > can see the screen but it's only every so often.
>
> How long does it take for these "reboots" after a cold start? By this I
> mean after the computer has ben off for a few hours. After switch on,
> does it randomly reboot after a few minutes, or can you use it for
> awhile before a reboot?
>
> Or does the system work without problems until you start playing games?
> This could indicate a problem with the graphics card...
>
> Even if you have not done so yourself, you need to make sure that the
> computer has not been overclocked, and that the memory timings and
> voltages have not been incorrectly tweaked. It's not entirely uncommon
> for system builders and dealers to overclock computers they sell to
> customers. They do this in order to increase profit margins by selling
> lower quality components for the same price as the better ones.
>
> But even if this has not happened, it does not exclude the possibility
> of overheating. What you need to check is that your chassis has
> sufficient ventilation and that all intake, exhaust and CPU fans are
> functioning correctly with no obstructions.
>
> Is your CPU using a stock cooler (usually supplied with the CPU), or a
> specialist cooler such as those manufactuer by ThermalTake or
> Coolermaster?
>
> Untidy cables can cause poor airflow within the chassis, and can also
> lead to overheating.
>
>
> --
> dzomlija
>
> ____________________________________
> Peter Alexander Dzomlija
> Do you hear, huh? The Alpha and The Omega? Death and Rebirth? -And as
> you die, so shall I be Reborn-...
>
> - ASUS A8N32-SLI-Deluxe
> - AMD Atlon 64 Dual-Core 4800+
> - 4GB DDR400
> - 128MB ASUS nVidia 6600 PCI-Express
> - Thermaltake Tai-Chi Watercooled Chassis
> - 1207GB Total Formatted Storage
> - Vista Ultimate x64
> - CodeGear Delphi 2007'http://dzomlija.spaces.live.com/' (http://dzomlija.spaces.live.com/)
>