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Blue screen error everytime I install games or turn on a computer
Heidi
Member Posts: 27
Need some help. I have bought computers that I have had to return due to blue screen errors. These errors have appeared either 30 minutes after turning a computer on for the first time or they have appeared during the installing of a video game like warhammer online. I would love to play this game, but I have yet to find a computer that actually works. For those that are playing the game would you please recommend a blue screen free premade computer. Do not tell me to build my own because I am not a computer tech nor do I care to find one who knows what they are doing. I want to be able to buy a computer that will do what it is supposed to do from the get go. Thank you in advance for you responses. As to budget I am looking to buy a computer for no more than 2,600.00 US. Computers I have previously bought and have failed were from Alienware and from Velocity Micro.
Comments
for the money you have (quiet abit) and from the pc's you have bought (good names), I would be more likely to look at how YOU use a pc and what software you install rather than blame hardware as you have this error on a number of pc's.
Blue screen can be put down to either software or hardware but as its not one computer specific it does seem to narrow it down some. There is NO perfect brand as all can have faults and as you have asked this question on an mmo site I conclude you are not pc litterate ( no offense).
Often RAM can give blue screen and this is an easy fix, but again I would however ask a computer friend if you know any to have a look at your setup first.
Hope this helps
Its a common problem, and I've had the same blue screen issues with dual 8800gtx's. After building a $5k+ pc I had no choice but to read every post on the Internet to find a solution. The strange thing is that even the large vendors don't really have an answer. It actually ruined one of my two video cards after a couple of months.
The way I eventually managed to fix it, was by upping the voltages on my memory and run them on factory specs, not what they should run on, but only by finding a specific how-to of my build somewhere hidden away on a forum. I think this is where you should be looking. It might well be the major cause with current hardware, that things don't line up very well sometimes.
If I were you I would contact your supplier and ask them how you can safely up the voltages on your memory. Its worth a shot, and might safe you tons of money and frustration.
Good luck
not to be rude but with No information what so ever you are telling a person with little pc expierience to up voltage on what may have Nothing to do with their pc at all. Yes I do have alot of pc knowledge before its asked but you need more information before you get people to start mucking around with bios and voltages. regards
Actually, if you were building your own pc and kept getting this message, I'd tell you to just buy a premade. Premade's don't have these problems out of the box like that. At least not at the rate you're seeing them. Like the second poster said, it's something you're doing wrong.
What are you doing other then installing games when you first get these computers? Are you surfing risque sites without protection? Because that could definitely be a problem here.
What you need to do is install a game, and then see if the computer works. If it doesn't, then go into safe mode and uninstall it. That's pretty much it. With a premade computer, you shouldn't have to mess with voltages or do any other troubleshooting whatsoever, especially this soon after purchase.
not to be rude but with No information what so ever you are telling a person with little pc expierience to up voltage on what may have Nothing to do with their pc at all. Yes I do have alot of pc knowledge before its asked but you need more information before you get people to start mucking around with bios and voltages. regards
No, I'm suggesting he contacts his vendor and ask for advice on how to safely up the memory voltages to see if it can solve the problem.
I don't have much pc knowledge, but I had to read every bsod thread out there, and the only instances where people actually managed to fix it was either through memory or upping some frequency on the pci-bus. Hence, my suggestion to see if its the memory that causes issues...with the help of his vendor...not mucking around.
I thought my post was clear, but I guess I will have to once again rephrase the issue. Everytime I buy a premade computer from a retail store there is a blue screen error during the first 30 minutes of turning the computer on. The only thing I have done to the computer is attempt to install a video game. The most recent issue was with trying to install warhammer online to a Velocity Micro computer. The only difference between this most recent computer and other computers is that after the blue screen error occured I was unable to receive a video signal from restarting. Just to clear up and avoid confusion I am not on the internet surfing, I have not built a computer that has these issues, I am not doing anything other that what I have said. As to the previous post about computers not being set properly at the manufactur that seems to explain alot. I do not understand why, if that is true, manufactures have become so lazy as to know these blue screen errors will occur. In any event, it sounds like it all comes down to having to send a brand new computer to a repair shop on day one. Unless subsequent posts know of an error free computer I can buy I will probably as my next step look for a repair shop and then buy yet another computer and forward it to them.
If you keep getting these BSoDs while youre installing games, maybe that`s where you should be focusing on a solution. Buying another PC isnt going to help if what you say is true because it sounds like a software issue. The best thing to do is troubleshoot that problem. Install all the OS and driver updates then try to install the game. If you get a BSoD, check the error message for a file name and go from there.
I understand your frustration, but as I said you cannot buy a guaranteed problem free computer or is there such a brand that offers this. Problems happen, hardware fails. To say other suppliers sell faulty components to a Good branded name is just not so. Its all a gamble if you want it that way but from my years of bulding/selling pc's IF you have a repeated problem as you state ..
quote "Everytime I buy a premade computer from a retail store there is a blue screen error during the first 30 minutes of turning the computer on"
then you are either the Most unlucky person on the pc front, OR, if its not user error as you say then maybe its an outside infulence, ie power, heat, cold and such. But to stress again there is NO guranteed no faults pc on the market, yes better brands but still not a gurantee.
All this is just thoughts tho as I have Not seen the pc nor can I diagnose from little information. My advice again is before you rush out and buy another new pc you must know someone or know someone or knows someone who can have a look first. Or just as you said go to a repair shop.. It may be hardware, you may be unlucky but why spends thousands when you can spend little on a shop repair first rahter than asking advice on people that cannot possibly help with so little information or see it for themselves..
regards
and quick edit, as josh3k says, it can very well be drivers. So many things it can be so little information..
I you really have this problem with every computer you get and it happens before you've really done anything on your computer, I'd have the voltage in your outlets checked.
My power is generally good, but we live near a substation and occasionally get under or over voltage. An old house or even an improperly wired new house could also have problems.
You can try getting a good surge suppressor or Uninterruptable Power Supply that also has a power conditioning feature that will keep the voltage with in 5 volts of ideal.
Other than that, I've heard that some people just can't be around electronincs. Do you have frequent problems with computers off the premises or other electronic divices?
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Are you applying all of the updates to the OS when you get the computer prior to installing games? Depending on your OS that could be something you might want to do.
Get a new 17" Macbook Pro for around 2500 or a Mac Pro if you want desktop. Install Windows on it if you want for games.
If you get a blue screen with ANY computer you bougnt within 30 minutes of using it, it means it's something external, like a power plug with a short circuit, or the space where you put the computer is too hot causing overheating, or even a USB device you use on all the computers within this lapse of time. Try to think outside the box.
You either have the worst luck ever, its user error or its environmental. If all you have tried is to install a game on a fresh out of the box machine it has to be luck (can't fix that) or environmental.
Is the computer in a well ventilated location?
Is the computer sitting on a heater outlet?
Are you in an area with very high levels of humidity?
What monitor are you running? Is it a nice new one you know isn't a bit wacky?
Are you trying to use a power board that is over loaded?
Are you running through a good quality surge protector. *** my money is on power spikes cooking hardware.
How hot is it where you have the computer?
Hmm, first you should really return any PC that bluescreens when you just bought it.
But the tip is to buy it from a store that actually builds it for you, companys that make large numbers of PCs like compaq and Dell usually gives you crappy components.
There are many webb pages where you can choose the components yourself and a proffesional puts it together for you but most real computer stores (a real computer stores have just computers, not TVs and other junk) have good packets they put together for you, buy one at the local computer store so you can return it easy if needed.
I have built a lot of computers myself, had that bluescreen problem with one I built for a friend, it was a fried cash memory with the processor but most likely it is the ram or the memory on your gfx card that is the problem.
Also get one of those things that that protect the computer from power spikes, it could be that your house have some electrical problem or something messing up your computers (not likely but those things are cheap).
Funny enough is the error marginal on computer parts rather bad, 5-10% of most motherboards have problems or doesn't work when they are new. And not just the cheap ones, ASUS had series that had a lot higher frequency than that.
Harddrives have also problem, IBM recalled an entire serie of SCSI HDs, Seagate had some problem with a months production, maxtor had problem with drives overheating and so on.
And DDR memorys have some problem also...
From my computers I bought and didn't put together myself (3 of them) the first was a total mess (shouldn't have bought a Cyrix processor), the second was ok and the third did the guy from the store change mother board on 4 times before it worked, when he gave up and installed a A-Bit card (they are expensive but the best) it finally worked.
Of the 3 I built myself however I didn't have any problem except a motherboard did start messing with me a bit after a thunderstorm, at least I think it was the motherboard but it was upgrade time anyways.
So I would say that you are lucky instead, one computer out of 20 or so have some kind of problem. A friend of mine built motherboard and they counted 5% error margin as good. Of course you could get it down a lot but that costs money.
Well there are some fairly funny replies in this thread.
Considering the hardware you could use in a box (my term for computer) at that price.... I know Alienware is fairly expensive.. not sure on Velocity Micro. I had a laptop from Dell that worked fine for 2 years then the video card started causing blue screens.. (damaged memory or some such was a big issue because of the design I guess).
Its not something that should really happen.. and Alienware at least I would think comes standard with some form of "on site" warranty.. I know my Dell laptop did (and dell owns alienware). I called them up and talked to a guy in India who actually spoke very well and had me setup with an onsite repair .. pretty quick (I was actually impressed believe it or not..)
Generally they come with at least 1 year on site standard... so that seems kinda odd.
Just out of curiousity I pulled up the alienware site...
even the M17x laptop starts at like 1800 with a base 1 year "in home" repair server.
and for desktops... you start with a base 1 year "in home" warranty... and for the amount you are talking could get a fairly decent I7 system...
So I guess I'd wonder what you ordered...
and..
Why you didn't just use your included "on site" warranty to have a techie be provided by them and fix the issue...
I don't buy pre-builts but dell is decentish and alienware (even as part of Dell) should be ok. I don't know enough about current companies to recommend any....
and I understand this part:
"Do not tell me to build my own because I am not a computer tech nor do I care to find one who knows what they are doing."
But I still go back to why didn't you have the alienware fixed under the warranty you paid for when you bought it...
the rest of the arguements in this thread are about technical reasons this could happen... but as you stated your lack of tech experience.. obviously the on site warranty comes into play. (If they agreed to take the computer back then they would have agreed to an on site call under your warranty unless you used some satisfaction guarantee through a credit card).
I guess its also hard to relate because I haven't seen a blue screen in so long (other than the Dell laptop when the video card had to be replaced ... single pipe 7900 ftl).... that I probably couldn't fix one of my own.
*edit* Don't feel bad about not wanting to build your own. Three of my friends that I build or fix issues for.. work at Intel... seems ironic.
I appreciate the responses to my situation. To answer a few of the questions from above: I live in an apartment complex, but the computer was in a well ventilated room connected to a surge protector. It is possible that the operating system might be an issue. I did not bother having vista grab the update, so it was just an sp1 at that moment prior to the issue. As to the Alienware computer. They kept arguing with me on the phone saying that the issue was caused by the World of Warcraft software. I told them that their argument was ridiculous, because I was able to play that game on a really old dell computer without any freezing or blue screen issues. Therefore their customer service or lack thereof just pissed me off, so I returned it. I apoligize if I missed any other questions that were asked. I am strongly considering the idea of having someone build a computer. Just a little impatient though. So much easier just to buy one and drive it home in time for playing Warhammer.
As to the monitor I was using an HD television hookup. Humidity might have played a part since I live down south, but previous computers were not exposed to humidity at the time of their issues during that part of the year.