The main task that the program performs for diagnosing a computer is to obtain as much information as possible about the software and hardware of the device.
With its help, they determine whether there are enough resources to run a particular application, check the characteristics of the system, components and their state.
Such programs are especially important for a person who, for whatever reason, needs to know the parameters of someone else's computer and to correct errors.
The need for system monitoring
Applications with which you can diagnose the system are necessary to obtain important information that will help:
- Determine how much memory is installed on your computer, its type and number of slots. After that, it will be much easier to choose a new suitable RAM or conclude that it is worth replacing the entire motherboard or computer (laptop);
- Understand exactly how to prepare for the release of the expected game - add memory, install a more powerful processor, purchase an additional hard drive or video card;
- Determine the temperature of the GPU and CPU, identifying the need to replace thermal paste;
- Find out why installed programs do not work and your computer freezes - due to incorrect drivers, lack of video memory, or hardware malfunction.
CPU-Z
The program distributed free of charge has an unpretentious interface and allows you to obtain technical information about almost all elements of a computer:
- Processor (including its model, architecture, socket, voltage, frequency, multiplier, cache sizes and number of cores);
- Motherboard (brand, model, BIOS version, supported memory types);
- RAM (volume, type and frequency);
The main advantages of the application is the ability to obtain detailed and accurate information in Russian about all components of the system.
It can be useful for professional users and hobbyists.
Among the minuses is the inability to determine the temperature of the processors.
Speccy
Another free program gives you the opportunity to get detailed information about all the main components and software, from the processor and board to RAM and optical drives.
In addition, using Speccy, you can get data from temperature sensors, finding ways to correct connection errors or installation of a ventilation system.
Naturally, the application also determines the number of RAM slots, which can be an important factor in determining the need and possibilities for upgrading a computer.
And when preparing the device for sale, Speccy can be used to quickly compile a list of components.
After all, although the built-in utilities allow you to do almost the same, it will take more time, and you won’t be able to find out some data.
It is worth noting that the developers of the program are the authors of such useful software as .
And among its advantages are:
- Clear and practical interface;
- Quick access to important information;
- No need to install an application, which may be necessary, for example, if you do not have access to an administrator account;
- Ability to monitor the selected parameter in real time by setting it as a tray icon;
- Run simultaneously with the system;
- Free access.
HWiNFO
Thanks to the HWiNFO system application, you can get the most useful information about the system.
And also compare the performance of individual hardware components with template parameters and indicators of popular analogues.
In addition, the program allows you to create reports that can be used to compare the performance of individual PC elements.
All the information is quite detailed, but it concerns only the equipment - it will not work to find out about the drivers with its help.
However, this drawback is practically the only one, since the application is able to collect data on any device, including even outdated equipment (for example, IDEs and dial-up modems), old BIOS and video cards of any type.
In addition, the application can also test processors, memory and disks. The data obtained as a result of the test can be stored in logs.
And you can control individual parameters using the tray icons, which change periodically.
AIDA64 Extreme
Its name can be deciphered as System Info for Windows.
It has a small size and a simplified interface, reminiscent of standard Windows utilities and is able to provide all the most necessary information for the user.
So, for example, using SIW, you can find out about the latest system updates, get information about system files or folders, as well as about drivers, running processes and services.
Moreover, in a more detailed form than the "Task Manager" allows you to do.
For commercial or corporate use, a license must be purchased.
conclusions
The number of programs for checking equipment and the operating system is quite large.
Almost constantly new applications are being created to help control computer parameters and hardware malfunctions.
But the programs presented in the list allow you to do this as efficiently as possible by installing only 2-3 applications, and not a whole dozen.
This saves time and does not download unnecessary files from the network, risking accidentally introducing a virus onto the computer.
In addition, if there is no access to the network, Windows has a number of utilities that will also allow you to find out some parameters.
Video footage:
Hardware diagnostics is a method for finding hardware problems in a computer system. These diagnostic systems can be started by the user using an internal program initiated by computer management systems or run a test from within the hardware itself. Basic hardware diagnostics of all computer systems, such as processor, chipset, and memory, are checked every time the system is booted. These hardware diagnostic systems often provide significant early warning of potential system failures.
Diagnostic systems equipment comes in two main types - single-purpose and multi-purpose. Diagnostic programs of one purpose check only a certain part of the equipment. The checks on this equipment are very specific and adapted to this system. Multi-purpose diagnostic programs will check several pieces of hardware and identify problems in them. Since these programs are not specific to a single piece of hardware, they will often be lacking for small or strange problems that a single-purpose diagnostic program whose purpose is to diagnose such problems can uncover.
User-initiated diagnostic programs have the widest range of types and functions. A single universal program will often test things that are unusual for other systems to test, such as a monitor or a network system. On the other hand, since they, as a rule, cannot work as a diagnostic program for one purpose - such programs may not notice the subtleties that more specific programs notice. Specialized diagnostic programs are often supplied by hardware manufacturers and are a good first step in identifying strange computer behavior.
Internal diagnostic programs typically come from two places - hardware drivers or the operating system. Often they are designed for one single purpose. These programs usually run in the background when the computer is in use. Scanning the operating system can check for deviations in the responses it receives from hardware, most often finding them after hardware failures, when the computer has already begun to fail. Driver diagnostics get more attention and will more often report strange behavior in hardware as soon as it becomes apparent, but only some hardware has such drivers.
Hardware diagnostics of the computer management system works at a basic level. It typically monitors power levels and response times, not data validity. Most active programs scan the system and what happens in it during the boot sequence, when specialized programs are run to check on various computer systems. Once loaded, these hardware diagnostics tend to run in the background, only alerting the user when something very bad is happening.
The last type of equipment diagnostics is managed by the equipment itself. Since these internal programs are already built into the system, they always have the same purpose. These system monitoring programs are designed for anything outside of the hardware specification. When they find something, they alert the computer's internal system, which will alert the operating system to the problem.
Many PC owners are faced with various errors and failures in the computer, but cannot determine the cause of the problem. In this article, we will look at the main ways to diagnose a computer, allowing you to independently identify and fix various problems.
Keep in mind that high-quality computer diagnostics can take a whole day, allocate it in the morning specifically for this, and do not start everything in the late afternoon.
I warn you that I will write in detail as for beginners who have never disassembled a computer in order to warn about all the possible nuances that can lead to problems.
1. Disassembling and cleaning the computer
When disassembling and cleaning the computer, do not rush, do everything carefully so as not to damage anything. Store the accessories in a safe place prepared in advance.
It is not advisable to start diagnostics before cleaning, since you will not be able to identify the cause of the malfunction if it is caused by clogged contacts or the cooling system. Additionally, diagnostics may fail to complete due to repeated failures.
Unplug the system unit from the outlet at least 15 minutes before cleaning to allow the capacitors to discharge.
Perform disassembly in the following sequence:
- Disconnect all wires from the system unit.
- Remove both side covers.
- Disconnect the power connectors from the video card and remove it.
- Remove all memory sticks.
- Disconnect and remove the cables from all drives.
- Unscrew and remove all discs.
- Disconnect all power supply cables.
- Unscrew and remove the power supply.
There is no need to remove the motherboard, CPU cooler, case fans, you can also leave the DVD drive if it works fine.
Gently blow out the system unit and all components individually with a powerful stream of air from a vacuum cleaner without a dust bag.
Carefully remove the cover from the power supply and blow it through without touching the electrical components and the board with your hands and metal parts, as there may be voltage in the capacitors!
If your vacuum cleaner does not work for blowing out, but only for blowing in, then it will be a little more difficult. Clean it well so that it pulls as hard as possible. We recommend using a soft bristle brush when cleaning.
You can also use a soft brush to remove stubborn dust.
Thoroughly clean the CPU cooler heatsink, first considering where and how much dust it has clogged with dust, as this is one of the common causes of CPU overheating and PC crashes.
Also make sure that the cooler mount is not broken, the clamp is not open and the heatsink is firmly pressed against the processor.
Be careful when cleaning the fans, do not let them spin too much and do not bring the vacuum cleaner nozzle close if it is without a brush, so as not to beat off the blade.
At the end of cleaning, do not rush to collect everything back, but proceed to the next steps.
2. Checking the motherboard battery
The first thing after cleaning, so as not to forget later, I check the battery charge on the motherboard, and at the same time reset the BIOS. In order to pull it out, you need to press the latch with a flat screwdriver in the direction indicated in the photo and it will pop out by itself.
After that, you need to measure its voltage with a multimeter, optimally if it is in the range of 2.5-3 V. The initial voltage of the battery is 3 V.
If the battery voltage is below 2.5 V, then it is advisable to change it already. The voltage of 2 V is critically low and the PC is already starting to fail, which manifests itself in resetting the BIOS settings and stopping at the beginning of the PC boot, prompting you to press F1 or some other key to continue booting.
If you do not have a multimeter, you can take the battery with you to the store and ask them to check it or just buy a replacement battery in advance, it is standard and very inexpensive.
A clear sign of a dead battery is the constantly flying date and time on the computer.
The battery needs to be changed in a timely manner, but if you don’t have a replacement on hand now, then simply do not disconnect the system unit from the power supply until you change the battery. In this case, the settings should not fly off, but problems can still arise, so do not delay.
Checking the battery is a good time to completely reset the BIOS. This resets not only the BIOS settings, which can be done through the Setup menu, but also the so-called volatile CMOS memory, which stores the parameters of all devices (processor, memory, video card, etc.).
Errors inCMOSare often the cause of the following problems:
- computer does not turn on
- turns on once
- turns on and nothing happens
- turns on and off
I remind you that before resetting the BIOS, the system unit must be unplugged from the outlet, otherwise the CMOS will be powered by the PSU and nothing will work.
To reset the BIOS for 10 seconds, close the contacts in the battery connector with a screwdriver or other metal object, this is usually enough to discharge the capacitors and completely clear the CMOS.
A sign that the reset has occurred will be a lost date and time that will need to be set in the BIOS the next time the computer boots.
4. Visual inspection of components
Carefully inspect all capacitors on the motherboard for swelling and leakage, especially in the area of \u200b\u200bthe processor socket.
Sometimes capacitors do not bulge up, but down, which causes them to tilt as if they were just slightly bent or unevenly soldered.
If some capacitors are swollen, then you need to send the motherboard for repair as soon as possible and ask to re-solder all the capacitors, including those that are next to the swollen ones.
Also inspect the capacitors and other elements of the power supply, there should be no swelling, drips, signs of burning.
Inspect the disc contacts for oxidation.
They can be cleaned with an eraser and after that it is imperative to replace the cable or power adapter with which this disk was connected, since it is already damaged and oxidation has most likely occurred due to it.
In general, check all the cables and connectors so that they are clean, with shiny contacts, tightly connected to the drives and the motherboard. All cables that do not meet these requirements must be replaced.
Check that the wires from the front of the case to the motherboard are connected correctly.
It is important that the polarity is observed (plus to plus, minus to minus), since there is a total mass on the front panel and non-observance of the polarity will lead to a short circuit, due to which the computer may behave inappropriately (turn on every other time, turn itself off or reboot) .
Where the plus and minus in the contacts of the front panel is indicated on the board itself, in the paper manual for it and in the electronic version of the manual on the manufacturer's website. On the wire contacts from the front panel, it is also indicated where the plus and minus are. Usually the white wire is negative, and the positive connector can be indicated by a triangle on the plastic connector.
Many even experienced builders make a mistake here, so check.
5. Checking the power supply
If the computer did not turn on at all before cleaning, then do not rush to assemble it, the first thing to do is check the power supply. However, in any case, it won’t hurt to check the PSU, maybe it’s because of it that the computer fails.
Check the power supply when fully assembled to avoid electric shock, short circuit, or accidental fan failure.
To check the power supply, short the only green wire in the motherboard connector with any black one. This will signal to the PSU that it is connected to the motherboard, otherwise it will not turn on.
Then turn the power supply into the surge protector and press the button on it. Do not forget that the power supply itself may also have an on / off button.
A spinning fan should be a sign of turning on the power supply. If the fan does not spin, then it may have failed and needs to be replaced.
In some silent power supplies, the fan may not start spinning immediately, but only under load, this is normal and can be checked during PC operation.
Use a multimeter to measure the voltage between the pins in the connectors for peripheral devices.
They should be approximately in the following range.
- 12 V (yellow-black) - 11.7-12.5 V
- 5 V (red-black) - 4.7-5.3 V
- 3.3 V (orange-black) - 3.1-3.5 V
If any voltage is missing or goes far beyond the specified limits, then the power supply is faulty. It is best to replace it with a new one, but if the computer itself is inexpensive, then repairs are allowed, PSUs lend themselves to this easily and inexpensively.
The start of the power supply and normal voltages is a good sign, but in itself it does not mean that the power supply is good, since failures can occur due to voltage drops or ripple under load. But this is already determined in the subsequent stages of testing.
6. Checking the power contacts
Be sure to check all electrical contacts from the outlet to the system unit. The socket must be modern (for a European plug), reliable and not loose, with clean elastic contacts. The same requirements apply to the surge protector and cable from the computer power supply.
Contact must be reliable, plugs and connectors must not dangle, spark or be oxidized. Pay close attention to this, as poor contact is often the cause of failure of the system unit, monitor, and other peripheral devices.
If you have a suspicion of a power outlet, surge protector, power cable for a system unit or monitor, then change them as soon as possible to avoid damaging your computer. Do not delay and do not skimp on this, as repairing a PC or monitor will cost significantly more.
Also, poor contact is often the cause of PC failures, which are accompanied by a sudden shutdown or reboot, followed by failures on the hard drive and, as a result, disruption of the operating system.
More failures can occur due to voltage drops or ripples in the 220 V network, especially in the private sector and remote areas of the city. In this case, failures can occur even when the computer is idle. Try to measure the voltage at the outlet immediately after a spontaneous shutdown or reboot of the computer and observe the readings for a while. So you can identify long-term drawdowns, from which a linear-interactive UPS with a stabilizer will save.
7. Assembling and turning on the computer
After cleaning and inspecting the PC, carefully assemble it and carefully check that you have connected everything you need. If the computer refused to turn on before cleaning or turned on every other time, then it is advisable to connect the components in turn. If there were no such problems, then skip the next section.
7.1. Step by step PC build
First, connect the motherboard power connector and the processor power connector to the motherboard with the processor. Do not insert RAM, video card and do not connect disks.
Turn on the power of the PC and if everything is fine with the motherboard, the CPU cooler fan should spin. Also, if a buzzer is connected to the motherboard, a beep code usually sounds, indicating the lack of RAM.
Memory installation
Turn off the computer with a short or (if not possible) long press of the power button on the system unit and insert one stick of RAM into the colored slot closest to the processor. If all slots are the same color, then just the one closest to the processor.
Make sure that the memory bar is inserted evenly, all the way and the latches snap into place, otherwise it may be damaged when you turn on the PC.
If the computer starts up with one memory bar and there is a beep, then a code usually sounds, signaling that there is no video card (if there is no integrated graphics). If the beep code indicates problems with the RAM, then try inserting another bar in the same place. If the problem continues or if there is no other bar, then move the bar to another nearest slot. If there are no sounds, then everything is probably fine, continue on.
Turn off the computer and insert the second stick of memory into the slot of the same color. If the motherboard has 4 slots of the same color, then follow the instructions for the motherboard so that the memory is in the slots recommended for dual-channel mode. Then turn it on again and check if the PC turns on and what beeps it makes.
If you have 3 or 4 sticks of memory, then just insert them in turn, each time turning off and on the PC. If the computer does not start with a certain bar or gives a memory error code, then this bar is faulty. You can also check the motherboard slots by rearranging the work bar in different slots.
Some motherboards have a red indicator that glows in case of memory problems, and sometimes a segment indicator with an error code, the decoding of which is in the motherboard manual.
If the computer starts, then further memory testing occurs at another stage.
Installing a graphics card
It's time to test the video card by inserting it into the top PCI-E x16 slot (or AGP for older PCs). Do not forget to connect additional power to the video card with the appropriate connectors.
With a video card, the computer should start normally, without beeps, or with a single beep, indicating a normal self-test.
If the PC does not turn on or emits a beep error code for the video card, then it is most likely defective. But do not rush to conclusions, sometimes you just need to connect a monitor and keyboard.
Monitor connection
Turn off the PC and connect the monitor to the video card (or motherboard if there is no video card). Make sure that the connector to the video card and the monitor is connected tightly, sometimes tight connectors do not go all the way, which is the reason for the lack of image on the screen.
Turn on the monitor and make sure that the correct signal source is selected on it (the connector to which the PC is connected, if there are several).
Turn on the computer and a graphic splash screen and motherboard text messages should appear on the screen. Usually this is a suggestion to enter the BIOS using the F1 key, a message about the absence of a keyboard or boot devices, this is normal.
If the computer turns on silently, but there is nothing on the screen, there is most likely something wrong with the video card or monitor. The video card can only be checked by moving it to a working computer. The monitor can be connected to another working PC or device (laptop, player, tuner, etc.). Do not forget to select the desired signal source in the monitor settings.
Keyboard and mouse connection
If everything is fine with the video card and monitor, then we move on. In turn, connect the keyboard first, then the mouse, each time turning off and on the PC. If the computer freezes after connecting the keyboard or mouse, then they need to be replaced - it happens!
Connecting Drives
If the computer starts with a keyboard and mouse, then we begin to connect hard drives in turn. Connect a second drive without an operating system (if any) first.
Do not forget that in addition to connecting the interface cable to the motherboard, you also need to connect the connector from the power supply to the disk.
Then turn on the computer and if it comes to BIOS messages, then everything is fine. If the PC does not turn on, freezes or turns off by itself, then the controller of this disk is out of order and needs to be changed or taken in for repair to save data.
Turn off the computer and connect the DVD drive (if any) with an interface cable and power supply. If after that problems arise, then the drive fails in power supply and needs to be changed, it usually does not make sense to repair.
At the end, we connect the main system disk and prepare to enter the BIOS for initial setup before starting the operating system. We turn on the computer and if everything is fine, proceed to the next step.
When you turn on your computer for the first time, enter the BIOS. Usually, the Delete key is used for this, less often others (F1, F2, F10 or Esc), which is indicated in the prompts at the beginning of the download.
On the first tab, set the date and time, and on the “Boot” tab, select your hard drive with the operating system as the first boot device.
On older motherboards with a classic BIOS, it might look like this.
On more modern ones with a graphical shell, UEFI is a little different, but the meaning is the same.
To exit the BIOS and save the settings, press F10. Do not get distracted and watch the operating system fully boot to notice possible problems.
After the PC has finished booting, check if the fans of the processor cooler, power supply and video card are working, otherwise it makes no sense to carry out further testing.
Some modern video cards may not turn on the fans until a certain temperature of the video chip is reached.
If any of the case fans are not working, then this is not a problem, just plan to replace it in the near future, do not be distracted by it now.
8. Error analysis
Here, in fact, diagnostics begin, and all of the above was only preparation, after which many problems could go away and without it it made no sense to start testing.
8.1. Enabling memory dumps
If blue screens of death (BSOD) appear during computer operation, this can greatly facilitate the identification of a malfunction. A prerequisite for this is the presence of memory dumps (or at least self-written error codes).
To check or enable the dump recording function, press the key combination "Win + R" on the keyboard, enter "sysdm.cpl" in the line that appears and press OK or Enter.
In the window that appears, go to the "Advanced" tab and in the "Startup and Recovery" section, click the "Options" button.
The "Write debug information" field should be "Small memory dump".
If so, then you should already have previous error dumps in the C:\Windows\Minidump folder.
If this option was not enabled, then dumps were not saved, enable it at least now to be able to analyze errors if they are repeated.
Memory dumps may not be able to be created during severe crashes such as rebooting or shutting down the PC. Also, some system cleaning utilities and antiviruses can remove them, you must disable the system cleaning function for the duration of the diagnosis.
If there are dumps in the specified folder, then proceed to their analysis.
8.2. Memory dump analysis
To analyze memory dumps in order to identify what causes failures, there is a wonderful BlueScreenView utility, which you, along with other diagnostic utilities, can download in the "" section.
This utility shows the files that have failed. These files belong to the operating system, device drivers or some program. Accordingly, by the ownership of the file, you can determine which device or software was the cause of the failure.
If you cannot boot your computer in normal mode, then try booting into safe mode by holding down the "F8" key immediately after the disappearance of the motherboard graphic splash screen or BIOS text messages.
Go through the dumps and see which files appear most often as the culprits of the crash, they are highlighted in red. Right-click on one of these files and view its Properties.
In our case, it is easy to determine that the file belongs to the nVidia video card driver and most of the errors were caused by it.
In addition, in some dumps, the file "dxgkrnl.sys" appeared, even from the name of which it is clear that it refers to DirectX, which is directly related to 3D graphics. So, it is most likely that the video card is to blame for the failure, which should be subjected to thorough testing, which we will also consider.
In the same way, you can determine that the cause of the failure is a sound card, network card, hard drive, or some kind of program that gets deep into the system such as an antivirus. For example, if a disk fails, the controller driver will crash.
If you cannot determine which driver or program a particular file belongs to, then look for this information on the Internet by the name of the file.
If failures occur in the sound card driver, then most likely it is out of order. If it is integrated, then you can disable it through the BIOS and install another discrete one. The same can be said about the network card. However, network failures can be caused, which often resolves by updating the network card driver and connecting to the internet through a router.
In any case, do not make hasty conclusions until the diagnostics are completed, maybe your Windows just crashes or a virus has climbed, which is solved by reinstalling the system.
Also in the BlueScreenView utility, you can see the error codes and inscriptions that were on the blue screen. To do this, go to the "Options" menu and select the "Blue Screen in XP Style" view or press the "F8" key.
After that, switching between errors, you will see how they looked on the blue screen.
By the error code, you can also find a possible cause of the problem on the Internet, but it is easier and more reliable to do this by file ownership. You can use the F6 key to return to the previous view.
If different files and different error codes appear in errors all the time, then this is a sign of possible problems with RAM, in which everything crashes. We will diagnose it first of all.
9. Testing RAM
Even if you think that the problem is not in the RAM, still check it first. Sometimes a place has several problems, and if the RAM fails, then diagnosing everything else is quite difficult due to frequent PC failures.
Running a memory test from a boot disk is a must, as it is difficult to get accurate results on a Windows operating system on a failed PC.
In addition, "Hiren's BootCD" contains several alternative memory tests in case "Memtest 86+" does not start and many more useful utilities for testing hard drives, video memory, etc.
You can download the "Hiren's BootCD" image in the same place as everything else - in the "" section. If you do not know how to burn such an image to a CD or DVD, refer to the article where we reviewed, everything is done in the same way.
Set BIOS to boot from DVD drive or use Boot Menu as described in , boot from Hiren's BootCD and run Memtest 86+.
Testing can last from 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the speed and amount of RAM. One full pass should be completed and the test will go for the second round. If everything is fine with the memory, then after the first pass (Pass 1) there should be no errors (Errors 0).
After that, testing can be interrupted using the "Esc" key and the computer will restart.
If there were errors, then you will have to test each bar separately, taking out all the others to determine which one is broken.
If the broken bar is still under warranty, then take a photo from the screen using a camera or smartphone and present it to the warranty department of the store or service center (although in most cases this is not necessary).
In any case, it is not advisable to use a PC with a broken memory and carry out further diagnostics before replacing it, as various incomprehensible errors will pour in.
10. Preparation for component tests
Everything else, except for RAM, is tested from under Windows. Therefore, in order to exclude the influence of the operating system on the test results, it is advisable to do, if necessary, temporarily and most.
If this is difficult for you or there is no time, then you can try testing on the old system. But, if failures occur due to malfunctions in the operating system, some kind of driver, program, virus, antivirus (i.e., in the software part), then testing the hardware will not help determine this and you may go the wrong way. And on a clean system, you will have the opportunity to see how the computer behaves and completely eliminate the influence of the software component.
Personally, I always do everything right from start to finish as described in this article. Yes, it takes a whole day, but neglecting my advice, you can fight for weeks without determining the cause of the problem.
The fastest and easiest way is to test the processor, unless of course there are obvious signs that the problem is, say, in the video card, which we will discuss below.
If your computer, after some time after turning on, starts to slow down, freezes when watching videos, in games, suddenly reboots or turns off under load, then there is a possibility of overheating of the processor. In fact, this is one of the most common causes of such problems.
At the stage of cleaning and visual inspection, you should have made sure that the CPU cooler is not clogged with dust, its fan rotates, and the heatsink is firmly pressed against the processor. I also hope you didn't take it off when you cleaned it, as that requires replacing the thermal paste, which I'll talk about later.
We will use "CPU-Z" for the stress test with the processor warming up, and "HWiNFO" for monitoring its temperature. Although it is better to use the proprietary utility of the motherboard to monitor the temperature, it is more accurate. For example, ASUS has "PC Probe".
To begin with, it would be nice to know the maximum allowable thermal package of your processor (T CASE). For example, for my Core i7-6700K it is 64°C.
You can find out by going to the manufacturer's website from an Internet search. This is the critical temperature in the heat spreader (under the processor cover), the maximum allowed by the manufacturer. Don't confuse it with the temperature of the cores, which is usually higher and is also displayed in some utilities. Therefore, we will focus not on the temperature of the cores according to the processor sensors, but on the overall temperature of the processor according to the readings of the motherboard.
In practice, for most older processors, the critical temperature above which failures begin is 60 °C. The most modern processors can work at 70 ° C, which is also critical for them. You can find out the real stable temperature of your processor from tests on the Internet.
So, we launch both utilities - “CPU-Z” and “HWiNFO”, find the processor (CPU) temperature sensor in the motherboard indicators, run the test in “CPU-Z” with the “Stress CPU” button and monitor the temperature.
If after 10-15 minutes of the test the temperature is 2-3 degrees lower than the critical one for your processor, then there is nothing to worry about. But, if there were failures under high load, then it is better to run this test for 30-60 minutes. If during testing the PC freezes or reboots, then you should think about improving the cooling.
Keep in mind that a lot also depends on the temperature in the room, it is possible that in cooler conditions the problem will not manifest itself, but in hotter conditions it will immediately make itself felt. So you always need cooling with a margin.
In case of CPU overheating, check if your cooler complies with . If not, then you need to change it, no tricks will help here. If the cooler is powerful enough, but can't cope a little, then you should change the thermal paste for a more efficient one, and at the same time the cooler itself may be installed more successfully.
From inexpensive, but very good thermal pastes, I can recommend Artic MX-4.
It should be applied in a thin layer, after removing the old paste dry and then with cotton wool soaked in alcohol.
Replacing thermal paste will give you a gain of 3-5 ° C, if this is not enough, then simply install case fans, at least the most inexpensive ones.
14. Drive testing
This is the longest stage after the RAM test, so I prefer to leave it for last. To begin with, you can test the speed of all disks using the HDTune utility, to which I give "". This sometimes helps to identify freezes when accessing the disk, which indicates problems with it.
Look at the SMART options, where "disk health" is displayed, there should be no red lines and the overall status of the disk should be "OK".
You can download the list of the main SMART parameters and what they are responsible for in the "" section.
A full surface test can be performed using the same utilities from under Windows. The process can take 2-4 hours depending on the size and speed of the disk (about 1 hour for every 500 MB). At the end of the test, there should not be a single broken block, which is highlighted in red.
The presence of such a block is an unequivocal verdict for the disk and a 100% guarantee case. Save your data faster and change the drive, just don't tell the service that you dropped your laptop
You can check the surface of both conventional hard drives (HDD) and solid state drives (SSD). The latter really do not have any surface, but if the HDD or SSD drive freezes every time during the check, then the electronics most likely fail - you need to change or repair (the latter is unlikely).
If you are unable to diagnose the disk from under Windows, the computer crashes or freezes, then try to do this using the MHDD utility from the Hiren's BootCD boot disk.
Problems with the controller (electronics) and the disk surface lead to windows with errors in the operating system, short-term and complete freezes of the computer. Usually these are messages about the impossibility to read a particular file and memory access errors.
Such errors can be mistaken for problems with the RAM, while the disk may well be to blame. Before you panic, try updating the disk controller driver, or vice versa, return the native Windows driver as described in.
15. Testing the optical drive
To check an optical drive, it is usually enough to simply burn a verification disc. For example, using the Astroburn program, it is in the "" section.
After burning a disc with a message about successful verification, try to completely copy its contents on another computer. If the disc is readable and the drive reads other discs (except for poorly readable ones), then everything is fine.
Drive problems I've encountered include electronic failures that completely hung up or prevented the computer from turning on, breakage of the retractable mechanism, contamination of the laser head lens, and breakage of the head as a result of improper cleaning. In most cases, everything is solved by replacing the drive, since they are inexpensive and even if they have not been used for several years, they die from dust.
16. Hull check
The case also sometimes breaks, then the button sticks, then the wiring from the front panel falls off, then it closes in the USB connector. All this can lead to unpredictable behavior of the PC and is solved by a thorough inspection, cleaning, tester, soldering iron and other improvised means.
The main thing is that nothing is short, which may be indicated by a broken light bulb or connector. If in doubt, disconnect all wires from the front of the case and try to work at the computer for a while.
17. Checking the motherboard
Often, checking the motherboard comes down to checking all the components. If all the components individually work fine and pass the tests, the operating system is reinstalled, but the computer still crashes, it may be the motherboard. And here I won’t help you, only an experienced electronics engineer can diagnose it and identify a problem with a chipset or processor socket.
The exception is the crash of a sound or network card, which is solved by disabling them in the BIOS and installing separate expansion cards. You can resolder the capacitors in the motherboard, but let's say replacing the north bridge, as a rule, is not advisable, since it is expensive and there are no guarantees, it is better to immediately buy a new motherboard.
18. If nothing helps
Of course, it's always better to find the problem yourself and determine the best way to solve it, as some unscrupulous repairmen strive to hang noodles on your ears and tear off three skins.
But it may be that you follow all the recommendations, but you will not be able to determine the problem, it happened to me. In this case, the matter is more often in the motherboard or in the power supply, maybe there is a microcrack in the textolite and it makes itself felt from time to time.
In this case, nothing can be done, bring the entire system unit to a more or less well-established computer company. No need to wear parts in parts, if you are not sure what the matter is, then the issue will never be resolved. Let them figure it out, especially if the computer is still under warranty.
Computer store specialists usually do not worry, they have a lot of different components, they just change something and see if the problem is gone, thus fixing the problem quickly and simply. They also have enough time to conduct tests.
19. Links
Transcend JetFlash 790 8GB
Hard drive Western Digital Caviar Blue WD10EZEX 1 TB
Transcend StoreJet 25A3 TS1TSJ25A3K
Whether you are a beginner or a professional, your Windows will eventually run into problems that are not easy to diagnose. It is possible to hire someone to fix the problem, but this should be a last resort. First, we recommend that you first give the tools discussed in this article a chance to computer health check.
System Diagnostics
Hardware problems most often occur when you are using an outdated version of the operating system ( Vista, 7 or 8 ) or the latest version.
But sometimes you just want to know what equipment is being used. Here are the tools to help you with this:
1. CPU-Z
A small program that scans the hardware configuration of a PC. This is necessary if you want to update your computer components and avoid compatibility issues:
2. System Monitor (Performance Monitor)
Like earlier versions of the operating system, Windows 10 has " System Monitor”, only now it is available as an app. Once launched, look at the sidebar. In chapter " Surveillance" you must see " System Monitor»:
By default, the monitor only displays the " % CPU usage". It shows how much the processor is currently being used. But you can add more counters such as disk usage, power, paging file size, search index size, and other metrics that are important for checking your computer for health.
3. Reliability Monitor
Reliability Monitor is a hidden tool that has been around since the days of Windows Vista, but many haven't even heard of it. It is located in the control panel under " system and safety"-" Support Center "-" Service "-" Show stability log»:
Here you will see a chronology of events and errors that occurred during a given period of time. The blue line is the estimate ( on a scale from 1 to 10) how stable the operating system is over time.
If something often breaks down, it's worth looking at the stability monitor: select an error and click "Search for a solution" ( Check for a solution).
Network Diagnostics
Whether you're using Wi-Fi or Ethernet, there's a chance you'll experience network issues. That's why these tools are needed.
4. WiFi Analyzer
A free tool that analyzes your Wi-Fi network settings to see if your wireless channel is interfering with other nearby networks:
After the analysis is completed, WiFi Analyzer will recommend channel settings suitable for you. This program is not ideal, especially in apartment buildings and densely populated cities, but in some cases it can increase Wi-Fi speed up to 5 times. Worth a try.
5. Angry IP Scanner
Angry IP Scanner is a great tool that scans the network to find out which IP addresses and ports are being used by which devices:
You can use this program to find out how many devices are connected to yours or find the IP address of a specific device ( e.g. smartphone) during a full check of the computer for operability.
Hard drive diagnostics
6.CrystalDiskInfo
Have you ever wondered what state your hard drive or solid state drive is in? It's not easy to figure out, especially with newer SSD drives:
This simple program provides a complete overview of the status of used HDDs and USB drives. Detailed information includes temperature, uptime, error count, and more. The program also calculates the overall health of the hard drive.
Please note that there is a similar program called CrystalDiskMark that can be used to compare drives in use.
7. WinDirStat
I have used it regularly for many years and have never been disappointed. The name of this program stands for " Windows Directory Statistics»:
It scans your drives and tells you how much space is taken up by various folders and files. All of them are displayed in the form of a brief tree-like hierarchy and a detailed diagram. Which is convenient when checking your computer for health in Windows 7.
Memory diagnostics
RAM problems are another common problem for home computers. It's too easy to run out of RAM these days, which can cause your OS to slow down and even crash. Fortunately, diagnosis is not difficult.
8. Resource Monitor
Windows includes " Resource Monitor”, which appeared back in Vista. In Windows 10, this is a separate application that can be launched through the Start menu:
The Resource Monitor is an advanced way to view real-time data about your system and is typically used in conjunction with the Resource Monitor tool. System Monitor". However, I mainly use it to view detailed information about running processes and memory usage.
9. Windows Memory Diagnostic
Did you know that Windows has a built-in tool that can physically test your RAM modules to see if they contain errors? This application is called Windows Memory Diagnostic:
Using it will restart your computer. The tool will then run several health checks on your computer, and if it finds any errors or failures, it will do its best to let you know which module is causing the problem.
Screen Diagnostics
10. JScreenFix
Look carefully at the screen. Do you see any spots that are not caused by dust particles? If so, you may have a "hot" pixel, that is, a pixel stuck on a particular color. Such pixels can be very annoying:
JScreenFix paints the hot pixel on the screen with hundreds of different colors every second. This should "animate" the pixel in about ten minutes.
Does it always work? No. Sometimes a "hot" pixel gets stuck permanently due to a physical defect on the screen. But JScreenFix has a success rate of over 60%, so give it a shot.
Malware diagnostics
11. AdwCleaner
A simple malware scanner that is fast, efficient, and free.
Most users work carelessly on the computer and do not think that at some point the computer may turn off and not turn on at all. Yes, and quite often a problem arises - a newly assembled or updated computer does not turn on. Even worse, if the computer suddenly stops working. In this case, the main thing is to correctly identify the breakdown. After all, repairs may not be needed.
Why and why?
To begin with, it is worth understanding the reasons that can cause such a phenomenon. As you know, dust and adverse climatic conditions worsen the condition of PC components. Accordingly, the failure of iron can be caused by oxidation of contacts, dust (and, consequently, static electricity) on microcircuits and connectors, and their overheating. Overheating can also be caused by poor cooling.
Also, all these horrors can also be the result of a power surge, instability of the power supply, as well as improper grounding. The first thing that can be recommended here is to use surge protectors, UPS and computer grounding. But remember - it's better not to ground the computer at all than to ground it incorrectly. First, you need to ground the PC case and the modem with the telephone line separately. You should not ground the case to the heating battery, since your neighbors can ground, for example, a refrigerator, a washing machine or a puncher on the same riser. In this case, this "earth" will already become a phase with a potential difference. It is undesirable to ground several devices to one "ground" at the same time. By the way, therefore, it is not recommended to connect household appliances to the same surge protector with a computer, but it is better to power the monitor, printer and system unit from one surge protector.
A good firework from chips can also be caused by shorting a wire or getting power to the ground contact. Therefore, it is always worth monitoring the quality of cable connections and their condition.
Common Problems
Well, if the trouble happened, then you have to diagnose it. So, let's begin. To begin with, we will give useful statistics in order to know approximately where a dog can be buried.
If the computer is in a state of clinical death, then, first of all, you need to do an autopsy and try to find the characteristic smell of burning and find out where it comes from. If not, then it is worth checking the reliability of the power connection. If the check did not help, then you should turn on the PC and check if the fans of the power supply (PSU), case and processor cooler are spinning (at the same time check the cooler mounting). If they do not spin, and the hard drive does not make a characteristic sound of spinning the spindle, then the power supply has failed. The presence of voltage at its output can be checked with a tester by measuring the voltage at the contacts of the system board in the place where the power wiring harness is connected to the PSU. It is worth connecting a new PSU and checking the integrity of the remaining components. To begin with, they must be visually inspected for the presence of burnt elements.
Despite the fact that a working monitor breaks down quite rarely, it is worth checking whether signals are being sent to it from the video adapter. To do this, use an oscilloscope on pins 10 and 13 (ground and clock, respectively) of the 15-pin D-Sub connector of the video adapter inserted into the motherboard to check for the presence of working signals.
To facilitate the task of finding a faulty component, I will give the most common symptoms of breakdowns of various equipment. When the processor fails, then most often traces of burning are visible on its legs.
In motherboards, the most common failure is the failure of discrete elements, especially capacitors in the VRM (Voltage Regulation Module, which is an LC filter). Yes, and the block itself can burn out. Often, electrolytic capacitors simply swell, which requires their replacement. Also, a common moment is the “knocking out” of transistors in the area of the north bridge, memory modules and VRM. They can be identified by burnt legs and darkening in this area. There are also failures of clock generators and delay lines, as well as burnout of ports.
Also, a sometimes occurring phenomenon is a violation of the contact on the board. This can be caused by not fully placing the expansion card in the slot, bending the board, shorting the contacts on the back of the board to the case, lack of length of wires from the PSU to the motherboard.
In hard drives, the most vulnerable spot is an overheated controller and an IDE connector. A burnt controller can be identified by darkening near the places of its attachment. Overheating of the microcircuit leads to deterioration of the contact between the HDD controller and the HDA. The mechanical problems of the hard drive motor can be identified by the strong vibration of the HDD case when the disks rotate. Massive failures were noticed with IBM DTLA and Ericsson (70GXP and 60GXP), Maxtor 541DX, Quantum Fireball 3, Fujitsu MPG series drives.
In CD drives, the optical-mechanical part most often fails. In particular, the mechanism for positioning the laser and determining the disk. As a rule, such a breakdown is caused by a malfunction of the MSU (system control microprocessor), which generates control signals, as well as the laser reader motor driver, which is responsible for the excitation signal. To check them, it is necessary to measure the output signals at the corresponding contacts of the MSU. A characteristic symptom of a malfunction of the MSU is the lack of movement of the laser reader during the initial power-up. In floppy drives, the most common mechanical failures associated with the lift and clamp of the floppy disk.
Software and hardware diagnostics
If all of the above did not help determine the breakdown, then you will have to move on to software and hardware diagnostics. And in order for it to be successful, you need to know exactly what is the order of turning on PC devices.
So, consider the order of booting the computer.
- After the power is turned on, the PSU performs a self-test. If all output voltages are correct, the PSU outputs a Power_Good (P_G) signal to the motherboard on pin 8 of the 20-pin ATX power connector. About 0.1-0.5 s elapses between turning on the PC and giving a signal.
- The timer chip receives the P_G signal and stops generating the reset signal applied to the microprocessor. If the processor is not working properly, then the system freezes.
- If the CPU is alive, then it starts executing the code written in the ROM BIOS at FFFF0h (the address of the system reboot program). This address contains the command to unconditionally jump JMP to the address of the beginning of the system boot program through a specific ROM BIOS (usually this is the address F0000h).
- Execution of specific ROM BIOS code begins. The BIOS starts checking system components for performance (POST - Power On Self Test). If an error is detected, the system will beep because the video adapter has not yet been initialized. The chipset and DMA are checked and initialized, and a memory size test is performed. If the memory modules are not fully inserted or some memory banks are damaged, then either the system freezes or long repeating beeps sound from the system speaker.
- The BIOS image is unzipped into RAM for faster access to the BIOS code.
- The keyboard controller is initialized.
- The BIOS scans the memory addresses of the video adapter, starting with C0000h and ending with C7800h. If the BIOS of the video adapter is found, then the checksum (CRC) of its code is checked. If the CRCs match, then control is transferred to the Video BIOS, which initializes the video adapter and displays information about the Video BIOS version on the screen. If the checksum does not match, then the message "C000 ROM Error" is displayed. If the Video BIOS is not found, then the driver written in the BIOS ROM is used, which initializes the video card.
- The ROM BIOS scans the memory space from the C8000h onward for the BIOS of other devices, such as network cards and SCSI adapters, and checks their checksum.
- The BIOS checks the value of the word at address 0472h to determine whether the boot should be hot or cold. If the word 1234h is written to this address, then the POST procedure is not performed, a “hot” boot occurs.
- In the case of a cold boot, a POST is performed. The processor is initialized, information about its brand, model, etc. is displayed. One short beep is given.
- RTC (Real Time Clock) is being tested.
- Determining the CPU frequency, checking the type of video adapter (including the built-in one).
- Testing standard and extended memory.
- Assigning resources to all ISA devices.
- Initializing the IDE controller. If a 40-pin cable is used to connect an ATA/100 HDD, a corresponding message will appear.
- FDC controller initialization.
- The ROM BIOS looks for the system floppy or MBR of the hard disk and reads sector 1 on track 0 of side 0, copies that sector to address 7C00h. Next, this sector is checked: if it ends with the 55AAh signature, then the MBR looks at the Partition Table and looks for an active partition, and then tries to boot from it. If the first sector ends with any other signature, then an Int 18h interrupt is called and the message "DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER" or "Non-system disk or disk error" is displayed on the screen.
In general, everything. As for the last point, the errors indicated in it indicate a malfunction of the hard drive (software or hardware). Now you just have to identify at what point your computer stops working. If this happens before the messages appear on the monitor, then the malfunction can be identified by sound signals. The most common sound signals are shown in the table.
It is worth noting that the beeps may differ from the above due to different BIOS versions. If the sound signals did not help determine the malfunction, then it remains only to rely on hardware diagnostics. It is produced by several means.
Hardware diagnostics
The first remedy is very banal, but quite effective. The operation of individual units can be checked by touching them with your hand to check their heating. After a minute of turning on, the chipset, processor, memory chips and video card blocks should warm up. If they seem warm, then this is enough to conclude at least that power is supplied to these elements. With a high degree of probability they should be working.
The second remedy is more scientific and requires some engineering background. It consists in measuring potentials on various elements. To do this, you need a tester and an oscilloscope. It is desirable to have a motherboard layout map as it is multi-layered and the signal flow is not so obvious. It is worth starting measurements with the power elements of the input circuits and stabilizing and shunt capacitors, check the presence of +3.3 and +5 V in the corresponding places on the motherboard, the operation of clock generators. After that, it is worth checking the presence of standard signals at the outputs of the processor socket. Next, check for signals in the slots and ports. The last thing to do is to deal with logic elements (although repairing them is often unwise). To do this, you will need knowledge of port and slot pinouts. This information is given in the tables.
The third and last diagnostic tool is professional hardware diagnostic tools. These include the use of diagnostic cards of the DP-1 type and the PC-3000 complex, created by the ROSK company. The diagnostic board is installed in a free slot of the motherboard, and after turning on the PC, an error code in hexadecimal form is displayed on its indicator. The use of such a board significantly increases the probability of fault localization. The use of DP-1 is designed for the correct operation of the processor, and the CPU fails extremely rarely.
At the moment, in Russia, diagnostic cards, test ROM BIOS and other diagnostic tools are produced by ACE Laboratory.
With hardware diagnostics, it should be borne in mind that in most cases only one device fails, and the easiest way to identify it is by replacing it with a similar one that is guaranteed to work.
As for power supplies and peripherals, troubleshooting in them is a topic for a separate discussion, but a number of tips can be given about monitors. Quite often, an intermediate horizontal transformer fails, which is connected between the terminal and output horizontal transistor. Its main malfunction, as a rule, is a short circuit of the turns. This transformer is part of a high voltage line scanner. This high voltage is applied to the CRT. Therefore, often the absence of a glow on the screen and the absence of a raster indicate the absence of high voltage. Typically, a vertical bar on the screen also indicates a line scanner failure. You can check for high voltage on the CRT by running your hand over the screen surface. If high voltage is applied, then you should feel some vibration or crackle of static electricity.
Software diagnostics
If your computer still turns on, but it is unstable, freezes during boot, “falls out” on a blue screen, then this is most often the result of overclocking, local overheating or “buggy” memory, as well as errors in the operation of the HDD (these include " fall" Windows).
The stability of their work can be checked under DOS by booting from a system floppy disk or disk. To do this, use the CheckIT, PC Doctor, Memtest 86, Stress Linux, Norton Diagnostics, The Troubleshooter utilities. For professional HDD testing and recovery, HDDUtility and MHDD should be used, but they only work correctly under MS-DOS 6.22. The first thing to do with them is to check the SMART attributes of the HDD status. You can also use Norton Disk Doctor to diagnose, check, and flag bad sectors.
It should be remembered that a full-fledged hardware check can only be performed under Windows, testing the stability of work in burn-in tests for at least 24 hours. Among such tests are CPU Hi-t Professional Edition, CPU Stability Test, Bionic CPU Keeper, CPU Burn, Hot CPU Tester Pro, HD_Speed, DiskSpeed 32, MemTest.
In general, as you know, it is much easier to prevent an event than to correct its consequences, therefore it is much easier to regularly (at least once every few weeks) monitor the parameters of the voltage output by the power supply, watch the HDD SMART parameters (Active SMART, SMARTVision, SMART Disk programs Monitor), study the temperature of the processor, check for good cooling and the absence of extraneous sounds. It would also be useful to lubricate the fans with engine oil, at least once every six months.
