Computer freezes

highstream

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A couple of months ago I had a thread about playing music via foobar and computer freezes. I'm opening a new one because the problem actually seems to be different than posed then. Every couple of weeks or so, while I'm listening to music via foobar or online via Pandora, or watching a streaming video, such as PGA golf yesterday (pgatour.com), the mouse cursor will all of a sudden jump around a little and then the computer freezes. I'll manually shut down, including power, restart and go back to what I was doing (or something similar), and the freeze will soon happen again, maybe two or three times. Maybe the next day too, but at some point they stop for a week or more likely two, even though I continue to listen to music and watch streaming videos.

I don't know if the media playing is directly related or semi-coincidental. I wondered about my pimrary browser, Opera 12, something happening at particular sites, but I got the same freeze yesterday with Firefox 24 and the PGA streaming. Malware scans have been clean, and I did a Win 8 inplace refresh back at the time of the previous thread. I ran Win 8 Manager repair programs a couple of days ago and that fixed something else, but this seems independent of that. Some samples of my Nexus Silent Mouse have had battery duration problems, but the freeze should happen more often if that were it. Short of waiting for 8.1, I'm not sure where to look or what to do. Any ideas? Thanks,
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY
    CPU
    i5 4690K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H-BK3 (rev. 1.2) UEFI Bios
    Memory
    16 GB (4x4)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire Ultimate HD7750
    Sound Card
    JCAT USB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2412M
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256 GB SSD
    Seagate 3TB, 2TB & 1TB HDDs
    PSU
    Seasonic x650 PSU
    Case
    Cooler Master Elite 335
    Cooling
    Prolimatech Megahalems Rev. C cooler, 3 Nexus Silent Fans
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M
    Mouse
    Bornd Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    60+ mbps claimed
    Antivirus
    Comodo CIS, MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    PS Audio Directstream dac, Quad 12L powered speakers, Core Audio Tech Kora LPS, JCAT USB card, Uptone Regen USB
Yow, I thought we had beat this, I wonder if it is related to the original problem? I've been using Foobar and that never happens.

It may be an issue with that Audio Hardware of yours, or... Maybe not the hardware Per Se, but the USB port you are using, I would try changing out USB cables and using contact cleaner on the port.

Cos if the USB connection is flaky like on my machines, it could interrupt the audio output and cause a system wide Freeze.

I have 3 USB ports on my machines that are just blooey, and work only when they want to. Try installing a USB card - Is it USB 3.0 the device uses? Get a card with a few USB ports on it, see if it works any better.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro with Media Center/Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus § DualCore AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2300 MHz (11.5 x 200) 4400+ § Corsair Value Select
    CPU
    AMD 4400+/4200+
    Motherboard
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus/Asus A8M2N-LA (NodusM)
    Memory
    2 GB/3GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8400 GS/GeForce 210
    Sound Card
    nVIDIA GT218 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hitachi 40" LCD HDTV
    Screen Resolution
    "1842 x 1036"
    Hard Drives
    WDC WD50 00AAKS-007AA SCSI Disk Device
    ST1000DL 002-9TT153 SCSI Disk Device
    WDC WD3200AAJB-00J3A0 ATA Device
    WDC WD32 WD-WCAPZ2942630 USB Device
    WD My Book 1140 USB Device
    PSU
    Works 550w
    Case
    MSI "M-Box"
    Cooling
    Water Cooled
    Keyboard
    Dell Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Intellimouse
    Internet Speed
    Cable Medium Speed
    Browser
    Chrome/IE 10
    Antivirus
    Eset NOD32 6.x/Win Defend
    Other Info
    Recently lost my Windows 8 on my main PC, had to go back to Windows 7.
Not seeing how can it be related to foobar when it's closed and the freeze happens with Pandora playing or a PGA broadcast streaming, both of which are browser based. And I don't think JPlay has much if anything to do with those either. That's why I posted a new thread - new evidence that seems to broaden the inquiry. I don't use a USB cable to the dac, just two adapters out the back of the computer. But that does raise one theoretical possibility: those adapters are connected to an add-on USB card. However, if the card were the problem, it would presumably be happening a lot more often and not just when some type of a/v is going. Things that come to mind to me as possibilities are website programming vis a vis Opera 12 and Firefox, RAM issues (16gb), GPU issues (Sapphire HD7750 Ultimate) or something with Win 8 Pro (media center not installed anymore).

Concerning those possibilities, while Pandora is playing if I open certain graphics or whatever intensive websites, i.e., slow loading, or click on links at those sites, then the music stops until site loading is completed or near so. An example is at Audiogon.com classifieds - Search New Today | AudiogoN - The High-end Audio Community, where if I click an item link, the music stops. In addition, Pandora will usually take that stop as a signal and go onto the next song when it picks up again. While this is happening, I might have several tabs open, but I don't run a lot of programs at once (usually no more than two or three). *Note that the freezing doesn't occur at such moments with those sites, but it's another piece of possible evidence, just in case.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY
    CPU
    i5 4690K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H-BK3 (rev. 1.2) UEFI Bios
    Memory
    16 GB (4x4)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire Ultimate HD7750
    Sound Card
    JCAT USB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2412M
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256 GB SSD
    Seagate 3TB, 2TB & 1TB HDDs
    PSU
    Seasonic x650 PSU
    Case
    Cooler Master Elite 335
    Cooling
    Prolimatech Megahalems Rev. C cooler, 3 Nexus Silent Fans
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M
    Mouse
    Bornd Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    60+ mbps claimed
    Antivirus
    Comodo CIS, MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    PS Audio Directstream dac, Quad 12L powered speakers, Core Audio Tech Kora LPS, JCAT USB card, Uptone Regen USB
Sometimes the RAM on the video card goes bad, I had a Dell laptop with 512 dedicated Ram. in Windows XP it would cause random freezes, in Windows 7 it would just lock up totally.

I was able to identify that problem using an old Benchmark program, Performance Test. They still make it, but it's a paid program.

After I checked all my System RAM, I ran the Performance Test Video Tests - When it got to 3D graphics, it would freeze the system at a specific time during windowed playback. It would do this in the exact same spot every time, so the error was in whatever Video Ram Address was being called up at that point.

If the trial version of Performance Test has all of the Video Tests available, you can use that to test your Video Ram. Unless you know of another way to test Video ram.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro with Media Center/Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus § DualCore AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2300 MHz (11.5 x 200) 4400+ § Corsair Value Select
    CPU
    AMD 4400+/4200+
    Motherboard
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus/Asus A8M2N-LA (NodusM)
    Memory
    2 GB/3GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8400 GS/GeForce 210
    Sound Card
    nVIDIA GT218 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hitachi 40" LCD HDTV
    Screen Resolution
    "1842 x 1036"
    Hard Drives
    WDC WD50 00AAKS-007AA SCSI Disk Device
    ST1000DL 002-9TT153 SCSI Disk Device
    WDC WD3200AAJB-00J3A0 ATA Device
    WDC WD32 WD-WCAPZ2942630 USB Device
    WD My Book 1140 USB Device
    PSU
    Works 550w
    Case
    MSI "M-Box"
    Cooling
    Water Cooled
    Keyboard
    Dell Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Intellimouse
    Internet Speed
    Cable Medium Speed
    Browser
    Chrome/IE 10
    Antivirus
    Eset NOD32 6.x/Win Defend
    Other Info
    Recently lost my Windows 8 on my main PC, had to go back to Windows 7.
Thanks. I just ran all the PassMark tests and they came out fine (CPU, 2D/3D, memory, disk and script execute). In fact, most were much higher than the average benchmarks.

No expert, but my hunch is the problem is somewhere in the interaction between audio/video and website programming, or between a/v and some background program (process, service?) on my computer.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY
    CPU
    i5 4690K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H-BK3 (rev. 1.2) UEFI Bios
    Memory
    16 GB (4x4)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire Ultimate HD7750
    Sound Card
    JCAT USB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2412M
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256 GB SSD
    Seagate 3TB, 2TB & 1TB HDDs
    PSU
    Seasonic x650 PSU
    Case
    Cooler Master Elite 335
    Cooling
    Prolimatech Megahalems Rev. C cooler, 3 Nexus Silent Fans
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M
    Mouse
    Bornd Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    60+ mbps claimed
    Antivirus
    Comodo CIS, MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    PS Audio Directstream dac, Quad 12L powered speakers, Core Audio Tech Kora LPS, JCAT USB card, Uptone Regen USB
It's stalling up somewhere in the process of transferring Audio to your device (and video to the output screen in the browser).

If you think you have Networking problems, you can use Yamicsoft's Windows Manager to optimise your Network settings for whatever kind of ISP you use- Cable, DSL, even Modems. There is a free 20 day trial if you download it from the site, just go into Networking options and set up the network to whatever you have, see if that helps.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro with Media Center/Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus § DualCore AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2300 MHz (11.5 x 200) 4400+ § Corsair Value Select
    CPU
    AMD 4400+/4200+
    Motherboard
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus/Asus A8M2N-LA (NodusM)
    Memory
    2 GB/3GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8400 GS/GeForce 210
    Sound Card
    nVIDIA GT218 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hitachi 40" LCD HDTV
    Screen Resolution
    "1842 x 1036"
    Hard Drives
    WDC WD50 00AAKS-007AA SCSI Disk Device
    ST1000DL 002-9TT153 SCSI Disk Device
    WDC WD3200AAJB-00J3A0 ATA Device
    WDC WD32 WD-WCAPZ2942630 USB Device
    WD My Book 1140 USB Device
    PSU
    Works 550w
    Case
    MSI "M-Box"
    Cooling
    Water Cooled
    Keyboard
    Dell Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Intellimouse
    Internet Speed
    Cable Medium Speed
    Browser
    Chrome/IE 10
    Antivirus
    Eset NOD32 6.x/Win Defend
    Other Info
    Recently lost my Windows 8 on my main PC, had to go back to Windows 7.
Thanks for the idea. As mentioned in the OP, I already have Windows 8 Mgr. Going to the Network page, there weren't any settings, so I checked cable modem and some numbers appeared. Is there anything else you'd suggest under the other Network tabs? I've attached screenshots of the first two tabs' pages to help (this being a single user setup, I assume the Share one isn't applicable).
 

Attachments

  • Windows 8 Mgr - Network tab 1.jpg
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  • Windows 8 Mgr - Network tab 2.jpg
    Windows 8 Mgr - Network tab 2.jpg
    40.1 KB · Views: 166

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY
    CPU
    i5 4690K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H-BK3 (rev. 1.2) UEFI Bios
    Memory
    16 GB (4x4)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire Ultimate HD7750
    Sound Card
    JCAT USB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2412M
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256 GB SSD
    Seagate 3TB, 2TB & 1TB HDDs
    PSU
    Seasonic x650 PSU
    Case
    Cooler Master Elite 335
    Cooling
    Prolimatech Megahalems Rev. C cooler, 3 Nexus Silent Fans
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M
    Mouse
    Bornd Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    60+ mbps claimed
    Antivirus
    Comodo CIS, MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    PS Audio Directstream dac, Quad 12L powered speakers, Core Audio Tech Kora LPS, JCAT USB card, Uptone Regen USB
Ah, OK, didn't see the ref. See the 3 boxes on the bottom of the first page?

Enable all of those, click "Limit Bandwidth for QOS" and set the number to 0 and click on "Enable Adapter Onboard Processor" and "Disable TCP stack Auto Tuning"

Then test your network speed wth Speedtest.net and see if it improves, it may not seem faster, but in the long run those are the most stable settings. How many computers do you have hooked up to your Broadband, just the one, or you have a LAN? There may be settings in the Router we can tweek.


You don't have to do anything on that Tweak network page.

Pretty nifty app, ain't it? I've been using it for years.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro with Media Center/Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus § DualCore AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2300 MHz (11.5 x 200) 4400+ § Corsair Value Select
    CPU
    AMD 4400+/4200+
    Motherboard
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus/Asus A8M2N-LA (NodusM)
    Memory
    2 GB/3GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8400 GS/GeForce 210
    Sound Card
    nVIDIA GT218 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hitachi 40" LCD HDTV
    Screen Resolution
    "1842 x 1036"
    Hard Drives
    WDC WD50 00AAKS-007AA SCSI Disk Device
    ST1000DL 002-9TT153 SCSI Disk Device
    WDC WD3200AAJB-00J3A0 ATA Device
    WDC WD32 WD-WCAPZ2942630 USB Device
    WD My Book 1140 USB Device
    PSU
    Works 550w
    Case
    MSI "M-Box"
    Cooling
    Water Cooled
    Keyboard
    Dell Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Intellimouse
    Internet Speed
    Cable Medium Speed
    Browser
    Chrome/IE 10
    Antivirus
    Eset NOD32 6.x/Win Defend
    Other Info
    Recently lost my Windows 8 on my main PC, had to go back to Windows 7.
Thanks for the follow up. Yes, Windows 8 Mgr has bailed out my rear end a couple of times recently. With this operation, when it Saves and closes explorer for a moment, I noticed that some programs close, including SAS Pro and Secunia.

I should have done a before/after for the whole process, as I'm getting the fastest Speedtest down/up readings I've ever seen here, in fact the ISP's advertised speeds. However, I haven't done a test in awhile and Charter recently took over from Optimum. The latter's own speed check is no longer available for comparison, so it's hard to know for sure.

What I do know is even after a clean reinstall of Opera 12 today, MyYahoo (logged in) is still bringing music playing via Pandora to a halt for most of a minute, before coming back and pushing it onto the next song. Don't know if (or how) that's related to the bigger freeze problem, since the latter also occurred with FF, but the MyYahoo/Pandora stall doesn't with FF.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY
    CPU
    i5 4690K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H-BK3 (rev. 1.2) UEFI Bios
    Memory
    16 GB (4x4)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire Ultimate HD7750
    Sound Card
    JCAT USB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2412M
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256 GB SSD
    Seagate 3TB, 2TB & 1TB HDDs
    PSU
    Seasonic x650 PSU
    Case
    Cooler Master Elite 335
    Cooling
    Prolimatech Megahalems Rev. C cooler, 3 Nexus Silent Fans
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M
    Mouse
    Bornd Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    60+ mbps claimed
    Antivirus
    Comodo CIS, MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    PS Audio Directstream dac, Quad 12L powered speakers, Core Audio Tech Kora LPS, JCAT USB card, Uptone Regen USB
You mentioned turning attention to a router and I forgot to speak to that. While my desktop system is run off a cable modem, the cable does run through the back of a router that's used for my laptop (Linksys E1200). I don't use the laptop a lot, and usually not at the same time as the desktop, although since Friday afternoon I've been using it around the clock to burn in new speakers. I hadn't thought to disconnect from the network, in case that had any effect, but doing so now doesn't seem to change anything with the desktop.

Anything else with the router that should be adjusted?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY
    CPU
    i5 4690K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H-BK3 (rev. 1.2) UEFI Bios
    Memory
    16 GB (4x4)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire Ultimate HD7750
    Sound Card
    JCAT USB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2412M
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256 GB SSD
    Seagate 3TB, 2TB & 1TB HDDs
    PSU
    Seasonic x650 PSU
    Case
    Cooler Master Elite 335
    Cooling
    Prolimatech Megahalems Rev. C cooler, 3 Nexus Silent Fans
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M
    Mouse
    Bornd Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    60+ mbps claimed
    Antivirus
    Comodo CIS, MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    PS Audio Directstream dac, Quad 12L powered speakers, Core Audio Tech Kora LPS, JCAT USB card, Uptone Regen USB
Yah, use DHCP Reservation for your Laptop and your PC:

reservation.png

Even if your Laptop is off, someone may be getting into your Wifi and using it. I always keep the log running and even on my system I have caught people in there, no idea how they got in. Finally I set it to that it won't allow anyone into the Router unless it's from a MAC Address I had cloned. That closed off whatever avenue they were using to get in.

It could be your Opera Browser, I don't use it, but it's a good browser. And it also me depend on network traffic in your immediate area.

Try lowering the amount of space used by it's Cache files if you can. Usually, most browsers depend on the settings in your IE Internet Tools 1st Property sheet, I set it to 50 MB total. And try Chrome or Firefox or even Safari 5.1.7 if need be.

Try each of those browsers for your stream use, see how each of them behave and use the best one, only for that purpose. That's why I have IE, Chrome, and Safari, I use them for different things.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro with Media Center/Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus § DualCore AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2300 MHz (11.5 x 200) 4400+ § Corsair Value Select
    CPU
    AMD 4400+/4200+
    Motherboard
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus/Asus A8M2N-LA (NodusM)
    Memory
    2 GB/3GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8400 GS/GeForce 210
    Sound Card
    nVIDIA GT218 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hitachi 40" LCD HDTV
    Screen Resolution
    "1842 x 1036"
    Hard Drives
    WDC WD50 00AAKS-007AA SCSI Disk Device
    ST1000DL 002-9TT153 SCSI Disk Device
    WDC WD3200AAJB-00J3A0 ATA Device
    WDC WD32 WD-WCAPZ2942630 USB Device
    WD My Book 1140 USB Device
    PSU
    Works 550w
    Case
    MSI "M-Box"
    Cooling
    Water Cooled
    Keyboard
    Dell Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Intellimouse
    Internet Speed
    Cable Medium Speed
    Browser
    Chrome/IE 10
    Antivirus
    Eset NOD32 6.x/Win Defend
    Other Info
    Recently lost my Windows 8 on my main PC, had to go back to Windows 7.
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