# [SOLVED] Excessive freezing



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

Hi. My computer keeps freezing randomly, resulting in me having to reset it, something I hate doing. This occurs several times a week. Could this be related to my CPU? If not, what then?

Also, 4/5 times that I turn on or restart my computer, it hangs at the following BIOS screen for at least 5 minutes before proceeding to boot from the OS. In the past, it spent 5 seconds on that screen at the most.










*My PC specs:*

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 @ 2.40GHz
Mainboard: Intel 945GCT-M (CPU 1)
Memory: 2.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 332MHz (5-5-5-15)
Hard Drive: 932GB Seagate ST31000528AS ATA Device (SATA)
Video: iIntel 82945G Express Chipset Family
Sound: High Definition Audio Device
CD Rom: HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GH20NS10 ATA Device, ATAPI iHAS224 B ATA Device
Power Supply: Powerlink LPK2-30 500W
Printer: Lexmark X5450
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit SP1


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Solidify, start Windows up and install the trial version of HD Tune Pro. Once installed, click the Health tab then go to File and Save Screenshot.
Next, click the Error Scan tab and click the start button. Let the program run a full scan. Click File>>Save Screenshot and upload both those screenshot files in your next post.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Done and done.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Solidify, can you go to the Health tab in HD Tune again and expand the window so all the data is visible and there's no scroll bar on the right. Then post another screen shot.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*










Also, I have another external HDD. Not sure if you wanted its information as well but just in case:










I also find it noteworthy that HD Tune Pro gave me the following notifications for my external HDD, despite the Seagate software that came bundled with it not picking up on that:










I never turn off my external HDD. It is connected to my computer via USB on the system's back I/O panel. It turns off whenever my system turns off so in my opinion, I shouldn't heat up any more than my internal HDD (although I should mention that I have an on-going backup system running around the clock in which the backup location is on my external HDD).


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

The freezing has gotten really bad. I can't run HD Tune Pro longer than 5 minutes without it 'not responding' and then freezing. When I restart my computer using the restart option in the start menu (and not the restart button on the computer case), the computer hangs at the Logging Off screen for longer than 15 minutes.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Here's what I'd do. Start with replacing the SATA cable to the drive or borrow one from another PC. They're cheap, so no biggie if it's not the cause. Find out the manufacturer of the motherboard and download & install the chipset, then any storage drivers (in that order) for your board from the mfgr's website. See if the problem continues.

Right click on Computer and select Manage. Go to Event Viewer>Windows logs and look for any Red Xs under System. See if anything is flagged for NTFS, DISK or something like that around the time you experience a freeze.

Your External drive is running hot. Try and place it somewhere with good ventilation around it if you can.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Do you want me to replace my internal HDD's SATA data or SATA power cable?

As for the motherboard, this is what Speccy tells me:

*Motherboard*

Manufacturer: Intel
Model: 945GCT-M (CPU 1)
Version: 2.0
Chipset Vendor: Intel
Chipset Model: i945G
Chipset Revision: A2
Southbridge Vendor: Intel
Southbridge Model: 82801GB (ICH7/R)
Southbridge Revision: A1
System Temperature: 40 °C

*BIOS*

Brand: American Megatrends Inc.
Version: 080012
Date: 07/11/2007

With that being said, I think this is the manufacturer's website: ECS Web Site > 945GCT-M (V1.0)

The URL links to a motherboard with v1.0 but CPU-Z says mine is v2.0. I don't know if that is OK. Would you mind redirecting me to the right chipset and storage driver downloads?

Also, I looked for red *X*'s in the System section of Event Viewer and these are some of the errors I found. _(I organized the events in order of the most recent first)_:


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        Disk
Date:          24/02/2013 5:24:43 PM
Event ID:      11
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk1\DR1.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Disk" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="49156">11</EventID>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-02-24T22:24:43.940689200Z" />
    <EventRecordID>327551</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>\Device\Harddisk1\DR1</Data>
    <Binary>0E00680001000000000000000B0004C003010000000000000000000000082D000000000000000000C9660C0000000000FFFFFFFF0600000040000000000000000000061208000010000000003C00000000000000008E14870000000048F86185000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000</Binary>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        EventLog
Date:          24/02/2013 1:53:40 PM
Event ID:      6008
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The previous system shutdown at 1:51:24 PM on ‎2/‎24/‎2013 was unexpected.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="EventLog" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="32768">6008</EventID>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-02-24T18:53:40.000000000Z" />
    <EventRecordID>327404</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>1:51:24 PM</Data>
    <Data>‎2/‎24/‎2013</Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Data>1649</Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Binary>DD070200000018000D00330018004300DD0702000000180012003300180043003C0000003C000000000000000000000000000000000000000100000000000000</Binary>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        EventLog
Date:          24/02/2013 1:24:23 PM
Event ID:      6008
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The previous system shutdown at 1:22:47 PM on ‎2/‎24/‎2013 was unexpected.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="EventLog" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="32768">6008</EventID>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-02-24T18:24:23.000000000Z" />
    <EventRecordID>327268</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>1:22:47 PM</Data>
    <Data>‎2/‎24/‎2013</Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Data>23728</Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Binary>DD070200000018000D0016002F007F03DD07020000001800120016002F007F033C0000003C000000000000000000000000000000000000000100000000000000</Binary>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```
Then, as I was scrolling further down, between 12:00 AM - 12:30 AM on February 24th, Event Viewer registered a ton of errors one after another:










Here are details for several of the events recorded within that period:


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        Disk
Date:          23/02/2013 10:17:04 PM
Event ID:      11
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk2\DR2.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Disk" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="49156">11</EventID>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-02-24T03:17:04.801804000Z" />
    <EventRecordID>327009</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>\Device\Harddisk2\DR2</Data>
    <Binary>0E03680001000000000000000B0004C003010000000000000000000000082D000000000000000000DC29040000000000FFFFFFFF0600000040000000000000000000061208000010000000003C00000000000000C0ED27870000000088583485000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000</Binary>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        Disk
Date:          23/02/2013 10:17:03 PM
Event ID:      11
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk2\DR2.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Disk" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="49156">11</EventID>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-02-24T03:17:03.257401300Z" />
    <EventRecordID>327008</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>\Device\Harddisk2\DR2</Data>
    <Binary>0E00680001000000000000000B0004C003010000000000000000000000082D0000000000000000007929040000000000FFFFFFFF0600000040000000000000000000061208000010000000003C00000000000000C0ED27870000000088583485000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000</Binary>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```
_I find it noteworthy to report that among all the events recorded in the System subcategory of the Event Viewer's Windows Logs, there were errors that identified with the following sources: atapi, Disk, DistributedCOM, Application-Experience, Service Control Manager, Windows Update Client, etc.._

And as for the external HDD, I moved it in a more open space. I'll use HD Tune Pro to monitor its internal temperature. 

Sorry for the big post with the data dump. I figured it would help you properly diagnose the issue. :thumb:

Edit: I just checked my external HDD's temperature using HD Tune Pro and it is now at 47°C as opposed to the earlier alarming 61°C. Looking good! But I might also add that many functions within HD Tune Pro force the application into an unresponsive state (_HD Tune Pro 5.00 -Hard Disk Utility (trial version) (Not Responding)_)


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Solidify, all that info was good and helpful :thumb:.

Does Speccy give any other info on the mobo or is it just listed as Intel as the manufacturer? If you're comfortable opening the side of your case and looking in, grab a flashlight and see if you can find a manufacturer name printed on the board somewhere.

The ECS link you included is for a mobo made by ECS which also uses the intel chipset. It's best to find out who made your board so you can get the drivers specifically made for it from the mfgr's site. A last resort is to go to intel's website  and use the "Check your system for the latest updates" link.

The errors listed for Hard Disk 1 are for your C: drive. The ATAPI errors for Hard Disk 2 are related to your external Seagate, and probably due to the drive going to sleep.

Yes, you can try replacing the internal SATA cable for your C drive or disconnect a SATA DVD drive and use its cable. At the very least, unplug and reseat the C: drive's SATA cable on both ends. I'd put my money on drivers as the cause, but it could be the controller on the hard drive, too.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Ok, Googling your motherboard model # only pulls up results from ECS. So there's a good chance ECS is the manufacturer. Here is a link to the drivers for that ver 2.0 board. The problem is, these drivers are not designed for Windows 7.

So, how new is your Win 7 installation?


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

The motherboard's manufacturer is ECS. I don't know how to find out any more information on it. 

When you say "replace the internal SATA cable", are you reffering to the SATA data or power cable?

Edit: I've had Windows 7 installed for a couple years. And it has never been this bad. Also, would you recommend I install those drivers since you mentioned they're not designed for W7.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Yes, I mean replace the SATA data cable or at least disconnect and reconnect it on both ends, while the PC is off, obviously. Check my previous post, too.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

No, I wouldn't recommend installing the drivers in the link I posted, since they aren't designed for Win7. You'd be better off going into Device manager and right clicking on your SATA controller and letting Windows search for an update.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Updating the SATA controller did not work but I have yet to try swapping the ends of the internal HDD's SATA data cables (although I don't think that will help).










And since you suspect that the issue lies with my drivers and you can't find any driver updates that are Windows 7-compatible, I've run out of options, haven't I?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Here's what's probably happening. Your computer is trying to talk to your C: drive - over the SATA cable - to the hard drive's controller - and onto the platters. The problem lies between your motherboard and the storage platters. A bad cable, bad SATA port, bad HD controller on your hard drive, or software drivers could all be the culprit.

Some other ways you could test are: take your C drive out and mount it in another computer as a secondary drive (don't boot to it!). Open up some video or music files from your drive or copy files to it. See if you register any errors in Event Viewer on the test computer relating to your drive.

If you have a spare SATA hard drive around, you could clone your drive to the spare. Then remove your drive and boot up to the spare one. Check Event Viewer or HDTune for the C7 errors and see if the value under Data increases.

I would swap the drive out w/a spare, but I wouldn't go so far as to say buy a new one, since I don't know for sure it's your HD controller. The surface scan of your drive came up clean.

You could try downloading Seagate's Seatools from their website, burn the utility to a CD and run their long test diagnostic. It's usually useless, but it might point to the drive. If the drive is a year or so old, you might be able to get it replaced under warranty.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I should have added: Swapping the hard drive in your PC and getting no errors would confirm the controller on the drive was bad.

Putting your drive in a test computer w/no errors might confirm a driver, cable, mobo problem on your PC. Though it's possible Windows had a correct Win7 driver in it's database even though ECS didn't have a Win 7 driver listed.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Ahh, don't know why I didn't think of this earlier... Click the info tab on HD Tune and look for the firmware version. If it's not *CC49*, then upgrade the firmware from Seagate's website using the ISO method, not the .EXE method.

If you do upgrade the firmware, it's always advisable to backup your drive first just in case something goes wrong.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> take your C drive out and mount it in another computer as a secondary drive


I only have this one computer at my disposal.



> If you have a spare SATA hard drive around, you could clone your drive to the spare. Then remove your drive and boot up to the spare one. Check Event Viewer or HDTune for the C7 errors and see if the value under Data increases.


I have two spare HDDs: one SATA and one IDE, but last time I checked, they did not function properly either, what led me to buy this one.



> You could try downloading Seagate's Seatools from their website, burn the utility to a CD and run their long test diagnostic. It's usually useless, but it might point to the drive. If the drive is a year or so old, you might be able to get it replaced under warranty.


I've ran that test less than a year ago but never by burning it to a CD. If needed, I will make a CD and re-run it, despite you hinting that it usually does not find anything. What seems more enticing is having Seagate replace my drive while it's still under warranty (it's a fairly new drive).

Lastly, the firmware for the internal HDD is listed as "CC38" in HD Tune Pro. Could you explain me more thoroughly how to proceed with the update as I have never performed a firmware update?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

It's very easy.

Download this file from Seagate and burn it to a CD. You have burn it as an ISO disc image from your CD burning software, you can't just drag and drop the file to a disc.

Here are the Seagate instructions for booting up to the cd.

As long as your cd/dvd drive is set as the first boot device when you turn your computer on, you'll boot right up to the disc. The software will list your hard drive model and you just click the corresponding letter to update the firmware.

Go this route first. I don't know why I didn't think of updating the firmware earlier. If you still have the freeze up issue after the firmware upgrade, I'd call Seagate and see if you can get it replaced under warranty. The drive will have at least a 1 yr warranty and they can tell by the serial #. If you tell them you're experiencing freeze ups and that the SMART data shows CRC errors, they may just do a cross ship for a new drive. Usually they want you to run their Sea Tools program first, so see what happens.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> If you still have the freeze up issue after the firmware upgrade, I'd call Seagate and see if you can get it replaced under warranty.


So you're pretty certain that the issue is with my internal HDD? 

Also, I'm download the firmware update and will run it now.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



Solidify said:


> So you're pretty certain that the issue is with my internal HDD?


I'd say it's very likely, but no, I'm not certain.

As I explained, there are several components - hardware & software - which could cause the error flagged in HD Tune. And that error is a likely cause of your PC freezing. I start with the cheap and easy tests & fixes first, like software updates. 

Run the firmware upgrade and let me know how you make out.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

OK. I just came back to see if you added anything else before booting from the CD. Will be back to post my results once the firmware is done updating.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

The firmware has been *successfully updated* to version CC49.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Great. Use the computer and see if you notice any signs of it freezing up. If you do, go back into the SMART data of HD Tune and check if the CRC data has increased above 180.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Well, I'm looking through HD Tune Pro at the moment and the _Utra DMA CRC Error Count_ reads 200 for both the _Current_ and _Worst_ columns and 193 for the _Data_ column. The _Status_ column still says _Warning._

Not to mention, I just turned on my external HDD after having been unplugged to run the firmware update on my internal drive, and HD Tune's telling me it's already at 49-50 degrees Celsius. There's nothing obstructing its ventilation...


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

The 193 in the Data column is logged and does not reset. I'm just curious if it increases and correlates to more freezing. Just keep using the PC normally for a day or until you notice it freeze up.

50*C is warm but it's not at a critical temp.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Will do. While you're online, I have another question for you: should I see if my external HDD's firmware needs to be updated as well? How did you know my internal drive's firmware version had to be CC49?

Edit: Every single time I click the thermometer icon in HD Tune Pro, the application freezes and killing the process does not work.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I know CC49 is the latest firmware for your internal drive (7200.12).

You can check the links below for updates on your external drive.

How to Find your model & Serial #

Check Seagate for Firmware Updates


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I just finished checking and there is no newer firmware update for my external HDD (STAC3000102, FREEAGENTGOFLEXDESK). So now that that's out of the way...

I'm starting to get really frustrated here. Right after I edited my previous post to include the bit about HD Tune freezing, I tried to end the process from Task Manager but it did not work. So I tried logging off my user account in hopes that doing so would kill the process. But then my screen froze at the "Logging off..." page. I left it for 20-25 minutes but nothing changed so I reset my computer manually. When it started up again, it took 5 minutes before booting from the OS (it was stuck on the black BIOS screen again). When I finally got back into my user account, I checked the Event Viewer and these are the Warning and Errors that recorded within that time span:


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-PnP
Date:          25/02/2013 4:11:13 PM
Event ID:      219
Task Category: (212)
Level:         Warning
Keywords:      
User:          SYSTEM
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The driver \Driver\WUDFRd failed to load for the device WpdBusEnumRoot\UMB\2&37c186b&0&STORAGE#VOLUME#_??_USBSTOR#DISK&VEN_LEXMARK&PROD_USB_MASS_STORAGE&REV__200#7&A33B0D2&0&22N018506001ZQ2&0#.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-PnP" Guid="{9C205A39-1250-487D-ABD7-E831C6290539}" />
    <EventID>219</EventID>
    <Version>0</Version>
    <Level>3</Level>
    <Task>212</Task>
    <Opcode>0</Opcode>
    <Keywords>0x8000000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-02-25T21:11:13.152763600Z" />
    <EventRecordID>328952</EventRecordID>
    <Correlation />
    <Execution ProcessID="4" ThreadID="52" />
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security UserID="S-1-5-18" />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data Name="DriverNameLength">136</Data>
    <Data Name="DriverName">WpdBusEnumRoot\UMB\2&37c186b&0&STORAGE#VOLUME#_??_USBSTOR#DISK&VEN_LEXMARK&PROD_USB_MASS_STORAGE&REV__200#7&A33B0D2&0&22N018506001ZQ2&0#</Data>
    <Data Name="Status">3221226341</Data>
    <Data Name="FailureNameLength">14</Data>
    <Data Name="FailureName">\Driver\WUDFRd</Data>
    <Data Name="Version">0</Data>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        EventLog
Date:          25/02/2013 4:10:56 PM
Event ID:      6008
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The previous system shutdown at 4:08:56 PM on ‎2/‎25/‎2013 was unexpected.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="EventLog" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="32768">6008</EventID>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-02-25T21:10:56.000000000Z" />
    <EventRecordID>328872</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>4:08:56 PM</Data>
    <Data>‎2/‎25/‎2013</Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Data>4216</Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Binary>DD070200010019001000080038009802DD0702000100190015000800380098023C0000003C000000000000000000000000000000000000000100000000000000</Binary>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        Disk
Date:          25/02/2013 3:43:16 PM
Event ID:      11
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk2\DR2.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Disk" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="49156">11</EventID>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-02-25T20:43:16.622555300Z" />
    <EventRecordID>328863</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>\Device\Harddisk2\DR2</Data>
    <Binary>0E00680001000000000000000B0004C003010000000000000000000000082D000000000000000000779E020000000000FFFFFFFF0600000040000000000000000000061208000010000000003C000000000000008016678700000000B8989A85000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000</Binary>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-PnP
Date:          25/02/2013 3:07:05 PM
Event ID:      219
Task Category: (212)
Level:         Warning
Keywords:      
User:          SYSTEM
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The driver \Driver\WUDFRd failed to load for the device WpdBusEnumRoot\UMB\2&37c186b&0&STORAGE#VOLUME#_??_USBSTOR#DISK&VEN_LEXMARK&PROD_USB_MASS_STORAGE&REV__200#7&A33B0D2&0&22N018506001ZQ2&0#.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-PnP" Guid="{9C205A39-1250-487D-ABD7-E831C6290539}" />
    <EventID>219</EventID>
    <Version>0</Version>
    <Level>3</Level>
    <Task>212</Task>
    <Opcode>0</Opcode>
    <Keywords>0x8000000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-02-25T20:07:05.809480600Z" />
    <EventRecordID>328838</EventRecordID>
    <Correlation />
    <Execution ProcessID="4" ThreadID="60" />
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security UserID="S-1-5-18" />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data Name="DriverNameLength">136</Data>
    <Data Name="DriverName">WpdBusEnumRoot\UMB\2&37c186b&0&STORAGE#VOLUME#_??_USBSTOR#DISK&VEN_LEXMARK&PROD_USB_MASS_STORAGE&REV__200#7&A33B0D2&0&22N018506001ZQ2&0#</Data>
    <Data Name="Status">3221226341</Data>
    <Data Name="FailureNameLength">14</Data>
    <Data Name="FailureName">\Driver\WUDFRd</Data>
    <Data Name="Version">0</Data>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```
And as much as I was afraid HD Tune Pro would freeze on me again, I checked to see if there were any more error but we're still at the same digits: 200, 200 and 193 for _Current_, _Worst_ and _Data_ respectively.

I also took the time to check what kind of warranty I have on both my internal and external HDDs and here's what I'm working with:

*Seagate GoFlex Desk (External)*

In Warranty 
Expiration 15-Nov-2013

*Internal Seagate HDD*

In Warranty 
Expiration 13-Sep-2013 

For both drives, it says the following:



> In Warranty
> This drive is covered by a Seagate warranty.
> 
> If the drive is defective, it may be returned for exchange. You will not receive your original drive in return. Please do not return a healthy drive. Seagate reserves the right to return a good drive back to its owner and to charge for all associated shipping costs.
> ...


Which leads me to ask the following question: if Seatools doesn't detect an issue with my drive, is there even a point of sending the drive in (I don't want to be charged for nothing)?

Having said that, the only things left to do before submitting/creating a return for the internal HD is to *swap the SATA data cables* with that of my optical drive and *run Seagate SeaTools on both drives* (since I'm going to need a report either way if I'm going to be returning the drive(s)).


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Keep the external USB drive disconnected for now unless you really need it for something and continue to use your PC.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

There's a software continuously backing up my files to my external HD drive. Disconnecting it wouldn't be the best choice for me but if I have to I will. 

I don't see how that solves anything besides temporarily fixing the internal temperature issue...


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I didn't realize you had the external drive connected all the time. If you have something critical needing backing up, do what you need to do then disconnect the drive so you can use the PC and test that it's working. The external drive is registering its own Windows errors. I'm trying to isolate the PC first.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

OK, that makes sense. I'll leave my external drive off unless I need it.

I ran Seagate's Seatools on my internal drive tonight and it came back clean. No problem there, according to Seagate. I will run the test on my external drive tomorrow since it's late and the test requires me to approve the correction of bad sectors if there should be any. I will run the scan tomorrow and report back with the results as I've done for the internal drive. 

Also, after the scan tomorrow, I will finally try swapping the SATA data cables for my internal drive and equally report back any issues I have.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I wouldn't even bother swapping the cables at this point. I'm more interested in seeing if you have any more freeze ups with the external disconnected. I'll be surprised if you do.

You can run Seatools on the external if you want, but I don't think it's necessary. HDTune shows no bad spots or SMART errors on the drive.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

So you're saying that most of the errors that event viewer logged were related to my external drive? What about the errors that said Disk1 that you said represented my internal drive? And if the external drive is the culprit, what are my options?

Edit: I think you may be on the ball. I've had the external drive disconnected for about an hour and I've already noticed improvements in performance. Fingers crossed! :whistling:

Since there are no errors on either drive when scanned, this leads me to believe that my computer simply cannot handle both drives at the same time. Could that be the case? An old and poor quality motherboard and CPU perhaps?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

You posted a couple different errors. The *Disk* errors should be for your internal drive, the ATAPI errors for your external drive. No it's not an issue of your computer not being able to handle the usb drive.. don't get too far ahead of me :lol:

Also, click your Start button and type services.msc into the search box. Scroll down the list of services til you come to Windows Driver Foundation. Double click it an make sure the startup type is set to Automatic.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



Fred Garvin said:


> Also, click your Start button and type services.msc into the search box. Scroll down the list of services til you come to Windows Driver Foundation. Double click it an make sure the startup type is set to Automatic.


OK. It was set to manual. I changed it to automatic.

Also, now that my external drive has been d/c since last night, I checked event viewer for any errors and the last recorded errors were around the time I disconnected the external drive (9:30 PM). Since then, there have been no disk errors (only 2-3 yellow warning signs for Kernel-PnP but since you didn't have me look out for those earlier, I'm assuming they're not related to my issue). 

All seems to keep converging onto my external HD as the culprit. As I mentionned, I'll run the long diagnostic scan with Seatools tonight and swap the cables for extra reassurance and report back with my results. If the results come back clean, what do I do with my external HD? In that case, it will obviously be the culprit but Seagate won't exchange it if the scan results are clean. :banghead:


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



Seagate Seatools said:


> With the exception of Long Generic which offers the option to repair sectors on USB external drives, all other Basic Tests are data safe, read only tests.


I performed all the available Seagate Seatools tests on my external drive (except the Long Generic test since I didn't have a means to back up 1.5TB of data). 

I just swapped the SATA data cables between my optical drive and internal HDD.

What's next?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Any freezing problems while the external drive is disconnected? If no, reboot the computer and plug the external in once Windows is loaded. See if it freezes.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

No, no freezing problems while the external drive is disconnected. OK, rebooting now.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I'm not sure if it's since I've reconnected my external HD but I noticed that the Ultra DMA CRC Error Count in HD Tune is now at 199 for the Data column (previously 193). And it still bothers me the way the external drive is at 61 degrees Celcius... that can't be right.

Edit: HD Tune just froze on me again. :banghead::banghead::banghead:


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

OK, don't worry about HDTune for now and leave it off. Is the computer freezing like it was before? Post a screenshot of Event Viewer>System.

There's nothing I can do about the external drive temps. As I said, it's warm but not at a critical temp. It's a drive in an enclosure and probably doesn't have a fan. You could try buying a laptop cooler to put under the drive if it makes you feel better. You could call Seagate but I think they'll tell you the same thing.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Well the computer itself hasn't frozen but Event Viewer froze for a second (Not Responding) and then came back. Anyways, here's the screenshot. Keep in mind, I reconnected my external HD to my computer after having rebooted it like you instructed me on: *Feb. 26th (5:15 PM) *










This is the error you're looking at in the screenshot of Event Viewer:


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        atapi
Date:          26/02/2013 7:10:56 PM
Event ID:      11
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Ide\IdePort1.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="atapi" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="49156">11</EventID>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-02-27T00:10:56.040896200Z" />
    <EventRecordID>330730</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>\Device\Ide\IdePort1</Data>
    <Binary>0000100001000000000000000B0004C004000000850100C00000000000000000000000000000000001000000000000000000000005100000</Binary>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```
_FYI: The computer has not been turned off nor restarted since 5:15 PM._


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I found this article. Maybe you can deduce something from it to try and help me. Event log shows event 11 atapi: The driver detected a controller - Microsoft Community


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Ok, so far so good. Event View showing *Not Responding* in the title bar isn't an issue. That's pretty common as it's reading data. There are no errors reported for your C drive, just the one error for your external.

Just keep using the PC normally; turn it off and on as you need to. You should have a good feel for whether it's acting up or not and report back if you have an issue.

Do you use the "Safely Remove USB Devices" icon near your clock if you disconnect the external drive?


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> There are no errors reported for your C drive, just the one error for your external.


Yes but why aren't we going to address the issue with my external drive now that we know there are no problems with my internal drive? Are you still unsure?



> Just keep using the PC normally; turn it off and on as you need to. You should have a good feel for whether it's acting up or not and report back if you have an issue.


When you said, "Turn it off and on as you need to", are you inferring that I don't need to keep my external drive disconnected anymore and can resuming using it continuously or should I continue only connecting it when I absolutely need it?



> Do you use the "Safely Remove USB Devices" icon near your clock if you disconnect the external drive?


No, for several reasons:

When I try to safely remove/eject the external drive, it always tells me that another process or application is using it and I've never been able to find out what that application is (although I have a hunch it's my backup software).
Secondly, even if I were able to d/c the external drive, I never need to. Since the drive is running a continuous backup of my PC, it's always plugged in and therefore turns off when I turn the PC off.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



Solidify said:


> Yes but why aren't we going to address the issue with my external drive now that we know there are no problems with my internal drive? Are you still unsure?
> 
> When you said, "Turn it off and on as you need to", are you inferring that I don't need to keep my external drive disconnected anymore and can resuming using it continuously or should I continue only connecting it when I absolutely need it?


I am addressing the external Seagate drive. I told you earlier to reconnect the external drive and use the computer as you normally would, then report back if your computer freezes up like your original complaint. 

Turn the PC off and on as needed - That means use the computer however you need to. If you go out and need to turn it off, go for it.




> No, for several reasons:
> 
> When I try to safely remove/eject the external drive, it always tells me that another process or application is using it and I've never been able to find out what that application is (although I have a hung it's my backup software).
> Secondly, even if I were able to d/c the external drive, I never need to. Since the drive is running a continuous backup of my PC, it's always plugged in and therefore turns off when I turn the PC off.


Ok, no biggie if you leave the external connected all the time, but not using "Safely Eject" when you need to disconnect the external will give you problems and risk corrupting the files on the external drive. If Windows won't allow you to eject the drive, that means you still have a connection open to files on that drive. Could be the continuous backup, too.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Alright so, I'm good...


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

What are you confused about? :lol: 

Use the computer, let me know if the problem comes back.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I'm confused because I still don't understand the error that my external is registering in event viewer...


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



Fred Garvin said:


> Use the computer, let me know if the problem comes back.


You want a problem? You got it!

I tried restarting my computer via the start menu at 9:50 PM. I watched it log me off my user account and then it hung at the "Shutting down.." screen with the circular cursor still loading. I gave it until 10:05 PM but it wasn't going anywhere. I reset it manually via the reset button on my PC case and here we are. 

The Event Viewer didn't register any yellow or red warnings or errors at all during that period. 

_Keep in mind all of this was done while the external was plugged in. It's the first mishap I've had since I've reconnected it._


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Damn! Again!

My entire computer froze this time in the middle of tabs while surfing the web. I reset the PC manually which expplains this error:


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        EventLog
Date:          26/02/2013 11:05:23 PM
Event ID:      6008
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The previous system shutdown at 11:02:04 PM on ‎2/‎26/‎2013 was unexpected.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="EventLog" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="32768">6008</EventID>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-02-27T04:05:23.000000000Z" />
    <EventRecordID>330917</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>11:02:04 PM</Data>
    <Data>‎2/‎26/‎2013</Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Data>3326</Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Binary>DD07020002001A00170002000400E203DD07020003001B00040002000400E2033C0000003C000000000000000000000000000000000000000100000000000000</Binary>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```
But besides that, there's noting listed. I'm so frustrated! I'm convinced its got to do with the controller you were talking about last time. Because if the external and internal drives both return clean scan results on their own, but only display problems such as these when connected, that's all I can come up with as a hypothesis.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*


Temporarily stop the backup software from running & close any files which may be open on the external drive.
Go into Windows Explorer and right click on the external drive. Select properties then the Tools tab. Click Error Checking - Check Now. If Windows needs to dismount the drive or check it after rebooting, let it do so and let the scan run.
After the scan is done, go back into Windows and use your computer for 15 mins or so.
After about 15 mins, go into your backup software and stop it. Click the Windows Stat button and select Shut Down.
Power the computer back on. Did it still hang when shutting down or starting up?


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

The scan has been running for a little over 5 hours and has only reached this far: 










Is that normal? It's working, I can confirm that by the change in amount of processed file, but nonetheless...


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

The computer froze a couple of minutes after my last post. I had to do a hard reset, evidently canceling the disk checking.

Give me the go. I'm ready to throw this computer out my window! opcorn:


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Nahh, no reason to throw it out. Have a little faith. Run the same scan again - overnight if it's more convenient since it looks like it will be a while. If it's taking that long, there's a good chance Windows is fixing file system errors on that drive.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

True, but if that's the case and it's repairing sectors, my data on that external HD isn't backed up. There's no way for me to back up 1.5 TB of data. That drive I'm testing was meant to be my backup location so it's got the biggest capacity. (Then again, I remember reading something from Seagate's Seatools user guide that mentioned that "when the sector is bad and unreadable then any data in it is already lost.") So I guess I answered my own question.

I'll try to run the scan again. But judging from the speed it was progressing, I think it will take a minimum of 24 hours to complete.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I thought the external drive was just for backups... Remember, it's only a backup if the data is stored in 2 different places. I don't think your external drive is damaged or has bad sectors. HD Tune didn't find any when you ran it. You do likely have some file system errors or corruption, and that's part of why the scan would take so long.

Re-run it again, but don't check the box that says "Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors"


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

So what do you call what I have? _Storage_? 

And if I only tick the box that says "Automatically fix file system errors" while not doing so for the "Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors" option, will it make a difference or should the scanning still address what we're (you're) trying to find out?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

If you are storing the only copy of your files on the external, yes, it's just a storage drive . Easiest way is to save all your files on your internal hard drive then back up the internal to the external. That way you have 2 copies. If there isn't enough room on your c: drive, then it's time to upgrade.

Yes, "Automatically fix file system errors" should lead to fixing your problem. You can always scan for bad sectors another time, but I don't think there are any since the sectors passed in HD Tune.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

OK. I started the scan. But while you're online, I'll take the opportunity to present you my current situation.

I have a desktop computer (which is the computer in question) that is shared among my entire family. It contains work, school and leisure related data such as photos and media. My eldest sister (who is constantly traveling) has her own laptop. She asked me to _backup_ her files onto our external HD incase she should lose her laptop wjhile traveling (and by back-up, I mean she asked me to store them on our external HD and she proceeded to delete them off her laptop to free up room). 

So now, the internal HD has my eldest sister's stored files, a big chunk of my other sister's media (that I stored and deleted from the PC to free up room), much of my personal data (also stored, not backed-up) as well as an an on-going backup software that is storing an _actual backup_ of my PC separately on the same external drive. 

In my family, wrong as it may be, we use external drives for mere storage. That was the initial reason we purchased the drive. We never had the intention of buying it thinking "Oh, it will be a safety precaution!". We were always thinking "Oh, more room!" But by the time I started understanding that we were doing things backwards, the external storage drive had too much data on it. I can't put it back on everyone's respective PC/folders because the drive is way bigger in capacity than the computer(s).

What do you recommend? 

Here's what I have:

3 TB external HD
500 GB external HD
1 TB internal HD
And my eldest sister has her laptop which I'm not sure how much capacity her internal drive has (although I do remember her buying a separate 500GB portable external drive for her travels)


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

That's ok if everyone wants to use the external drive as a central place to store files. Just get another external drive big enough to back up the one you have now. Or use the other smaller external drives to back up part of the big drive. Or you could subscribe to an online backup service - cost varies and you have to make sure they allow attached storage devices (your external).

Dropbox gives you a couple gigs of online storage space for free if you set up an account. I think your family members can create their own account too so they'd have their own storage space. That link will give you an xtra 500MB.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

OK. I'll look into it. It is advisable to have multiple external HDs connected to my PC considering the following PC specs:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 @ 2.40GHz
Mainboard: Intel 945GCT-M (CPU 1)
Memory: 2.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 332MHz (5-5-5-15)
Hard Drive: 932GB Seagate ST31000528AS ATA Device (SATA)
Video: iIntel 82945G Express Chipset Family
Sound: High Definition Audio Device
CD Rom: HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GH20NS10 ATA Device, ATAPI iHAS224 B ATA Device
Power Supply: Powerlink LPK2-30 500W
Printer: Lexmark X5450
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit SP1

--

The scan is done:










It didn't freeze while shutting down but it took a very long time to do so as well as more than 5 minutes to boot up. Still odd...


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*


I would turn the continuous backup software OFF. The backup is probably running when you're trying to shut down the computer, causing the delay. If you want to backup the PC to the external Seagate, set the backup software on a schedule or run it manually. Preferably at a time when you don't need to use the computer. I've rarely seen anyone who needs a continuously running backup.

Anytime you want to disconnect the external drive when your computer is running, you Must: Close out all files and programs which are open or accessed on the external. You must use the safely eject hardware icon near your clock. You risk damaging your files if you don't.

You may have other software running in the background causing a slow shut down, too. Any virus scans running, etc?

Your PC is fine for for adding another external hard drive that comes with its own power supply, but I'd install another internal SATA 2TB drive if it were me. Then use your external just for backups.

Keep tapping the delete key when you first power on the computer to get to your BIOS screen. 
Go to *Advanced Setup* and down to *Boot Other Device* then choose Disable. This should prevent your computer from trying to read your external drive as a boot device. 
Click Escape then F10 to save the changes.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Well I wanted to have a backup software that basically takes care of itself; I don't want to have to manually back it up or even make sure it backed up. What backup software can you recommend me? right now, I'm using a backup software called Memeo Backup Premium that is continuously backing up my computer to my external HD (by continuously scanning my computer for changes), which is very resource-exhausting.

Therefore, I'd like to propose to you what I'd like to do:

I found my old WD 500GB external HD. I was going to use that drive to backup my current PC since using Memeo Backup Premium since it's big enough (capacity) while using the 3TB Seagate external for storage. 



> Keep tapping the delete key when you first power on the computer to get to your BIOS screen.
> Go to Advanced Setup and down to Boot Other Device then choose Disable. This should prevent your computer from trying to read your external drive as a boot device.
> Click Escape then F10 to save the changes.


I've done that before, a while ago actually. In my BIOS it's referred to as *USB Legacy Support*. I don't think that the problem is that my computer is trying to boot from my external drive. I used to want to do that and the results were different.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I have both the USB Legacy Support and Boot Other Device options in my BIOS. I was under the impression that the USB Legacy Support option was disabled but it was not. I disabled it. However, the Boot Other Device option was already disabled. 

I connected my 500 GB external drive to my computer so now I have both externals running.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



Solidify said:


> Well I wanted to have a backup software that basically takes care of itself; ...(by continuously scanning my computer for changes), which is very resource-exhausting.


Yes, it's resource exhausting, most likely contributing to the issues you're having, and a bit overkill, IMO. My recommendation is to put backups on a schedule.

I'm not familiar with Memeo backup software so can't be much help with it. There are lots of different backup programs out there: Acronis, Norton, Easus. They all have their pros & cons.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Considering what I told you I'm looking for in a backup, do you recommend I seek another software for backups or for disk cloning? I've heard of both and don't know which would work best with what I'm looking for.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I'm not familiar with the software you're using now to say you should switch. If the backups work and restore properly then why change?. What I am saying is get rid of using that continuous backup feature unless you have some critical reason for it. Just schedule the backup software to run at a specific time each day.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

The software doesn't allow me to change when the backups run. I unistalled it and decided to backup with Windows 7's Backup and Restore utility. 

The backup process was about 25% of the way done (I was monitoring it while watching TV two feet away) and then heard my computer restart on its own. Upon rebooting, it displayed the following screen:










This isn't the first time my computer has restarted on its own nor is it the first time it's displayed that message upon restarting. Event Viewer still shows all kinds of atapi errors, two of which I never saw before connected my old 500GB external drive:


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        Server
Date:          28/02/2013 7:47:32 PM
Event ID:      2511
Task Category: None
Level:         Warning
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The server service was unable to recreate the share Movies because the directory G:\Kevin\Movies no longer exists.  Please run "net share Movies /delete" to delete the share, or recreate the directory G:\Kevin\Movies.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Server" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="32768">2511</EventID>
    <Level>3</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-03-01T00:47:32.000000000Z" />
    <EventRecordID>333239</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>Movies</Data>
    <Data>G:\Kevin\Movies</Data>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        Server
Date:          28/02/2013 7:47:32 PM
Event ID:      2511
Task Category: None
Level:         Warning
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The server service was unable to recreate the share Kevin because the directory G:\Kevin no longer exists.  Please run "net share Kevin /delete" to delete the share, or recreate the directory G:\Kevin.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Server" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="32768">2511</EventID>
    <Level>3</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-03-01T00:47:32.000000000Z" />
    <EventRecordID>333240</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>Kevin</Data>
    <Data>G:\Kevin</Data>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```
_G:\Kevin\Movies_ used to be the directory on my 500Gb that stored my media. The folder has been long since deleted and the drive is absolutely clean. Why is it showing that? Should I format the 500GB external drive before backing up to it?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



Solidify said:


> _G:\Kevin\Movies_ used to be the directory on my 500Gb that stored my media. The folder has been long since deleted and the drive is absolutely clean. Why is it showing that? Should I format the 500GB external drive before backing up to it?


Let's stick to straightening out one problem at a time. Adding the 500G drive into the mix is only going to add more confusion.

Post a screenshot of Event Viewer>System then include the details of a couple of the ATAPI errors in a code box like you've been doing.


Right click on *Computer* and select Manage. Click Shared Folders then Shares. Delete any shares that map to the old 500G drive, or any other shares that are no longer valid.


Right click on your C: drive in Windows Explorer, go to Properties, Tools, Error Checking, Check now. 
Click Automatically Fix file system errors. Don't select scan for bad sectors. Click ok to schedule the scan when you reboot then restart the computer. The scan will take a little while, so do it when you have time and don't interrupt it.
When the Above is done:

Use the Safely Remove Device icon and disconnect the 500G drive.
Plug the 500G drive into a different USB port on the back of the computer. Make sure the USB cable and the power plug to the drive are secure. Are you using a different USB cable than the one which was connected to the Seagate?
If there is nothing on the 500G, right click on its drive letter in Windows Explorer and select format. Do not tick the box that says Quick format. This will delete anything on the drive.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*












> Log Name: System
> Source: atapi
> Date: 28/02/2013 9:05:16 PM
> Event ID: 11
> ...





> Log Name: System
> Source: atapi
> Date: 28/02/2013 8:50:06 PM
> Event ID: 11
> ...





> Log Name: System
> Source: atapi
> Date: 28/02/2013 8:39:20 PM
> Event ID: 11
> ...





> Log Name: System
> Source: atapi
> Date: 28/02/2013 7:37:29 PM
> Event ID: 11
> ...





> Log Name: System
> Source: atapi
> Date: 28/02/2013 7:31:32 PM
> Event ID: 11
> ...


These are the shares listed. I didn't know how to tell which were for the old 500GB drive (G or which ones are no longer valid so here's a screenshot so you can guide me:










I'm going to bed and will restart my computer so it checks the disk over night. 

I will continue with the "When the Above is done" portion of your instructions tomorrow and post my results for everything at the same time.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> Are you using a different USB cable than the one which was connected to the Seagate?


No. Each external drive has their own cables.

The formatting of the 500GB external drive has completed.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Put the 500G drive aside and leave it disconnected. You can assume it's cleaned off and error free for now.

Connect the Seagate drive to your PC, make sure the USB cable is seated firmly as well as the power cable. Open up something big like a video file off the seagate and let it run in the background.

Go to this link and follow steps 1-4. Zip up the report files and attach them to your next post so I can get some other info. You can leave a video or music file running in the background.. just something to access off the drive.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

OK. I d/c the 500G drive but I should mention that when I did so (unplugged the usb cable from the drive), it disrupted a transfer to my flash drive resulting in the image below. Its almost as if when i d/c the external, it created a temporary fractional loss in contact with my flash drive.

I'll go to the link and do the steps now.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Are you using the Safely Remove Hardware icon then selecting the correct external hard drive before you unplug a device?

Copy whatever you need to your flash drive then unplug it and everything but the Seagate external drive. No other external devices should be connected other than your mouse, keyboard, network connection.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> Are you using the Safely Remove Hardware icon then selecting the correct external hard drive before you unplug a device?


Yes.

I tried running the test 3 times but my computer can't stand on long enough for it to complete. It keeps restarting in the middle of it. This is frustrating. Going to try again..


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Do a safely remove on the Seagate drive and leave it disconnected for now. I wanted to see if some other data would get collected while you ran the crash app link. Did you have a file open on the Seagate while trying to run the crash program?


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

It tells me it's in use when I try to eject it. I can't. Nothing else is running though.

This folder was collected before the app crashed. I zipped it for you. (attached)


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Are you using a USB hub anywhere or are you plugging the Seagate directly into the PC's USB port?


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Directly into the I/O ports on the back of my PC,


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Did you run this command?

Click the START button and type *perfmon /report* in the search box. Click File, Save as HTML file and upload it.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

No, I wasn't able to finish Step 2 since it kept restarting



> 2. RIGHT-click on B, select "Run as Administrator"
> · Output = new folder Windows7_Vista_jcgriff2 in Documents


Do I still run that command now?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

No. Run the command I just posted and upload the html file here/


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

That's what I meant. Sorry for the confusion.

Edit: It's not letting me upload the html file on TSF or any other file hosting website. TSF says its an invalid file and Uppit says 



> Extension not allowed for file: "C:\fakepath\Resource and Performance Monitor Report.html"
> These extensions are not allowed:html,php


Edit2: I compressed it.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I don't mean to be a pain nor am I sure if this is against the rules but given the fact that we're both online now, would it be easier for you to remotely assist me?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Sorry, forgot you can't upload .html files. Rar is fine.

Right click on Computer, select Manage>>Services then scroll down to Windows Driver Foundation. Double click and select Startup type to Automatic. Close out any open Windows and shut down. Restart the computer and check to see if that service is still set to Auto and running.

I would but we aren't allowed to do remote connections

Go to Intel's website and run the driver checker and see if it offers any driver updates. Install if it does.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> Right click on Computer, select Manage>>Services then scroll down to Windows Driver Foundation. Double click and select Startup type to Automatic.


It was already set to automatic. I restarted and it was set to automatic and started. All good.


```
Graphics Driver  Product Detected 	Intel® 945G 
 Current Driver Installed 	 8.15.10.1930 
 Your driver is current. 

  Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility (Chipset INF)  Product Detected 	Intel® 6, 5, 4, 3, 900 Series Chipsets 
 Current Version Installed 	 9.2.0.1025 
 This version is valid. 

  Audio Driver for Intel Desktop Board  Product Detected 	 High Definition Audio Device 
 Current Driver Installed 	 6.1.7601.17514 
 This device is unknown or unsupported. Please contact the manufacturer for possible updates. More information>> 

  Wireless Networking (WiFi)  Product Detected 	 Realtek PCIe FE Family Controller 
 Current Driver Installed 	 7.46.610.2011 
 This device is unknown or unsupported. Please contact the manufacturer for possible updates. More information>> 

  Wired Networking  Product Detected 	 Realtek PCIe FE Family Controller 
 Current Driver Installed 	 7.46.610.2011 
 This device is unknown or unsupported. Please contact the manufacturer for possible updates. More information>>
```
Everything seems to be up-to-date as far as Intel's able to help.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I tried the BSOD Posting again and my pc restarted during the process. FYI. There's something that the scanning for the BSOD is accessing that triggers my PC to restart.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

ok on the above. I read a wrong line of info and thought the WUFD service was turned off again.. I'm going through a lot of the info in that zip file and will probably post more tomorrow.

When you ran the BSOD app, was your Seagate connected? Disconnect it and try it again, though I don't need the output files again.

Go into Device mgr and expand the IDE/ATAPI section. Double click the channel entries and on the Advanced settings tab, is DMA checked? if not, select it.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I can't disconnect it since I cant eject it.

Yes, DMA is enabled on both.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I was able to find out what's stopping my drive from being ejected using these instructions but I don't know what else to do now.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Are there any programs installed or open on the Seagate? Close any files you have open including VLC player.. Save the output file in Process Explorer as a text file and upload it. I can't see what those System processes are.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I think it was a process called 'wmpnetwk.exe' that was using my external drive. I ended it in services and I was able to eject the drive. But from what I've read, it will continue to start when I connect the drive. 

Here is the text file (keep in mind, I already ended the process that I believe to have been causing the eject conflict so this text file won't help much):


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

That's Windows Media Player Network service running. It's from sharing your media library off the external drive. So at least now you know why you can't disconnect. You can kill the process in Task Mgr.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I've done that and even disabled it in services but it keeps restarting. I read an article that said I need to disable sharing in WMP for it to permanently be disabled but I don't know how to do that.

Edit: sorry no it doesn't seem to be running anymore. I restarted the pc and process explorer doesn't have it listed. Here's a fresh list of the processes that are tied to my H: drive (Seagate external drive):










It still wont eject now. I guess there's other processes that are blockign it now.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I'll get back to you on some other stuff tomorrow. Media Player - probably under Options> Media Library. See if it's monitoring folders on the drive.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

This is a confirmation that 'Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service' is disabled upon reboot. That is taken care of. One down! :thumb:


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

OK, sounds good. I'll be waiting for your reply. Good night and thank you.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

No prob. You're welcome.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

There are couple things I'd like you to try. You mentioned that running the BSOD program was causing your computer to restart. Shut the computer down, disconnect all your USB drives and boot into Windows. Run the BSOD app a couple times, use the computer, open some big files and see if you have any issues.

In your first post you have a pic of your POST screen and I noticed your C drive is listed as a slave and your CD/DVD drives are masters. I can't figure that one out... If you boot into your BIOS setup screen and go to Standard CMOS options where your hard drives are listed, are you able to select "Primary IDE Master" and change any sub options? Or are they sort of greyed out and can't be changed? If you can select the Primary Master - make it your C drive. Also make sure IDE Bus Master is Enabled and save your changes.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

BSOD program ran flawlessly without any USB drives connected. The results are attached.














































No, I am not able to change any suboptions in Primary IDE Master. It's grayed out. And IDE Busmaster was already enabled.

Here are some more pictures incase you need. My BIOS does not detect my second optical drive although Windows Explorer does and I can use it with no problems.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I don't mean to overwhelm you with information but I need to bring something up.

I was looking through my computer case and motherboard's user guide to make sure the drive jumpers were properly set and then I noticed the heading _Updating the BIOS_. I began following the instructions but can't figure out which motherboard mine is on ECS's website. My user guide (and my motherboard's retail box) say "945GCT-M/1333 Version 3.0". However, when I check with CPU-Z, under the Mainboard tab, it reads:

*Manufacturer:* Intel
*Chipset:* 945GCT-M 2.0
*Chipset:* Intel i945G *Rev.* A2
*Southbridge:* Intel 82801GB (ICH7/R) *Rev.* A1
*LPCIO:* ITE IT8718

*BIOS*

*Brand:* American Megatrends Inc.
*Version:* 080012
*Date:* 11/07/2007

As you can see (unless I'm misinterpreting the significance of those digits), there is a conflict between which version number is accurate (2.0 vs 3.0). And so, I can't decide which of these two motherboards on ECS's website is mine (and thus that for which I need to download any available BIOS update from):

945GCT-M (V2.0)

945GCT-M/1333 (V3.0)

Also, I don't understand why Crucial's Memory Scanner tells me my system can support a maximum of 2 GB of memory:



> *Memory Type:* DDR2 PC2-8500, DDR2 PC2-6400, DDR2 PC2-5300, DDR2 (non-ECC)
> *Maximum Memory:* 2GB
> *Currently Installed Memory:* 2GB
> *Total Memory Slots:* 2
> *Available Memory Slots:* 0


...while the specifications for both the 2.0 and 3.0 versions of the motherboard specify that it can _support DDR2 max to 4GB_:



> Dual-channel DDR2 memory architecture
> 2 x 240-pin DDR2 DIMM socket support up to 4 GB
> Support DDR2 667/533/400 DDR2 SDRAM
> * After ECS validation, this board can support DDR2 max to 4GB, please refer to memory support list
> ...


Does it have anything do with my 32-bit OS? Does Crucial's Memory Scanner detect my 32-bit OS and provide its results based on those detections? In other works, if I scanned again with a 64-bit OS, would it still say it can support a maximum memory capacity of 2GB?

_Note: Crucial's System Scanner recognizes my motherboard under version 2.0._

Another difference between the board versions:

*Version 2.0:* Realtek RTL8101E 10/100 LAN
*Version 3.0:* Realtek RTL8101E 10/100 LAN (co-lay 8111B)

I'm not sure how to check if mine has that co-lay 8111B functionality in order to determine which version mine is.

_Again, I realize you haven't asked me to attempt to update the BIOS. I was merely curious to know which version mine is, although I have a hunch it's version 3.0 since it wouldn't be the first time a system profiler software wrongfully diagnosed my computer due to outdated revisions._


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> My BIOS does not detect my second optical drive although Windows Explorer does and I can use it with no problems.


I fixed that. My BIOS now detects both optical drives.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*


Plug the Seagate external back in, go to Windows Explorer and right click on the drive letter.
Go to the Hardware tab, select the The Seagate External (not the ST31000528), click the Properties Tab then Policies Tab. Put a check in "Optimize for Quick Removal"
Give the PC a minute or 2 then shut down.
 Start the computer up and give Windows plenty of time to finish loading up. Run the BSOD app again and see if you have an issue. I'm just using the BSOD app as a test to lock up your system in Windows since you mentioned having a hard time keeping it running w/o restarting.
I'll come back to some of the other stuff above.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> Put a check in "Optimize for Quick Removal


It was already ticked.

Do I still try running the BSOD now that you know that? (With the video file playing in the bg)


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Nahh, hold off :lol:


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

ok lol


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Go back through the above steps and switch from "optimize for Safe Removal" to the other option - disk write caching I think. do the reboot and just run the BSOD app, don't open any files.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I have more options:


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Choose Better Performance & Write Caching for now.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

No-can-do.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Try selecting Quick Removal and Write Caching Enabled. If no good, put it back at quick removal only.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

It worked with 'Better Performance' without anything else below it ticked.

Attached.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Ok. Use the computer for a while. Open up different files on the Seagate and use it as you normally would. See if you have any freezes, register any Event ID 11 ATAPI errors, or DISK errors in Event Viewer under System.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

From the other stuff above:

I don't have an explanation on the detected vers. # of your board vs. what the box says. I'd probably side with Rev 2.0. The ECS site doesn't show any changes in the BIOS versions for any of the revisions that would be applicable to your issue anyway. I think the update added support for a newer processor, so I'd leave that alone for now.
I can't explain Crucial either. Though I have put 4G of memory in some systems which are claimed to only be capable of 2G - it depends on the chipset and the BIOS.
The LAN driver isn't an issue, not worth spending any time on it.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Do I keep it on 'Better performance' or change it back to quick removal?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



Solidify said:


> It worked with 'Better Performance' without anything else below it ticked.
> 
> Attached.


I thought you already set it to the above? Keep it on better performance then use the computer as I said a couple posts ago.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Yes, I did already set it to the above (Better performance). I was asking if I should put it back to how it was before the troubleshooting (Quick removal) or keep it on better performance, since the sake of changing it, from what I understood, was to get the BSOD app to run.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Keep it set at Better Performance. Reboot, use the computer normally, access files off the external drive. If it seems ok, you can run the BSOD app and see what it does. If it freezes up, see if there are any ATAPI errors logged in Event viewer.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

If it does not freeze up during the BSOD app, does that mean this issue is resolved and I can mark this thread solved? Because the last .rar file I sent you were the results obtained during a BSOD run with the Better Performance option ticked. Is there a reason you need me to do it again?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



Solidify said:


> If it does not freeze up during the BSOD app, does that mean this issue is resolved and I can mark this thread solved?


Believe me, I'd like to get this solved as much as you!! :rofl:

You should have a good feel for how your PC runs and how frequently it freezes, so I'd like to see you use it for at least a few hours w/o any issues. I'm not so much interested in having the thread labeled as Solved as I am in seeing the computer run consistently w/no freeze ups.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

It froze. I left it hoping it would unfreeze eventually and it just restarted on its own.

Event Viewer is still registered these errors:

There were 4 Disk errors one after another like the following:


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        Disk
Date:          03/03/2013 5:17:44 PM
Event ID:      11
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk1\DR1.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Disk" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="49156">11</EventID>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-03-03T22:17:44.077759400Z" />
    <EventRecordID>338119</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>\Device\Harddisk1\DR1</Data>
    <Binary>0E04680001000000000000000B0004C003010000000000000000000000082D0000000000000000008619030000000000FFFFFFFF060000004000000000000000FF0006120C000010000000003C000000000000000013BE860000000060FAC186000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000</Binary>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```
Followed by several atapi errors like these:


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        atapi
Date:          03/03/2013 8:30:33 PM
Event ID:      11
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Ide\IdePort1.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="atapi" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="49156">11</EventID>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-03-04T01:30:33.635585700Z" />
    <EventRecordID>338170</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>\Device\Ide\IdePort1</Data>
    <Binary>0000100001000000000000000B0004C004000000850100C00000000000000000000000000000000001000000000000000000000005100000</Binary>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```
Frustrating is an understatement.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Alright, I'll get back to you tomorrow with something,.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

OK no rush Fred. Thank you for all you've done thus far.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I found this article that says its most likely the MB: Solved: The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Ide\IdePort2


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I doubt it's your motherboard, I'd lean more towards your C drive. Everything we've done so far doesn't cost anything, but just replacing parts can get expensive. The only thing I have left are more logical ideas for testing. Anytime you make 1 change, use the computer for a while so you know if it had any affect. Here are some thing's I'd do.

-Keep other drives, flash drives disconnected when you test. I think you mentioned you had a USB flash drive also connected at one point. That changes the disk # that Windows refers to in Event Viewer and can get confusing.

-Unplug the SATA data cable from your hard drive to the mobo and reconnect it. See which port # on the mobo it's connected to. It should be labeled SATA 0. If you've been using SATA 0, switch to SATA 1 on the mobo. You could also try replacing the SATA data cable. Unplug and reseat the power cable too. 

-See if the CRC error # has climbed on the C drive using HDTune. If it has, you could try running the Seatools disc again to see if it picks up anything. If you call Seagate and tell them you have a drive showing CRC errors, they'll probably replace it for you. You can have them ship you one and you return yours once it's replaced. No guarantees that's the problem, but I'd do it if these other suggestions don't pan out.

-Take your external and connect it to someone else's computer. See if you have any issues or find any errors in Event Viewer.

-Disconnect all your USB drives except the 500G drive you have. Try using files stored on the 500G and check the same as above - problems, freezing, event Viewer errors. If all your external drives give you a problem while connected to your PC, it's more likely the issue is with your PC, whether it's hardware or software/driver issue.

-Do you have any problems playing a movie DVD or accessing a data CD or DVD in your PCs DVD players?


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> Keep other drives, flash drives disconnected when you test. I think you mentioned you had a USB flash drive also connected at one point. That changes the disk # that Windows refers to in Event Viewer and can get confusing.


OK. But it's not always in. I plug it in when I need to transfer content then eject and remove it. But if you suggest I not plug it in at all throughout the remaining duration of our troubleshooting, so be it. It's just difficult since this thread has been going on for almost 2 weeks (not to say I'm not thankful for your help, but simply that I have things to attend to. 



> Unplug the SATA data cable from your hard drive to the mobo and reconnect it. See which port # on the mobo it's connected to. It should be labeled SATA 0. If you've been using SATA 0, switch to SATA 1 on the mobo. You could also try replacing the SATA data cable. Unplug and reseat the power cable too.


I'll get back to you on that.



> See if the CRC error # has climbed on the C drive using HDTune. If it has, you could try running the Seatools disc again to see if it picks up anything. If you call Seagate and tell them you have a drive showing CRC errors, they'll probably replace it for you. You can have them ship you one and you return yours once it's replaced. No guarantees that's the problem, but I'd do it if these other suggestions don't pan out.


CRC error # has climbed to 303 for the data column. FYI, I don't think you ever had me run Seatools disc on my internal HD (only the external), but I could be wrong. Nonetheless, I'll get it done and report back to you/and or try to request a refund if it detects any issues.



> Take your external and connect it to someone else's computer. See if you have any issues or find any errors in Event Viewer.


I would but I don't have that that option at the time being. 



> Disconnect all your USB drives except the 500G drive you have. Try using files stored on the 500G and check the same as above - problems, freezing, event Viewer errors. If all your external drives give you a problem while connected to your PC, it's more likely the issue is with your PC, whether it's hardware or software/driver issue.


OK, I'll do that.



> Do you have any problems playing a movie DVD or accessing a data CD or DVD in your PCs DVD players?


No, none whatsoever.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



Solidify said:


> But if you suggest I not plug it in at all throughout the remaining duration of our troubleshooting, so be it. It's just difficult since this thread has been going on for almost 2 weeks (not to say I'm not thankful for your help, but simply that I have things to attend to.


Leaving other things disconnected helps eliminate variables. Plus you've had errors reported on disk 1 and 2 - both could be pointing the same drive depending on what else is connected.

It can be difficult to troubleshoot over the internet, this is the best I've got. If I had your PC here, I'd have it stripped down to the board and a power supply.

I probably missed running Seatools on the C drive since I thought the majority of Event Viewer errors were pointing at the external. Plus you seemed to have the freezing problem most when using files stored on the external.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> Plus you seemed to have the freezing problem most when using files stored on the external.


I've been using my computer without any external drives or flash drives connected to it for a day or two and can confirm that I have not noticed any issues. Seems to be running fine. But yes, you're right. Just because the issues occur when the externals are connected doesn't definitively mean it's those drives that are causing the problems.



> Unplug the SATA data cable from your hard drive to the mobo and reconnect it. See which port # on the mobo it's connected to. It should be labeled SATA 0. If you've been using SATA 0, switch to SATA 1 on the mobo. You could also try replacing the SATA data cable. Unplug and reseat the power cable too.


My motherboard doesn't have a SATA 0 port, only SATA 1-4. My internal drive was connected to SATA 2 so I switched it to SATA 1, while also swapping data cables with one of my optical drives. I should also mention that doing so (whether it's the cable swap or SATA port swap, it made my drive return as a "Primary Master" in the BIOS, which is good!) I also swapped the SATA power cable for my internal drive with one of my optical drive's SATA power cable.

I'll run Seatools on the internal drive overnight and then tend to the recommendations below sometime tomrrow:



> If you call Seagate and tell them you have a drive showing CRC errors, they'll probably replace it for you. You can have them ship you one and you return yours once it's replaced. No guarantees that's the problem, but I'd do it if these other suggestions don't pan out.





> Disconnect all your USB drives except the 500G drive you have. Try using files stored on the 500G and check the same as above - problems, freezing, event Viewer errors. If all your external drives give you a problem while connected to your PC, it's more likely the issue is with your PC, whether it's hardware or software/driver issue.


Thanks!


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



Solidify said:


> My motherboard doesn't have a SATA 0 port, only SATA 1-4. My internal drive was connected to SATA 2 so I switched it to SATA 1, while also swapping data cables with one of my optical drives. I should also mention that doing so (whether it's the cable swap or SATA port swap, it made my drive return as a "Primary Master" in the BIOS, which is good!) I also swapped the SATA power cable for my internal drive with one of my optical drive's SATA power cable.
> 
> I'll run Seatools on the internal drive overnight and then tend to the recommendations below sometime tomrrow:
> 
> Thanks!


Great on all the above. Connecting to port 1 made your BIOS recognize the drive as a Master.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> try running the Seatools disc again to see if it picks up anything.


I don't want to run Seatools unless my internal drive is backed up, but that's hard to do since my computer always restarts when I'm transferring data or copying a system image to either of the 2 externals. I have upwards of 200GB of user data on my internal that needs to be backed up before I can run diagnostics tests on it (let alone send it back to Seagate for a replacement). I can't burn that to DVDs; I'll burn through an entire. 

What can I do?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I'm pretty sure if you run the Seatools short test, it only identifies errors and does not make changes. There should be a help file or description in the menu with an explanation. I'm almost certain that the only difference between the short test and long test is that the long test checks your disk surface for bad sectors and may attempt to repair them. You shouldn't have a bad sector issue since HDTune already gave you a clean surface scan, so you wouldn't need to run the long test anyway, IMO.

Since the drive is under warranty, you could also call Seagate to confirm the above. If you end up replacing anything under warranty, Seagate will offer to take your credit card # as a hold and ship you a new drive. You clone your old drive to the new one and mail the defective drive back within a couple weeks. They won't bill your CC as long as you ship your old one back. It's relatively easy and your only cost is shipping. You can ever pre-purchase a return shipping label for minimal cost.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

*an entire pack


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

OK, I'll consider that and run the short test in a bit. 

On that note, if the issue(s) persists despite obtaining a new drive from Seagate, what will my options be?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I'm not sure what the other options would be if you replaced the C drive and still have the same problem. I would talk to Seagate Tech support. If you get escalated to a level 2 tech, they may have better insight or offer to log in and take a look remotely. When you first speak to someone there, they are going to want the results of a Seatools test, which is junk in my experience. You'll have to point out that you've used other hard drive utilities which read SMART data and show CRC errors. CRC calculates a checksum for the data being transferred to the drive to ensure the data written matches what was read. The presence of the errors would mean the data wasn't transferred correctly. That could be caused by a lot of the things we've gone through - firmware, connections, cables or the controller built into the hard drive. I don't know of another way to test the controller.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I'll give them a call when I have a chance. :angry:


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> When you first speak to someone there, they are going to want the results of a Seatools test, which is junk in my experience.


I managed to backup the bare minimum important files onto my external. Where do I get the results or scan report once it's done?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

The results should display in the Seatools scan Window. I think you can save a report to your hard drive as well.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

The long and short tests passed.

I just got off the phone with Seagate support and he was very helpful. I'll try to encapsulate the main points of our phone call:

I explained him what you told me to (the atapi and CRC errors) and he said that it can't be anything related to the internal HD since the internal is using a SATA interface (not to mention the scans for all drives has passed) while the external drives use a USB interface. 

He thinks that it's a problem with the USB bus (I think that's what he referred to it as) or the controller on the motherboard (be it a hardware, firmware or any other type of error). 

He suggested me to do the following:

1. Test the externals on another PC, like you suggested (to confirm, despite already being sure, that's it's not related to the drives). If I can't do that, he said I can always try using the externals by plugging them into on of my 2 front panel USB ports since he says most computers have a separate USB bus for the front and rear USB ports. If the externals work with the front USB ports, it means its a problem with the rear USB ports (or on their way to the motherboard's USB chipset). But either way, he said that if that's the case, it still wouldn't be worth re-soldering new rear USB ports since the problems would all meet at some point on the USB bus on the motherboard.

2. He suggested to update the BIOS firmware but I think we already tried that and there was not any available firmware (or I believe you told e that the available one that wasn't for my correct version didn't offer anything of interest to my issue).

3. That would leave the culprit as a controller or chipset (hardware) issue on my motherboard, which can't really be fixed (as far as we were both concerned) so he suggested, at that point, to buy a new motherboard. 

He really did not think that it was anything related to any of the drives. 

So, if I have your go, I will try to run the BSOD app with the externals plugged into the front panel USB ports (one at a time of course, with the big video file streaming in the background) just to see if they can run uninterrupted, not really for the sake of recovering data.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> try using the externals by plugging them into on of my 2 front panel USB ports


Well... that didn't work. :1frown:

Guess next step is to verify that there is no BIOS update for my board.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



Solidify said:


> I explained him what you told me to (the atapi and CRC errors) and he said that it can't be anything related to the internal HD since the internal is using a SATA interface (not to mention the scans for all drives has passed) while the external drives use a USB interface.


Sounds like your call was productive and I agree with most of what you relayed. ATAPI drivers transfer data in packets, which is different than the way an internal drive on a SATA bus transfers data. What I don't know for sure is how an ATAPI device will register errors when transferring data to your SATA drive - e.g. transferring or reading files from your external to the internal. I don't really trust the Seatools scan because I've come across errors on drives using better programs like HDTune that Seatools didn't report.. When I replaced the drive all was well.


> He thinks that it's a problem with the USB bus (I think that's what he referred to it as) or the controller on the motherboard (be it a hardware, firmware or any other type of error).


Yes, absolutely try plugging into the front. It's possible you have a bad USB port, connection or even a hub on the board. It's my fault if I didn't suggest that earlier. I'd be a little surprised though because you'd most likely have problems with your other USB devices like a printer, keyboard & mouse. That's why I had you plug into the rear USB ports which go right to the mobo hub. The front ports connect through a header on the board then go to the front of the PC. 



> He suggested me to do the following:
> 
> 1. Test the externals on another PC, like you suggested (to confirm, despite already being sure, that's it's not related to the drives). If I can't do that, he said I can always try using the externals by plugging them into on of my 2 front panel USB ports since he says most computers have a separate USB bus for the front and rear USB ports. If the externals work with the front USB ports, it means its a problem with the rear USB ports (or on their way to the motherboard's USB chipset). But either way, he said that if that's the case, it still wouldn't be worth re-soldering new rear USB ports since the problems would all meet at some point on the USB bus on the motherboard.


Agreed.



> 2. He suggested to update the BIOS firmware but I think we already tried that and there was not any available firmware (or I believe you told e that the available one that wasn't for my correct version didn't offer anything of interest to my issue).


I read through through the changes in the different BIOS versions and the updates didn't seem to apply to your issues. I think the update just added support for a new processor. Since we're not a 100% certain of the revision of your board, I wouldn't flash the BIOS. Flash with the wrong version and you may turn it into a paper weight.



> 3. That would leave the culprit as a controller or chipset (hardware) issue on my motherboard, which can't really be fixed (as far as we were both concerned) so he suggested, at that point, to buy a new motherboard.
> 
> He really did not think that it was anything related to any of the drives.
> 
> So, if I have your go, I will try to run the BSOD app with the externals plugged into the front panel USB ports (one at a time of course, with the big video file streaming in the background) just to see if they can run uninterrupted, not really for the sake of recovering data.


Only additional thing I'd try would be to swap out your C drive: I'd clone it to another drive and temporarily replace yours with the clone. It's pretty easy to do, but I realize you don't have a spare SATA test drive.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> I realize you don't have a spare SATA test drive.


I have a spare drive below, but I don't know how to check if it's functional:










which you can find more information about here:

http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f16/troublehsooting-old-hds-688547.html

But I would first need to test if the drive is functional because I don't remember why I replaced it.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

How to ID mobo & BIOS


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Spare drive - awesome. All you need is a another SATA data cable (plug it into port 2 on the mobo) and another SATA power connector. Boot up into Windows from your original drive and use HDTune to check the disc for errors - you'd run an error scan. If it's good, I can point you to some cloning software that can be run from a cd to make a copy of your original drive.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Haven't run the scan yet but already errors:


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

That drive already has a few bad spots so it's not the best candidate. You could run Windows check disk on it in the background if you want.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Do you think Seatools' long test can repair it?

Edit: Can you re-explain me the purpose of backing up my C drive to another drive? How will that benefit me? I don't seem to have understood that part.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Right click on your test drive in Windows Explorer (not sure which letter is assigned), go to Properties, Tools, Error Checking, Check now.
Click Automatically Fix file system errors and Select scan for bad sectors and let it run.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

If you make an exact copy (clone) of the data on your C drive to the test hard drive, you can boot up to the test drive and run Windows as you normally would.

When you disconnect the original C drive and boot up to the test drive, it rules out any hardware issue that may exist on your original drive.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> When you disconnect the original C drive and boot up to the test drive, it rules out any hardware issue that may exist on your original drive.


Yes but hadn't we established (through the details of my phone call to Seagate) that the drives were not to be at fault. 

Also, I have another spare 80GB WD internal drive. Same case, I'd have to check to see if it's functional. It's an IDE drive though.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I'm giving you the steps that I'd take. As I mentioned, I don't trust the Seatools software enough to rule out the drive. It's up to you what you want to do and entirely possible that I'm wrong.

Any SATA drive that's big enough will do. Right click on your C drive to see how much space is being used. If it's less than 80GB you're good.

I wouldn't bother with an IDE drive. It adds a different set of variables to the whole mix.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Darn! My C: drive's using 167 GB. 

OK on the IDE drive. 

So the idea is to clone to my C: drive onto my spare SATA drive in order to plug the external drives back to my PC and see if any issues persists?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Yeah, that's pretty much it... So you've been using the computer while the externals are disconnected w/o problems?

I meant to suggest trying Windows Safe Mode a while back, but it shouldn't make a difference if you have a hardware problem. To get into Safe Mode, start the computer up and keep tapping the F8 key. Select Safe Mode w/Networking.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> So you've been using the computer while the externals are disconnected w/o problems?


Yes.

Yes I'm familiar with WSM. Do you suggest I try using it with the externals connected with networking or WSM without networking?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

With the externals connected & w/Networking so you can get on the internet. You're trying to make small changes then reproduce the error to see if it's gone. Do whatever seems to cause the crash.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

OK. I'll try that when I have a chance. Anyways, if that doesn't work, I'm scrapping the motherboard. Not much else I can do.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Another question:

When I clone my system to another disc, will I have issues with Windows OS validation (since it will be registered to two different drives)?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Windows activation isn't tied to the hard drive and it won't notice a difference going into the same PC. If you change the motherboard, that's different. Then it depends on the type of license you have as to whether or not Windows will validate after you reinstall Windows (you'll have to reinstall Windows if you put in a different mobo).


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

That makes sense. Thanks. Will keep you posted once I get the disk image onto the spare drive after Windows is done checking it for errors. I was planning on using Windows' built in backup and restore utility to put the image on my spare drive but you said you have something for me...


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

No, don't use Windows backup. 
Seagate has a trial version of Acronis Backup software you can use

another program is EaseUs Disk Copy

Neither make changes to your original C drive, they just duplicate the entire disk. Don't use the sector by sector method if you see it. If you get a test hard drive running try not to save files to it. You don't want to have to start moving files back to your original drive later.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

OK great, but just out of mere curiosity, is there a reason you discourage using Windows' utility? Does it make changes to your original C: drive?

And yes, I won't even boot up into the spare drive unless I'm troubleshooting. But thanks for the forewarning.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Windows backup doesn't clone a drive. The software I posted is faster and easier. You can do whatever you want on a test drive as long as you don't need to save those changes. You still have a working original copy on your current C drive.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

OK, I'll use one of the two that you listed.

Also, listen to this:

When I first connected the spare SATA drive, I showed you a screenshot of the errors that were listed. Now, after having defragged and checked the drive (for which Windows said it found and fixed errors), I re-opened it in HD Tune and it lists an 'Ultra DMA CRC Error Count' of 37, which I believe was not present in the first screenshot. Doesn't that confirm that it's not the drives that are causing the errors but more specifically something on the motherboard? Perhaps a controller like you and the Seagate representative both suggested?

I can try doing the same with the IDE to see if the error also occurs with the IDE chipset or bus on the motherboard. I understand that it's more variables but any data here is quantifiable and thus usable towards helping us diagnose the root of the issue. Let me know.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



Solidify said:


> I re-opened it in HD Tune and it lists an 'Ultra DMA CRC Error Count' of 37, which I believe was not present in the first screenshot. Doesn't that confirm that it's not the drives that are causing the errors but more specifically something on the motherboard?


Yep, I'd go with that explanation too. Which SATA port is this drive plugged into on the mobo? Try SATA port 3 or 4.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Before I switch the SATA port for the test drive, how will I know (in HD Tune) which column represents the CRC count before and after the port switch (for the sake of comparison)?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

The Data column in HDTune (37) is the value that will climb if the drive detects a CRC error.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

What are possible ways to induce testing of possible CRC errors? Transferring/copying data from and to the test drive?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Yes, that should do it. I'm looking at the CRC error because it's the only place reporting an error other than the ATAPI error in event viewer.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I tried running another error check on the spare drive with HD Tune and the scan halted after finding several damaged blocks. The CRC count is now at 75 and increasing exponentially. The drive also disappeared from HD Tune and _My Computer_. I restarted the computer and it was there again. Definitely not the best candidate to troubleshoot with, as you mentioned. But thankfully, we've already gathered all the data that we needed to (all pointing to the motherboard).

I'll try the same with the IDE drive for reassurance.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I would toss that spare SATA drive. A couple reallocated sectors aren't a big deal, but it could be a sign of a drive on its way out.

Changing SATA cables and the port the drive is plugged into is what I'd do next.

Using an IDE drive is going to be slower than SATA and you have to make sure your master/slave jumpers or IDE cable configuration are correct.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

OK well I'll do one last test with the spare SATA drive connected to a different SATA port and with a different cable and if that doesn't help, I'll remove the drive from my setup. I won't _toss it_ since its still somewhat functional and could perhaps serve me a purpose in the future, be it for troubleshooting or for a momentary backup.

I'll look into the jumper settings before I attach the IDE drive, yes. I know what I'm expecting but I'm also curious to see what's on that drive. 

After that, bye-bye motherboard. I'll report back with my results, possibly requiring your assistance for buying a new board (and depending on it's new socket number, possibly a new CPU and/or PSU). The PSU is because I've been progressively adding drives to my computer without realizing I only have a 500W PSU.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> I'll do one last test with the spare SATA drive connected to a different SATA port and with a different cable


No difference.



> the IDE drive


This drive was even slower and worse, as we both suspected. But I took the opportunity to format it, ridding it of any data that had not been removed upon replacing it.

Now, to buy a new motherbaord. How does this work? Do you need my specs to point me in the right direction?

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 @ 2.40GHz
Mainboard: Intel 945GCT-M (CPU 1)
Memory: 2.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 332MHz (5-5-5-15)
Hard Drive: 932GB Seagate ST31000528AS ATA Device (SATA)
Video: iIntel 82945G Express Chipset Family
Sound: High Definition Audio Device
CD Rom: HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GH20NS10 ATA Device, ATAPI iHAS224 B ATA Device
Power Supply: Powerlink LPK2-30 500W
Printer: Lexmark X5450
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit SP1

Also, the 2 externals you know about (500GB and 3TB) and 2.1 speakers (which need to be replaced also due to a buzzing sound in the base).


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

So it looks like I was wrong for ragging on Seagate & their software. I'm not sure where the best place is for you to order from since you're in Canada.. This is what's available for a LGA 775 board from Newegg in Canada. Your options are kind of limited. I'd probably go with the MSI board from Newegg in the U.S. MSI has Windows 7 drivers available on their website.

Whatever you go with, MSI as an example, I'd check your current memory and see if it's on MSI's compatibility list. You can use CPU-Z to check the manufacturer of your memory and see if it works with the board you choose. Boards can be finicky with RAM so keep that in mind. But if you do have to buy new memory, DDR3 memory is cheap if the board accepts it (you can't mix & match DDR2 & DDR3 though).

You'll also need thermal compound for your processor. Keep in mind, if you're using an OEM version of Windows 7, the license is not transferable to a new motherboard and probably won't pass validation if you do a reinstall of Windows. Forum rules prevent us from helping with any of the above or if someone is using a bootleg copy of Windows. You can legally reinstall and pass validation if you have a retail version of Windows.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> So it looks like I was wrong for ragging on Seagate & their software.


We all make mistakes. The important part is correcting them. You learned your lesson and so did I.



> This is what's available for a LGA 775 board from Newegg in Canada.


Oh, I didn't realize you were searching for a board that is compatible with my current CPU. I guess I didn't make myself clear in that case: I'm interested in buying a new CPU as well as new RAM modules. The reason for this is because I don't like the idea of shopping for a new motherboard that is compatible with an outdated CPU that I will surely end up changing in the near future. I just don't know which CPU I should be aiming for or if I should be shopping for a CPU that's compatible with my board's socket or vice versa.



> You can use CPU-Z to check the manufacturer of your memory and see if it works with the board you choose.


CPU-Z says my RAM is Samsung. I have 2 sticks of 1GB DDR2.



> You'll also need thermal compound for your processor.


I already have thermal grease. 

And not to worry about the Windows activation. I'll figure that part out. Thank you though.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I'm still bugged by the fact you don't have any problems if the external drives are disconnected or with a USB printer, keyboard, etc...

If you swap mobos you're looking at about $70. Changing chipsets means you're essentially building a new PC now. You'll have to do some research based on what you want to spend and try to get the most for your money.

Look at the prices for individual processors and boards or check Newegg for combo packages. If you're using onboard video and not a separate video card, you need to make sure the processor you choose has onboard video. DDR3 Ram is cheap so that's not too big a deal. I'd go with 4GB minimum of RAM.

Your current board is a Micro ATX, so size-wise, another Micro ATX board will fit. You'll have to check your case if you buy a larger board to make sure it will fit.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> I'm still bugged by the fact you don't have any problems if the external drives are disconnected or with a USB printer, keyboard, etc...


What do you mean by that?



> Changing chipsets means you're essentially building a new PC now.


When you say 'chipset', you mean CPU?

OK. I gave it some thought... This computer is for home use, as I may have already mentioned. Therefore, it's only used for media playback, word processing and office work. Just to give you an idea of what goes on on this hunk of junk (and perhaps you can point me to an ideal board given our needs):










Also, all this thinking has also led to the following conclusion. Scratch that part about getting a new CPU; this computer is more than accommodating in terms of speed and resource-capable for the tasks my family and I require of it. 

If this were my personal computer, I'd build a new one like you suggested. But the fact of the matter is that this is a family computer and I don't want to upgrade too much since I'm wary of my family's inclination to neglect to care for electronics in our household. With that being said, I'm looking to replace the motherboard, keep the CPU and perhaps add 2 more GBs of RAM.

Also, my case is an OEM ATX case. It has mounting screws for mATX and ATX standard boards.

This is my RAM:










Take me shopping! :flowers:


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Also, the MSI G41M-P33 Combo LGA 775 Intel G41 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard is discontinued in Newegg Canada's store. There would be no way for me to buy it, despite it being the best candidate.

Edit: I've been looking at the motherboards for socket LGA 775 and they're all made by such obscure manufacturers. They really do mean it when they say you need to upgrade often to stay in the game with regards to electronics. :ermm:

Edit 2: Not to mention, if I stick with a LGA 775 socket board, there will be very few options for compatible CPU upgrades in the future without having to buy another new board.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



Solidify said:


> What do you mean by that?


The short answer is: I don't know what the heck is wrong with your PC :rofl:

You've mentioned the PC has no problems when you don't use your USB hard drives... I don't know.. I just like something more definitive. Take a pic of your motherboard if you can.



> When you say 'chipset', you mean CPU?


Chipset refers to the series of the motherboard. Different chipsets support different CPUs, RAM configurations, and other options like onboard video or no onboard video.



> This computer is for home use


I usually recommend justifying the cost of repair vs. buying a new PC. $70 for a mobo is reasonable if you can do it yourself and worth the repair.. 



> Take me shopping! :flowers:


:rofl:let me look.

Yeah the choices are limited and I've never used ASRock boards before. If you can order from the U.S, I'd go with the MSI.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> Take a pic of your motherboard if you can.









































> Chipset refers to the series of the motherboard.


Gotcha! :thumb:



> $70 for a mobo is reasonable if you can do it yourself and worth the repair..


I can definitely install a new Mb. I've been watching tons of build videos on NeweggTV and YouTube and it's peanuts. And if ever I run into probs, I have you guys! :grin: 

Also, if the mb is indeed the prob, and the it costs 70$ to replace, I think it _is_ worth the repair.



> If you can order from the U.S, I'd go with the MSI.


I don't see how that's possible unless I use one of those delivery services...


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Have you checked Amazon.ca for LGA 775 boards?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Here's the MSI board at Amazon.ca

Here is 4GB of RAM from Crucial (2 x 2GB). They ship to Ca but you'll have to check the cost. This memory is on the mobo compatibility list.

Memory at Newegg.ca. Most is out of stock. The Crucial memory is on the compatible list. The Mushkin isn't on the list but it's in stock.

This may work too, but it's not on the list

I'm not sure where else to order from in Ca but you could look around for other 775 boards or memory in stock locally or by mail order. Memory that's listed on the compatibility list is RAM that MSI has tested w/the board and verified it works. That doesn't mean other RAM won't work, it just means MSI hasn't tested it. If you order memory not on the list, just be sure you can return it wherever you buy it from. What you need is 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500), preferably in a dual channel kit, which is 2, 2GB matched sticks for a total of 4GB. Most boards will allow you to install faster RAM and the mobo will slow it down to the fastest speed supported by the board. In some cases it just doesn't work.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

OK great. But I have a couple of things I'd like to run by you before I make my buying decisions.

1. Yesterday, you mentionned the following but never got back to me about it:



> The short answer is: I don't know what the heck is wrong with your PC
> 
> You've mentioned the PC has no problems when you don't use your USB hard drives... I don't know.. I just like something more definitive. Take a pic of your motherboard if you can.


MSI's website gives a handy list of authorized re-sellers (both online and retail stores). before I start looking through them to find the best deal I have several things I'd like to address.

If I decide to buy the MSI board you recommended me, will my current 2GB (2x 1GB) sticks of RAM works on the board? Just to be sure, the compatibility list for RAM modules is for only the MSI board in question and not all MSI boards, correct?

My PC's RAM part number is: *M378T2953EZ3-CE6*, if you should require to look it up.

The reason I'm concerned with my RAM being compatible with the MSI board is because if I find that 2GB is enough upon using the board, I will keep using my current DDR2 RAM since it has fared well for us/me thus far. 

If my RAM is not compatible, I will have no choice to buy more RAM, thus adding to the total cost of reparing my computer. This forces me to question whether buying the baord and RAM is better than committing to a new build (considering, like I had already mentionned, the CPU is fairly outdated and is is surely soon to be replaced).

I verified the RAM compatibilty list for the MSI board but my RAM doesn't seem to be listed. Feel free to double-check. The only RAM mdules on the compatibilty list that I found that came close to my RAM's part number are below, although I don't think that proves anything:

SAMSUNG M378T2863DZS-CE6 1GB and SAMSUNG M378T2953CZ3-CE6 1GB 



> Memory at Newegg.ca. Most is out of stock. The Crucial memory is on the compatible list. The Mushkin isn't on the list but it's in stock.


From your above statement, it seems as though there must be a great about of users that are forced into buying RAM modules that aren't listed on compatibityl lists. I checked Newegg's _Memory (modules, flash) Standard 30-Day Return Policy_ and I should be OK to retrn any RAM I buy if I try installing it and realize it's not compatible, so that's good. 

But the problem arises if I decide to buy only the baord, install it, and then try installing my Samsung RAM modules and discover they're not compatible. I'll be stuck without a computer until I managed to buy definitelely compatible RAM (like the ones you've proved below):



> Here is 4GB of RAM from Crucial (2 x 2GB). They ship to Ca but you'll have to check the cost. This memory is on the mobo compatibility list


Also,



> Most boards will allow you to install faster RAM and the mobo will slow it down to the fastest speed supported by the board. In some cases it just doesn't work.


How do I make sure the motherboard will allow the RAM to run at it's full potential? Does being on a board's RAM compatibility list guarantee this?

I also noticed that the MSI board doesn't have enough USB ports to tend to my current setup: both external HDs (2), printer (1) and my wireless receiver for my mouse (1). 

My current ECS motherboard has 4 rear USB ports so I've had no choice to use one of my front panel USB ports for my wired keyboard, leaving only one available front panel USB port for use (not ideal)!

The whole limited-USB-port dilemma, for both motherboards is one more factor contributing to my hindering decision on whether to replace the board with another LGA 775 socket compatible mobo or simply build another computer that will inevitably provide me with the luxury of more than 4 rear USB ports.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

One possible solution to my RAM dilemma would be to buy the MSI board and the 4GB of RAM from Crucial (2 x 2GB) that you linked me to. I would then try to install my SAMSUNG RAM to the board and if they work, I can always return the Crucial RAM to Newegg. If the SAMSUNG modules do not work however, I will just use the Crucial modules. Like this, there is no down-time between the upgrade.

What do you think? They only thing is that they'd charge me a 15% restocking fee, so that isn't too appealing. 

Or, I got it! 

I'll only buy the MSI board and if the SAMSUNG modules don't work on it, I'll buy the Crucial modules and use the ECS motherboard until the new modules arrive.

Where there's a will, there's a way! Steller! :smile:


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



Solidify said:


> OK great. But I have a couple of things I'd like to run by you before I make my buying decisions.
> 
> 1. Yesterday, you mentionned the following but never got back to me about it:
> 
> ...


My quote above was my reply. I do not know why your computer is freezing. You aren't getting a blue screen, just a freeze up, which usually indicates a hardware problem. But nothing has pointed conclusively to the source. In my experience with the same problem, the issue was usually hard drive related. As I said earlier, there's no way for me to guarantee that replacing the motherboard will stop the freezing up issue. 



> If I decide to buy the MSI board you recommended me, will my current 2GB (2x 1GB) sticks of RAM works on the board?


Your existing RAM may work; there's no way for me to know for sure. Some motherboards are picky on what memory will work in them. It also depends on the memory timing settings available in the BIOS setup on the board. Welcome to system building... I'm just making you aware of what you may run into.

If you're content with 2GB of RAM, buy a board and test it out with your existing memory. If it doesn't work, put your original mobo back together then order new DDR3 memory for the new board. Newegg has great service and don't think they've ever charged me a restocking fee, but I do a lot of business with them.. I can't say if they will or won't charge you if you need to make a return.



> If my RAM is not compatible, I will have no choice to buy more RAM, thus adding to the total cost of reparing my computer. This forces me to question whether buying the baord and RAM is better than committing to a new build (considering, like I had already mentionned, the CPU is fairly outdated and is is surely soon to be replaced).


How much you want to spend is up to you. As I said, I wouldn't go overboard w/o considering buying or building a new PC. Spend more than a couple hundred on this machine and I'd consider building a new one, IMO.




> How do I make sure the motherboard will allow the RAM to run at it's full potential? Does being on a board's RAM compatibility list guarantee this?


The BIOS will choose the fastest clock multiplier & speed by default. Some settings may be adjustable if needed depending on the BIOS.



> I also noticed that the MSI board doesn't have enough USB ports to tend to my current setup: both external HDs (2), printer (1) and my wireless receiver for my mouse (1).


The MSI board has 4 rear USB ports and there are also 2 USB headers where you can connect a cable coming from the front panel USB panel to add additional ports.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> Newegg has great service and don't think they've ever charged me a restocking fee, but I do a lot of business with them.. I can't say if they will or won't charge you if you need to make a return.


I just called a rep and asked about their return policy on RAM and she confirmed that I'd be charged a 15% restocking fee if I returned an incompatible item. She said if the return reason is due to functionality, then that would be a complete refund without the restocking fee. The restocking fee she explains is because they can't sell a returned item at full price, which makes sense.

Which is why doing the following makes more sense:



> If you're content with 2GB of RAM, buy a board and test it out with your existing memory. If it doesn't work, put your original mobo back together then order new DDR3 memory for the new board.





> Spend more than a couple hundred on this machine and I'd consider building a new one, IMO.


OK, so not more than the mb and the memory? If it needs anything else, you recommend a new build? That's your rule of thumb?



> The MSI board has 4 rear USB ports and there are also 2 USB headers where you can connect a cable coming from the front panel USB panel to add additional ports.


How many USB ports would that give me total? Right now I have 4 in the back and 2 in the front.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> there's no way for me to guarantee that replacing the motherboard will stop the freezing up issue


Should I therefore be aiming to buy the board from an online re-seller that has a return policy on incompatible items?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

My rule of thumb is to think twice before spending more on repairs than a computers worth. It depends on a person's budget. Some people tell me to just fix it. 

To upgrade your system you're looking at the cost of a different chipset motherboard, DDR3 Ram then a $100+ on a new Processor.

You'll have the same amount of USB ports with the MSI board - 4 in the back, whatever you have now in the front. Or you can buy an extra USB port panel and plug it into the new board.

Buy whatever you want from wherever you want. Whether it's a local store or online, it's your choice. It's good to know the return policy wherever you buy from. A local store will probably have a better return policy than one online.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> there's no way for me to guarantee that replacing the motherboard will stop the freezing up issue


The above statement got me thinking about whether to buy the board. 

A while back you said that you're doing the best you can to help me and that if you had my PC with you, you'd have it down to the board and a power supply. Could you perhaps explain me what you'd do with the board and PSU so maybe I could attempt to recreate it here, in an effort to get a definitive answer as to what is the issue. 

I really hate the idea of buying something that I don't know I is essential, especially when I can't get a full refund for it if need be.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Also, the cheapest I could find for the G41M-P33 Combo motherboard is $83.35 (S&H included) from G41M-P33COMBO from MSI - Motherboards - Computer Hardware - Computer Parts - - Home Computer Parts, Computer Components, low price computer at Hookbag


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

No matter how many times I eject it properly or repair it, my flash drive always gives me the following message when I connect it to my PC (whether it's via the rear or front panel USB ports). 










I figured this might help you/us further diagnose the issue(s) I've been having since you said it yourself:



> I just like something more definitive.


Perhaps this drive will lead us to that definitive something.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Sorry, I don't know that I'd have the time to walk you through pulling the motherboard and bench testing. This has backed me up with other work already. These are some of the things I'd do that I already mentioned to rule out certain hardware or your Windows/software.

-Find out what it is you're doing when the computer freezes: Is it accessing specific files or types of files on the USB drive, using a program like that continuous backup, etc? 

-Connect the USB drive to a different computer then try to reproduce the error based on the above. If there's an error, check Event Viewer for clues. If the USB drive works fine on another computer, run some of the HDTune error and seek tests along with the files system repairs you've already run. If there are still no problems, rule out the USB drive.

-Run all the same tests on your C drive. Change SATA ports and cables. Boot the computer up to some bootable CD's and see if accessing the USB drive is still an issue. Remove the C drive and attach it to another computer via USB and continue to try and recreate the error. 

-Depending on what the above shows, remove the motherboard and connect only a CPU, stick of Ram & PSU. then try swapping a hard drive or install a cd drive and boot up to a test disk. 

Copy the files off the Lexar then reformat it.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> Remove the C drive and attach it to another computer via USB


How do I do that? The C: drive has a SATA interface, not USB. 

Newegg reviews undersell the product so I don't think I'll be buying the board. Even the MSI Manufacturer Response to several poor reviews says:



> We apologize for the issues that you are having with this product.
> This product is offered as a flexible upgrade for many users with older processor and DDR2 RAM.


I think the sound thing to do at this point is to keep my current build. The idea of buying a board that's at par with my current board is still unsettling. I'll try to limit my external drive use and commit to an entirely new build this summer when I have the time (most likely from TSF's recommended builds).

Thanks for the last bit of troubleshooting steps but many of them seem to overlap what we've done and frankly, I'm tired of putting time into this problem. It's maintainable for the time being. 

I sincerely appreciate all the time you've devoted and effort you've channeled into helping me. ray: TSF really is the marvel it's been made out to be.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

There aren't many 775 motherboards available and I know I've looked for them before. The MSI seemed to be the lesser of 2 evils.

They make USB to SATA adapters so you can connect an internal drive to a USB port. I use them for testing a lot. Think of replacing the board as just a repair. that's why I said don't go overboard. Yes, a lot of the steps were redundant. I was trying to recap what I'd do if I had the PC in person.

The only other workaround I'd suggest is this: Get another 2TB internal SATA hard drive and install it in the case. Use the drive to store all the family files which are currently on the external USB drive. If you're not having the freeze problem with internal drives, the problem is circumvented. And if you build something else, you can move the new 2TB drive to another computer - nothing wasted.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> Think of replacing the board as just a repair. that's why I said don't go overboard.


If I replace the board as a repair, I might need to replace the RAM as well if my DDR2 isn't compatible, adding to the cost of buying a board that's at par with my ECS board. It seems like a waste of money.



> The only other workaround I'd suggest is this: Get another 2TB internal SATA hard drive and install it in the case. Use the drive to store all the family files which are currently on the external USB drive. If you're not having the freeze problem with internal drives, the problem is circumvented.


Wouldn't adding another internal drive that's always on when the computer is running raise the question of whether my current 500W PSU is sufficient? Wouldn't I need to upgrade that wattage since I'm adding more hardware (and consequentially more money)?



> If you're not having the freeze problem with internal drives, the problem is circumvented. And if you build something else, you can move the new 2TB drive to another computer - nothing wasted.


Yes, circumvented, not fixed. So I'd have spent whatever the 2TB drive costs to circumvent the problem knowing I'd still have to spend more on a new board to permanently fix the issue. That doesn't seem logical, no offense. Why not disregard spending money on a new internal and go straight to fixing the issue; a new build. Besides, if I commit to a new build, I won't need to spend money on a new internal. I'd be buying:


a new CPU
a new motherboard
new RAM modules
perhaps a new PSU (but the 500$ Intel build on TSF included a 450W PSU for a more recent build and I have a 500W PSU, so I think I'd be fine with mine, unless I'm missing something).

Not to mention, I'd be buying a new internal HD for the mere sake of troubleshooting.. because God knows I don't need any more capacity with all these hard drives lying around.

This whole situation is biased. I'm having mixed sentiments in favour of buying a new computer because my parts are old and outdated and equally because I'd like to challenge myself with my first build. So confused... not sure what to do anymore. 

All I know is that if this wasn't a family computer and it would be in my exclusive care, I'd make a new build ASAP and enjoy doing it.

_*FYI, I think I repeated several points in this post. I'm tired and too lazy to edit it. Sorry._


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Would this be helpful to do the bench-test you were talking about?

http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f255/how-to-bench-test-troubleshoot-your-system-171424.html


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

It's pointless to bench test your board when you aren't able to try your devices in another computer.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Is this a good strategy:

Buy the MSI board. Do not buy any RAM. When the MSI board arrives, if my Samsung RAM is incompatible, I'll then buy the 4GB Crucial RAM (since it's the cheapest compatible RAM I was able to find). 

MSI board=$83.35 (tax + shipping included)
Crucial RAM=$47.99 (tax + shipping included)

Total/RAM + board= $131.34 (tax + shipping included) 

If I don't do that, I'm might go for the 500$ Intel build (technically only $274.58 tax + S&H included since I already have the case, optical drives, PSU, and HDs). 

Repair = $131.34
New build (somewhat) = $274.58

What do you think bud? Let's end this headache once and for all. :banghead:


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Sure. Try just the MSI board or look for a used LGA 775 motherboard on Ebay.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

This is the only other one I could have found on Amazon.ca: 

Asus Lga 775 Intel G41 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard P5G41T-M LX PLUS @ $99.44 grand total

It's new though. Can't seem to find any used LGA 775 boards on Amazon.ca

...a bit more expensive than the MSI ($83.35) and the ASRock ($63.77).


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Also found this (GA-G41MT-S2PT Motherboard) for $102.32

But it's almost impossible to find a used LGA 775 board...


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Asus Lga 775 Intel G41 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard P5G41T-M LX PLUS: Amazon.ca: Electronics


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I've mostly been looking at this ASRock board (Newegg ID: N82E16813157337) because it comes out to $63.77 with shipping and taxes. And it also says: 2×240pin DDR2 800/667

And my samsung ram is 667 MHz ( PC2-5300 ), so that may work.

Plus, it's from Newegg, so if it doesn't work, the 15% restocking fee will be about 23$.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

INTEL DG31PR LGA775 $41 Doesn't have the back I/O panel


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> Doesn't have the back I/O panel


Will that be a problem? Can't I just use mine that's already there? 

And where the RAM compatibility list for this board so I can check what will work with it?


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Found it: Intel® Desktop Board DG31PR — System memory

Seems like the DDR2 667 is compatible with it.. now to check the list to see if my Samsung ram is specifically tested.

Edit: Nope, my RAM is not listed. And it's a second hand board so if it doesn't work, I can't return it to the seller.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Please refer to the image below. The left is my ram the right is the compatibility list for the INTEL DG31PR LGA775 board. Despite not being listed, my RAM comes very close to many of the models... Do you think it will work?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

As I mentioned before, RAM compatibility is beyond my control. I can't give you an absolute answer or guarantee anything. 90% of the time the correct style memory will work. In the cases where it doesn't work it has to do with the speed, module density, voltage & timings that the mfgr. used to published their specs. I/O panel isn't a big deal and your old one may or may not fit.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

OK. I messaged the seller on eBay asking if I can return the item for a full refund and as well as for return shipping costs. When and if he gets back to me saying yes, I will buy the board, since the seller lives about an hour away from me, so it shouldn't be a hassle to return it to him within the _7 day return policy_.

As for the RAM, I'll take my chances with my Samsung RAM. Either way, if he says it's OK, I'll return the board.

As for the I/O panel, I checked my current panel and the only difference between it and the DG31PR motherboard's panel (refer to image below), is that the blue port for the monitor is located right below where it is on the DG31PR board (where there is nothing)...which is why I have a hunch the I/O panel won't fit. But that's no biggie, as long as no dusk gets in there.. I'll figure something out.









_DG31PR motherboard_


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Crap. Something just happened.

I was using my computer with any and all external USB drives disconnected as I have been doing for the past week or so as you've instructed me to do. I noted that my C: drive's CRC error count was at 399 for that entire duration, pointing firmly to the external drives as the source of the rising errors. And less than 5 minutes ago, my computer froze (while I was browsing the web). I left it be and it restarted on it's own, as it usually does when the freezes occur. 

When it restarted, I checked event viewer and there was only an event log of "The previous system shutdown at 11:55:51 AM on ‎3/‎10/‎2013 was unexpected."


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        EventLog
Date:          10/03/2013 12:01:45 PM
Event ID:      6008
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The previous system shutdown at 11:55:51 AM on ‎3/‎10/‎2013 was unexpected.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="EventLog" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="32768">6008</EventID>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-03-10T16:01:45.000000000Z" />
    <EventRecordID>342625</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>11:55:51 AM</Data>
    <Data>‎3/‎10/‎2013</Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Data>16823</Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Binary>DD07030000000A000B00370033002D02DD07030000000A000F00370033002D023C0000003C000000000000000000000000000000000000000100000000000000</Binary>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```
I then checked HD Tune and my C: drive now has 400 CRC errors. :facepalm:

This problem is spreading like wildfire.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

The back panel isn't a big issue. If it doesn't work, return it or throw it up for sale on ebay. Most sellers don't refund shipping.

I am out of suggestions that I can relay over the internet other than what I've given you already. The shutdown error is just a notification anytime the computer shuts off abnormally. I've been looking at the CRC errors as a problem indicator, but it's not meant to point to the root cause of your issue.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I don't know what to do anymore. :huh:


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

If you go back to the eBay link you sent me for the DG31PR board, you can see that the return policy says "The buyer is responsible for return shipping costs" but then in the description for the item, the buyer wrote "Shipping charges are not returned and return shipping is at the buyers expense is applicable."

Which has more authority over the other if I bought the item and the buyer would refuse to give me a refund and/or refund the shipping costs? He still hasn't replied to my message and I'd like to know before buying it.. afraid someone might buy it before me.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I can't speak for the seller. The general rule is the buyer pays for return shipping.

You don't get any blue screens, correct? The computer just locks up?

Make sure Windows is set to log crash dumps: Click Start and type *systemPropertiesAdvanced * into the search box - no spaces.
Click Settings under Startup & Recovery
Make sure there's a check in "Write Event to System log" and "Automatically Restart". Under Write Debugging Info, select Kernel Memory dump and deselect Overwrite any existing file.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

But what I was implying is if there would be a conflict of interest between who is paying for the return shipping costs and I escalated the matter, judging from your experience with eBay, does the seller's information in the product description overrule that of the return policy specified on the page?



> deselect Overwrite any existing file


That's the only part I had to do that wasn't already done.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Sorry, but you're nitpicking here. You can't expect to buy something, use it as a test part, then expect a seller to refund the original cost + shipping if it doesn't solve your problem. But that's between you and a seller.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I read the ad wrong. It's my responsibility to pay for return shipping. I'm buying the DG31PR board as we speak. End of story. Sorry for your troubles; I can tell by the gradual discerning tone in your writing that you've grown tired of this issue as well.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I'm happy to help you where I can, but as I've said, I am out of ideas. There are only so many ways I can say - I don't know what the answer is. 

This does not seem software related. You most likely have a bad piece of hardware and you want me to tell you which part to replace. I'm not going to do that because I don't know which part is bad. The other decisions are yours to make as to what and where to buy. My only recommendation was not to invest more than the computer's worth.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> My only recommendation was not to invest more than the computer's worth.


Yes, that makes a lot of sense but I was blinded by my growing urge to finally commit to my first PC build. So much that I neglected to see how inexpensive and worthwhile it would be to simply repair (by replacing the motherboard) the computer as opposed to buying a new build. 

Again, I appreciate your time. You'll be hearing from me in about a week or so when I receive and have time to assemble the motherboard.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Sure thing. Let me know how you make out. And take pictures for yourself or write down the how wires are currently connected for your power switches, USB to mobo conections, etc., before you rip the old board out.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Will do. It just bugs me that if this works, we'll never know what exactly on the board was causing the problem. We can guess all we want but there are so many things on a board and to assume its one thing over another wouldn't be accurate. Oh well.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Once again, without having connected any USB drives for about a week, HD Tune's SMART log registered the 401st CRC error this afternoon at 12:59 PM. It's clear that there are considerably less registered CRC errors and event long without the external connected but it's all evident that despite efforts to isolate the internal, there still continues to be issues.

Event Viewer registered the follow error:


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        atapi
Date:          11/03/2013 1:36:56 PM
Event ID:      11
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Ide\IdePort0.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="atapi" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="49156">11</EventID>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-03-11T17:36:56.800649800Z" />
    <EventRecordID>342968</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>\Device\Ide\IdePort0</Data>
    <Binary>0000100001000000000000000B0004C004000000850100C00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000005100000</Binary>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```
As well as this one that I'd never seen before:


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        Microsoft-Windows-DNS-Client
Date:          10/03/2013 2:33:25 PM
Event ID:      1014
Task Category: None
Level:         Warning
Keywords:      
User:          NETWORK SERVICE
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
Name resolution for the name www.linkedin.com timed out after none of the configured DNS servers responded.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-DNS-Client" Guid="{1C95126E-7EEA-49A9-A3FE-A378B03DDB4D}" />
    <EventID>1014</EventID>
    <Version>0</Version>
    <Level>3</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Opcode>0</Opcode>
    <Keywords>0x4000000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-03-10T18:33:25.021302300Z" />
    <EventRecordID>342753</EventRecordID>
    <Correlation />
    <Execution ProcessID="1268" ThreadID="2040" />
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security UserID="S-1-5-20" />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data Name="QueryName">www.linkedin.com</Data>
    <Data Name="AddressLength">16</Data>
    <Data Name="Address">02000035C0A800010000000000000000</Data>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```
FYI, the board has been shipped.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

403 and counting...


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I installed the new motherboard but the colors on the monitor are all messed up now. They're very bright and faded. How do I fix that?

I did a test boot before compiling the build in the case. When doing so, BIOS told me that the _RAM has been decreased_. I tried changing slots and trying one module at a time and the problem resolved itself. The modules are installed where they were first put, I guess they weren't inserted properly. Also, they show up in _My Computer_ as a full 2 GB, so that's good. I don't know if that confirms compatibility though...

Having no I/O plate is a bit annoying but it's a small price to pay for hopefully fixing my PC for 50$. 

I haven't plugged in any external drives yet. I'll wait for your instructions on how to troubleshoot if the issue is still there.

HD Tune logged a CRC error about 5 minutes after my first boot with this board.

Event Viewer has not logged a single error thus far.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I decided to plug the externals in with my new board and Event Viewer showed this the moment I plugged them in:











They're all the same error:


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        Disk
Date:          12/03/2013 4:10:47 PM
Event ID:      11
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk2\DR2.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Disk" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="49156">11</EventID>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-03-12T20:10:47.862993100Z" />
    <EventRecordID>344171</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>\Device\Harddisk2\DR2</Data>
    <Binary>0E04680001000000000000000B0004C003010000000000000000000000082D000000000000000000D9EA020000000000FFFFFFFF060000004000000000000000FF0006120C000010000000003C00000000000000405069850000000058755B85000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000</Binary>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Disk Management tells me that _Harddisk2_ is my Seagate GoGlex external drive. Mhm..


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

You should be good with the RAM if the computer booted up and recognized 2GB of memory.

Re: The video display: I assume you didn't do a fresh install of Windows? Go run Intel's Driver Update tool . That should install the correct video driver, which is different than your old board.

I'd probably download and manually install the chipset and necessary drivers individually. You can go here and narrow your selection based on OS 

If the hard disk controller errors are back then the motherboard can't be the issue.

The error you posted at 2:19 yesterday *The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Ide\IdePort0.* points to your C drive.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I ran the tool earlier and it only found and updated my audio driver. 

Do I need to uninstall anything before I download and install any chipset and driver updates?



> If the hard disk controller errors are back then the motherboard can't be the issue.


Well what else does that leave considering we ruled out all 3 drives using the various troubleshooting methods from the past 2 weeks?



> The error you posted at 2:19 yesterday The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Ide\IdePort0. points to your C drive.


OK but then why are there errors poitnintg to my C: drive as well as today's errors to my goflex drive? :s


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I called Seagate and they're going to replace my internal drive. They and I both do not think that is the issue but after having re-explained my situation to another again, he suggested trying it as a last resort. There's no harm in trying a new drive. After all, you said it yourself, the CRC errors are only recording to the C: drive and not the other two drives.

The agent did suggest trying to the new motherboard on a new computer, as in a new OS, since perhaps the drivers are different. Which leads me to ask the question: if I clone my current C; drive to the new replacement they will send me, does that reduce the likelihood of isolating the issue? Should I just to do a clean install on the new drive they will send me? 

Also, even if I do a clean install on the new drive they send me, I won't know how to induce the issue I was having because I don't seem to be having it anymore (both with this new board and towards last couple of weeks of using my old ECS board). The only signs of an issue I'm still having are the errors that are registering in Event Viewer and accumulation of CRC errors on my C: drive. The computer hasn't hanged or restarted on its own in a while. I will try to keep both externals connected like I used to (with this new board) to see if the problem reproduces itself. 

If it does not, good. Then I will try backing up my C: drive to my 500GB external using Windows 7's Backup and Restore utility, since it did not work with my old board, always resulting in my PC restarting on its own. 

If that doesn't work (I've already messaged the eBay seller), I will send the board back for a refund. 

Come to think of it, even if the new (used) board works and the problem is resolved and I do not receive anymore hangs, CRC errors, atapi and Disk errors in Event Viewer, there's still the issue of the display that is not working as it should, despite best efforts to update all the drivers. 

At that point, like I said, I'll return the board and commit to the 500$ Intel build on TSF. 

Apart from that, I can't think of any steps to take before buying a new build: I replaced the entire board, which I thought wold surely fix the issue considering we ruled out the drives by swapping cables and SATA ports. 

Sour defeat... :nonono:

N.B.: Here's another BSOD run I did with the new board, both externals connected and a video file streaming the background. Ran flawlessly (attached).

Oh and one more thing, how do I reset the CRC error count for my C; drive in HD Tune Pro; I'd like to set it to 0 so I can monitor it more easily.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Intel Drivers - I'd download the chipset drivers first and run the installation - it should be an exe file with an install utility. Sometimes they unzip .inf files which have to be installed manually.



> Well what else does that leave considering we ruled out all 3 drives using the various troubleshooting methods from the past 2 weeks?
> 
> OK but then why are there errors poitnintg to my C: drive as well as today's errors to my goflex drive? :s


As I said a bunch of times before, attaching your external drives to another computer is a good way to rule out a problem with them. If they work fine on another pc, then it's not a drive problem. When data is being transferred to your C drive, the drive calculates a checksum to verify what is supposed to be received is actually received. If the checksums don't match, the drive logs the communication error. That's how I understand it and thought the new SATA cable or firmware upgrade would have fixed it. Next place I'd look is the controller on the drive. CRC errors are not reset, they stay logged. 



> if I clone my current C; drive to the new replacement they will send me, does that reduce the likelihood of isolating the issue? Should I just to do a clean install on the new drive they will send me?


I've swapped boards w/o a Windows reinstall, but I wouldn't recommend it in most cases. If they are sending you a new drive, you could clone your current drive to the new one and try the new drive out. If the new drive gives you the same problem then you could wipe out all the partitions on the new drive an do a fresh install of Windows. You'll know if it was Windows related if a fresh install fixes things.

It looks like your current hard drive was installed in an AMD system at some point, as well as having viruses removed from it. So if the current Windows install has been used in different computers, you're probably due for a reinstall anyway.



> N.B.: Here's another BSOD run I did with the new board, both externals connected and a video file streaming the background. Ran flawlessly (attached).


I thought you said your computer froze the other day - with and w/o the external drives attached and the old mobo installed?

If you have the correct VGA driver installed, have you adjusted the settings on your monitor?

You could try running Windows Driver Verifier but I don't think it's a driver issue.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> Intel Drivers - I'd download the chipset drivers first and run the installation - it should be an exe file with an install utility. Sometimes they unzip .inf files which have to be installed manually.


OK, I did that but when it started extracting/installing the chipset driver, it warned me that the version I had currently installed was more recent than the one I was attempting to install and discouraged me from continuing, so I discontinued the process. Would you recommend installing the version on Intel's website that corresponds with my board and therefore overriding my current _more recent_ version?



> Next place I'd look is the controller on the drive.


Which drive(s) and how do I do that? What am I looking for?



> You'll know if it was Windows related if a fresh install fixes things.





> So if the current Windows install has been used in different computers, you're probably due for a reinstall anyway.


Good point. I'll remember to consider that if the cloning doesn't work. 



> It looks like your current hard drive was installed in an AMD system at some point, as well as having viruses removed from it.


I've had the same Intel processor forever. The only person it could be is when I left my PC at my old technician's work for him to update the system's BIOS version (but I don't see why he'd need to swap my HD for that...).



> I thought you said your computer froze the other day - with and w/o the external drives attached and the old mobo installed?


Oh yes, forgot about that. That was the Event log that you told me pointed to my C; drive.



> If you have the correct VGA driver installed


How can I make sure? I already installed the Graphics driver from Intel's website using the utility.



> You could try running Windows Driver Verifier but I don't think it's a driver issue.


Worth a shot.

Also, I thought I'd let you know that I messaged the eBayer concerning his _faulty_ discrete graphics card and informed him that I'd be returning the baord for a full refund. He replied: "Don't bother. Keep it. I'll even refund both your parcel and shipping. Cheers."

Nice to see there's still goodhearted people out there. 

So that clears up the stress of troubleshooting the board in the allotted refund period.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I'd also like to mention a problem that I am expediencing and seem to have found a resolution to. Power setting keep resetting my monitor to turn off after 20 minutes. I tried changing it to Never but it keeps going back. I found this thread and then understood why it was doing that. I thought to tell you this since you recommended me HD Tune and perhaps may do so for other users that will require your assistance, so it would be good to know. 



> Hello. I've had a somewhat similar issue with my power settings changing on their own although it wasn't every time I rebooted. It turned out the issue was being caused by a program called HD Tune (I use HD Tune Pro v5.0). Basically, HD Tune launches but then when I use it to run any kind of a disc check/scan/test it changes the monitor power off setting back to the default 20mins. It doesn't care if it's a windows generically installed power profile or a custom one I've saved. Whatever the present power setting is for the monitor gets changed to the 20min number. Weird! If it helps frame anything for ya I am running Win7Ultimate 64bit. Hope this helps and Good luck solving your issue.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Also, I'm only telling you this because it may help you help me fix the green screen I'm experiencing now as a result of this new board: everything that is normally supposed to be green, like Windows loading bars, is all yellow now. But you should know that the color hue problem also happens in the BIOS which I assume rules out any driver issues. 

Any more suggestions have read that now? I tried securing the VGA cable but no luck.

This thread is of a user that is having the exact same issue as me; computer won't display red colors, motherboard problem? - Overclockers Forums


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Stick with the latest drivers if the one's on intel's site are older. You can go into Device manager and right click on the properties of your video driver and it will tell you the date and version #. Us that to compare to the ver. on intel's page.

I know of no other way to test a hard drive controller other than what I've suggested, which is why I said swap the c: drive.

Adjust your monitor with the menu/settings on the monitor. See if there are any options in the BIOS to increase the amount of video memory used.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Turns out that removing and re-plugging my monitor's power cord fixed the color issue.

Backup completed successfully last night, something I was never able to do but I noticed this error on external Seagate this morning after the backup was done:


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        Disk
Date:          12/03/2013 11:11:30 PM
Event ID:      11
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk3\DR3.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Disk" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="49156">11</EventID>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-03-13T03:11:30.430652200Z" />
    <EventRecordID>344850</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>\Device\Harddisk3\DR3</Data>
    <Binary>0E00680001000000000000000B0004C003010000000000000000000000082D000000000000000000DB3A0E0000000000FFFFFFFF0600000040000000000000000000061208000010000000003C0000000000000080E1F285000000000890C185000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000</Binary>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```
Besides that, Event Viewer is cleaner than I've ever seen it. The CRC error count on my C: drive stopped going up (410) so that's all good too. But since Seagate is already sending me a replacement drive free of charge, I might as well take advantage to do a fresh install of Windows when I receive it. 

I had one question about Windows though, and I'll try to be as clear as possible as to not get you in trouble for breaking any of the rules: If I wanted to purchase a copy of Windows 7, first question is, (1) which Windows 7 version (ex: ultimate, pro, etc.) would you recommend me, (2) which bit version would you recommend (32 or 64 bit) and lastly (3), what kind of Windows copy would I need to buy if I wanted to be able to activate my copy no matter how many times I reformat my computer? Because now the problem is that I don't remember where I got this copy and every time I reformat, I need to go buy a new OS at the store because the Windows Product Key says it's being used on the previous computer (but in reality, I just reformatted).


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

The controller error messages in event viewer have to be matched to the drives installed when the error occurred. That message points to drive 3 and you'd have to go to disk management to figure out which drive # 3 is. If you know drive 3 is the Seagate then the Seagate is reporting the error. And if you're still getting these errors on all the drives with the new board installed, I've got to think the problem stems from something in your Windows installation. I seriously doubt all your drives are bad.

Here's a good link for the differences between Windows Versions. Most people are fine with Home Premium. If you do a lot of home networking I'd go with Win 7 Pro. If you want to use Windows backup and save the file to a networked drive or other PC, you need to have Win7 Pro. Home Premium won't allow it.

There are 2 main types of installation DVDs. One is an OEM version and one is retail. Neither of them have a limitation of how many times they can be reinstalled on the same computer. And neither of them can be installed on more than 1 computer at the same time. When you buy an OEM version, it is tied to the PC and cannot be installed on another PC if the original computer dies. A major hardware change such as a motherboard replacement may cause Windows to ask to reactivate. The retail version can be transferred to a new computer if you are no longer using the original computer which it was installed on, e.g. the original PC died. If you have a major hardware change or Windows needs to reactivate, you can always do a phone activation if there's a problem. It takes 5 minutes and should allow you to validate the install.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Well I'm going to see if anymore errors register in Event Viewer because besides the one that logged during the backup, I haven't seen them as often. They seem to be cutting back. But yes, I'll re-install Windows on the new internal when it arrives regardless.



> The retail version can be transferred to a new computer if you are no longer using the original computer which it was installed on, e.g. the original PC died.


How does the OS know that you're not just installing the same retail copy of the OS on another computer to save money (rather than honestly re-installing it on another computer because yours died). How does the retail copy know how many times it has to allow itself to be installed to different computer before it says "That's enough", because the way I understand it, you can take a retail copy of Windows and go around installing it on all the PC's you want, but obviously that's not the case which leads me to assume I'm not understanding something here.

Also, is there a reason you didn't mention Windows 7 Ultimate?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I don't know all the exact details, you could Google it if you want. Windows looks at several key hardware settings during installation and ties them to the the serial #. It depends on the type o disc used as to what or how it validates - OEM, Retail, OEM Manufacturer, etc. There are different restrictions on different discs. That's the info that gets checked when you activate your install. 

No, I'm pretty sure you can't go around installing the retail version on more that one computer. The retail version requires you to activate Windows and the 2nd activation will fail. 

Win7 Ultimate - very few people are going to use the extra options it comes with.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

OK thanks. Well, I don't think there's much else to discuss on this thread until I receive my replacement drive and install a fresh copy of Windows onto it. I'll be sure to keep you posted.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

sounds good.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Hey Fred. I've been using the new drive for a couple of days and there doesn't seem to be any problems. I can use the computer with any and all drives connected simultaneously without obstructions. However, I don't think it was the new drive that served as the solution to my problem but rather the new motherboard. I just used the new drive and sent the old one back to Seagate because they were kind enough to offer me an advanced replacement drive without the expediting fees. 

The only problem I've been having is the green hue that my monitor often experiences when I take apart my computer case and re-assemble it. I've tried switching monitor power cables, adjusting the monitor screen settings such as the contrast but the only thing that seem to fix it when it does occur is removing and re-plugging the VGA cable into my computer VGA I/O port. Sometimes doing so will fix the green hue and other times it will not. It's very unclear.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Hmmm... For the color hue issue, I would look closely at the VGA pins on the monitor cable at both ends and the VGA connector for any bent or weak pins. It could be something like a cold solder contact, too. Check at the VGA connection on the mobo. When you installed the new motherboard, did you reuse the old standoffs? They're like little pegs or brass screws that go into the case and the motherboard screws into the stand offs (as opposed to screwing the mobo directly to the case).

You replaced the C drive with a new one and now everything's working. So out of curiosity, what makes you think the problem was the motherboard and not the new drive


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

The pins seem to all be in place. What do you mean by a cold solder contact? When I installed the motherboard, as well as when I was using my previous ECS board, there were not any standoffs; for both board, I simply screwed the board to the case without motherboard mounting screws. I don't even know or how to check if my case has standoff mounting holes, but it's an old OEM case, so I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't.



> You replaced the C drive with a new one and now everything's working. So out of curiosity, what makes you think the problem was the motherboard and not the new drive


The new mb fixed the restarts errors. The new C: drive fixed the event viewer errors that I was still having with the new board.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Cold solder - a soldered contact point where the component breaks away from the solder which can cause an intermittent connection.

Normally when you install a motherboard you screw standoffs into the case then screw the mobo into the standoffs. That way the components and circuits on the bottom of the board don't ground out on the steel case. If the base of the case where the mobo screws into has big raised dimples w/screw holes, that may be enough to keep some clearance between the board and the case. You'll have to check that one. Or you could pull the board and bench test it to see if the color problem goes away.

You could try applying a little bit of pressure with your finger to the silver heat sink in the middle of the board and see if the color fluctuates on screen (I'm not referring to the processor heat sink).



> The new mb fixed the restarts errors. The new C: drive fixed the event viewer errors that I was still having with the new board.


Sounds more like you had a couple problems and I wonder if they were caused by disconnecting USB drives w/o using the safely remove hardware tool.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> I wonder if they were caused by disconnecting USB drives w/o using the safely remove hardware tool.


Could be. But it's fixed now. My drives have been optimized for performance rather than quick removal. 

And I'll check out the standoffs and heatsink next time I take apart my case/board.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

As much as I hate to be back on this thread, I am.

My computer froze today (with both externals connected) so I had to perform a hard reset. I looked at Event Viewer and there are a ton of different errors registering. 

These Disk errors occur when I log onto my user account (again, with all devices plugged in):


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        Disk
Date:          19/03/2013 9:54:42 PM
Event ID:      11
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk2\DR2.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Disk" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="49156">11</EventID>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-03-20T01:54:42.417328400Z" />
    <EventRecordID>6065</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>\Device\Harddisk2\DR2</Data>
    <Binary>0E04680001000000000000000B0004C003010000000000000000000000082D000000000000000000ACBC0A0000000000FFFFFFFF060000004000000000000000FF0006120C000010000000003C0000000000000040298E8600000000D86CFB85000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000</Binary>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        Disk
Date:          19/03/2013 9:54:38 PM
Event ID:      11
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk3\DR3.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Disk" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="49156">11</EventID>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-03-20T01:54:38.064920700Z" />
    <EventRecordID>6063</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>\Device\Harddisk3\DR3</Data>
    <Binary>0E00680001000000000000000B0004C003010000000000000000000000082D00000000000000000095BB0A0000000000FFFFFFFF0600000040000000000000000000061208000010000000003C0000000000000040A0D186000000004864D984000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000</Binary>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```
Disk Management shows this as my drive order:










More errors...


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-PnP
Date:          19/03/2013 6:52:35 PM
Event ID:      219
Task Category: (212)
Level:         Warning
Keywords:      
User:          SYSTEM
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The driver \Driver\WUDFRd failed to load for the device WpdBusEnumRoot\UMB\2&37c186b&0&STORAGE#VOLUME#_??_USBSTOR#DISK&VEN_LEXMARK&PROD_USB_MASS_STORAGE&REV__200#7&1AD112B3&0&22N018506001ZQ2&0#.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-PnP" Guid="{9C205A39-1250-487D-ABD7-E831C6290539}" />
    <EventID>219</EventID>
    <Version>0</Version>
    <Level>3</Level>
    <Task>212</Task>
    <Opcode>0</Opcode>
    <Keywords>0x8000000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-03-19T22:52:35.218093100Z" />
    <EventRecordID>6005</EventRecordID>
    <Correlation />
    <Execution ProcessID="4" ThreadID="44" />
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security UserID="S-1-5-18" />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data Name="DriverNameLength">137</Data>
    <Data Name="DriverName">WpdBusEnumRoot\UMB\2&37c186b&0&STORAGE#VOLUME#_??_USBSTOR#DISK&VEN_LEXMARK&PROD_USB_MASS_STORAGE&REV__200#7&1AD112B3&0&22N018506001ZQ2&0#</Data>
    <Data Name="Status">3221226341</Data>
    <Data Name="FailureNameLength">14</Data>
    <Data Name="FailureName">\Driver\WUDFRd</Data>
    <Data Name="Version">0</Data>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power
Date:          19/03/2013 6:51:57 PM
Event ID:      41
Task Category: (63)
Level:         Critical
Keywords:      (2)
User:          SYSTEM
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power" Guid="{331C3B3A-2005-44C2-AC5E-77220C37D6B4}" />
    <EventID>41</EventID>
    <Version>2</Version>
    <Level>1</Level>
    <Task>63</Task>
    <Opcode>0</Opcode>
    <Keywords>0x8000000000000002</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-03-19T22:51:57.014418400Z" />
    <EventRecordID>5942</EventRecordID>
    <Correlation />
    <Execution ProcessID="4" ThreadID="8" />
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security UserID="S-1-5-18" />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data Name="BugcheckCode">0</Data>
    <Data Name="BugcheckParameter1">0x0</Data>
    <Data Name="BugcheckParameter2">0x0</Data>
    <Data Name="BugcheckParameter3">0x0</Data>
    <Data Name="BugcheckParameter4">0x0</Data>
    <Data Name="SleepInProgress">false</Data>
    <Data Name="PowerButtonTimestamp">0</Data>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        EventLog
Date:          19/03/2013 6:52:10 PM
Event ID:      6008
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The previous system shutdown at 6:48:56 PM on ‎19/‎03/‎2013 was unexpected.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="EventLog" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="32768">6008</EventID>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-03-19T22:52:10.000000000Z" />
    <EventRecordID>5938</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>6:48:56 PM</Data>
    <Data>‎19/‎03/‎2013</Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Data>188047</Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Binary>DD070300020013001200300038001300DD070300020013001600300038001300600900003C000000010000006009000000000000B00400000100000000000000</Binary>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        volsnap
Date:          19/03/2013 12:06:14 AM
Event ID:      35
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The shadow copies of volume H: were aborted because the shadow copy storage failed to grow.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="volsnap" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="49158">35</EventID>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-03-19T04:06:14.786736700Z" />
    <EventRecordID>5762</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>\Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy7</Data>
    <Data>H:</Data>
    <Binary>000000000200300000000000230006C0000000000000000001000000000000000000000000000000</Binary>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        volsnap
Date:          19/03/2013 12:05:37 AM
Event ID:      24
Task Category: None
Level:         Warning
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
There was insufficient disk space on volume H: to grow the shadow copy storage for shadow copies of H:.  As a result of this failure all shadow copies of volume H: are at risk of being deleted.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="volsnap" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="32774">24</EventID>
    <Level>3</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-03-19T04:05:37.314470800Z" />
    <EventRecordID>5760</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>\Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy7</Data>
    <Data>H:</Data>
    <Data>H:</Data>
    <Binary>00000000030030000000000018000680020000007F0000C000000000000000000000000000000000</Binary>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```


```
Log Name:      System
Source:        Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-PnP
Date:          17/03/2013 2:35:53 PM
Event ID:      219
Task Category: (212)
Level:         Warning
Keywords:      
User:          SYSTEM
Computer:      Kevin-PC
Description:
The driver \Driver\WUDFRd failed to load for the device WpdBusEnumRoot\UMB\2&37c186b&0&STORAGE#VOLUME#_??_USBSTOR#DISK&VEN_LEXMARK&PROD_USB_MASS_STORAGE&REV__200#7&1AD112B3&0&22N018506001ZQ2&0#.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-PnP" Guid="{9C205A39-1250-487D-ABD7-E831C6290539}" />
    <EventID>219</EventID>
    <Version>0</Version>
    <Level>3</Level>
    <Task>212</Task>
    <Opcode>0</Opcode>
    <Keywords>0x8000000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-03-17T18:35:53.181129100Z" />
    <EventRecordID>5314</EventRecordID>
    <Correlation />
    <Execution ProcessID="4" ThreadID="60" />
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>Kevin-PC</Computer>
    <Security UserID="S-1-5-18" />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data Name="DriverNameLength">137</Data>
    <Data Name="DriverName">WpdBusEnumRoot\UMB\2&37c186b&0&STORAGE#VOLUME#_??_USBSTOR#DISK&VEN_LEXMARK&PROD_USB_MASS_STORAGE&REV__200#7&1AD112B3&0&22N018506001ZQ2&0#</Data>
    <Data Name="Status">3221226341</Data>
    <Data Name="FailureNameLength">14</Data>
    <Data Name="FailureName">\Driver\WUDFRd</Data>
    <Data Name="Version">0</Data>
  </EventData>
</Event>
```
HD Tune doesn't show any problems though.

:facepalm:


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

The errors in your post above that I'd mainly be concerned with are the first 2, which are controller errors on the 2 external hard drives. Nothing's changed there, you've had them since the beginning. There is nothing else that I'd do next other than try those 2 external drives on a different computer. I know you weren't able to do that when I suggested it earlier, but IMO, it's a necessary step from 12 pages ago. I'd just get a new Goflex under warranty. Case and point: Since you replaced the C drive, you aren't reporting errors for that drive anymore. I just replaced a dead internal hard drive yesterday for someone who unplugged a USB drive w/o using the safely remove hardware utility. The computer blue screened and the hard drive was toast.

A couple of the other errors relate to your Lexmark printer which probably has a card slot for a camera memory card. Not a big deal and shouldn't be a cause for the freezing.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



> I'd just get a new Goflex under warranty.


I just did that. But I'm paying for the expediting fees. :angry:

The WD external's limited warranty expired 2/02/2011. This is so frustrating because if I still have their errors after I replace the Seagate external, I'm not going to dish out however much it costed me to pay for this WD drive. 

I just don't understand how even after replacing the entire board, internal and doing a clean install, there are still Disk errors for both externals. OK, maybe both externals are faulty, but that's a lonnggg shot, wouldn't it be?


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Also, when I tried plugging in a USB device to my I/O panel, my screen went green again. I removed the VGA cable and reconnected it and it was fixed. It seems like the friction or presence of a USB plug entering the I/O panel somehow causes the green hue to occur...


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



Solidify said:


> I just don't understand how even after replacing the entire board, internal and doing a clean install, there are still Disk errors for both externals. OK, maybe both externals are faulty, but that's a lonnggg shot, wouldn't it be?


At the risk of sounding obvious, if the motherboard wasn't damaged then replacing it wouldn't solve the problem. From your first post I was pretty sure it was hard drive related. It still seems that way and I trust my instinct. I thought the firmware upgrade or the storage drivers might have sorted things out but we haven't been that lucky. Keep in mind, you replaced the C drive and no more C drive errors. 

You did a fresh install of Windows? Yeah, kind of a long shot to have problems with all 3 drives, but that's all that's left, plus you mentioned having a problem disconnecting them w/o using safely remove hardware, so the issues are related.


> Also, when I tried plugging in a USB device to my I/O panel, my screen went green again. I removed the VGA cable and reconnected it and it was fixed. It seems like the friction or presence of a USB plug entering the I/O panel somehow causes the green hue to occur...


It really sounds like either a ground issue or a bad connection around the VGA port.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

So basically what you're saying is that you instructed me to try a new motherboard since I told you I didn't have the luxury of testing my drives on a different computer? And if I did have that opportunity, we'd have most likely found the issue in the drives themselves and evade needing a new board?

With that being said, if this new Seagate external doesn't fix the disk errors, what are my remaining options?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

No, I didn't instruct you to get a new motherboard. I believe that idea came from whoever you spoke to at Seagate. I very plainly explained it may not be the cause of your problem and if you decide to replace it, that decision is yours.

All of the tests I've suggested have involved basic diagnostic procedures with freeware programs. They don't cost you anything to run and that's always the way I troubleshoot hardware - the least expensive method first. I suggested replacing your drive since it's under warranty - no harm, it doesn't cost you anything there either.

I've mentioned several times that connecting your usb drives to another computer is a very good way to see if the drives still act up or register errors on a different computer. Please don't take this the wrong way, but if that's not a test you can do, there's nothing I can do about that. It's still not a test I would skip if I were working on the computer. The additional ideas and tests were a way to try different avenues in case the root of the problem isn't with your hard drives. I've spent hours pouring through the BSOD reports you've run looking for other clues as to what's wrong. I don't see anything else and still believe it's a hardware problem.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

OK well then I have to ask you this and I want you honest opinion because Seagate is charging me to replace the external drive. 

If I do replace the external, considering the Event Viewer errors are registering on both external drives, do you believe that replacing the external drive will rectify the errors? I have 24 hours to cancel my order and hopefully you can reply by tonight but I don't want to spend money on a new drive if its most likely not going to solve the problem. 

Again, forget about your troubleshooting. I want to know what YOU would do in my situation.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

They're charging me 11.44$ to expedite the new drive. The warranty expires 15-Nov-2013. What do you suggest I do?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I'm confused. I thought your C drive and the External Goflex drive were both under warranty? Are you buying a new USB hard drive from Seagate or are you just paying for shipping (the $11.44)? If they are replacing the GoFlex drive for $12 - absolutely get it.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Yes, I am just paying for shipping (the $11.44). The replacement is under warranty. 

OK, I will get it (keep my order placed).


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Also, there's more new errors: 

The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk3\DR5.

The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk2\DR6.

I've never seen it on DR5 or 5 before ...


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Absolutely. I would pay you $12 to replace the drive!! :rofl:


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



Fred Garvin said:


> Absolutely. I would pay you $12 to replace the drive!! :rofl:


:facepalm: Ugh, I can't think straight. All this troubleshooting combined with midterms have drained me. Can't even reason with logic... haha


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*



Solidify said:


> I've never seen it on DR5 or 5 before ...


It has to do with the way Windows enumerates your drives when you boot up. The numbering includes all drives - usb, cd, dvd, the Lexmark memory card slot.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

So the enumeration can be different each time I boot up, even though I haven't changed the place of any plugs? 

And maybe it's my Lexmark in that case since it was shower errors.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I'm not sure why the numbering would change if you haven't moved the connections... I do know that the numbering is based on Windows plug and play and Microsoft confirms it can be inconsistent.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

OK. Also, I'm just going to throw this out there since it might be valuable in helping to diagnose the root of the problem here. 

I read up on more Event ID 11 disk errors and everyone seems to agree with you that it's most likely hard drive related. For instance;



> In almost all cases, the event id 11 message is being posted due to hardware problems with either the controller or, more likely, a device that is attached to the controller in question. The hardware problems can be associated with poor cabling, incorrect termination or transfer rate settings, lazy or slow device responses to relinquish the SCSI bus, a faulty device, or, in very rare cases, a poorly written device driver.


Now, that got me thinking. Why? Because before you came along, I didn't have the externals optimized for write caching. They were set to quick removal and I would almost NEVER eject them. So I'm assuming this previous neglectful behavior has possibly led my external drives to develop issues, therein causing the Event Viewer errors. 

Therefore, for the sake of doing things properly when I receive my new drive, I'd like for you to confirm on deny whether I'm disconnecting my drives properly now. Since they're set for write caching now, I eject them both, and that always works now, since I changed that option. Once the little notification icon displays it's safe to remove the drive, I unplug the drives. But here's where I do things a little differently.

My 500GB WD drive has a power cable and a USB cable attached to it. The Power cable is harder to remove than the data cable so I prefer removing the data cable to turn the drive off once Windows have given me the OK. 

For the Seagate external, it's the opposite. The power cable is placed it an easier reach for me to disconnect it by unplugging that, rather than the data cable. 

My question is, does it matter what cord I unplug first if Windows has terminated the connection from my drive(s) to the PC? I don't want to mess up my new drive too.

Also, unlike my Seagate external, my WD has a power button behind it, which I never used because I didn't know how it works but after referencing the drives manual, I found out that its to "safely power down the unit and avoid data loss or damage to the unit" but only works "if SmartWare (the backup software that is bundled with the drive) is installed". In that case, I was right not to use it, since I haven't had that software installed for quite a while. And either way, even if SmartWare was installed, would using that power button replace the need for safely ejecting the drive from Windows (when the write caching feature is enabled)? I'd rather not take that chance.

Edit: Nevermind, found it...


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

To disconnect the drives: Use Safely Remove Hardware 1st. Once Windows says it's ok, power off the drive then disconnect the usb data cable. Those are the steps I'd use unless the manufacturer recommends something different.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

OK. They shipped my new Seagate external. I'll keep you posted, as usual.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I found a user that is having the exact same issues are I am. He resolved his issue in his last post, but I don't understand what exactly he did. Would you mind?

Error 11 Source Disk Windows Server 2008 R2 At LOGIN?? when using USB Drives (not bad drives) - Server Fault

From what I understood, replacing this Seagate external drive that they sent me may help...


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

I received the new external drive (3TB). I accidently began wipping my internal HD clean (the new one Seagate sent me) using DBAN while I was trying to wipe my old 3TB external clean before sending it back to the manufactrer. Thankfully I had a system image to restore my PC form. 

When I saw that DBAN had began wipping my internal drive, I panicked and hard reset the PC (it has only gotten 0.01% far) and when I tried booting up, it was already gone. So like I said, I had to reinstall. But I'm concerned about the state of the new internal HD after performing a hard reset (since the OS wasn't able to properly end the processes), that's all I know now: another fried drive because it didn't eject properly. 

But besides that, it's 6 days that I haven't seen a disk error in Event Viewer and HD Tune says all drives are *OK*.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

If you restored your C drive from a backup and Windows is working ok, you should be fine. A hard reset is a last resort but it shouldn't have damaged anything (if that's what you're asking).



> But besides that, it's 6 days that I haven't seen a disk error in Event Viewer and HD Tune says all drives are *OK*.


:dance: Great! So if you have no reported disk errors and no more complaints of freeze ups, you are good to go!


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

True, although I still don't understand what fixed the issue(s) since I pretty much swapped everything in my PC apart from my case and PSU.


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

What fixed the issue was replacing 2 damaged hard drives.

The 14 page executive summary is: The controllers on both drives were damaged as a result of the way you were disconnecting your USB drives - by not using Windows safely remove hardware. Be thankful they were still under warranty!

This was also my point about not relying on the Seagate Seatools software and why I don't use it. It just doesn't report enough SMART info and often gives a passing mark to drives which are bad.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

Sounds good! Would you like to do the honours?


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

*Re: Excessive freezing*

:rofl: With pleasure! I'm really glad you got it straightened out, especially considering how long this thread got. And that will teach me a lesson on skipping a test procedure. I'll close this thread later on. If for some reason you need me to unlock it, shoot me a PM.


----------



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

> If for some reason you need me to unlock it, shoot me a PM.


Will do. Thank you infinitely!


----------



## Fred Garvin (Sep 4, 2010)

You're welcome! :beerchug:


----------



## satrow (Feb 4, 2012)

Well done all, great to see you stuck with it to find the resolution and cause :thumb:.

Saved me having to chip in with stupid suggestions and congratulations when it got to 300 Replies :angel:


----------

