Applications crashing, increasing voltage seems to help bu..

I've been experiencing application crashes for a few months now, with
it getting worse and worse. A backup without compression works fine
but a backup with compression crashes every time. This lead me to
believe it was the CPU and when I increase voltage then I can do a
backup with compression without crashing. However, when I increase
the voltage 0.05 the CPU runs really hot. I was rendering a DVD and
the CPU temp got up to 64 and then the program crashed. I am not
overclocking so I don't understand why this is happening. Could this
be a problem with my motherboard? Is there anyway I can find out for
sure before I buy a new motherboard?

Thanks
Michael

"Michael Akins" <please_do_not_reply.TakeThisOut@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:c9a51356.0407170657.61daf3cb@posting.google.com...
 > I've been experiencing application crashes for a few months now, with
 > it getting worse and worse. A backup without compression works fine
 > but a backup with compression crashes every time. This lead me to
 > believe it was the CPU and when I increase voltage then I can do a
 > backup with compression without crashing. However, when I increase
 > the voltage 0.05 the CPU runs really hot. I was rendering a DVD and
 > the CPU temp got up to 64 and then the program crashed. I am not
 > overclocking so I don't understand why this is happening. Could this
 > be a problem with my motherboard? Is there anyway I can find out for
 > sure before I buy a new motherboard?

Do a basic hardware check:

1. Make sure your CPU and case temperatures are OK, and
that the CPU fan, case fans, and any other fans are
working. One tool you can use to check temperatures
is Everest. You can download it from
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.lavalys.com." target="_blank">http://www.lavalys.com.</a> Run it, expand "Computer",
and click on "Sensor".

2. Monitor your power supply voltages for a while -- check
for fluctuations and voltages out of spec. You can
use Everest (see step 1 above) to check voltages:
expand "Computer" and click on "Sensor". The display
updates itself automatically every few seconds

3. You can also use Everest to check the SMART readings of
the hard drive(s): Expand "Storage" and click on "SMART".
The "Worst" value of all the parameters not marked "Always
passing" should be well above the "Threshold" (except for
the "Spin Retry Count", whose worst value may be just a
little over the threshold).

4. Shut down your computer and turn off power *at the
surge protector* (which cuts off standby power while
leaving your computer grounded) or unplug it. Take
the standard precautions against static electricity
(wear a wrist strap or keep one hand grounded at all
times).

5. Open up your computer and dust it out. *Do not use a
vacuum cleaner* - it might cause static discharge.
Get some dust remover spray (RadioShack has it) and
a dust mask, and take your computer outside and spray
out the dust. Keep the end of the spray straw at least
six inches from any components and keep it moving so as
to avoid excessive thermal shock to the components.

6. Reseat all the modules, including the memory modules,
and cables inside your computer.

7. Remove your CMOS battery and check its voltage
(or just replace it). Note: If you do this step, you'll have
to set up your BIOS again.

8. Turn on your computer, and run a few cycles of "memtest86+"
(download from <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.memtest.org" target="_blank">http://www.memtest.org</a>) to thoroughly
check out your memory. You should get zero errors.

--Bob Day
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://bobday.vze.com" target="_blank">http://bobday.vze.com</a><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->