Games Crashing when AC adapter/Mains power plugged in...

Status
Not open for further replies.

Apollonever1

Solid State Member
Messages
10
Hi there,

I've been having many a problem with my computer and gaming recently. My graphics card is a 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD4650, and I have had it roughly 2 years, along with my Vista 64bit HP DV6 1299ea Artist Edition Laptop with 4GB RAM.
It had been working fine, I could play games on high spec and play them for hours with no trouble. Then about 10 months ago, my games started freezing and I would have to manually shut down as my computer became unresponsive. Once turned off, If I tried to turn back on straight away, I would start loading and then cut out and shut itself down until I could turn it on about half hour later. I have tried aiming a fan at the underside, but I still does the same. It got so bad that within 5 minutes of playing a game it would freeze. I had my computer fans and heatsink cleaned and freed of dust by a Laptop cleaning service. I even turned the games graphics right down (PWI MMORPG), but still after about 10 minutes, It would freeze. I have recently got the The Sims 3, and wanted to play it. I have found that I can play it (on low graphic settings) without my AC adapter plugged in until my computer battery runs out - no freezing, and I can feel that it doesn't overheat and the fans are still blowing out cool air. However, If I play it for say, 20 minutes on the laptop battery, and then plug my AC adapter in and use mains power, within 30 seconds of it being plugged in, my game with freeze and become unresponsive again. I'm not too sure what the problem is?
Is the graphics card just overheating with the added power of the AC adapter in?
Has the power connector on my core laptop become faulty?
Is my AC adapter faulty?
Or is it just my graphics card that needs replacing?
Any help/suggestions would be great! Thankyou.

UPDATE: MORE INFO
Now my computer seems to just be freezing all over the place. I forgot to mention that before the fans were cleaned, my computer was freezing in normal use (eg internet usage, crowsing folders, using Photoshop) but was perfectly fine after the clean that was done about 3 months ago, and 6 months before that. And now it has just started freezing in normal use again. I was about to watch a film, and it freezes. I reload the computer, go back to the film - it freezes. Its driving me crazy! (that was with the ac and mains power connected) I'm now on the computer without the Mains power plugged in or on. No freezes so far. Also, Ive now noticed my AC adapter seems to be making a buzzing noise when plugged in and the computer turns off/is off - Is this normal?
 
Hi there,

I've been having many a problem with my computer and gaming recently. My graphics card is a 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD4650, and I have had it roughly 2 years, along with my Vista 64bit HP DV6 1299ea Artist Edition Laptop with 4GB RAM.
It had been working fine, I could play games on high spec and play them for hours with no trouble. Then about 10 months ago, my games started freezing and I would have to manually shut down as my computer became unresponsive. Once turned off, If I tried to turn back on straight away, I would start loading and then cut out and shut itself down until I could turn it on about half hour later. I have tried aiming a fan at the underside, but I still does the same. It got so bad that within 5 minutes of playing a game it would freeze. I had my computer fans and heatsink cleaned and freed of dust by a Laptop cleaning service. I even turned the games graphics right down (PWI MMORPG), but still after about 10 minutes, It would freeze. I have recently got the The Sims 3, and wanted to play it. I have found that I can play it (on low graphic settings) without my AC adapter plugged in until my computer battery runs out - no freezing, and I can feel that it doesn't overheat and the fans are still blowing out cool air. However, If I play it for say, 20 minutes on the laptop battery, and then plug my AC adapter in and use mains power, within 30 seconds of it being plugged in, my game with freeze and become unresponsive again. I'm not too sure what the problem is?
Is the graphics card just overheating with the added power of the AC adapter in?
Has the power connector on my core laptop become faulty?
Is my AC adapter faulty?
Or is it just my graphics card that needs replacing?
Any help/suggestions would be great! Thankyou.

UPDATE: MORE INFO
Now my computer seems to just be freezing all over the place. I forgot to mention that before the fans were cleaned, my computer was freezing in normal use (eg internet usage, crowsing folders, using Photoshop) but was perfectly fine after the clean that was done about 3 months ago, and 6 months before that. And now it has just started freezing in normal use again. I was about to watch a film, and it freezes. I reload the computer, go back to the film - it freezes. Its driving me crazy! (that was with the ac and mains power connected) I'm now on the computer without the Mains power plugged in or on. No freezes so far. Also, Ive now noticed my AC adapter seems to be making a buzzing noise when plugged in and the computer turns off/is off - Is this normal?


For your first question if you say it is freezing and windows has to reboot, does it give out any errors ?
Go to start, type event viewer and click the icon, check system event log and see if it may have logged anything during the past week.
For your second question, a buzzing noise is never a good thing, you're ac adapter maybe wearing out, see if you can get it replaced and see if it happens again.
If so, your ac jack on your laptop may need to be replaced, I recommend you take it to a good technician who can replace it without much issues.
Also about your laptops temp and volt readout download this and reboot into safe mode:
CPUID - System & hardware benchmark, monitoring, reporting
Give that a run in safe mode and see what it says, take a screenshot with print screen button.
Paste into windows paint application and save as png or jpg to upload back to here.
 
When it crashes, I have to manually shut it off with the power button or it will remain frozen constantly. When it happens, there are no on-screen errors/blue screens e.t.c, only the 'windows failed to shut down properly' page when restarting the computer again.
In event viewer, do you do mean just the overview log? In the last 7 days, I have 253 errors, and 1 critical. The critical is 'Kernel-Power' and there have been a total of 24 of those for all time. The errors include 19 'WMI' app errors, 13 'eventlog' system errors, 3 'service control' errors and multiple 'search' errors. Not looking good :/ And to make things worse, I now cannot enter my boot options menu. I can enter my start-up ESC menu, but pressing F8 causes it to shut down by itself a couple seconds after i press the button. This is quite recent, as Ive been in safe mode recently around 3 months ago before it was last cleaned. Could I run CPUID in normal mode, or should I use msconfig to force safe mode? Or do you think that would make things worse if I couldn't get into the boot menu to start with?
I'm trying to get a hold of another AC adapter I can borrow off someone as I don't think I would be able to afford a new one along with the AC jack repairs if it did turn out to be that instead...
 
When it crashes, I have to manually shut it off with the power button or it will remain frozen constantly. When it happens, there are no on-screen errors/blue screens e.t.c, only the 'windows failed to shut down properly' page when restarting the computer again.
In event viewer, do you do mean just the overview log? In the last 7 days, I have 253 errors, and 1 critical. The critical is 'Kernel-Power' and there have been a total of 24 of those for all time. The errors include 19 'WMI' app errors, 13 'eventlog' system errors, 3 'service control' errors and multiple 'search' errors. Not looking good :/ And to make things worse, I now cannot enter my boot options menu. I can enter my start-up ESC menu, but pressing F8 causes it to shut down by itself a couple seconds after i press the button. This is quite recent, as Ive been in safe mode recently around 3 months ago before it was last cleaned. Could I run CPUID in normal mode, or should I use msconfig to force safe mode? Or do you think that would make things worse if I couldn't get into the boot menu to start with?
I'm trying to get a hold of another AC adapter I can borrow off someone as I don't think I would be able to afford a new one along with the AC jack repairs if it did turn out to be that instead...

Of course you can run cpuid in normal or safemode!
Reason why I picked safe mode because you never know when a unstable power supply may give out in emergency like this.
"less startup items will appear in safe mode"
Give us a read out of what it says and we'll go from there.
 
The left image is without the AC adapter and main power plugged in, as I tried it like that first in case with the power connected it decided to freeze. The core temps varied from 44c to 53c in normal use, normally staying around 47-49. I plugged the mains power in and done it again just in case.

INFO.png


Assembly and airflow have now gone up to around 42 degrees. :/
 
Hey, I just tried posting, not sure if the image is being checked or not before its uploaded? So I've posted again.
This was done without the mains power in, and the core temps ranged from 46-53c, averaging 48/49. The airflow is going up to around 42c then back down. Once the mains power was plugged in, the temps only went up a tiny bit and then back down, with max core going to 55c.

INFO2.png
 
Hey, I just tried posting, not sure if the image is being checked or not before its uploaded? So I've posted again.
This was done without the mains power in, and the core temps ranged from 46-53c, averaging 48/49. The airflow is going up to around 42c then back down. Once the mains power was plugged in, the temps only went up a tiny bit and then back down, with max core going to 55c.

INFO2.png


Ok, I inspected what youi have from the screenshot, everything seems to be ok.
Right now, we need to be concerned about 2 things, get your ac adapter soon.
Next, if your laptop is crashing, maybe its about time for some stable vga drivers.
I have a feeling that is one of your problems.
AMD Catalyst

ATi Catalyst Mobility 11.12 display drivers for notebook computers (13/12/2011)

Is your laptop getting enough air underneath it, if it feels abit hot, look into a cooling pad, always lay it on a flat surface.

Start off with updating the drivers and see what happens, I'll be back later on.
 
Hello, thanks for your help, just one question - do I download and install the first link you gave me, following the instructions on the second link? None of the links on that second one are working for me... thanks
 
Hello, thanks for your help, just one question - do I download and install the first link you gave me, following the instructions on the second link? None of the links on that second one are working for me... thanks

0_0 hmm the link was working fine for me last night, must be a server error on their end.
Use this instead directly from AMD/ATI: https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/674/920...tfix/12-1_agp-hotfix_vista_win7_32_dd_ccc.exe

That should get it going, also the first link I provided to you as reference of bug issues ati has found, noted and fixed up over late summer.
That link should do it for now, if you use windows x86 use that link if x64 use this instead.
https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/674/920...tfix/12-1_agp-hotfix_vista_win7_64_dd_ccc.exe

Remove your current drivers from windows doing this.
start--controlpanel-addremove software-- ati mobility uninstall,--execute.
Let the uninstall guide you and tell it to take out everything, once done reboot.
Go back into windows, find your ati drivers you downloaded and install it.
Once done, reboot your pc, go back into windows and test out a small game of your choice, even windows checkers or chess will do.
Let it run and see if anything happens, if not, try your game again, if it crashes immediately or freezes....
Last place we'll look at is your memory and getting it tested.
 
Ok, I'm just about to do this, but wanted to check I was uninstalling the correct thing before I did it. There isn't an ATI mobility unistall, but there is an AMD Catalyst install manger? When I check in my program files, I have an ATI and an ATI technologies folder, and on my local disk, an AMD folder with a catalyst mobility 64bit AND an ATI folder with a mobilty Catalyst install manager. Just wanted to check I didn't have too many folders/drivers already, and if one needed to be removed?

Today it has frozen on a game several times even without the mains power plugged in... I've ordered a new AC adapter which should be here around Wednesday.
Oh, and before when I was trying to self-diagnose the problem, I tried to do a windows memtest, but my computer kept going black and switching itself off halfway through the test. It done this the 3 times I tried it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom