Reset Button + 2 Year Old = Bad Memory?

[slrymer]

My home-built has been running like a charm for 4 years now. I have a 2 year...once day while I was not watching what she was doing near my tower, she decided to push the reset button, repeatedly and very quick, probably about 20 times before I realized why my screen was going nuts. I am not 100% certain this was the initiating event, but shortly after my computer stopped loading 100% of the time. It will come on to a black screen. I have found that from here if I hold the power button down and force shutdown, and then 2-3 seconds later when everything is still winding down, push the power button again...it comes up no problems. However, many times, when it loads, things will take forever to open or load, the computer becomes very laggy.

In some cases its taken up to 6 power rests to get it to come on. It almost seems random in nature, although, 90% of hte time, it comes on after its 2nd attempt. Always sticks before the Bios/Motherboard screenload.

My theory is she perturbated my memory by cycling voltage through when she mashed reset over (It was like she was playing an arcade game she was mashing so quick)

I suppose, he same could have happened to the CPU and GPU. I have had no graphics issues. But I don't know a great way to test CPU integrity.

Running Memtest+ on the Memory. So far I have just done 1 test with all 4 sticks in and the results were 0 errors after 1 pass.

Could I have Fried part of my motherboard? CPU? Anyone have some ideas or troubleshooting plans?

SLRymer

 

[Slaymate]

You should run a minimum of 2 passes of Memtest. I've seen numerous sticks of memory complete 1 pass only to fail during the 2nd pass.

I would suspect the power supply or mobo as the most likely culprits.

 

[slrymer]

I appreciate your response. I will go rerun the Memtest several time. I really hope its not the Mobo, that might give me to good of an excuse to go build a new computer if I'm going to the trouble to tear everything down to swap outs the Mobo...I have been needing an excuse...

 

[RedKr0wz]

I doubt it's the power supply.

But your best bet is to remove your graphics card and power up the mobo from the onboard graphics chip set or temporarily replace your graphics card with a functioning one if you don't have onboard graphics. Perhaps an old video card you got laying around or borrow from friend. Also if you got multiple memory sticks remove all but one, power up, test, and trouble shoot by powering up with more inserted if boot completes.

Also not excluding that your hard drive maybe be damaged.