Computer freezing

[Fab]

So I was playing Blockland a while ago, it suddenly stopped working (popup), my mouse also froze. after that, the speakers emitted constantly a buzz noise, and it just sit there, doing nothing. The screen was completely frozen and I needed to do a force re-start.

It crashed 2 times, the first one, being critical, froze my computer, the second one, just crashed Blockland (or other game, happens sometimes) with a popup saying that the video driver stopped working.

I have the latest drivers, searched the web, forums, and other sources for my GPU (630m 1GB), but I found very few or the problem/solution wasn't the one I was looking for.

My specs are:

Quad core I5 2.6ghz with HD 4K
6GB ram
GT 630m

I have MSI afterburner and tried to reduce the speed of the GPU clock, but It did nothing. Dell was an horrible support system, I can't figure what's happening because My Dell doesn't updates properly.

Help is appreciated.

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[QuadStorm]

Do you know how hot the GPU is running at when playing games? It's probably not the cause of the issues, but that'd eliminate a possible cause at least.

[Fab]

Do you know how hot the GPU is running at when playing games? It's probably not the cause of the issues, but that'd eliminate a possible cause at least.

nope; is there an program that shows its temperature?

[takato14]

nope; is there an program that shows its temperature?

are you on Windows 7

if so download the GPU meter gadget, that's what I use, it shows core temp and a bunch of other information that could help in diagnosing the problem

as for the issue itself, there's probably an issue with the video card driver; I'd suggest doing a full backup and reinstall of your OS and drivers (newest versions available)

this will fix any possible conflicts or errors and will also get rid of all of that bullstuff bloatware that no one has any use for

and never buy a dell again, they're quite literally the worst PC manufacturer there is, especially laptops and their gaming subdivision (ie alienware)

[QuadStorm]

nope; is there an program that shows its temperature?

Speccy is also pretty good for these types of things.

[Fab]

are you on Windows 7

I'm using windows 8

[Headcrab Zombie]

I'm using windows 8

Pretty sure 8 supports gadgets as well

[takato14]

I'm using windows 8

ok so backup your stuff and wipe your hard drive

if I were you, I'd install W7 Pro 64bit instead of 8; you really don't want W8 on a gaming machine, it sacrifices performance and efficiency for "responsiveness" (I use that term VERY lightly) and that is exactly the opposite of what you want

you should of course install whatever OS you prefer since it's your machine but my suggestion is to go with 7 Pro

after that download your GPU drivers from the card manufacturer's site, and download everything else from your laptop manufacturer's website

see how that works

if the issue persists, check your RAM

[takato14]

Pretty sure 8 supports gadgets as well

no, gadgets were removed in W8

unless microsoft re-added them before the release, which I doubt

EDIT: oh, ok, they just removed the default gadgets, you can still install your own

[Fab]

I ran Blockland for a stress test, I got 90ºC

it isn't the temperature.

[takato14]

I ran Blockland for a stress test, I got 90ºC

it isn't the temperature.

ok then it's almost certainly software-related, I'd say either a driver, or torque's stufftiness not playing nice with W8's resource management

you can try reinstalling just the GPU driver to see if it's that or an OS conflict but personally I'd say just skip that and go to 7 unless your laptop has a touch screen

(this is a laptop we're talking about right, I assumed so since its a GT-630m we're talking about but some idiots (like Dell) put laptop GPUs in desktops)

[Fab]

yes i'm using a laptop

now the temperature is steady 79ºC

it isn't touch screen but I still need to pay for windows 7

and I don't have the money for that.

[Fab]

I'm not sure but I have a theory

when I bought this computer (Vostro 3460) I forgot to uncheck "McAfee anti-virus"

McAfee is a loving parasite. it gets around 10% to 30% of the total RAM, and uses 100% of the disc almost always, I don't know if i'm sure it's McAfee, but it's stealing a lot of the computer's resources, probably stealing the GPU's needs and eventually crashing it.

[takato14]

I'm not sure but I have a theory

when I bought this computer (Vostro 3460) I forgot to uncheck "McAfee anti-virus"

McAfee is a loving parasite. it gets around 10% to 30% of the total RAM, and uses 100% of the disc almost always, I don't know if i'm sure it's McAfee, but it's stealing a lot of the computer's resources, probably stealing the GPU's needs and eventually crashing it.

get rid of McAfee immediately

jesus christ that stuff is horrid

if you still wanna run antivirus, AVG free is the way to go, its pretty much the only reliable free AV that won't loving rape your computer's resources

[espio100]

What brand is it?
Nvidia? AMD?
But go here:
http://www.computertipsfree.com/display-driver-stopped-responding-and-has-successfully-recovered-nvlddmkm-nvidia-atikmdag-ati-windows-7-vista-xp/