Help troubleshooting serious problem

Associate
Joined
26 Feb 2012
Posts
197
I am having serious issues with my PC and I am looking for advice about what to do now. I think it could be PSU, motherboard or virus, I am just not sure.

For quite a while my computer monitor would go black but all PC lights would stay on and if I turned it off and came back later it would all work again. This happened for a while but now when you turn the computer on windows is virtually unresponsive:

The internet does not work despite full signal, you cannot get into the "check for update" section (continuous whirling ring) although strangely I can still play hearthstone. The battle net live ads on the log in screen fail but I can still get into the game and play on the servers. It is literally the only thing on my PC which works.

Avast will not open if clicked, I can open CCleaner but if I try and clean the PC the bar doesn't move.

Trying to use the majority programs will fail.

I managed to get the internet temporarily 2 days ago, I ran an update hoping it would fix it. However when I restarted I got a random "windows is not genuine error" which has since disappeared but things are the same.


In terms of possible issues a fan at the front of the case is rattling and a major rattling sound (on and off) is coming from what I think is the PSU. This rattling is new, it did not happen when the random black outs started.


Could this be the PSU? Would it cause windows to seize up despite cpu/ram usage and temperature settings showing not much is happening? or could this be a virus? I am hoping to do an avast boot scan but I cannot open the program.
 
Soldato
Joined
5 Nov 2014
Posts
7,465
try and locate the rattling noise as this can be a PSU\HDD\GPU issue.

download and run Malwarebytes from another PC on to a USB stick and do a full scan.

other option is it could be a dying HDD, try and run check disk on it to check for errors.

can you list your PC spec and OS please?

if its a SSD which has your OS on then try and check if there is any firmware updates.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
26 Feb 2012
Posts
197
I have malwarebytes and am trying to run a scan but it is taking ages just to update. Hopefully it will get to the scan stage but it does not look like it.

I am pretty sure the rattling is coming from the PSU when it happens because it sounds like it is coming from the bottom/back area which is where the PSU is. Would a faulty graphics card do this to windows? (yet amazingly still let me play hearthstone)


My spec

ASUS P8Z68-V/GEN3 motherboard
i5 2500k cpu
8gb corsair vengeance ram
msi 7950 graphics card
Corsair 120GB SSD (with windows 7 installed)
Samsung 250 GB SSD (steam only)
Barracude 500GB HDD (backup storage)

There is a firmware update via a toolkit if it can connect with the internet the way it is. Is there a risk to the update? Should I disconnect my other two drives first?
 
Associate
OP
Joined
26 Feb 2012
Posts
197
Malwarebytes could not get past the update bit of the scan, it seems that anything which requires active internet fails, apart from hearthstone, which is just weird.
 
Associate
Joined
31 Jan 2014
Posts
157
Location
Bristol, UK
This looks mostly like a Windows issue. I recommend reinstalling Windows to your SSD.

Then run a full virus scan malware scan etc to make sure the system is clean.

You have a good spec pc, you shouldn't be seeing such slowdown issues.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
26 Feb 2012
Posts
197
you tried it in safe mode ?

Ok update, I really hope this helps pinpoint the issue.

I turned the computer on in safe mode with networking, suddenly the internet works, I am able to run a malwarebytes scan (which I am doing now). Avast also turned on and I tried to run a boot scan but the boot scan did not start when I restarted.

When I then restarted in normal mode there was no internet and avast, etc would not open.

Does this mean windows corruption/virus? Does this rule out component failure.

What is my next move?


Edit:

Malwarebytes found nothing (although the scan was absurdly short, like 2 minutes at most)
Superantispyware found nothing (can took about 10 minutes, I had run a full ccleaner run through beforehand)

The reason the boot scan did not work is because avast will not connect despite the former two working and therefore is not running.
 
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