Windows 10: Random crashes despite replacing all hardware and doing a clean windows install. Maybe...

I have been having problems with my custom PC for months now. By now, I have updated BIOS, replaced every single hardware component, I took the PC to a tech who fixed several corrupt files, and I have reinstalled windows from USB and I still have occasional crashes. Each of these steps seemed to temporarily reduce the amount of crashes but they always came back.I have run SFC, DISM, memtest, and chkdsk. I haven't run the memory test since I did the clean install, but it did occasionally find "hardware problems" despite the fact that I have replaced my RAM and motherboard. SFC sometimes picks u

:)

 

Clean Install Workaround for Vista

You may remember this news story on techPowerUp! a couple of days ago relating to the lack of clean installs when using the Upgrade Editions of Vista, which required an old OS to be installed. However, Paul Thurrott has managed to find a workaround for this issue, which ironically lets users do a clean install Vista without any previous version of Windows, albeit a little tedious. Here are the steps:

• Boot from the Windows Vista Upgrade DVD as normal
• When prompted for a product code, leave this blank
• Select the version of Vista you have purchased and let Vista install
• When you boot to your desktop for the first time, run the Vista setup from Windows
• This time enter your product key
• When asked whether you want to do an Upgrade of Custom install, select custom and choose a clean install
• Windows will now install for a second time and you should be able to activate it

Remember, these steps are only advised for use in order to achieve a clean install of Vista, it is only legal to use the upgrade editions if you have previously purchased the appropriate version of Windows.

Source: DailyTech

 

Random crashes/reboots - PSU failling?

I'm concluding that's not a software issue but a hardware one, most likely being the PSU the culprit.

• Power supply in my area has always been very inconsistent in summer time, even experiencing several low voltage situations system wide, with surges making my PC to reboot automatically. Despite PSU's got it's own protection methods, exposing it to several days -and years overall- of unstable electric flow could've inflicted some damage on it. PSU is not near top of the line and it has 8 years of continuous usage (Sentey BRP700).

• I did have random, sporadic reboots over time on my system for a while, even while doing basic tasks (watching a YT video). None prove to be catastrophic until the other day.

• Since the "mayor crash" I experienced the other day while playing a game, that rendered my system unable to install AMD Drivers even on a fresh new copy of a clean Windows 10 , I did experience several random reboots using Microsoft Basic Display Adapter performing basic tasks;
  • At the time of the "mayor crash" I had latest AMD drivers installed and they were working just fine and no mayor Windows 10 updates were installed that day.

• Removing video card (AMD R7 265) and replacing it a Geforce GTS 540 for testing purposes also triggered random crashes and system's lock up (different behavior, but same result nonetheless = system crash). Even while using the Geforce the computer suffered TWO system crashes just by clicking on the "refresh" button on TechPowerUp GPU-Z app. Yet, the third, fourth, ... times I clicked refresh, system did not reboot.
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• Weirdly enough FurMark stress on my CPU and the testing video card -Geforce GTS 540 with Nvidia drivers installed- didn't make my system crash. Yet, opening Chrome afterwards triggered a crash.

I can't identify a system crash pattern.
The only pattern is that when I try to install AMD drives for my R7 265 the system does crash. The rest of the reboots are random and not logical based on the system stress at the moment.

Despite inspecting the PSU -and computer in general- for failed capacitors, I really lack the know-how to effectively detect a bad one unless it's very obviously damaged.

Bottom line: I'm purchasing a new PC overall -time to upgrade anyways- and I expect this to solve my issue once and for all.

I really appreciate time invested in trying to help me, guys!

 

Windows Vista Clean Installation

To do a clean install on a fresh hard drive with Vista on an upgrade disc, you have to follow certain steps. Buying a full install CD would've been easier, but using the upgrade disc only adds more time, so it's not that big of a deal.

Follow the instructions here to do a clean install with an upgrade disc: Perform a Clean Install with a Vista Upgrade Disc - Windows Vista Tips / Tricks /Tutorials | Vista Rewired