What causes random reboots in games?

[shoman24v]

When I first got my lappy I would expierence random reboots during garrys mod.... Now with the new CSS map that came out the PC will reboot with times ranging from right when I get into the map to a few minutes into gameplay. I have the OCZ 512Mb sticks of ram x2 to equal 1Gb. I also tried my orignal Hynix ram 2x 256 sticks and still got a reboot in the new CSS map.

I am trying to figure out what is causing this. What steps can I take to try and trouble shoot this thing? Should I run memtest?

I am currently bios flashed on my video card at 450/1100MHz, just 20MHz over stock on the memory. I can run ATi Tool and get the GPU up to 90c (487/1200) and the computer will not reboot so I don't think it is my bios flash (remember I was also having reboots when the PC was new and never flashed) I am also running the new A03 bios, Had A01 when the PC was new.

Any tips to help?

*****UPDATE 8/6/05*****

I had a new 6800go Ultra sent to me by Dell to hopefully fix the problems that I was having. The new card that they sent me fixed all my reboot issues. I have also flashed my card to 480/1200 and have been running fine at those clocks for about a week and a half.

Overclocking your 6800go Ultra should not cause any problems.


*****UPDATE 8/20/05*****
Ok guy's there are a lot of threads like this one popping up. I'm going to make this update simple and short.

If you are experiencing rebooting in ANY game call Dell and get your GPU (video card) replaced. If it doesn't fix the problem you got another bad GPU.

[i_r0x0r5]

i feel stupid for not reading this first before making my post. i have the exact same problem and exact time frame.

mine's flashed to 500/1200 but i've been having random reboots well before the flash. same specs as you but i have 1 gb of dell ram.

for me, it only happens in css. i can play loads of the bf2 demo without any problems. i'm running the 77.72 drivers from laptopvideo2go, but i've tried xg 77.62 type 2, dell 77.24, nvidia 77.70 go and it's happened will all of them except the xg 77.62s. but it's possible i didn't test them long enough.

it used to always reboot about an hr into playing css, then would run perfectly with no reboots hours afterwards.

i'm sure it's not heat and somewhat less likely that it's the driver. i'm going to run memtest overnight and see if it's my memory.

[shoman24v]

I sometimes get it in BF2 but that happens rarely... I have tried different drivers and have had no luck. Maybe I have 2 sets of bad memory?

[i_r0x0r5]

i don't think i've seen a reboot in bf2 demo, doom 3 + expansion, nor sw republic commando.

seems to be localized to css so far. also worth noting is that i use "-heapsize 262144" which represents 256 mb in css

[i_r0x0r5]

ran memtest overnight. 2300+ % coverage... 0 errors. maxrule said it's driver related:

http://www.notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=93668

[nmcbean]

i have random restarts with some games on my desktop (p4 2.4 ghz, 1gb ram, ati 9800 pro)

i think its related to just buggy drivers from ATI... ive always had this... maybe it could be heat sometimes...

my neighbor has the same issue with his Geforce, but i think his is more heat related

[i_r0x0r5]

shouldn't be heat. it rebooted twice in 10 minutes w/ reinstalled 77.72s from laptopvideo2go playing on cs_assault.

it's not heat either, b/c i used to be able to play for about an hr then reboot. after the reboot, i could play for several hours without any problems/reboots. so surely the 2nd go around must have been hotter since it was active longer. my gpu peaks at around 88C and i've never seen it break 90.

i'll be trying 80.40s, xg 80.40s, 77.70 gos, and xg 77.62s tonight.

[Redmumba]

Some random reboots could be attributed to XP's "automatic reboot" function, which often times reboots randomly. I'm able to play games fine using ATI's drivers on the desktop, so I can't say anything to that effect. Are you sure its not a heat problem?

[i_r0x0r5]

i'm sure it's not heat b/c i can play other games hours on end w/ no problems... doom 3/bf2 demo/sw rep com.... all without this reboot problem. css happens about an hr or less into the game. but AFTER the reboot, i can css for hours on end without any problems. so surely more heat is generated and maintained from hours of play than from < 60 min of play.

[i_r0x0r5]

i'll try turning auto restart off and see what happens. what'll really suck is if it's already disabled.

[i_r0x0r5]

here's a possible coz and fix:

http://www.techzonez.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15182

"Ive had a similar problem after reinstalling XP and installing SP2. Come to find out that there are a multitude of problems that can cause the rebooting. These are the most common:

1. If you have an Nvidia card (GFX or Tuner) its driver is prolly having a conflict with DEP.
2. On some occasions installing SP2 on an "unclean" system can cause problems.
3. DEP and AMD64 processors also conflict with each other.

in the case of problem 1, just update to the newest drivers you can find. Nvidia claims they have fixed the conflict with DEP.

in the case of number 2, try reinstalling xp and sp2 on a clean drive( this means new or formatted. and not a quick format either) install xp then sp2 then chipset, ethernet, modem, sound, video. If this still doesnt fix it...you may want to read up on slipstreaming sp2 onto a XP cd and try that way..thats what i did to fix my constant rebooting.

and for problem 3..theres really no fix..its in MS's hands for that.. but you can always disable DEP and see if that works. which is what i would try suggesting before any formatting, reinstalling, or slipstreaming. Hope this may help."

[mimiman76]

What is DEP?

[Desmo]

Several people including myself, suffered from this issue. The cause is defective video cards. Had mine replaced, never rebooted again. I would suggest you flash back to the stock bios, and call Dell.

Desmo

[i_r0x0r5]

dep = Data execution protection

@desmo, but why does it only happen in CSS and not any other games?

[cornholio]

Originally Posted by shoman24v

When I first got my lappy I would expierence random reboots during garrys mod.... Now with the new CSS map that came out the PC will reboot with times ranging from right when I get into the map to a few minutes into gameplay. I have the OCZ 512Mb sticks of ram x2 to equal 1Gb. I also tried my orignal Hynix ram 2x 256 sticks and still got a reboot in the new CSS map.

I am trying to figure out what is causing this. What steps can I take to try and trouble shoot this thing? Should I run memtest?

I am currently bios flashed on my video card at 450/1100MHz, just 20MHz over stock on the memory. I can run ATi Tool and get the GPU up to 90c (487/1200) and the computer will not reboot so I don't think it is my bios flash (remember I was also having reboots when the PC was new and never flashed) I am also running the new A03 bios, Had A01 when the PC was new.

Any tips to help?

Thanks

I have this issue also with the stock setup too. Certain games cause the reboot more often like Source engine (Half Life2, CSS).

I am think that it is either deffective cards OR the GPU is not getting enough power?

I may have Dell Exchange the graphics card but how many have done this and actually have had success?