System crashing while gaming.

[erix84]

First off here's my system specs:
Windows XP Pro Edition
Matsonic MS8157E Mobo
AMD Athlon 1.1ghz (NOT overclocked)
BFG Tech GeForceFX 5200 256mb
Soundblaster Live 5.1
Samsung 52x CD-Rom
Seagate 160gb 7200rpm HDD
1024mb Kingston PC2700 DDR SDRAM

For what it's worth, my DX diagnostic:
http://hosted.tribalwar.com/slicer/DxDiag.txt

Now onto the problem. My computer runs fine, except when I run most of my games. Randomly during games, the system will hard lock and I have to manually restart it. It also did this with my old video card, a PNY Geforce4 Ti 4600, although with that card the crashing was very random happening between 5 seconds and 5 hours, the new card is almost instant.

Some things I've done to try and solve the issue:
Flashed the BIOS and updated it (successfully)
Moved RAM around, tried each individually in each slot
Updated video drivers half a dozen times.
Reinstalled DirectX half a dozen times.
Installed and reinstalled motherboard AGP software, along with all the other motherboard software.
Taken the side off the case, and bought enough fans to put everywhere possible in the system (even tried a box fan against the side).
Replaced the heat sink on the processor, including new heat transfer goo.
Upgraded from a 300w power supply, to 450w.

While looking through Windows' error manager, I found this:

Source: Service Control Manager
Event ID: 7023

The Computer Browser service terminated with the following error:
This operation returned because the timeout period expired.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp .

Source: Service Control manager
Event ID: 7036

The Computer Browser service entered the stopped state.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

At this point I've lost all sense of what it could be, besides a faulty agp slot (games run just fine with the onboard video), or a problem with the processor, as they're pretty much the only 2 things I haven't replaced in the system in the last year or so. The video card is brand new, power supply is less than 2 months old, motherboard is about a year old now, processor is going on 4 years old, hard drive is less than 4 months old. If anyone has any suggestions I'd greatly appreciate it.

[Strider]

Hi Erix84,
A bad memory module fits some but not all of your symptoms. Still, I suggest downloading memtest86, creating the boot floppy it uses, and testing your memory. It doesn't cost anything but a little time, and it'll confirm your memory status.
Good luck!

[erix84]

I tried swapping memory in and out (more throuroughly this time), and have limited it down to a bad DIMM slot. I can run either of my memory sticks in the right DIMM (2?), but if I try running with just 1 stick in the left side DIMM, Windows won't load and I can't get past the BIOS. Tried running a few different games with just 1 stick of ram in the right side, and everything's working fine so far, except now my sound card is missing. It's completely seated, and the pins are clean... tried reinstalling the drivers for it, and setup is saying it can't find any hardware. Looked in the device manager as well and it's not even listed in there as not installed, it just disappeared. Any idea how to fix this new problem? I'm about ready to email Matsonic and tell them I want a replacement motherboard as it seems to have been the problem the entire time.

*Update* The system is still locking up with just 1 ram stick in, although not nearly as quickly (was good for almost half an hour with 1 stick in), and not as violently (screen blacking out, music skipping, etc) now it's just freezing the screen and killing any music playing, no skipping or anything, although it still requires a hard reset.

[Strider]

If you're pretty sure you have a bad DIMM slot RMA the board, especially if it's still under warranty. Does it have a 3-year warranty? You might still have to run memtest just so you can say you've checked the memory.

[erix84]

It won't even boot with ram in the 1st ddr dimm, it'll boot if I've got either stick in the second ddr dimm, but it doesn't solve the crashing problem. For some reason though if I have both ram sticks in it boots fine, and even detects both. I don't have a floppy drive handy to run a bootable memory test or I'd try that, there any tests I can run while windows is loaded?

Btw what's an RMA?

[Strider]

Originally Posted by erix84

It won't even boot with ram in the 1st ddr dimm, it'll boot if I've got either stick in the second ddr dimm, but it doesn't solve the crashing problem. For some reason though if I have both ram sticks in it boots fine, and even detects both. I don't have a floppy drive handy to run a bootable memory test or I'd try that, there any tests I can run while windows is loaded?

I think that should be a good enough indication that the MB is bad.

Originally Posted by erix84

Btw what's an RMA?

Return Merchandise Authorization--a number, form, etc. from Matsonic allowing you to return the MB. If their process is similar to Asus' (the only manufacturer I've had replace a board), they'll correlate the RMA to the contact with you, so they know what problem you're having and what they've promised to do about it.
Good luck!