Chronic PC Problems: Where can I go for a solution?

[The_Pink_Ninja]

So my PC has been broken on and off for over a year now. On two occasions it seemed to be working better than ever but after one week the first time and two weeks the second time the same faults returned. Now I have time to really work on fixing it.

The problem is the list of symptoms and possible solutions is so huge I really don’t know where to begin. Is it a software clash? A hardrive fault? The RAM is bad? Not getting enough power? Processors? Graphics card? Power unit?

Is the most telling symptom the way Steam often won’t start without a reinstall? That the games often become corrupted and need re-downloading? That it seems to work perfectly for a while then fails again?

So basically it comes down to two questions:

1. Can you guys please links me to good computer fixing guides?

2. Can you link me to good tech support forums where I can lay out my small essay worth of problems?

I want to play games other than The Binding of Isaac again ;___;

[Quinnbeast]

Might be worth giving the tech support section of the Techspot site a go. I managed to sort out a fairly obscure OS issue with some valuable input from one or two of the guys there. There’s also a couple of extremely dedicated peeps that frequent the Virus/Malware section for anyone that suspects the presence of unwanted/stubborn guests on their personal computar mashine.

TechSpot Forums

A few random thoughts -

I’ve had an issue with a failing HDD only once before. Bad sectors would show up under chkdisk, files would go missing at random and occasionally the system would start to crash. Eventually the boot sector packed up and OS go bye-bye. If the issue with Steam is specific to Steam only then it may signify something else.

Bad RAM? Give Memtest a few runs.
Wonky CPU? Try running a stress test in Prime95.
GFX card stability? Try Furmark.

Might be worth running some tests specific to individual components to narrow things down, but if the list of issues is as substantial as you say, I’d be completely guessing!

[Boris]

I had a HDD issue once that gave me similar issues. Steam would run one day, then fail next day. Reinstalling failed with a specific error and the machine was very crash prone. After ruling out my RAM and CPU I got a tool that low-level formatted the drive and it’s been solid ever since. I used http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/ to format it.

You will lose all the data on the drive. Also, to be save, disconnect all the other drives in your PC so you don’t accidentally format the wrong one.

The tool for my Samsung disk allowed me to check for errors first (and it indicated sporadic errors) so it might be wise to do that first before you start nuking it.

[mashakos]

Apple

Not trolling here, if you’re facing this amount of problems, buy a Mac and install windows 7 on it. Apple Update takes care of your drivers and you know there will be no surprises with the hardware. I hate to say it but the Mac has become the most user friendly OSX and Windows PC out there.

If it’s too pricey then you’ll have to slog through all the tech forums.
There are a lot of good PC hardware forums, googling is your best bet, but I’ll list the most useless ones (ones to avoid):

Tom’s Hardware: For The Hardcore PC Enthusiast

overclock.net
overclockersclub.com
EDIT:
whirlpool.net.au is pretty useless as well.

[Squiz]

So any recommendations for better support forums then?

[mashakos]

So any recommendations for better support forums then?

Sure:

Windows 7 Help Forums

http://hardforum.com
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/forum.php
http://www.clunk.org.uk/forums/general-pc-help-buying-advice/

[Squiz]

Merci. tenchars