Diagnosing System Crashes

[[DE]Linkski]

Here is a list of methods that you can use to potentially determine what exactly is causing your computer to prematurely shut down. Please let us know if you find anything out of the ordinary while pursuing these methods as they could be critical in solving any crashes.

 

1. Update Drivers
        - Video Card
        - BIOS
2. Spring Cleaning!
3. Virus/Malware/Adware Detection
4. Update Your O/S
5. Missing or corrupt system files
6. Temperature
7. Power Supply
8. Faulty Hard Drive
9. Underclocking
10. GPU Stress Test
11. Memory Diagnostics Tool 

 

1. Update Drivers

 

[Video Card]

 

Visit your GPU manufacturer's website to find the appropriate drivers for your video card. I would even go as far to suggest that you completely remove any old video drivers and replace them with the fresh install. 

 

Note: Running beta drivers can potentially cause crashing as they are still in the testing phase and are not always fully supported. It may also be a wise decision to try reverting your video card drivers back to a version that did not crash.

 

[BIOS]

 

- Visit the support page of your motherboard manufacturers website.

- Search for your motherboard model.

- Download the latest BIOS for your motherboard.

- DO NOT EVER SHUT DOWN THE PC WHILE THE BIOS IS BEING UPDATED.

- Restart your computer or allow the update to restart it for you.

- You will need to set your BIOS back to default, and any overclock settings or boot order as well.

--- (Note: If this crash started happening after you upgraded your BIOS then you may want to consider downgrading it to the most recently functioning version)

 

2. Spring Cleaning!

 

Dust buildup is a nasty foe in the world of technology and can likely cause your system to overheat in ways that it had no intention of doing. While I strongly suggest that you do it carefully (avoid open water, harmful chemicals, etc.), it would be a good idea to open up your PC and remove any obvious clutter. I recommend using some sort of compressed air to push the dust out into the open.

 

3. Virus/Malware/Adware Detection

 

Infected files have a very likely chance of causing system instability and may even be triggered when certain programs are run even if those programs had nothing to do with the infection in the first place. It is strongly suggested that you run full system scans to detect viruses, malware, and adware. If anything malicious is detected then be sure that it is removed immediately.

 

4. Update Your O/S

 

Windows Update popups can sometimes be annoying and people tend to turn them off, but there is a chance that this could be causing some instabilities with your system. Make sure that your Operating System has all of the most recent necessary updates before trying to run Warframe again.

 

5. Missing or corrupt system files

 

There is a chance that your Windows O/S may either be missing or have some corrupt system files. While these files may not necessary be attached to Warframe, there is a chance that running Warframe could cause your system to crash as it is searching for these files. The sfc /scannow command will scan all protected system files and replace incorrect versions with the correct Microsoft versions.

 

- Open an elevated command prompt. To do this, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Allow.

- At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER: sfc /scannow

 

More information on the functions of the sfc /scannow command can be found here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929833

 

6. Temperature

 

There is a chance that your computer might overheat while the game is running. Installing a simple program to monitor your system's temperatures would be the most accurate way to determine if this is the cause. I'd suggest using HWMonitor (https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html). Run this program behind the game and frequently tab back to it to check your temperatures for any abnormalities. Depending on your system you probably want to sit at around 40-50°C -- a system running at anywhere from 80-100°C will almost definitely be forced to shut down. 

 

7. Power Supply

 

It's easy to get wrapped up in upgrading GPUs, RAM, and CPUs however it is important to remember that all of that hardware requires a hefty amount of juice. Make sure that your power supply is powerful enough to maintain all of these moving parts or else it can cause your system to randomly shut down.  

 

8. Faulty Hard Drive

 

No hard drive is invincible. You should always be prepared for the occasional hard drive failure regardless of how recently it was purchased. CHKDSK is available on every copy of Windows and is a great way to determine whether or not your hard drive has any bad sectors.  

 

- Click Start, and then click Run. (or hold down Windows Key + R)

- In the Open box, type cmd, and then press Enter.

- Use one of the following procedures:

- To run Chkdsk in read-only mode, at the command prompt, type chkdsk, and then press Enter.

- To repair errors without scanning the volume for bad sectors, at the command prompt, type chkdsk volume:/f, and then press Enter.

 

Note If one or more of the files on the hard disk are open, you will receive the following message:

Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N)

Type Y, and then press Enter to schedule the disk check. Then, restart your computer to start the disk check.

To repair errors, locate bad sectors, and recover readable information, at the command prompt, type chkdsk volume:/r, and then press Enter.

 

More information on CHKDSK can be found here: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee872425.aspx

 

9. Underclocking

 

I understand that overclocking tends to come with the territory, so if you are someone who overclocks their PC (or even just your GPU) then I would suggest trying to reset to factory or even underclocking. At this time we may not be able to directly assist you with any issues that you may experience while overclocking, so I highly suggest that you try running as intended. It is my understanding that there have been a number of users who find this solution to be of use to them.

 

(Note: This includes both manual overclocking as well as factory overclocking.)

 

10. GPU Stress Test

 

It wouldn't hurt to make sure this isn't happening with other 3D accelerated programs. I suggest performing a stress test to determine whether or not it is your GPU that is causing you to crash. I'd recommend using a program that renders objects across your entire screen, such as FurMark (http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Benchmarks/FurMark.shtml). If it is a problem with your GPU then you should experience problems similar to the Warframe crashes upon running this program.

 

11. Memory Diagnostics Tool

 

Running the Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool can help tell you whether or not this is an issue with your system's memory. To run the tool manually, just follow these steps:

 

[Open Memory Diagnostics Tool by clicking the Start button, and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type Memory, and then click Diagnose your computer's memory problems.‌ If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

 

Choose when to run the tool.]

 

The tool should notify you of what exactly is going wrong with the memory, and may even try to remedy the situation once the scan has been completed.

 

-

 

This post may be updated in the future with additional suggestions. Once again, if you find anything out of the ordinary while running these tests then I implore you to post about it on the forums. Every bit of information helps.

 

Thanks!

Edited June 18, 2020 by [DE]Linkski

[Letter13]

I've created a guide for how users can unpark their cores here: https://forums.warframe.com/index.php?/topic/289244-framerate-drops-high-cpu-loads-cpu-overheating-this-might-fix-it-cpu-core-unparking/

If you're suffering from any sort of CPU performance issue (overheating, high load, etc) then you should give the guide a try.

If your cores are parked and you unpark them with the guide linked above, turning on Multithreaded Rendering in the launcher options may drastically increase the game's performance.

Please post results, questions or comments in the guide thread linked above.

Edited November 16, 2016 by Crunchums