Random startup freezes???

comp freezes on windows xp and vista bootups???

it's random too.

changed cpu fan.. to stock intel heatsink running at stock speed. freezes up on boots... first time it boot ok 2nd no ,, after a while 3rd it booted.. before i couldn't boot at all but now that i replaced the heatsink it's boots randomly which is still better than before . what could be causing this ... i know it's the cpu but is it defective??? it failed the burnin test (dos)before i changed the fan. If i gett it to boot into windows i do a stress test it doesn't even die. (well i did it for like 1/2 an hour..) peaked at62 with core temp.. still.... in bios before it said it was 47-50 C even so it should still boot.. is it the motherboard??? how do i test the motherboard if it is?? i know how to test everything else but this....Random startup freezes???
Well, it sounds like you've done your homework (as much as you can, really). It does sound like a cpu problem, but when I suspect cpu problems I usually don't screw with swapping out heat sinks. If you have another processor lying around that is the same socket type (unlikely, I know) try that and see what it does. If you have another mb lying around that is the same socket type (again, unlikely) try that... I would try buying another mb - they're not terribly expensive. You're gambling that that won't fix it, but so what? You might be ready to build a new PC anyway, and you can still use your comptuer case, ram, video card, sound card etc, so it's not that big'a deal. If you bought another processor (not so cheap) you run the risk of a possibly faulty mb frying your new and expensive processor.



But to answer your concerns a little more directly - I don't know of a tell-all solution to testing motherboards. Usually when they behave that bad, I just chunk'm.