My computer was restarting abruptly. I changed the settings to prevent restart. Now it shows a BSoD
"Machine check exception" 0x0000009C
System : Intel Pentium IV , windows xp.
My troubleshooting so far :
1. I allowed the computer to boot up and entered BIOS setup. Then allowed it to sit in BIOS. It did not reboot. I think we can rule out overheating and processor related problems.
2. Booted windows xp in safe mode and allowed it to remain. It rebooted after a while. So we can rule out any software related problems.
3. It has 512 Mb ddr2 ram ( single stick ). I changed this with a new ram. This did not solve the reboot problem. so RAM is unlikely the cause.
4. Changed the ram to the second slot. It did not stop the rebooting. So faulty slot in motherboard is not the problem.
Its getting bit frustrating to pin point the cause. My suspects still are :
a. hard disk overheating / faulty bus
b. some problem in motherboard circuit/capacitors etc , now this would be a tough nut to crack. It is a new motherboard , so should not be so.
c. some weird window xp problem. may be i need to re-install. By the way i forgot to mention that I was getting the restart problem during installation of my current windows. does that point to anything ?
