Is my Gigabyte mother just too old for Windows 10/Anniversary ???

smalltown · 27 Sep 2016

I running a Gigabyte EP45-UD3R, and am having a lot of freezing, or Blue screens (rarely seems to be the same blue screen).
Power off and reboot is required the majority of the time.

A new EVGA GTX 950 card was installed hoping that would end my misery, but no.
With the help of forum members (many thanks) I have installed a fresh copy of Win 10 using a downloaded ISO file.

I have been operating without any other software. Not even E-mail. I come back to this Forum to check for responses. Begrudgingly after more issues I reinstalled my Norton utilities, it found no registry issues, but corrected DLL's. Later I added MalwareBytes. SFC, and DISM are both 100% clean. Things always seem ok for hours then the problems comes right back. The Anniversary update downloaded, and the cycle repeated.

Last evening after downloading an application from Crucial (Crucial Storage Executive) I was able to update my SSD drive firmware from M01 to M04. At first I was ok, but hours later the system started to convulse with rapid fire BSOD, and ended up with a Blue Screen I was unable to get around as file corruption was so bad.

I reinstalled another fresh copy of Win 10 (don't know what was worse waiting for the install to complete or watching the Presidential debate).

So sitting here pulling my hair out I just had the random thought that I cannot answer, (and there is no information on the Gigabyte web site): I wondered "Is my Motherboard just too old ?

I hope not as a new motherboard means a new processor, and new memory as It's just not a good time !

Personally I would have thought that if my Motherboard was too old it would not run at all, but hey what do I know ?

EdTittel · 27 Sep 2016

I think your current mobo is right on the edge of what's workable for Windows 10. You'll have to make that call for yourself. The real question is: how much time do you want to spend troubleshooting problems. I can tell you from personal experience that older gear suffers more when running Windows 10, while newer is gear is much more stable. I know it will hurt your pocketbook, but I do indeed think the right call is to upgrade/update your rig.
HTH,
--Ed--

Fafhrd · 27 Sep 2016

It's a motherboard built with good components and emphasis on durability, and despite their age, almost, if not all of the possible processors it can run will be able to support Windows 10.

I'd look at Device drivers, power supply stability, memory tests for either faulty memory, or a badly seated stick, and processor cooling: replacement of thermal paste and removal of any fouling of the heat exchange fins/fan components before condemning the motherboard or processor as being too old.

So basically a good strip-down, clean-out and inspection, then reassembly and possibly a BIOS update if available, and checking all of the BIOS settings to make sure some selection there is not causing the instability.

Then there are the mechanical and optomechanical devices - storage and optical drives, which can collect defects, without actually failing, but cause strange instabilities. DVD drives may simply be disconnected to see the effect on the system stability, Hard disks can be checked for their S.M.A.R.T. status and evidence of failure or faulting. Don't forget Keyboard and mouse, but these usually fail in obvious ways.

With 8GB RAM, and your new Graphics card, it should be a useful and useable Windows 10 machine.

pbcopter · 27 Sep 2016

While it is not the exact board but in the family, I have been using a Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P, E8400 CPU, 8GB RAM with Windows 10 since it came out.
I am currently running build 14931. I have seen no blue screens at all with any of the builds including the Anniversary update.
My graphics card is an EVGA GTX-460SC

Mystere · 27 Sep 2016

When you have random seeming BSOD's, it's typically hardware. If it's drivers, it's usually the same BSOD (though not always). Memory is typically the first thing to check. As mentioned, clean the connections on the sticks and reseat them firmly. If possible, take one stick out and run with just one for a bit, then swap it to see if it's a specific bad stick.

Heat can also cause these problems, but there is no heat difference between Windows 10 and earlier OS's.

There's also just plain weird coincidence. It does happen, you upgrade one thing and another fails at the same time, but you keep thinking it's the first things problem.

Fafhrd · 27 Sep 2016

Heat can also cause these problems, but there is no heat difference between Windows 10 and earlier OS's.

Except for the time it takes to build up a layer of lint over components from one OS release to the next! :)

smalltown · 27 Sep 2016

Tomorrow I will strip everything out clean, and reassemble as if it were a new system as I've got nothing to lose at this point.
Maybe I'll get lucky.

pbsopter your motherboard is as close as you can get to mine. Yours has 2 PCI x16 slots while mine has only 1 otherwise I think they are the same. I have tried to disable all downloads for the time being, and am sitting on Version 1511, build 10586.164

EdTittle I hear you it has been very time consuming it's eating up all my spare time.

Kbird · 28 Sep 2016

I have the same MB as Pbcopter too, the Gigabyte EP45-UD3P with 8GB ram, and it has Windows 10 with no issues , but sometimes the MB isn't upto it after years of service , but you maybe able to pick up a 2nd hand 775 Socket MB . MSI and AsRock did have New ones under $100 available last time I rebuilt one for a friend with similar weird issues , though they are likely not the quality of the GB EP45 MB's.

If you have been overclocking for a long period it maybe that you have electro-migration in the CPU causing weird issues too. I have found ,that as time went I had to slowly raise the voltage higher and higher , yr by yr , to keep stable on some machines.

KB.

smalltown · 29 Sep 2016

Just wanted to update. Normally I clean out my system case with a can of compressed air, but never remove the memory sticks.
Yesterday I took my system all apart: memory removed video card removed etc.
The only thing I did not do was to unseat the processor, and reapply thermal paste. I had been monitoring my processor temp all along so I thought that aspect was ok.

I took the case outside, and blew the whole thing out with compressed air (while holding the fan blades still).
I didn't use the canned air, but a regular garage compressor.
Reinstalled everything, and started the waiting game to see if any BSOD or freezes occur.

It has been 24 hours, and I hate to even mention that it's running ok so far for fear of jinxing things ! So I won't

I am up to Version 1511 Build 10586.589 at this point. I had tried to stop any updates, but that didn't work out so well.
I'll let the updates run their course, and see what happens when the Anniversary update loads.

One thing that struck me as odd was driver updates. If I ask device manager to check for updates on say my Microsoft keyboard it returns with the standard "Windows has determined the driver software for you device is up to date", however if I visit the Microsoft site I have an update waiting there. Same thing with my EVGA card. So I don't trust device manager to check for updates.

Kbird · 29 Sep 2016

Download Drivers from the Manufacturer unless you can't find one anywhere else , you can disable Hardware Driver Downloads too.

AU has a new update out today , upto .222 now.

KB

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