Notes on Recovering From System Crash and How it May Help Someone Else

Deeeeeeee

Hi all. Here is what I learned:

System running GSA-SER crashed. Was running on a PC, not VPS.  With tons of other software NOT for SEO as well as other SEO software. And NO recent disk image!

At some point, Windows crashed.

Made a new OS from  a basic one I had, all was OK. 

BUT...GSA was crashing. Photoshop was crashing. Any time the processor hit high, my system intermittently crashed.

Nothing was helping.

Windows logs showed the on-board graphics card software faulting and then the system going down..but it wasn't EVEN the graphics processor or it's firmware or software.

 

This was a secondary issue (apparently??) caused by.........OVERHEATING!

Huh? How?!  I had to remove a drive with a faulty power plug receptacle. Turns out it will not spin up unless on the SATA power coming directly from power supply. The extension cable works...and doesn't. So rn it's out of the case, but works.

In the process, I undid the processor fan lock. I left it open.

Locking the fan in place, it seems OK now.

Not a Windows fault after all, nor Windows update, nor a program/"app"  fault (tho there are lots of them haha, but not from GSA), nor malware, nor a virus, nor a rootkit.

Tho I did learn about sick $#!+ called microcode and EFI persistent malware and just how comprehensive the Windows error-logs are, tho not always an answer to de-bugging ALL system issues.

Remember, if it's not a VPS, check your physical set up FIRST on odd happenings, GSA friends..