Windows XP: Windows XP system just randomly freezes, what’s causing this?
- 12/5/08 3:48 PM
Windows XP Freezing
by riff..raff - 11/26/08 10:57 AM In reply to: Windows XP system just randomly freezes, what’s causing this? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Your problem could be hardware related or software related. I've seen this with Mcafee installed on workstations and eventually found the memory caused the problem.
The easiest and least expensive would be to replace the memory modules and uninstall Mcafee. (you may need to google uninstall mcafee to get an uninstaller) If this doesn't help, check the operation of the fans on the unit. If they aren't keeping the laptop processor cool enough, they should be replaced. You may be able to check the fan temps in the bios.
You may also check the Windows event log to see if there's any information relating to software problems.
Worst case would be the power supply or motherboard are causing the problem, which you could get diagnostic software from Dell to maybe verify this. This is freely available on Dell's website using the tag number of your computer to search for it or by selecting the F10 key on bootup. Check http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/driverslist.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&ServiceTag=&SystemID=INS_PNT_1501&os=WW1&osl=en&catid=&impid=
Good luck.
Memory
by finalquest - 12/5/08 6:27 PM In reply to: Windows XP Freezing by riff..raffSeems as though RAM seems to be the culprit. I was running an ATI All in Wonder and kicked it out for an Nvidia chipset when I thought I had a problem *BUT* the problem persisted. I then decided to yank ram and that cleared it up. After numerous system checks and video card change outs the only thing left *IS* RAM. I started looking at software and everything else but found that by pulling RAM, my problem was solved. Ram conflict issues are major but oftentimes overlooked problem. Hope I helped.
Good Luck !
That happened to my machine too.
by nikhilsct - 11/28/08 12:53 AM In reply to: Windows XP system just randomly freezes, what’s causing this? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
It is very unfortunate to say that your display adapter(or your graphics card, if you have any) may be damaged.
It was the same case with my P2, 350Mhz machine, back in 2k.
Primarily check your monitor cables.
Plug in ur monitor to another machine, and check whether it works fine.
Nikhil S.
The culprit was...
by Amos16 - 11/28/08 9:06 AM In reply to: That happened to my machine too. by nikhilsctHi - did memtest, spybot S&D, CCleaner and everything else in my bag of tricks. Nothing worked and the comp froze at various stages of operation including the BIOS stage before presenting Windows. Until I uninstalled SP3. Since then it has reverted to being its old energetic and stable self, working under SP2. Amos
the problem with vista me too
by terryfulton12 - 11/29/08 4:31 AM In reply to: The culprit was... by Amos16sp3 going with current apple software
re : Windows XP freezes
by dhanuslk - 11/29/08 11:06 AM In reply to: Windows XP system just randomly freezes, what’s causing this? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Well windows as we all now love to freeze up at very crucial times , but since most of yourll have been similar problems with your laptops i suggest you guys try out the basics first
1) make sure that the exhaust vents on your LT's arent covered for a long period of time , heat also leads to such problems
2) make sure you guys actually switch off your LT's rather than just closing the flap which will lead to pc to go into hibernation , this process is also well known to really give problems
3)run a windows update to have it patched up to latest ones released
updates
by Amos16 - 11/30/08 2:46 AM In reply to: re : Windows XP freezes by dhanuslkSorry to be contradicting you: in my case it was the updates that did the harm: MS foisted SP3 on me in one of the updates. I thought why not leave well enough alone. But it turned out not to be well at all, UNTIL the SP3 part was uninstalled. All the rest, as I pointed out, was done and even redone, including System Restore, but - nada. Hope this helps some of the posters in this thread. - Amos.
XP SP3 was my Problem also
by bobct1945 - 12/6/08 8:10 AM In reply to: updates by Amos16After installing XP SP3 on a laptop and a desktop I experienced lockup when the wireless NIC PCMCIA and USB devices tried to connect while using the Manufacturer's Software to manage the connection.
The problem went away when I disabled the OEM Manager and used Microsoft's Wireless Zero service to configure and manage the NICs.
xp freezes up the computer
by bobtubnj - 12/6/08 9:11 AM In reply to: updates by Amos16I had the same problem on one of my computers, after trying dozens of Windows "fixes" I finally uninstalled the silly OS and put on Ubuntu 8.04. Since then, no problems at all, the unit runs faster and boots faster. Suggest you get a modern OS, Ubuntu is good, so is the newest Fedora version. Why make Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer any richer, lose Windows and get modern! 
Bobby B
Fresh install of OS
by deowll - 12/6/08 3:54 PM In reply to: xp freezes up the computer by bobtubnjA fresh install of the OS can often fix a lot of what look like "hardware" problems.
I did the same thing and installed Ubuntu on an old machine and got back a CD drive that XP forgot. On the other hand it still doesn't know the card reader is there.
A fresh XP install may do the same thing but MS doesn't like install versions of the OS to ship with the computer and if you don't have your drivers you may have problems. It can still take for freaking ever to get all the plug ins you need up and running and waste a day to do it depending and that's if you know what you are doing.
Ubuntu is a heck of a lot fasteer if and only if it comes with the drivers you need. I'm looking at super high res 30 inch monitor right now and I got my doubts about getting full use out of this if I switch with this machine but I could be wrong. Ubuntu will let you try before you install.
Changing OS means that you just threw away all your old software. This can be a huge Ouch! In fact it might mean it would be a heck of lot better to buy a new machine and stick with windoze rather than change if your job matters to you.
Windows XP Randomly Freezes or Locks up
by waytron - 11/30/08 4:50 AM In reply to: Windows XP system just randomly freezes, what’s causing this? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
This type of problem can be caused by a large number of issues. But it is for sure NOT because your hard drive is too small. An 80gig hard drive with 40 percent free is perfectly fine. Although it is always a good idea to have plenty of available drive space, you generally do not need to be really concerned until you start getting down to less than 15% free.
BACKUP your data first… I know I sound like a broken record, but before you start any diagnostics you need to make sure that you have backed up any and all important data. Some diagnostics and repair procedures could make things worse leading to not being able to boot the computer at all or even corrupting the data on your hard drive.
FIRST - Is the computer Really Locked or Frozen? – Sometimes people think that their computer has frozen or locked up when all that has happened is their mouse or touchpad stopped working or maybe the keyboard connector is loose.
Does Ctrl+Alt+Del do anything?
Do the Caps Lock or NumLoc keys cause the indicator lights to change?
Do you see the Hard Drive activity light flashing?
Sometimes plugging in an external USB mouse can solve the problem. If you happen to be using a cordless mouse or keyboard, try replacing the batteries.
Also, it is always a good idea to unplug all unnecessary USB devices such as printers, scanners, iPods and USB drives just to rule out a problem there.
If the computer is really frozen then this can typically be caused by 1 of 3 things:
Overheating
Hardware Failure
Software Problem
OVERHEATING – Overheating issues are common with laptops, notebooks and netbooks computers because of there small size, densely packed electronics and limited space and methods available to cool them down. It is not uncommon for the cooling system to become clogged with dust or for a cooling fan to fail. Overheating can also be caused by using your laptop on soft surfaces such as carpeting, bed covers and pillows. These surfaces have a tendency to block the cooling vents causing it to overheat. Use a can of compressed air to blow the dust out of the cooling vents and check to make sure that you can hear the fan. Note any changes to the fan noise or the frequency to which the fan turns on and off. I typically recommend using a cooling pad under stationary laptops (especially laptops that are left on all the time).
HARDWARE FAILURE – A hardware failure can be anything from an improperly seated or bad memory module to a failed hard drive or system board. The very first thing to do is to run a hardware diagnostic test. Dell has a built-in diagnostic test and can be started by either taping the F12 key while booting and selecting diagnostics or holding the Fn key down while booting. Place a known good CD (NOT BLANK) into the drive before starting the test. Run the full battery of tests. For other computers, you may need to download other diagnostic tools such as memtest386. To help rule out memory problems, if you happen to have 2 memory modules installed, you could remove one at a time and reboot to see if the problem goes away.
EVENT LOG – Your computer keeps a log file of various events and you can often find an error in the log file that may lead you to the solution to your problem. Take note of the exact time that your computer freezes by looking at the system clock on the lower right task bar. Then check the all the log files for events around that time of the freeze for any hints. If the error log indicates a specific file name then use Google to search that file name for clues as to what might be causing the problem. You can access the Log files by
Clicking on START > CONTROL PANEL > ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS > EVENT VIEWER. Then select each section on the left panel and search for errors. Double click any error to display further details. You can Google the results to learn more about each error you find.
SOFTWARE PROBLEM – First, you had mentioned that you had to manually shut down your computer whenever it freezes. Manually turning off your computer by simply removing the power or holding down the on/off button can often cause hard drive corruption, so it is important to scan your hard drive for errors. Error scanning also known as Scandisk or CHKDSK can be performed by Double clicking on MY COMPUTER, RIGHT CLICK on your C: Local drive and select PROPERTIES > Select TOOLS > Select CHECK NOW in the ERROR CHECKING section > Place a check in both Check boxes > Click on START NOW. You will now receive a message indicating that this procedure can not be performed now but would like to know if you want it to run this the next time the computer restarts. You click on YES and then reboot your computer. NOTE: This process can take several hours depending on the size and condition of your hard drive.
Now that you have scanned the hard disk for errors and you are still having the problems and you still have no clue as to the source of the problem, your next step is to start your computer in a Safe Mode to see if that helps the problem. To boot into Safe Mode, start tapping the F8 key while the computer is booting until you get to the Startup Menu, then use your arrow keys to select Safe Mode and hit the Enter Key. If the computer seems fine in Safe Mode, try exercising it a little by running a virus scan or Spyware scan to see if you can get it to freeze.
If you think you have narrowed it down to some kind of software issue and the event viewer did not give you any useful clues then I usually start with running full Virus and Spyware scans followed by removing (uninstalling) the most common problem causing software such as Antivirus, Firewall and All-In-One Printer Software. Rather than uninstalling you can also use msconfig to prevent individual programs and services from starting to help isolate which application might be causing the problem. To use MSCONFIG: Click on START > RUN > type in msconfig > Click on OK. You can use the STARTUP tab to check and uncheck various items, then reboot to see if your problem is still there. You can also go to the SERVICES tab and do the same thing there, however it is probably best if you check the “HIDE ALL MICROSOFT SERVICES” box so that you do not shut down any required Microsoft services.
NOTE: Depending on the resources available to you, a rather quick method to determine if the problem is caused by either a failing hard drive or some kind of software problem is to install another hard drive in the computer and reinstall Windows on that. If the problem goes away, you have at least narrowed it down to either a bad hard drive or some kind of software issue thus ruling out, bad motherboard, defective memory, cooling issues, loose connections or any other hardware related issues.
Good Luck!
Dana
Wayland Computer
Windows XP Randomly Freezes or Locks up
by gene_71 - 12/5/08 6:35 PM In reply to: Windows XP Randomly Freezes or Locks up by waytronWell, You have McAfee on Your pc, That's one of Your problems right there. McAfee is worthless, I wouldn't give You fifty cents for it. I put it to the test. I scanned a floppy I knew had 2 viruses on it. McAfee said no threats found. Then I tested AVG, it failed as well. Norton didn't even get started good and it popped up and told Me I had to viruses on that floppy. Norton is the best, I use nothing but.
regarding freeze up
by Henning0637 - 12/5/08 10:36 PM In reply to: Windows XP Randomly Freezes or Locks up by gene_71do a fully clean-up- also delete "prefetch"
In services shut down processes you dont use.
I dont agree on Norton is best.
tried it it failed me, i had trouble.
i use panda global. it seem to stop threats before they hit ur software.
ive attached an exstra fan which runs with double speed and it dont blow on motherboard but sucks out the heat from pc-case. I have good results on that. but it cant be done on a LT.
virus scan
by gordon162 - 12/6/08 7:34 AM In reply to: Windows XP Randomly Freezes or Locks up by gene_71i would like to know if you had tried avast,home addition,or avast pro.
I have avast pro and, not sure how good it is.
Best AV
by LloydSchulz - 12/6/08 9:17 AM In reply to: virus scan by gordon162Independent Virus Bulletin compares AV programs. ESET NOD32 is not free, but cheaper than McAfee or Norton, and way better. Doesn't freeze (or slow way down) PC like others, and much better at catching new viruses.
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