Re: computer freezing

"tess" <tess@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:8546A057-F0EC-42D3-9FFA-71682499A1C0@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
We've had numerous problems with our 1 month old computer with hanging and
rebooting. I really thought the problem was solved when the technician
replaced our RAM at my request. Now it boots up quickly but still hangs
at
certain times, unpredictably - never during the same activity or for any
apparent reason, but at least once in 24 hrs. Alt Ctrl Del does not work
when this happens, the only solution is to press the restart button.

I thought the Event Log would record the "freezing" event and also the
subsequent need to force the computer to restart but I can't see anything
other than information lines at the time of the problem. As the computer
shop can't seem to duplicate the problem, I'd really like to be able to
present them with some evidence of what's causing the freezing/hanging or
if
it's something simple, solve the problem myself. If it was a power
problem,
wouldn't the computer simply close down, instead of just hang? The
technicians always like to say it must be the software but we're not using
anything we didn't use on our old computer.

I have a 2.67 gig Intel Core 2 Duo, 1024 MB memory, 320 GB HD, NVIDIA
GeForce 7300 GT graphics (latest manufacturer's driver), Windows XP SP2
fully
updated, and Kaspersky Internet Security as well as the usual MS Office
and
other wellknown software.

Any advice or suggestions would be great.


If the problem is with power, yes, the system will usually shut down
suddenly. If the problem is with failing or incompatible RAM or supporting
circuitry, you will also tend to get sudden shutdowns that are not
accompanied by restarts. The same with heat related issues (which can
cause serious damage).

It's somewhat inaccurate to say that you are using the same software as
before, because your sytem almost certainly has new hardware, and that means
new drivers - which are software.

Would suggest that you start with trying Process Explorer, keeping it in a
position where you can see it, and when the system freezes, note what
processes appear to be taking the most cycles.

Frequently, system hangs like this are related to video hardware and
drivers. Sometimes the newest isn't the best, and rolling back to an older
version can aid stability.

HTH
-pk


.