Re: Computer keeps locking up.


"SC Tom" <sc@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
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"Andrew Wilson" <andrew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Andrew Wilson wrote:
"Mike Hall - MVP" <mikehall@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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"Jim" <bojimbo261@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
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On Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:52:17 +0100, "Andrew Wilson"
<andrew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

"Mike Hall - MVP" <mikehall@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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"Andrew Wilson" <andrew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
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Running Win XP Pro with SP3 with IE8 and have not
installed/uninstalled
anything for ages except Windows Updates.
I have had a trouble free run for a good time but today after
using
it
for a while the computer suddenly turns the screen purple and
then
locks
up .
I have to manually switch off and then reboot until it happens
again.
On
one instance when it rebooted it did an automatic CHKDSK which
completed
successfully with no errors found. I have also checked the
hardware
and
there is no exclamation beside any device.
Could someone please give me any further things to check?
Many thanks
Andrew

Check that it is not overheating. Look for dust in the CPU fan and
heatsink assembly, power supply etc..

--

Mike Hall - MVP Windows Experience
http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/
Mike
Many thanks I will do this. I also now suspect the video card
because
sometimes when I reboot there are small purple stripes on the POST
page
and
small white dots on the WINDOW logo screen when Windows is loading.
If
this
happens Windows doesn't actually load but goes into reboot and the
same
thing happens. If I manually switch off by holding the ON button in
for
5
seconds and then waiting 10 minutes or so Windows boots without the
purple
stripes and boots normally.
Am I correct that this could be a video card problem?
Thanks
Andrew


Could be the monitor .
Many thanks everyone for your suggestions and wisdom. I opened up the
box
and cleaned all the fans and then got all the dirt from the inside of
the
box (There wasn't much). I then removed the video card and removed
all
the dirt from this and replaced it. Switched on and the computer has
now
been running for ten hours without problem so I guess the problem is
solved.
Thanks again
Andrew

Glad it worked for you..

Unfortunately I switched on today and the same thing occurred. I tried
booting 5 times and got the purple stripes on the POST and the dots on
the
WINDOWS boot up page. It gets to where Windows is loading, beeps once
and
hangs without my desktop showing (just a black screen). It then
flashes a
blue screen of death for about half a second (far too quick to read)
and
then restarts itself and the same thing occurs.

After booting, press F5 or F8 to get the Boot menu and turn off "reboot
after error" (or whatever the terminology). Then you can see and post
the BSOD error.

I have no problem in starting and running in Safe Mode with networking,
therefore I assume that this is not a software problem.

Since no extras are running in Safe Mode, that would suggest the problem
IS with software. You might use MSCONFIG to disable startup items to
see if you can narrow down what software is the cause.

I have switched off for 10 minutes or so and Windows has booted
normally
without the stripes and dots but would this happen if the video card
was
faulty i.e it boots normally every now and again?

If leaving off for awhile cures the problem, that would suggest that a
component is over-heating. I would suspect the graphics card first,
then the power supply, or motherboard.

Your answers would be welcome.
Many thanks
Andrew

--
Joe =o)

Many thanks everyone.

I don't think that it is an overheating problem because I turned it on
this morning cold after been shut down all night and the problem occurred
immediately.

I have since managed to see the BSOD which said that I had a hardware
problem (nv4_disp) which I will now google.

I removed the graphics card but didn't have an old one so I left it out
and connected another monitor to the VGA input on the motherboard socket
itself (I normally use the DVI input on the graphics card).

This booted three times with no problems encountered. As the normal
monitor works perfectly well in Safe Mode I suspect that it is the
graphics card but can't understand why nine times out of ten it doesn't
boot but on the odd occasion it does, surely if it was faulty it wouldn't
boot at all?

By the way there has never been a fan on the graphics card (Geforce 8400
GS) but this computer was built for me and it has run for about two years
without incident.

Should I buy a new graphics card and is a fan necessary?

Thanks again
Andrew


I looked at a number of 8400GS cards online, and they all had fans on the
heatsink. I have an 8500GT on the shelf and it has a fan also. I'm
surprised yours doesn't.
nv4_disp is the Nvidia driver for your card. You can try installing an
updated driver for it from here:
http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_190.38_whql.html
and see if that helps. When the 8400 is installed is the on-board video
disabled in BIOS? It should be, but it's probably automatic with a PCI-E
card installed (it is on my Asus motherboard).

SC Tom

SC Tom
I have tried updated video drivers and the same thing happens.
Many thanks
Andrew


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