Tired Of Hanging Out

Hello everyone,

I am currently running Windows XP Pro and everything is running just fine except for the OS itself. On a very irregular basis the system hangs or freezes. The mouse doesn't operate, I can't get a response with cntl-alt-del and there is no change on the screen. This doesn't seem expecially strange except that when I finally restart the computer it comes back without wanting to check the hard drive or files. I have another computer running the same software as this one and no problem.

I have tried running regscrupxp with no change. I have also tried all the maintainence programs that MS supplies with no error result. So far this has been a very elusive problem; any help would be appreciated.

 

Hello phar1944,

One MS patch that caused widspread symptoms similiar to yours was the first issue of MS critical update 811493 dated 4/17 (I think). The second issued in May fixed it.

The way I would tackle this problem is:

Bring up the system in safe mode and add apps one at a time to see if there are any software conflicts.

Make sure that all your drivers are up to date.

If the problem is recent enough and if you have a System Restore point just prior to it, go back to that point. This may give you a clue as to what caused this, software install or an MS update.

Regards - Charles

 

Usually if an XP machine locks up hard enough that C+A+D won't do something, it's a hardware issue.
Have you tested the RAM thoroughly?
Have you installed the proper chipset drivers, and/or updated them?
Have you checked the temperatures?

 

Reboot, what specifically do you mean by chipset drivers? I have the same freeze problem and have been replacing hardware, one piece at a time. The only thing left is the hard drive. The freezes are random, and the comp doesn't always boot correctly afterward. Any advice appreciated.
Johanna

 

MS has a Memory diagnostic tool for chacking potential RAM problems here http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

Regards - Charles

 

Random freezes, especially ones that won't allow any recovery, and you must hit reset, or do a hard restart, are always hardware related, either flaky components, flaky drivers, conflicting devices, or heat.
Every motherboard has a chipset. There are quite a few different ones, VIA, Intel, SiS, etc...Find out which one you have, and install the drivers for it.
The best RAM testing software is DocMem from www.simmtester.com
Pull the case, and CAREFULLY clean all the fans and heat sinks.
Check temps in BIOS if you can.

 

Thank you all very much for all the suggestions. I am persuaded that there is a problem with the hardware based on what you say and by the fact that an almost identical system runs just fine a mere two rooms away. I will check the memory but I think the most likely cause of the problem is heat. I will know for sure today because it is the first day in over a month that the temperature here in Phoenix has dropped below 100 degrees. While it is considerably cooler in the house, it is still quite warm compared to other months of the year.

Thanks for the information I will proceed with full testing and temperature measuring and will endeavor to let everyone know what the outcome is.

Paul

 

Running a gig of RAM, tests fine. Temps all within normal. THINK I have the right drivers for the motherboard. Still randomly freezes. Forgot, still have the old cd-rw. Replacing it next.

 

Reboot,

Thanks for the simmtester link, always nice to have tools to cross check each other.

Regards - Charles

 

i had the exact same problem in Windows 98.

it happened after i got broadband and a PC upgrade. it turns out that the network card supplied by Telewest worked fine with my old board (FIC with PIII500) but randomly froze on my current set up (Jetway V266b with AMD 1600XP CPU)

I phoned Telewest helpline who were spot on when they suggested another network card

I replaced the card and hey presto.....no freezing.

Def sounds like a hardware issue

 

Hi, everyone,
just the other day I found a tip on finding out whether freezing is a hardware or software issue:
when your comp freezes, hit any key on the keyboard (counting!), when you hit the 17th time and your comp beeps, it´s a hardware issue. this should be reliable 9 out of 10 times.
regards,
werner

 

c'mon, Werner...did you make that up?

 

I´m sorry, Johanna, I mixed it up. My reply should read that on the 17th hit it´s a SOFTWARE problem.
No, I didn´t make this one up. It´s part of a "TopTricks "-PDF file I downloaded from http://www.programfiles.com. The explanation given is the following:
Inevitably, you will be challenged with a hung computer. It could be stuck
on a blue screen, flashing a "Please Wait" message endlessly or
seemingly frozen in time. Your biggest immediate problem is determining
where to start to look for the problem "“ is it hardware or software?
Here is a quick test that is accurate about 90% of the time. First, try to
recreate the problem and get it to the point where the computer has just
hung. If you can’t do this, don’t worry about it "“ the trick still works.
Next, begin pressing a single key on the keyboard. Count each keystroke.
If you get a beep on the 17th keystroke, then you know your computer
hanging is a result of a software problem. If you do not hear the beep,
then you know you have a hardware problem.
The reasoning is simple. Each keystroke is entered into a 16 byte
keyboard buffer. Normally, if the hardware is working properly, each of
these keystrokes is dealt with by the software application. It would
withdraw the keystroke from the buffer ensuring that you never hear the
beep of a full buffer. But if you do hear the beep, then the application is
not doing its thing "“ it is not withdrawing that keystroke. The hardware is
operating correctly because you could hear the beep. It is the software
application that is the culprit.

So, that´s the reason why 17 keystrokes do the "trick ".

btw, I would never, ever think of giving a reply making up things!

Regards,
Werner

 

Thank you for teaching me something! I did not mean to be rude! Just after beating my head against a wall for a month trying to figure out why my comp is randomly freezing, I found the explanation rather absurd! But your explanation makes sense, and I appreciate you sharing the clarification with me. Sorry that I doubted your sincerity!
Johanna

 

Nope, didn't work last 3 freezes, and today I lost two weeks of accounting (I keep the books for my church) TG for backups! Bought a new cdrw today, gonna install it this weekend...running out of ideas. Already tried nfdisk, reinstalled XP about a month ago, same problems. New Motherboard, processor, ethernet card, power supply...at this point, the only thing left to replace is the HD, and that will be next week, because this is maddening! This system operated flawlessly for nearly 2 years, and I use it hard. Now I'm hitting control-S every couple of minutes. Thought my screensaver might be a problem (I like to use "my pics slideshow ", but that isn't it either. I have run every diagnostic Mike Flynn and the internet have suggested, can't find anything. All the drivers are up to date, no software conflicts that I am aware of (Hey, it all coexisted nicely before!) running out of ideas. I appreciate any fresh suggestions anyone might have. Getting ready to junk the whole thing and build another one...but...I like this system. When it is working right, it can't be beat! Hoping it is the cdrw...and it may well be. It freezes almost every time I try to burn an audio cd (with Roxio, Nero and MMJB), but will burn data disks just fine. Hmmm... Disconnected and uninstalled the printer, and that reduced the freezes, but it hasn't stopped them. Bought a new printer today, hooked my old one up to my daughter's comp, and no problems at all. Ugh. I just want my comp back!!! Thanks all for your tips and suggestions, and I really wasn't trying to be a smart alec about the keyboard idea. I never heard of that one before. The only way to recover from a freeze is hit reset, and it doesn't always boot just right the first time. Thanks for reading this tragic saga.
TIA
Johanna

 

I have tried the "17" keystroke routine three times with these random hangs and there was no beep. This would indicate that there is a hardware problem but I think I have eliminated nearly everything I can. I notice that the hangs or freezes are not easily tracked because what caused a freeze one time won't do so the next time. If this is in fact a hardware problem, there is a very flaky piece of gear in my system. BTW, I even swapped out the power suppy.

 

Just a little bit of a shotgun approach here, but how about a BIOS update and pull all the cards, ram, cpu, etc. off the mainboard clean with air and reseat. Download your hard drive manufacturer’s diagnostic utilities and run a check. If you are running a VIA chipset it's important to get the latest drivers.

 

Beep codes and what they mean http://www.computerhope.com/beep.htm#04 and to find BIOS brand specific codes http://www.google.com/search?q=power+on+self+test+beep+codes

The references comes from the July 17 edition of Fred Langa's newsletter.

Regards - Charles

 

I think I have found the problem with the hangs. It seems to be my hard drive. It is a 60 Gig Maxtor drive. I finally got sick and tired of the hangs and ran a full low level format on the drive which found no errors. I then proceeded to reload XP Pro from scratch twice. Both times it loaded and ran for a while and shortly gave me a message saying that system config was corrupted. I have two other hard drives with identical software loaded and they run just fine in this system, ergo it must be the 60 gig drive even though it tests all right.

Thanks for all the help.