XP Freezes Durning Download Or Before?

Hi I would greatly appreciate some help on my problem

What happens is XP Freezes ..Now this happens sometimes not all the time ..its only for certain links or files I download ..I find sometimes most rarely when I click on a link and want to download XP Freezes ..Other times I find it will be during the download lets say for example 5% done and then xp freezes sometimes it could even be 40% done ...I really need help with this and would greatly be thankfull


I have:
AMD QDI Thunderbird 1 (via chip) 996Mhz
TNT2/TNT2Pro Video Card
OnBoard Sound Card
30 + 60 Maxtor 7200 Hard Drives
SOHOware 10/100 PCI Network Adapter

 

XP-home or XP-pro?

Network or stand-alone? If network, home or business and peer or domain?

What sort of internet connection?

Are you using a download accelerator of any kind?

Any specific file type that gives problem or a protocol like FTP?

Any errors in your event logs that might pertain to the lock-ups?

New problem or old one?

If new, any hardware/software changes or additions just before the problem started?

 

XP - Pro

Cable Connection
( I in my time have had Cable and ADSL Connections both experienced same problem)

I am through a router at the moment ( Yet I have been stand alone and same problem occrused again with both lines)

No Download Accelerator of any kind

No Errors show up in event log

It happens from FTP to HTTP ..Sometimes When I'm downloading a file and sometimes when I just simply click on a link to download a file.

Old Problem ..always happend in XP pro

 

Thanks for the detail. That helps. The freeze with no error written to the event log especially helps.

My best guess at this point would be a problem with your network card. Probably not cable since you would't likely be able to use the same one for connecting to the switch and directly to the modem.

First thing I'd do is power down, remove the NIC and put it back in. Different slot if you have one. And make sure it is firmly, completely seated in the slot.

If that doesn't help and you can easily get another one, try a different card.

Also, couldn't hurt and might help if a file has gotten messed up and is mimicing a hardware issue to try start~run~sfc /scannow to check for and replace any damaged system files. You'll need your install CD if any files are found to need replacing.

 

K Thanks for your help ....

 

Thing is it works fine in FreeBSD and Linux ...and any other OS I only find this problem in Windows XP ...

 

It may not even be the cause of your problems. But certainly worth finding out.

And not at all unusual for marginal hardware to work some places and not others.

But if none of that helps, post back.

 

K i tried your suggestions still not working ...

I know computers fairly well and I just can't fiqure this one out ..its got me really stumped =\

 

Hummmmmmmmm,
Just a thought of the top of my head,but you might have already done this. go to run >msconfig--then go to the start up tab and click on. go to the 'disable all' button bar and click on. Restart your computer.Go to the internet and do what you were having trouble with and see if you still have that problem. If you DON'T,then it is an application probably causing it and you will have to find out which one. Check out first ANY thing running in the backgound while using your computer-,anti-virus, fire wall,any modem booster etc..----If you still have the problem when you have had all the programs disabled, then go back to misconfig> start up tab and click back on 'Enable all" and restart your computer. NOTE: the 'Enable all" will do just that "ALL" your programs. You might have not have had 'ALL' your programs running 'BEFORE' you first disabled them!, so note the ones not running 'BEFORE' you click the "Disable All' button bar.------------------------Donald
PS: I know you know all this ,but, wonder if you tried it

 

na Tried them all and it still happens ...Took me a while to do it cause I went through each program ...

 

Newt says:

Just curious, if there is no appliction hang (freeze) shown in the event log, what does that circumstance add to or subtract from a problem analysis?

It seems to me if the problem event is not monitored and recorded that would be a problem in itself.

 

er I suppose so yes ...I am not 100% sure about that tbh ...I fiqured windows just didn't catch everything...

Prehabs there is a way to fix that or a application that would catch this.

 

KenKeith - I'm not code-literate enough to know in any detail how the event logs work but I have noticed that M$ apps will normally write an event if they have a problem; that hardware calls that are not handled properly by the HAL will normally write an event, and that blatant hardware failures that don't cause an instant system crash will normally write an event. By "normally" I mean better than 99% of the time (my guess). So basically the lack of an event is not good but it at least eliminates lots of possibilities.

A marginal NIC or one not well seated can cause this exact set of symptoms and not write events. Seen a few over the years. So that seemed like a logical place to start doing some serious looking.

milkti - I'm still leaning heavily toward a hardware issue of some sort. Now just gotta try to figure out what. Way too late tonight but will give it some more thought.

Meanwhile, are you in a position to try a different NIC and cables? Not worth buying additional but if you could borrow known good ones, I'd say it was worth a try.

 

I am pretty sure its not hardware I have spoken to others aournd who have XP running with the same Networkcard

I have used 2 other cards in the past ...

Something in the back of my head says VIA chip but I dunno ...QDI has made some really bad MBs in there time with some bad support from the VIA Chips I know I had several problems with win2k cause of it ...but could my VIA chip cause problems with my Eternet card in XP ...?

 

Milkti,
My event logs show several instances with app hangs (error event 1001 & 1002 that work in pairs) and there is a text description of the event created by the source of the event. The system always recovers without my intervention. Without my knowledge in fact, I have had numerous errors and warning entries.

You may want to verify you have the proper settings. Event Viewer will display "view ". Click on that and verify that all event types are checked (Filter and Find). In the Customize category, I have everything checked. It seems to me, you should have something displayed??

 

nope ...Just doesn't show in the log ...

 

As you explain, your problem is random and intermittent. Without establishing some consistency to the malfunction, it is very difficult to find a solution.

I suppose there may be the possibility that a malfunction does not write an entry in the event log, but as you indicate there are more than a few problems from different sources that cause a hangup, and at least there should be a record for one hang!

I am not familiar with the software design that attempts to recover from a conflict, but I believe the routine would establish the source of the problem without difficulty so a user can intervene and correct.