Resolved my recent experience with computer freezing

This might be helpful for folks driving by and looking for a solution to random computer freezing--and I mean freezing where you have a dead keyboard and no mouse movement and you have to push the restart button.

A few weeks ago, this PC clone (clone means not a proprietary machine like Dell, Gateway, Compaq, etc etc ) that i use only once a week or every two weeks started freezing on me. I figured it was just a random thing, so I hit the reset button and go on with my business which is consoling into Cisco network devices. Unfortunately, it seemed to get worse--a couple of times in a day. And to top it off, the desktop gadget- cpu ram meter wouldnt load after a reboot..Never got a bsod. So I am googling computer freezes and getting all the various opinions from all the folks out there. Also, using Action center, the solutions suggested a bad hard drive.. Seemed plausible to me, so I did the Windows 7 built in disk check and it passed. Then I downloaded seagate's seatools diag tool and ran both short generic and long generic and it passed. At this point, I'm willing to bet that the HD is OK. But then the machine did another freeze. Nothing is showing up in event viewer and still no bsod. My two experiences of computer freezes on other machines were A) video driver not loading for some reason B) RAM needing to be reseated lin it's socket

So I updated the vid driver on my Nvidia Geforce 550ti.. Of course Geforce added a bunch of nonsense programs like streaming, network, and experience to the update but that's a story for another day.

Bottom line, that did'nt help--another freeze

So I opened up the machine and blew out any dust that was around-- 'specially the vid card fan. Then I reseated the RAM and the vid card.

Voila'!!! It's looking good!! No freezing!! been running it hard for five days now by stressing the CPU and the Vid card and no freezing.. CPU temp is up a bit but the temp here today is 95 degrees Fahrenheit so......

Regards all!!!!

 

Most people don't understand but dust can be a very big nuisance. It can cause flaky connections or/and cause the components to overheat.

I live in Delhi, India which has a lot of dust. So I need to clean the innards at least twice a year. Works for me.

 

I am glad you put your definition of "clone" but technically all PCs are "clones ". The original "PC" was created by IBM long ago. Any PC made by another maker was considered a "clone ". Since IBM stopped making PCs, all PCs today are clones.

Not just a nuisance, but hazardous to your electronics. A layer of dust makes a very effective blanket, trapping heat underneath. As noted by the last line in my sig, "Heat is the bane of all electronics! Heat can cause a computer to hard crash which can result in corrupt data, corrupt hard drives, and even cause pre-mature component failure.

And while a good case will provide good cooling to help keep your computer innards cool, it is important to note that case fans draw in dust along with the cool air.

But note it does not matter where in the world you live because dust is not just tiny dirt particles that originate from the outdoors.

Dust also consists of fabric particles from our clothing, curtains, carpets/rugs and furniture upholstery. And much of the dust is hair and dander (dead skin) from us humans and our pets. And dust consists of millions of microscopic critters (dust mites) that eat that dander and all the microscopic fecal matter those critters leave behind.

If you have lots of foot traffic near your computer (especially from kids and pets) that dust is stirred up and drawn into our computers even more rapidly - especially if your computer is on or near the floor.

Cat dander is especially bad because it is very oily and sticky.

If someone smokes near your computers, that too is very sticky.

If your windows are open, you may need to clean more often. If your house does not have "forced air" heating or air conditioning, you may have to clean more often (forced air systems typically have air filters on the main return duct work which help reduce, but don't eliminate dust).

I insist that all my computer cases have removable and washable air filters but fans will draw dust in through all cracks and crevices, including around and through optical drives, ports, side panel edges, and other vents. So while filters mean I only have to take my computers outside to blast out with my air compressor just once or twice a year instead of 4 or more times, I still have to clean my filters every month or so.

I generally recommend EVERY computer user inspect their case interiors monthly, and clean when vents and heatsinks start to get clogged.

Also, I recommend users run a full time hardware monitor like CoreTemp to keep tabs on their CPU temp. When my CPU temps start sitting above 60°C for more than a couple seconds before dropping below 60°C, I know it is time to clean out the dust.