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trogers121 · Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2004 6:00 pm Post subject: computer freeze

My computer keeps freezing on me and is a real pain. Anyone got any ideas on how to deal with this apart from throwing it away!
Tom

thescruff · Moderator Joined: 03 May 2003 Posts: 4631 Location: Bath

I thought they were supposed to do that, they all seem to.

Seriously it depends what you have on it, as you probably have a conflict with one or more of your programs.

Mine although not to bad fingers crossed, some days it gets out of bed the wrong side and needs several re-boots before it behaves itselve.

Mustag scanners are a renowned for this problems, just as anti-virus programs can slow the computer down.

You should be able to view any conflicts in your system check program.

more info on what programs your running and we may be able to offer futher advise.

A free program I down loaded was called Jibreel, an anti crash prog that was very good.

scruff

Dan · Site Admin Joined: 30 Jun 2002 Posts: 131 Location: UK

Tom,

what is the computer spec and what actually happens?

Do you get any error messages?

Dan

trogers121 · Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2004 9:45 pm Post subject:

I'm running windows xp 200mb ram and the processor is an amd athlon 1.05gb speed. It shows that I have loads of memory so that shouldn't be the problem.

Dan · Site Admin Joined: 30 Jun 2002 Posts: 131 Location: UK

Tom,

first of all, make sure it's not a virus.

try downloading stinger from HERE

do you run any firewall and antivirus software?

also, the recomended spec for windows xp is...

PC with 300 megahertz or higher processor clock speed recommended; 233 MHz minimum required (single or dual processor system);* Intel Pentium/Celeron family, or AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended
128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended (64 MB minimum supported; may limit performance and some features)
1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available hard disk space*
Super VGA (800 × 600) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor
CD-ROM or DVD drive
Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

hope that is of some help !!

Dan

Guest · Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 3:03 pm Post subject:

without looking at the machine these sort of issues can be tricky to resolve as it could be a combination of thing or non OS application giving greif so there are a few things to consider

1.) when did it start happening
2.) where any new applications installed just prior
3.) where any patches/ service packs installed just prior

so we need to find the Root cause of the issue what service/process or thread is causing the issue

to clean boot XP use the guide below
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type msconfig, and then click OK.
Click the General tab, click Selective Startup, and then click to clear the following check boxes:
Process System.ini file
Process Win.ini file
Load Startup Items
Click the Services tab, click to select the Hide All Microsoft Servicescheck box, and then click Disable All.
Click OK, and then click Restart to restart the computer.
After you have performed a clean boot of Windows XP, follow these steps to close any programs that remain :
Quit all open programs.
Right-click each icon in the notification area, and then click Exit.

NOTE: The notification area is located at the far right of the taskbar, near the clock. Some programs listed in the notification area will not have Exit listed on the shortcut menu and you may have to click Quit, Close, or Disable depending on the choices available for that program.
In the Windows Security Menu, press CTRL+ALT+DEL, and then click Task Manager.
In Windows Task Manager, click Applications.
No applications appear under the Task list. If any do applications appear, click to select the application, and then click End Task.
Repeat step 5 until the Task list is empty.
Quit Windows Task Manager.

NOTE: To restore the computer to use a normal startup, on the General tab in the System Configuration Utility, click Normal Startup - load all device drivers and services, click OK, and then click Restart to restart the computer.

THe following microsoft articals may also help
WWW.MICROSOFT.COM/technet

318378 How to Reinstall or Repair Internet Explorer and Outlook Express in Windows XP

315341 How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade (Reinstallation) of Windows XP

194177 Description of the Internet Explorer Repair Tool

816769 Internet Explorer Hangs When Accessing Files

286350 How To Use ADPlus to Troubleshoot "Hangs" and "Crashes"

Edd · Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 7:36 am Post subject:

next time i will put my name to it Embarassed

poolcorgi · Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 5:08 pm Post subject:

ed do you work for a bank ?

rmcguinness · Joined: 15 Dec 2003 Posts: 33 Location: Croydon

we need to know EXACTLY what happens i.e

error messages, what application you were running, what you were doing at the time etc

Edd · Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2004 10:00 am Post subject:

Hi poolcorgi

Rik · Joined: 10 Aug 2005 Posts: 10 Location: Leeds

Had a problem with crashing and it was spyware that had sneaked into the system files. I have used PestControl since and had no problems. I didn't used to care about firewalls and adaware stuff. Since installing ZoneAlarm around October last year, 73676 intrusions have been blocked, 2789 being high-rated. Scary stuff.

JackOfAllTrades · Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2005 4:01 pm Post subject:

True, and I wonder how many more have actually got through Zone Alarm! I had 2 slip straight through their firewall, and the number picked up by Norton on the same PC is miles higher than was previously detected!

Dan · Site Admin Joined: 30 Jun 2002 Posts: 131 Location: UK

if you use broadband, get a router - has inbuilt firewall

other than that, I use Sygate for firewall and AVG Pro for virus

they are probably a much of a muchness, but i always found that norton didn't find everything and took up too much computer resource.