win2k - why does it hang up on me?

[keen to learn]

hi -
I recently downloaded and installed sp3 for win2000. once it was installed
it prompted me to restart my machine I got a
dreaded blue screen error - now matter what I or (dell support did) I
couldn't get the machine to reboot. I cant recall
the exact error - it was a few weeks ago and ive been trying to get back up
to speed (not enough good backs up done - but that's another story!)

since reformatting and re installing w2000 when I minimise a program my
machine freezes for a few seconds - i.e. if I have a cd
playing in one of the tray it will stop then restart, or my mouse or program
in the foreground will hang for a second or 2.

the pc is a dell dimension 8100 p4 1000hz / 512ram. win2000 sp1 - (please
don't even suggest sp3!)

before the reinstall it was fine with loads of apps up and running and it
never missed a beat, now it seems to be tinkering on the
end of doom when ever more than a couple of programs are running at the same
time.

thanks for any help - if you need any more info please let me know.

 

[keen to learn]

Hi Jace

Thanks for the reply - but why would my pc now start acting up,
I have installed the same version of win2000 onto the same pc, before it was
reinstalled was very stable?

Thanks for any info / help

 

[Tom Koller]

Hi Jace

Thanks for the reply - but why would my pc now start acting up,
I have installed the same version of win2000 onto the same pc, before it was
reinstalled was very stable?

Thanks for any info / help

If you wiped the drive and used the Dell restore CD, things should be
perfect. Although you loose all your data and apps. If in the past you
upgraded the OS on the Dell to Win2k, it used the drivers already on the
drive. So when you wiped and reinstalled, you lost the drivers for all
your devices.

These restore woes and a lack of money is why I will never buy a brand
name PC for persoal use. Either build your own or find one here:
http://www.pricewatch.com/menus/m43.htm

 

[keen to learn]

Hi Tom

Thanks for the info / help - the machine was installed with the same version
of win2000 that it came with - only from the installation cd rather than
being factory installed - maybe thats got something to do with it?

the drivers have never been updated - but maybe there is something in the
factory install that might differ from what the 'very helpful' man at dell
talked me through!

would you go with the 'new drivers' and sp4 - im very wary of 'sp's' now!

Thanks

Keen to learn....

 

[Jace]

That's a tough one but it could be outdated drivers, when you reload the OS,
the drivers are back to factory (or sp1 level) so if you had ever updated
the drivers prior to reinstalling, you have lost some ground by
reinstalling.

1. Apply sp4, and please select the option to Archive Files (default)

2. Have you gone through your Bios settings to make sure they are correct? I
have had to reset my computer before to correct a lockup and found that my
Bios settings had been altered. This has happened more than once, in
conjunction with my CD-RW drive not releasing a cd, thus forcing me to reset
the computer.

3. That said, I highly recommend sp4. I have put it on 26 machines in my
domain at work and it has been slick so far. Also, sp1 is very old and there
have been soooo many fixes since then.

4. Check for updates again after installing sp4 @
http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp

 

[Dan Seur]

keen - neither you nor anyone else has mentioned looking at Event Viewer
for clues. Are there any? Also, what does Device Manager show? Any odd
device situations? And of course there's always a chance that an
intermittent hardware (likely disk) hiccup started happening,
coincidentally at the time you applied a service pack...

You also might check at the Dell site that their latest drivers for each
of your hardware devices are the ones you've actually got installed.
Your Dell CD might in fact be not quite identical to the package Dell
installed originally.

 

[Tim Gregory]

This is a known problem with SP3 that affects computers
that (if I remember correctly) had certain hotfixes
applied before the SP. (Another reason to wait a awhile
after a SP comes out to install it.) The fix however was
easy. Simply boot the Windows 2000 install CD and run the
MS repair utility, though in your case it looks like you
already reinstalled the OS. Hopefully you have some sort
of a ghost.

 

[Tom Koller]

Hi Tom

Thanks for the info / help - the machine was installed with the same version
of win2000 that it came with - only from the installation cd rather than
being factory installed - maybe thats got something to do with it?

the drivers have never been updated - but maybe there is something in the
factory install that might differ from what the 'very helpful' man at dell
talked me through!

would you go with the 'new drivers' and sp4 - im very wary of 'sp's' now!

Thanks

Keen to learn....





I

That's a tough call. I am biased to generic if you didn't notice. At
least for personal use. For corporate use it is hard to beat what Compaq
was before HP got 'em. As for the OS, I run SP3. I like it and have
heard nothing credible about it that was really bad. And with any form
of software, the latest is definatley not always the greatest.

I suggest starting with a clean install, that means you should try to
avoid using Dell software. I don't know if your CD will allow that. Then
check Device Manager to see what you have for hardware. Then try the
generic drivers. Probably ATI video and Equisonic/Creative Labs audio
and such. If that fails see what Dell has for current drivers.That is
the generic fix for almost anything. But I might have a better idea now.

Open task manager and select processes. If you click on the CPU button
once, the tasks that are using the most CPU time will show on the top of
the list. Make it lag out and take note of the top task. Then do a
www.google.com search for that task. It is usually easy to find. Based
on what you learn you can make a better decision.

 

[keen to learn]

hi
thanks to all for the help - I am in the process of updating drivers and I
will look at the sp3 / sp4 once I have backed up all my work and more - one
thing I noticed is that I have 2 problem devices in device manager. I have
uninstalled both - one a 2nd mouse? and the other a unknown device. however
when I re-boot windows hardware wizard finds something and try's to
reinstall it again! - cant think of any physical devices that would cause
it - if anyone has any ideas please chip in...

 

[Jace]

You should probably install this software from Intel:

http://downloadfinder.intel.com/scripts-df/Detail_Desc.asp?agr=N&ProductID=816&DwnldID=5811

Choose the English version for a smaller download.