Bob said:
Hi Group,
I've been having a problem with XP freezing up. Sometimes it "resets"
itself and goes back to normal and other times I have to do a hard
shutdown, just cut the power to the PC. When this happens, Task
Manager shows that
explorer.exe has gone from it's normal 30,000k to over 500,000K and
the Page File Usage has gone from it's normal 250 MB to over 1.5 GB.
Any ideas as to what could be causing this. I'd appreciate any ideas
anyone could offer.
Bob
You haven't given us enough information about the software or hardware
of your computer to get a specific answer. Here are troubleshooting
steps for both areas:
A. For software issues - 1) scan with current antivirus ("current" means
a version not earlier than 2003 using updated virus definitions); 2)
remove spyware with Spybot Search & Destroy (
www.safer-networking.org)
and Ad-aware (
www.lavasoftusa.com). These programs are free, so use
them both since they complement each other. You may also want to run
CWShredder and HijackThis from
http://aumha.org/freeware.htm. Although
CWShredder is no longer being updated, it will still clean older
variants of the CoolWebSearch malware. A combination of HijackThis and
About:Buster (
http://www.majorgeeks.com) works well in removing
homepage hijackers. Always read the instructions before running a
spyware removal tool. Be sure to update these programs before running,
and it is a good idea to do virus/spyware scans in Safe Mode. Make sure
you are able to see all hidden files and extensions (View tab in Folder
Options); 3) delete temporary and Temporary Internet Files; 4) stop
unnecessary services/programs from starting with Windows - see
www.blackviper.com for services info and
www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_index.htm for programs info; 5) look in
Event Viewer for clues; 6) make sure you've visited Windows Update and
applied all security patches. Do not install driver updates from
Windows Update; 7) run a firewall.
B. For hardware issues - 1) open the computer and run it open, cleaning
out all dust bunnies and observing all fans (overheating will cause
system freezing); 2) test the RAM - I like Memtest86 from
www.memtest86.com - let the test run for an extended (like overnight)
period of time - unless errors are seen immediately; 3) test the hard
drive with a diagnostic utility from the mftr.; 4) the power supply may
be going bad or be inadequate for the devices you have in the system;
5) test the motherboard with something like TuffTest from
www.tufftest.com. Testing hardware failures often involves swapping out
suspected parts with known-good parts. If you can't do the testing
yourself and/or are uncomfortable opening your computer, take the
machine to a good local computer repair shop (not a CompUSA or Best Buy
type of store).
Malke
