Advise on diagnosing general freeze-ups in XP

[aswollenstream]

Windows just today has begun to freeze up on me one to three hours after
booting up, for not apparent or consistent reason that I can deduce. This
has happened three times. I un-installed one program that I had installed
recently, but it happened again after that. I am running Zone Alarm security
suite, so I don't suspect malware. I have also checked msconfig for anything
unusual, but found nothing. Can anyone suggest any diagnostic tools I might
try? Other steps? I know there must be hundreds of reasons why this might
be happening. In the past, I've just sucked it up and spent half a day
re-installing, but I thought I'd ask...

Thanks

 

[R. McCarty]

Check the System Event log, looking for Red Icons that denote errors.
Click Start, Run ( Type ) EventVwr.Msc [ Enter ]
Sometimes it's best to clear the log, Reboot and then check. This way
you can see what is happening during a boot sequence.

System Freezes are hard to isolate since it can be most anything on the
PC or hardware itself. If the condition is recent, a System Restore to a
day or so before it began might be the simplest solution.