Computer Lockup Problems

[Skip2Maloo]

IBM NetVista w/ 512 RAM
XP Home SP1 - all current and up to date
ATI Radeon 7200 - latest drivers as of 11/05/03

First, I have no idea if this is a specific XP problem or not. I've just
been racking my brain for 2 weeks trying to fix it and didn't know where
else to go.

Symptom #1: In Adobe Photoshop 7, when I try to rotate a simple image the
entire machine locks up and I have to power down to reboot. It doesn't
matter what size the file is or what the dimensions of the image are.

Symptom #2: When I open the page http://www.comcast.net/qry/myhome (my
broadband provider) the entire machine locks up and I have to power down to
reboot. It doesn't matter if I open in in IE or Netscape.

In either instance, 50% of the time I will have to reactivate my Active
Desktop after the reboot. The other 50% the machine boots normally.

The hard part is that I've gone over my system with a fine tooth comb and
can't find a solution. These problems are only 2 weeks old or so, and I've
performed both these functions dozens if not hundreds of times before that
without a problem. I've updated every driver, every piece of software I
could find... video drivers, program updates, uninstalled / reinstalled PS
and Netscape, updated Flash in IE... nothing has made any difference.

At first I was certain it was a video problem, but it happened even when I
installed an older card I had laying around, leading me to think it's some
other kind of conflict. I used a System Restore point from well before the
problem started but that didn't help either.

I doubt anyone is going to be able to perfectly diagnose my machine based on
this posting, but if someone out there has any ideas of what I might try
next, or even a hint in the right direction, I would be grateful.

Thanks,

Skip

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\)]

First, be sure your antivirus software has the latest definitions and run a
virus scan.

Open Control Panel, open Administrative Tools, open Event Viewer, look for
errors corresponding to the crash, double click the error, the information
contained within may give a clue as to the
source of the problem.

Assuming you have an XP CD and not a recovery CD, place the XP CD in the
drive, when the setup screen appears, select "Check System Compatibility,"
the report it generates may point to problem hardware or software on your
system. If you do not have an XP CD, you can download this application
known as the Upgrade Advisor from the following site:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgrading/advisor.asp
Note: If you have access to a broadband connection it might be best to
download using that as this is a rather large download.

Check for the latest drivers for your hardware, you've already done so for
your graphics
card now check for the rest and all peripherals connected to your system.
Do not use
Windows Update for this, go to the device manufacturer's web sites and if
you install updated drivers, ignore the message about drivers being unsigned
by Microsoft.