freezing devices

[Daytona Steve]

I've read through the posts and don't find one like my problem. Gateway
pentium 4, 1 meg ram, All current Microsoft updates to XP Pro and XP Office.

No software or hardware addtions, norton internet security, full scan
indicated no gremlins. The computer has been running great for a year or so.


Two weeks ago my USB scanner would not initialize. Shut it off and
rebooted. Turned the scanner back on, no problem. Thought nothing of it
until it happened again. Went through the same routine and solved the
problem.

Two nights ago, I went to the PC to find mouse and keyboard non funtioning.
Mouse is USB, Keyboard is PS2. Red power light on optical mouse but no
movement.

Attempted task manager but with no keyboard, no joy. Hard restart,
everything fine. This morning, USB printer failed. Restart, everything is
fine.

This seems like the start of something big. I was considering a clean
reinstall of XP but wanted to get expert opinions first. I thought about the
USB hub but the keyboard isn't on it. Computer has USB 1.0 original and USB
2.0 aftermarket however, its been running great for a year or so in this
configuration. It is on a home network.

As always, any help / suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Terry R.]

The date and time was 5/13/2008 1:40 PM, and on a whim, Daytona Steve
pounded out on the keyboard:

I've read through the posts and don't find one like my problem. Gateway
pentium 4, 1 meg ram, All current Microsoft updates to XP Pro and XP Office.

No software or hardware addtions, norton internet security, full scan
indicated no gremlins. The computer has been running great for a year or so.


Two weeks ago my USB scanner would not initialize. Shut it off and
rebooted. Turned the scanner back on, no problem. Thought nothing of it
until it happened again. Went through the same routine and solved the
problem.

Two nights ago, I went to the PC to find mouse and keyboard non funtioning.
Mouse is USB, Keyboard is PS2. Red power light on optical mouse but no
movement.

Attempted task manager but with no keyboard, no joy. Hard restart,
everything fine. This morning, USB printer failed. Restart, everything is
fine.

This seems like the start of something big. I was considering a clean
reinstall of XP but wanted to get expert opinions first. I thought about the
USB hub but the keyboard isn't on it. Computer has USB 1.0 original and USB
2.0 aftermarket however, its been running great for a year or so in this
configuration. It is on a home network.

As always, any help / suggestions would be appreciated.

Hi Steve,

Make sure all your cooling fans are fully functional and clean, as well
as the rest of the box. Overheating is one item that could cause
freezing, although not usually just USB devices.

You could try a System Restore to go back before the freezing started
happening to see if it helps. It not, report back.

--
Terry R.

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[Daytona Steve]

Terry Thanks....

As a result of some other posts I read, I did the system restore yesterday.
This morning the printer failed. I will clean and check the fans but the
computer had only been on for a few minutes this morning when the failure
occurred.

 

[Gerry]

Steve

You seem to have a number of problems which could have individual
solutions but collectively suggest a hardware problem. The link below is
a good place to start:
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Hardware_Tshoot

Overheating has already suggested as a possible cause. Using an Air
Duster to remove dust from inside the computer casing is an obvious
thing to try. Another posiibility I would consider is whether the power
supply unit is failing.

Norton Internet Security will place a heavy load on memory and cause
freezes at critical times when demands for RAM is high.

USB devices can be problematic. Are all third party drivers up to date.
Do not rely on Microsoft for these drivers.

If your mouse and keyboard are wireless change the batteries.


--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Daytona Steve]

Thank you...all good suggestions...will execute. I'm going to remove Norton
and take it out of the network for now, just to eliminate as a possible
cause. Keyboard and mouse are wired so no batteries. Failures are
intermitent so I may not know what success I've had for a day or two.