DAVE said:
My wife has XP Home and is experiencing frequent hang-up
os system freezes and must reboot to resore operation.
I'm sorry, but this is not enough information for you to get a good
answer. Your post is the equivalent of saying, "it's broken". Your
problems could be caused by either software or hardware. Here are
generic troubleshooting steps for you to take:
A. For software issues - 1) scan with current antivirus ("current" means
a version not earlier than 2002 but 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 Although CWShredder is no longer being
updated, it will still clean older variants of the CoolWebSearch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. 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; 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
