Memory Leak? System Hangs

[Adam]

I purchased a new PC running Win XP Pro last month and
I've been having a problem with it hanging. After a day
or so the system will hang and not allow me to execute
any program. Oddly, when I attempt to execute a program,
say IE, the working icon comes up and then nothing
happens. The task manager shows an "iexplore" running,
but I can't see it. Other programs, such as Outlook,
merely lock up and show up as "Not Responding" in the
task manager. At this point I am still able to browse
folders and such, but I cannot log off or restart or
anything. The only way I can regain control is to power
the pc off with the button on the tower; a good old
manual restart. Some friends have suggested that this
could be a memory leak. Any ideas? Thanks for your
input.

~Adam

 

[null]

I purchased a new PC running Win XP Pro last month and
I've been having a problem with it hanging. After a day
or so the system will hang and not allow me to execute
any program. Oddly, when I attempt to execute a program,
say IE, the working icon comes up and then nothing
happens. The task manager shows an "iexplore" running,
but I can't see it. Other programs, such as Outlook,
merely lock up and show up as "Not Responding" in the
task manager. At this point I am still able to browse
folders and such, but I cannot log off or restart or
anything. The only way I can regain control is to power
the pc off with the button on the tower; a good old
manual restart. Some friends have suggested that this
could be a memory leak. Any ideas? Thanks for your
input.

~Adam

I would suggest the following standard maintenance procedures first:

Install ad-aware, spybot, spyware blaster, download their updates and
scan the PC.

Run a full virus scan using current virus definitions.

Defrag.

Download and install current Windows Updates.

Download and install current drivers for the PC's hardware, such as
modem, NIC, printer, display adapter, soundcard, etc.

If you continue to have problems, contact the PC vendor's tech support.

--
The reader should exercise normal caution and backup the Registry and
data files regularly, and especially before making any changes to their
PC, as well as performing regular virus and spyware scans. I am not
liable for problems or mishaps that occur from the reader using advice
posted here.