OS freezes

[Pete]

The motherboard on my computer failed and I replaced it with an identical
one and although the Windows loaded and worked ok it froze a couple of times
a day and the only option was to use the restart button (Ctrl+Alt+Del did
not work either). After about a week the OS refused to load with the
message "Cannot find the following file or the file is corrupt:
\Windows\System32\Config\System". At this point I decided that the
installation damaged and did a clean install of XP Pro.

Unfortunately, on the very first day of use (today) Windows froze and it
looks like I am back to where I was.

What could be causing these freeze ups - some hardware component? I am
getting rather desperate for a stable machine and would appreciate any help.

 

[Malke]

The motherboard on my computer failed and I replaced it with an identical
one and although the Windows loaded and worked ok it froze a couple of times
a day and the only option was to use the restart button (Ctrl+Alt+Del did
not work either). After about a week the OS refused to load with the
message "Cannot find the following file or the file is corrupt:
\Windows\System32\Config\System". At this point I decided that the
installation damaged and did a clean install of XP Pro.

Unfortunately, on the very first day of use (today) Windows froze and it
looks like I am back to where I was.

What could be causing these freeze ups - some hardware component? I am
getting rather desperate for a stable machine and would appreciate any help.

If the operating system is freezing (locking up) on a clean install, it
most probably is caused by hardware. The first suspect is flaky RAM
although of couse it could be other things such as heat, power supply,
etc. I'd start with the RAM.

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Hardware_Tshoot


Malke