pc hangs on startup running Windows XP Pro

[Network Newbie]

We have a PC running Windows XP Pro. If the PC is left shut down for a
couple of hours, it will hang up on startup. Once it is restarted it is
fine. Once it was started up and left for a few minutes. When the mouse was
moved the PC restarted.

I have ran registry mechanic. Deleted temp files. Defraged. Updated all
drivers, software, etc.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

We have a PC running Windows XP Pro. If the PC is left shut down for a
couple of hours, it will hang up on startup. Once it is restarted it is
fine. Once it was started up and left for a few minutes. When the mouse
was
moved the PC restarted.

I have ran registry mechanic. Deleted temp files. Defraged. Updated all
drivers, software, etc.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks

I can think of three causes for this problem:
- You have a problem with third-party software installed on your PC.
- The machine is damaged by malware or by a virus.
- Your registry cleaner damaged the machine.

In other words, I think that the machine is compromised. In all cases I
would back up all data files (including EMail files!), then re-install
Windows onto a freshly formatted disk. Note that most registry cleaners are
either useless (in spite of their big claims) or they even damage the
machine. I would never use them.

 

[Bob I]

How old is this PC, have seen some odd behavior caused by bad capacitors

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

As a trained electrical engineer I have to disagree. If there were bad
capacitors on the motherboard then Windows would not even start. This sounds
very much like a software problem.

 

[Network Newbie]

How do I check the third-party software? What do I look for? The first time
I ran the registry mechanic was after the problems started. We are running
Symantec Endpoint AV and Anti-spyware. There has never been a problem found

 

[Bob I]

Once they completely fail, then yes I agree, but leading up to that

http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/341368

Symptoms
The most common method of identifying capacitors which have failed
because of bad electrolyte is visual inspection. Such a capacitor will
show one or more of these symptoms:

* Bulging of the vent on the top of the capacitor
* Sitting crooked on the circuit board as the bottom rubber plug is
pushed out
* Electrolyte (a crusty brown substance) leaked onto the
motherboard from the base of the capacitor
* Venting from the top of the capacitor, visible as rust-like brown
deposits, or a visible hole in the vent

As the capacitor ages, its capacitance decreases while its equivalent
series resistance (ESR) increases. When this happens, the capacitors no
longer adequately serve their purpose of filtering the direct current
voltages on the motherboard, and system instability results. Some common
symptoms are:

* Not turning on all the time; having to hit reset or try turning
the computer on again
* Instabilities (hangs, BSODs, kernel panics, etc.), especially
when symptoms get progressively more frequent over time
* Vcore or other system voltages fluctuating or going out of range,
possibly with an increase in CPU temperature as the core voltage rises
* Memory errors, especially ones that get more frequent with time
* Spontaneous reboots
* In case of onboard video cards, unstable image in some video modes
* Failing to complete the POST, or rebooting before it is completed
* Never starting the POST; fans spin but the system appears dead

 

[Network Newbie]

Ok. A little more info...I went into service mgr. and there were two errors.
Event: 15 and event :1054. Next I went to device mgr. There was a yellow ?
beside network controller. So I selected "scan for hardware changes". The
network controller disappeared. ????

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Once they completely fail, then yes I agree, but leading up to that

http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/341368

Symptoms
The most common method of identifying capacitors which have failed because
of bad electrolyte is visual inspection. Such a capacitor will show one or
more of these symptoms:

* Bulging of the vent on the top of the capacitor
* Sitting crooked on the circuit board as the bottom rubber plug is
pushed out
* Electrolyte (a crusty brown substance) leaked onto the motherboard
from the base of the capacitor
* Venting from the top of the capacitor, visible as rust-like brown
deposits, or a visible hole in the vent

As the capacitor ages, its capacitance decreases while its equivalent
series resistance (ESR) increases. When this happens, the capacitors no
longer adequately serve their purpose of filtering the direct current
voltages on the motherboard, and system instability results. Some common
symptoms are:

* Not turning on all the time; having to hit reset or try turning the
computer on again
* Instabilities (hangs, BSODs, kernel panics, etc.), especially when
symptoms get progressively more frequent over time
* Vcore or other system voltages fluctuating or going out of range,
possibly with an increase in CPU temperature as the core voltage rises
* Memory errors, especially ones that get more frequent with time
* Spontaneous reboots
* In case of onboard video cards, unstable image in some video modes
* Failing to complete the POST, or rebooting before it is completed
* Never starting the POST; fans spin but the system appears dead

Let's see what the OP reports after the problem is resolved.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Let's do some structured testing by doing this:
1. Keep the PC turned off for 3 hours.
2. Turn it on and press F8 repeatedly.
3. Select "Safe Mode" and press Enter.

According to your first post, the machine should hang. There are now two
possible outcomes:
a) The machine boots up OK. If so then the problem is caused by some
third-party software, a bad device driver, malware or a virus.
b) The machine hangs. If so then the problem may be a corrupt registry key,
a corrupt file or a hardware problem.

Questions:
- What is the result of the test?
- How far does the boot process go before the machine hangs?
- How long have you had the problem?

 

[Network Newbie]

What is the result of the test?
3rd party software??

How far does the boot process go before the machine hangs?
The computer boots completely up and then hangs. Once everything is up and
running the mouse hangs and the whole system will hang. If the computer is
left alone for about 15 minutes the screensaver will freeze and it will have
to be restarted. Once restarted it works fine. It is just after it sits for
a while before starting it up.

How long have you had the problem?
2 weeks(ish)

What do I look for now?

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I assume you're telling us that booting into Safe Mode causes the machine to
hang on the first boot. If so then you should reboot it again, then perform
a System Restore to throw it back three weeks. Note that the process is
fully reversible.

 

[Network Newbie]

The computer has not hung up since I did the "scan for hardware changes" on
the Network Controller. I'll wait for a couple of days before I call it
fixed.
Thanks for all the help and suggestions.