PC locks up after a few minutes of activity

[Guest]

My PC locks up after a few minutes of activity. It isn't
consistent with any programs or any particular action. It
will be working fine and then lock up completely and
requires me to pull the power plug. Any suggestions would
be appreciated.

 

[The Unknown P]

Any error messages in the event viewer? go>start\control
panel\administrative tools\event viewer and then double
click the application log on the left to open it. Now you
are looking for any red Xs. Double click them to open a
details screen that will give you some clues as to the
application or module that may have caused your issue.
Your symptoms are usually as a result of not having the XP
drivers for your hardware from the manufacturers site and
using the original generic ones that come with XP. These
allow only mimimal functionality and when a higher
function is called for the system locks up in a loop
looking for the function. Keep smiling.

 

[Malke]

My PC locks up after a few minutes of activity. It isn't
consistent with any programs or any particular action. It
will be working fine and then lock up completely and
requires me to pull the power plug. Any suggestions would
be appreciated.

Inconsistent freezing like that is usually due to hardware issues. Start
by checking for overheating. Open the case and run open, observing all
fans and feeling how hot stuff is getting (don't actually touch any of
the cards while the box is on!). If everything looks good there, then
do a RAM test. I like Memtest86. After that, if things are still
inconclusive, go on to test the hard drive and motherboard. Post back
if you need more help.

Malke