Fuzzychris said:
I'm trying to do érror checking which I used to do all the time but
can't now because of this problem. Is my solution to go to a Mac? I'm
really frustrated because all of a sudden, after spending the money
for XP, this is happening. It has been fine til a couple of weeks ago
and I have added no software or hardware to my PC.
I understand that you are frustrated, but in none of your posts have you
given any information about your system, details about the freezing, or
what you've done to troubleshoot. Please define "error checking". Did
you go through the shutdown troubleshooter? Is the "freezing" random?
I'm sorry, but aside from telling us that you installed SP2, you just
haven't told us anything about your system so we can help you. Computer
lockups can be caused by hardware or software. There isn't any way to
pinpoint where to start troubleshooting from the information you
provided.
Try a clean boot:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=310353 - How to Perform a
Clean Boot in Windows XP
Do some hardware troubleshooting:
1) Open the computer and run it open, cleaning out all dust bunnies and
observing all fans (overheating will cause system freezing). Obviously
you can't do this with a laptop, but you can hear if the fan is running
and feel if the laptop is getting too hot.
2) Test the RAM - I like Memtest86+ from
www.memtest.org - 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 - this isn't applicable to a laptop, of course.
5) Test the motherboard with something like TuffTest from
www.tufftest.com.
Or just take the computer to a good local computer repair shop (not a
BestBuy or CompUSA type of store) and have them check it out for you.
Malke
