It's difficult to say. Usually, I would suspect some sort of hardware
malfunction.
Just to rule it out as the issue, I'd start by going to the hard drive
manufacturer's website and, making note of their directions, download their
diagnostic tools for the hard drive, create their diagnostic disk as
instructed and run the diagnostic.
If the hard drive passes the diagnostic inspection, be sure your antivirus
software has the latest definitions and run a
virus scan.
Also, download, install and run Ad Aware:
www.lavasoftusa.com
If your system is clear of viruses and any malware open Control Panel, open
Administrative Tools, open Event Viewer, look for
errors corresponding to the crash, double click the error, the information
contained within may give a clue as to the
source of the problem.
Assuming you have an XP CD and not a recovery CD, place the XP CD in the
drive, when the setup screen appears, select "Check System Compatibility,"
the report it generates may point to problem hardware or software on your
system. If you do not have an XP CD, you can download this application
known as the Upgrade Advisor from the following site:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgrading/advisor.asp
Note: If you have access to a broadband connection it might be best to
download using that as this is a rather large download.
Check for the latest drivers for your hardware, especially your graphics
card and soundcard and all peripherals connected to your system. No not use
Windows Update for this, go to the device manufacturer's web sites and if
you install updated drivers, ignore the message about drivers being unsigned
by Microsoft.
--
In memory of our dear friend, MVP Alex Nichol.
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/communities/mvp.aspx
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org:
http://www.dts-l.org/