Win XP Pro Locks Up Randomly

B

bknight

About 7 months ago my old lap top (Win XP Pro SP3) began locking up randomly:
Doing nothing
Entering Data or word processing
Browsing web pages
Playing games
etc:

Through some help I attempted to repair the OS, did not help.
I think I remember re-installing including the SP3, did not help.
I updated all drivers, did not help.
Virus protection ZonePro Suite--Did not "find" any virus and did not help.
Used RegCure to fix the registry, did not help.

While doing these tasks the lap top froze up several times requiring several
attempts to accomplish all.

I ended up purchasing another lap top, but I still want to try and figure
out what went wrong, because the lap top was still in good shape and not that
old. The only procedure I have not done is to re-format the HD and try again.
 
R

R. McCarty

Heat ? - Notebooks can have a difficult time venting heat. Usually there
is only a single exhaust fan. Couple that with the fact that notebook setup
is usually configured to quiet as opposed to cool.
I would download/install SpeedFan and check temps. It's not uncommon
for hard drives to reach or exceed 130 degrees F which is at or near the
rated maximum for many 2.5" drives.
Also if the notebook is sitting directly on a wood surface that tends to
concentrate the heat - making for an even hotter operation condition. If
the notebook is too hot an inexpensive "Notebook Chiller" ( which runs
off a USB port ) might help keep it cooler. A cheaper solution is just to
elevate the back of the notebook to allow airflow underneath it.
 
B

bknight

I'll down load that and see, but I have a pad beneath the new lap top and the
old one that has some crystals that "melt" and take away the heat. I'm not
sure if that is sufficient, just some clarification to my situation.
 
B

bknight

While down loading the software I did remember thinking of heat back when the
prolems were observed. The pc shut down early in use (booting up initially
in the morning) or after extended use. So maybe the temperature isn't/wasn't
the problem.
 
R

Randem

Your computer locking up is symptomatic of HD failure. You can run chkdsk
/r on the HD and if it takes a very long time you need to replace your HD
for it is failing. There are other test you can use but that one is the
simplest. If your HD sectors need to be swapped then it may not be long
before total failure...

--
Randem Systems
Your Installation Specialist
The Top Inno Setup Script Generator
http://www.randem.com/innoscript.html
Disk Read Error Press Ctl+Alt+Del to Restart
http://www.randem.com/discus/messages/9402/9406.html?1236319938
 
B

bknight

After having to re-boot to do a chkdsk, the process was at 59% of part 4
after 60 minutes. It had not changed for a bit and I turned it off. When
turned on the process took 90 minutes to complete for an 80G HD. Is that too
long?
 
T

Tim Meddick

bknight,
Don't be too hasty to accept that your HD is failing. While it
could be just that, try running chkdsk /r again to see if it is any quicker
the second time. If software has caused data corruption (the more common
cause rather than HD failure) then on it's second run, chkdsk.exe should be
a sight quicker.

==


Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :)
 
T

Tim Meddick

Randem,
would Autochk.exe operating in the native Win32 API give the
same messages as chkdsk when running in Windows? I'm not so sure, and
anyway, what's wrong with trying? If the result is chkdsk / autochk runs
much quicker on it's second and subsequent runs, what would your
interpretation of that be? And again, more to the point, what harm is there
in trying it out?

==



Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :)
 
J

John John - MVP

Nitpicking, but Autochk only runs on the NT Native API, it can't use the
Win32 API.

John
 
B

bknight

Well I did run both of the chkdks, the .exe took about an hour, whereas the
/r took about 90 minutes again. I ran the lap top all day yesterday sfter
running the checks. It did not freeze up all day, although I didn't do much
on it lust looking.

I didn't note in the original post, when I transferred files from the old
lap top to this one (with one of those transfer programs), it ran for almost
24 hours and didn't shut down. I was lucky in that transfer.

So I'm still faced with the probelm of what is causing this behavior?
Thanks for all the suggestions, I'm hoping someone will turn on the light
bulb.
 
T

Tim Meddick

Try it yourself! (Thinks..... condescending know-it-all!)
You obviously don't know, or you'd have jumped on the chance to tell me how
wrong I was!

==


Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :)
 
J

Johnw

It happens that bknight formulated :
So I'm still faced with the probelm of what is causing this behavior?
Thanks for all the suggestions, I'm hoping someone will turn on the light
bulb.
Click to expand...

Curing Laptop/Notebook Overheating
http://moourl.com/fb7u8
http://moourl.com/dvgjb
http://moourl.com/syvjr
http://moourl.com/fzp1f
http://moourl.com/uprms
Cleaning a Laptop/Notebook Computer
http://mobileoffice.about.com/od/usingyourlaptop/a/cleanlaptop.htm
http://lifehacker.com/software/life-hacks/ask-lifehacker-keyboard-cleanliness-037671.php
 
R

Randem

I do know, but for you to know and not guess it would be best if you
actually tried it for no amount of other telling you that you are wrong is
going to cause you to believe it. If you try it you will find out for
yourself and the issue will be solved in your mind.

BTW: He need a new HD as I have recommended. All else is just stop gap
measures and he will need to get a new HD anyway, but only after wasting all
of his time and efforts by taking suggestions from people who do only guess
at the problem.

--
Randem Systems
Your Installation Specialist
The Top Inno Setup Script Generator
http://www.randem.com/innoscript.html
Disk Read Error Press Ctl+Alt+Del to Restart
http://www.randem.com/discus/messages/9402/9406.html?1236319938
 
B

bknight

I ran the chkdks /r on this lap top last nite (120G vs 80G) completing about
2 hours, so the thought that the time involved was too long disn't really
correct. However, the system, Fat, or registry still may be corrupt,
something still is wrong. I have listened to your advice and do appreciate
it.
 

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