AlaSoftrider said:
Thank You. I checked my startup and I do not have that file listed. I
do have two startup prpcesses that do not have a name. What are these?
Should I delete them?
Thanks for the tip on
www.processlibrary.com.
OK, first of all this isn't Microsoft. If you really want an answer from
Microsoft, call their tech support number. This will not be free. This
is a public newsgroup hosted on Microsoft servers. While some MS
employees do occasionally post here, the majority of people helping are
just volunteers who do not work for MS.
That said, we don't really know a lot about your computer. Here are a
few things to try so we can narrow down the troubleshooting.
1. To start with, is the machine virus and malware-free? Be sure:
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware
2. Check in Event Viewer for clues:
Start>Run>eventvwr.msc [enter]
3. Have you made any changes? Updated drivers? Added hardware or
software?
4. If the machine is 100% virus/malware-free, you can try clean-boot
troubleshooting to determine if something running in the background is
causing the issue.
Clean Boot -
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=310353
and How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP -
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310560
5. Finally (for now, until you've done some t-shooting and given us
details about what you've done), random errors are most often caused by
failing hardware. Here are some general hardware troubleshooting steps:
a) 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.
b) Test the RAM - I like Memtest86+ from
www.memtest.org. Obviously, you
have to get the program from a working machine. You will either
download the precompiled Windows binary to make a bootable floppy or
the .iso to make a bootable cd. If you want to use the latter, you'll
need to have third-party burning software on the machine where you
download the file - XP's built-in burning capability won't do the job.
In either case, boot with the media you made. The test will run
immediately. Let the test run for an hour or two - unless errors are
seen immediately. If you get any errors, replace the RAM.
c) Test the hard drive with a diagnostic utility from the mftr. Download
the file and make a bootable floppy or cd with it. Boot with the media
and do a thorough test. If the drive has physical errors, replace it.
d) The power supply may be going bad or be inadequate for the devices
you have in the system. The adequacy issue doesn't really apply to a
laptop, although of course the power supply can be faulty.
e) Test the motherboard with something like TuffTest from
www.tufftest.com. Sometimes this is useful, and sometimes it isn't.
That should give you some places to start.
Malke
