Windows XP freezing

[Guest]

Hi all,

My office PC randomly freezes, usually displaying a pattern similar to
pin-stripes or a dark coloured screen upon freezing. After such a freeze the
only way to revive the system is to restart, losing all unsaved data. I need
help to resolve this issue ASAP. My system specs are listed below, any help
you guys can offer would be greatly appreciated & urgently required. Please
advise if you need more information about my system.

Thanks,
Kingy75

My system:
OS: Windows XP Professional
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 @ 2.0ghz
RAM: 768mb ddram

 

[Malke]

Hi all,

My office PC randomly freezes, usually displaying a pattern similar to
pin-stripes or a dark coloured screen upon freezing. After such a
freeze the only way to revive the system is to restart, losing all
unsaved data. I need help to resolve this issue ASAP. My system specs
are listed below, any help you guys can offer would be greatly
appreciated & urgently required. Please advise if you need more
information about my system.

Thanks,
Kingy75

My system:
OS: Windows XP Professional
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 @ 2.0ghz
RAM: 768mb ddram

Random freezes like you describe are almost always caused by failing
hardware. The distorted display would make the video card the number
one suspect. Here are some general hardware troubleshooting steps:

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Hardware_Troubleshooting

Testing hardware failures often involves swapping out suspected parts
with known-good parts. If you can't do the testing yourself and/or are
uncomfortable opening your computer, take the machine to a professional
computer repair shop (not your local equivalent of BigStoreUSA).

Malke

 

[Unk]

Hi all,

My office PC randomly freezes, usually displaying a pattern similar to
pin-stripes or a dark coloured screen upon freezing. After such a freeze the
only way to revive the system is to restart, losing all unsaved data. I need
help to resolve this issue ASAP. My system specs are listed below, any help
you guys can offer would be greatly appreciated & urgently required. Please
advise if you need more information about my system.

Thanks,
Kingy75

My system:
OS: Windows XP Professional
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 @ 2.0ghz
RAM: 768mb ddram

The most common causes seems to be overheating and memory problems.
Check to see that all the internal fans are working correctly and that the heatsink radiators
are not clogged or obstructed. Especially the area between the fan and the radiator. They tend
to collect lint and I've seen them clogged with a 1/4" thick pad of lint.

Reseat the memory, or try 1 stick at a time.

Leave the case cover off to see if it runs cooler and stops freezing.

Try lowering the "Hardware Accelerator" setting a notch or two. Right-click the desktop, select
Properties. Click the "Settings" tab. Click the "Advanced" button, click the "Troubleshoot" tab.

Memory Testers:
DocMemory
http://www.simmtester.com/PAGE/products/doc/docinfo.asp

Microsoft WinDiag
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

MemTest
http://hcidesign.com/memtest/
http://www.memtest86.com/
http://www.memtest86.com/memt32.zip