XP Freezes

[Chris N]

Upgraded from Win2k pro to XP pro. Windows freezes
unpredictably. A friend suggested replacing the serial
mouse with a ps/2; did that. Occasionally, XP still
freezes while surfing the web. Any help?

 

[Malke]

Upgraded from Win2k pro to XP pro. Windows freezes
unpredictably. A friend suggested replacing the serial
mouse with a ps/2; did that. Occasionally, XP still
freezes while surfing the web. Any help?

Random freezes are usually indicative of hardware issues, and I doubt
that replacing the mouse would do any good. I would say that if your
computer is old enough that you would be using a serial mouse, it
probably is a bit elderly to run XP. However, 1) Check for overheating;
2) do a RAM test - I like Memtest86; 3) run a hard drive diagnostic.
Post back if you need more help.

 

[Alex Nichol]

Upgraded from Win2k pro to XP pro. Windows freezes
unpredictably. A friend suggested replacing the serial
mouse with a ps/2; did that. Occasionally, XP still
freezes while surfing the web.

May be a result of the mouse driver and the video driver arguing over
which controls the pointer. It is easy to check on - Control Panel -
Display - Settings, Click Advanced, and on the Troubleshoot page reduce
the acceleration slider one notch or two. If one does it, there is
negligible loss of performance: if two are needed look for updated video
drivers from the maker's site.

 

[Sean]

-----Original Message-----
Upgraded from Win2k pro to XP pro. Windows freezes
unpredictably. A friend suggested replacing the serial
mouse with a ps/2; did that. Occasionally, XP still
freezes while surfing the web. Any help?
.
my computer freezes aswell for no reason it's annoying

2.8processer and 512mb of memory and it still freezes

 

[Malke]

2.8processer and 512mb of memory and it still freezes

This isn't enough information to get good help. This could be caused by
hardware or software. Did you do a clean install - formatting the
drive? If not, try that. Otherwise, here are some generic
troubleshooting steps:

1) scan with current antivirus using updated definitions; 2) remove
spyware with tools such as Spybot S&D (www.security.kolla.de) and/or
Ad-aware (www.lavasoftusa.com) - note that it is a good idea to do
virus and spyware scans in Safe Mode; 3) delete temporary and Temporary
Internet Files; 4) stop unnecessary services/programs from running at
startup (see www.blackviper.com for a listing of services). Also, look
in Event Viewer for clues.

For the hardware, first open the computer and run it open, observing all
fans (overheating will cause freezing). Then do a RAM test - I like
Memtest86 - and if necessary, continue on to test the hard drive and
motherboard. If you can't do this yourself, take the machine to a good
local computer shop (not a CompUSA or Best Buy store).

Malke