Ironically, this even happened as I was typing the subject line of this post.
Hello, first time poster on this board, kind of using it as a last resort because searching this forum, and other forums, and google, has given me no help in determining what's going on. Here's the deal:
The problem
During regular computing, my computer will hang for a period of roughly 1 to 2 seconds, and then will return to normal operating procedure. This will happen at random intervals, maybe two or three times in a minute, or only once every fifteen minutes.
Here are examples of what I'm talking about:
(1) Let's say I'm typing an email, and all of a sudden, as I'm typing out a sentence, the letters I hit on the keyboard aren't showing up. After the 1 to 2 second waiting period, all the letters I had just typed that didn't show up will all be printed out into the email window... it's like they are being printed through a for loop (one at a time, very quickly, sequentially).
(2) I'm surfing the Internet, and as I move my mouse toward a link I want to click, the pointer doesn't turn into the little hand, even though the mouse can still move. I can click on the link (even though nothing will happen), and then after the waiting period is over, the little hand will show up, followed very quickly by the link being displayed as active, and then the new page will open.
(3) I'm playing a game, whether something stupid online or something like Battlefield 2, and as I'm moving around within the game, everything stops for the duration of the waiting period. Nothing happens, except time in the real world passes by, and then when the waiting period ends, everything picks up right where it left off. If an AI had shot something at me, the bullet would stay halfway between us while the computer was hanging, and then when it stopped hanging, it would still have to cover the final half of its travels. Nothing is processed while the computers does this hanging thing.
Computer details
I run a Toshiba Tecra S2 laptop, bought 2 1/2 years ago.
Pentium M 2.0 GHz
1 GB PC2700 SDRAM
nVidia GeForce Go 6600 PCI Express, 64 MB RAM
60 GB internal HD @ 7200 rpm
basic sound and such..
It is hooked up to a Port Replicator from Toshiba for this model of computer. Into the replicator I have a 160 GB Lacie external HD through a 4-pin Firewire port. I also have a 500 GB Fantom USB 2.0 external HD. I am connected to the internet through a hardwired connection to my D-Link DI-524 wireless router. I have a normal USB Microsoft Wheelmouse (optical), and a memory card reader. Dell printer and some speakers....
Here's some info that may be related
This has been occuring for quite a while (months). I can't remember when it exactly started, but I will say that a number of months ago, I changed from stock video drivers to unsigned drivers for this laptop (Toshiba hasn't released a driver update since January of 2005, so I figured I'd take things into my own hands). I got information from a website, laptopvideo2go.com, on how to install the latest nVidia drivers for your system, even if they hadn't been released by your laptop's OEM, by modifying the driver's .INF file. The drivers seemed to work fine, and I could finally get games like Battlefield 2 to run on my computer (since before they would just CTD when trying to run them).
When reinstalling drivers, I do everything correctly and also use a program called DriverCleaner, which I've been using for a long time and have had no problem with.
Some things that I've done to try and fix the problem
I reformatted my computer about a month and a half ago. Clean wipe, fresh install of Windows XP SP2 (clean, legit). After installation, I put on the modified INF drivers before the stock drivers, and let the system be. After a while, I wasn't playing games as much and needed the stability of the old driver, so I went back to the January 2005 version from Toshiba. Used driver cleaner, but did not reinstall Windows.
I've had this computer in a number of environments, as well. The same things happen whether or not I'm on the port replicator, and whether or not I'm using wireless vs. hardwired Internet. I've taken this computer a number of different places on campus and I still have the same issues. I've taken it home and run it on my home network and I still have the same issues.
About three weeks ago, I had a new fan and video cooling system installed on the system under warranty, because the fan was failing. New system works fine, but the hanging issue still comes about.
Finals thoughts
It's not a system critical issue, but it's just really really annoying. Oddly enough, while the computer hung during writing of the title of this post, it hasn't hung during the entire time I've spent composing it.
If you have any idea what's going on, even if it's something like there's some transistors that have serious leakage current due to manufacturing issues and it's impossible to fix, I'd still like to know. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Hello, first time poster on this board, kind of using it as a last resort because searching this forum, and other forums, and google, has given me no help in determining what's going on. Here's the deal:
The problem
During regular computing, my computer will hang for a period of roughly 1 to 2 seconds, and then will return to normal operating procedure. This will happen at random intervals, maybe two or three times in a minute, or only once every fifteen minutes.
Here are examples of what I'm talking about:
(1) Let's say I'm typing an email, and all of a sudden, as I'm typing out a sentence, the letters I hit on the keyboard aren't showing up. After the 1 to 2 second waiting period, all the letters I had just typed that didn't show up will all be printed out into the email window... it's like they are being printed through a for loop (one at a time, very quickly, sequentially).
(2) I'm surfing the Internet, and as I move my mouse toward a link I want to click, the pointer doesn't turn into the little hand, even though the mouse can still move. I can click on the link (even though nothing will happen), and then after the waiting period is over, the little hand will show up, followed very quickly by the link being displayed as active, and then the new page will open.
(3) I'm playing a game, whether something stupid online or something like Battlefield 2, and as I'm moving around within the game, everything stops for the duration of the waiting period. Nothing happens, except time in the real world passes by, and then when the waiting period ends, everything picks up right where it left off. If an AI had shot something at me, the bullet would stay halfway between us while the computer was hanging, and then when it stopped hanging, it would still have to cover the final half of its travels. Nothing is processed while the computers does this hanging thing.
Computer details
I run a Toshiba Tecra S2 laptop, bought 2 1/2 years ago.
Pentium M 2.0 GHz
1 GB PC2700 SDRAM
nVidia GeForce Go 6600 PCI Express, 64 MB RAM
60 GB internal HD @ 7200 rpm
basic sound and such..
It is hooked up to a Port Replicator from Toshiba for this model of computer. Into the replicator I have a 160 GB Lacie external HD through a 4-pin Firewire port. I also have a 500 GB Fantom USB 2.0 external HD. I am connected to the internet through a hardwired connection to my D-Link DI-524 wireless router. I have a normal USB Microsoft Wheelmouse (optical), and a memory card reader. Dell printer and some speakers....
Here's some info that may be related
This has been occuring for quite a while (months). I can't remember when it exactly started, but I will say that a number of months ago, I changed from stock video drivers to unsigned drivers for this laptop (Toshiba hasn't released a driver update since January of 2005, so I figured I'd take things into my own hands). I got information from a website, laptopvideo2go.com, on how to install the latest nVidia drivers for your system, even if they hadn't been released by your laptop's OEM, by modifying the driver's .INF file. The drivers seemed to work fine, and I could finally get games like Battlefield 2 to run on my computer (since before they would just CTD when trying to run them).
When reinstalling drivers, I do everything correctly and also use a program called DriverCleaner, which I've been using for a long time and have had no problem with.
Some things that I've done to try and fix the problem
I reformatted my computer about a month and a half ago. Clean wipe, fresh install of Windows XP SP2 (clean, legit). After installation, I put on the modified INF drivers before the stock drivers, and let the system be. After a while, I wasn't playing games as much and needed the stability of the old driver, so I went back to the January 2005 version from Toshiba. Used driver cleaner, but did not reinstall Windows.
I've had this computer in a number of environments, as well. The same things happen whether or not I'm on the port replicator, and whether or not I'm using wireless vs. hardwired Internet. I've taken this computer a number of different places on campus and I still have the same issues. I've taken it home and run it on my home network and I still have the same issues.
About three weeks ago, I had a new fan and video cooling system installed on the system under warranty, because the fan was failing. New system works fine, but the hanging issue still comes about.
Finals thoughts
It's not a system critical issue, but it's just really really annoying. Oddly enough, while the computer hung during writing of the title of this post, it hasn't hung during the entire time I've spent composing it.
If you have any idea what's going on, even if it's something like there's some transistors that have serious leakage current due to manufacturing issues and it's impossible to fix, I'd still like to know. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.