Computer freeze and crash

[laika222]

hello everybody.

i'm sorry my first post here is about a problem, but i need help, thank you in advance. (i've read other posts related to crashes and freezes but there is no situation similar to mine as far i could read.)

my computer (Windows XP) randomly first freezes and immediately after (3-5 sec.) crashes. it usually happens while typing (emails, but also writing programs like word and writing pad) but it has occured under other circumstances too now. (hope i can get to the end of this post .

at the point of freezing i get a not-too-thinck black horizontal line across the screen, then immediately the screen goes black although pc continues running (can hear the sound of the engine). no blue screen. i am unable to perform any commands (it wouldn't answer), not even rebooting, so i have to unplug the main cable, plug again and then reboot again. no error message upon restarting.

i have very recently gone through extensive virus/malware hunting and i don't think this is the case.

any comments appreciated but please be patient and clear, pc world is not exactly my strong point.

thanks,
laika

 

[B00kWyrm]

Have you explored overheating issues?
An excellent utility for this is Everest: https://www.techspot.com/downloads/4864-everest-free-edition.html

 

[laika222]

hello B00kWyrm,

thank you for the quick reply. i often have this problem upon starting the computer (following 5-10 min) not always thought, some other times it may happen after 3-4-6 hours in use. do you still think it can be related to heating?

i'll have a look to your link right away.

laika

 

[laika222]

i have downloaded everest. not sure how to use it in a meaningful way though...can you guide me through the process? where to look for relevant information related to heating?

 

[B00kWyrm]

On the left side of the screen, on the "Menu" tab,
Expand "Computer"... The last entry is your "sensor".
You should see at least two entries... cpu and hard drive.
My laptop cpu is about 25C / 75F. My hard dirve is about 10C degrees warmer.
If your cpu temp gets above about 35C, you will likely could possibly start having trouble.

For use, check the documentation and the website... http://www.lavalys.com/

Given your most recent symptom descriptions, I am wondering about psu, or perhaps other main board issues... including ram...

Do you have any dumps in your minidump folder? (Windows Folder / Minidump Subfolder?)
Have you run Memtest? https://www.techspot.com/vb/topic62524.html

 

[laika222]

hi,
sensor revolves around 37-40C. what's there to do to cool it down?
wanted to send you an everest inform so that you can see details of my machine, but my pc freezes and reboots before completing it.

there are 4 dumps in the minidump folder.
as for the memtest, looks complicated at first sight, at least to me, have to study it first.

 

[B00kWyrm]

The overheating you report is so slight as to be (usually) not indicative of a problem.
Are you overclocking? Are you sure your voltages are set correctly in BIOS?

 

[laika222]

The overheating you report is so slight as to be (usually) not indicative of a problem.
Are you overclocking? Are you sure your voltages are set correctly in BIOS?

i'm sorry i don't know what overclocking is or where to find the Bios...

 

[B00kWyrm]

If you don't know about your BIOS then it is not likely that you have these issues.

I should have asked you earlier for full specs...
Desktop /Laptop - Brand & Model
CPU & Speed
Memory
Drives,
Cards (Video, other PCI cards...)
Any USB peripherals?

And please attach your minidumps to your next post. (as a zip if possible)
You attach by using the paperclip button at the top of the message composition box.
If you cannot zip, that is okay, it just makes it easier, rather than uploading and downloading 4 or 5 individual files.
Your dumps should get us some good solid information. (So we are not just shooting in the dark)

 

[laika222]

thank you for your reply.

i'm sorry i haven't specified my computer info before, please find it below.

i zip as well the minidumps.
thanks

Computer:
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional
OS Service Pack Service Pack 2
DirectX 4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)
Computer Name LAIKA
User Name Laika Mihmih

Motherboard:
CPU Type AMD Sempron, 2000 MHz (10 x 200) 3300+
Motherboard Name Gigabyte GA-K8VM800M (3 PCI, 1 AGP, 2 DDR DIMM, Audio, Video, LAN)
Motherboard Chipset VIA VT8380 K8M800, AMD Hammer
System Memory 1024 MB (PC3200 DDR SDRAM)
BIOS Type Award Modular (08/30/05)
Communication Port Puerto de comunicaciones (COM1)
Communication Port Puerto de comunicaciones (COM2)
Communication Port Puerto de impresora (LPT1)

Display:
Video Adapter RADEON 9250 - Secondary (128 MB)
Video Adapter RADEON 9250 (128 MB)
3D Accelerator ATI Radeon 9250 (RV280)
Monitor Monitor Plug and Play [NoDB] (ETL2202195)

Multimedia:
Audio Adapter VIA AC'97 Enhanced Audio Controller

Storage:
IDE Controller Controladora estándar PCI IDE de doble canal
IDE Controller Controladora IDE principal de bus VIA
Floppy Drive Unidad de disquete
Disk Drive ST3160023AS (160 GB, 7200 RPM, SATA)
Disk Drive Generic USB SD Reader USB Device
Disk Drive Generic USB MS Reader USB Device
Disk Drive Generic USB SM Reader USB Device
Disk Drive Generic USB CF Reader USB Device
Optical Drive HL-DT-ST DVDRRW GWA-4164B
SMART Hard Disks Status OK

Partitions:
C: (NTFS) 152617 MB (126127 MB free)

Input:
Keyboard Teclado estándar de 101/102 teclas o Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse Mouse compatible PS/2

Network:
Network Adapter ZyAIR B-220 IEEE 802.11b USB Adapter (192.168.0.192)
Modem Agere Systems PCI Soft Modem

Peripherals:
Printer EPSON Stylus DX4400 Series
USB1 Controller VIA VT83C572 PCI-USB Controller
USB1 Controller VIA VT83C572 PCI-USB Controller
USB1 Controller VIA VT83C572 PCI-USB Controller
USB1 Controller VIA VT83C572 PCI-USB Controller
USB2 Controller VIA USB 2.0 Enhanced Host Controller
USB Device Dispositivo de almacenamiento masivo USB
USB Device ZyAIR B-220 IEEE 802.11b USB Adapter

 

[usmanjavaid16]

hii..sorry for asking for help here..but i also have a problem of pc hang...i have discussed this problem in a thread [ https://www.techspot.com/vb/topic131397.html#post775728 ]

my pc hangs frequently..and today it restarted on its own...i saw a forum in which people said to check for a minidump..well yes, there was a minidump and i have attached along with this post....kindly help me as well...PLEASE!!!

PLEASE REPLY ON MY THREAD
https://www.techspot.com/vb/topic131397.html#post775728

I WILL BE GRATEFULL!!!

Also please check my minidump and help me out with it....because i dont have ny knowledge about these minidumps!!!

 

[B00kWyrm]

Hello Laika
Sorry for the delay getting back to you. Weekends are my busiest time, and I just got free again...

Minidumps reveal you are using: Windows XP Kernel Version 2600 (Service Pack 2)
You should update to SP3 asap, as there are significant security issues involved.
But... See below for recommended steps to take.

BugCheck#1 10000050, {f7899000, 0, 805de545, 0}

Could not read faulting driver name
Probably caused by : ntoskrnl.exe ( nt!RtlpGetIntegerAtom+3b )

This is too general to be much help, 0x50 may point to drivers or to hardware.

BugChecks#2,3,4 - 1000000A, {4, 2, 1, 804fac9d} {4, 2, 1, 804faeb1} {4, 2, 1, 804faeb1}

a kernel-mode process or driver attempted to access a memory location to which it did not have permission, or at a kernel interrupt request level (IRQL) that was too high. This Stop message is typically due to faulty or incompatible hardware or software.
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for NDIS.sys
*** WARNING: nt!MmPoisonedTb is non-zero:
*** The machine has been manipulated using the kernel debugger.
*** MachineOwner should be contacted first
Probably caused by : zd1201u.sys ( zd1201u+6eb3 )

This was caused by your ZyAir B220 USB WiFi Adapter
I do not believe that the "poisoned" note is cause for alarm.
I think it is simply the result of this driver misbehaving, although malware may be a possibility.

BugCheck #5 100000EA, {8640f998, 8627e9f8, f7a17cb4, 1}
Probably caused by : ati2mtag.sys ( ati2mtag!ATI_AllocateAgp+97 )

Typically, this problem is caused by a display driver waiting for the video hardware to enter an idle state. This might indicate a hardware problem with the video adapter or a faulty video driver.

Possible Resolutions: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314215

uninstall the drivers
use drivercleaner ... http://www.drivercleaner.net/
and then reinstall video drivers

Here is what I would recommend...
Since you have onboard graphics...
1. Remove your graphics card, and see if that brings system stability.
Since most of your bsods were caused by your Wireless NIC card, it may not bring stability.
If it does, then skip steps two and three. Otherwise...
2. Download the driver fior your Wireless. Here is one source: http://downloads.zdnet.com/abstract.aspx?docid=463095
3. Install Wireless driver, and see if that brings stability. If so, then
4. Update to sp3 (This will take a while).
5. After updating to sp3, use the steps suggested by MS knowledgbase 314215 to reinstall video.
6. See if you still have stability.
7. Set a restore point.
8. Then Update your video drivers if updates are available.
9. After all of your hardware and drivers are reinstalled, return to MS to see if there are further recommended updates.

I am going to ask a couple of friends to look over my shoulder here and see if perhaps I am missing something.
But I think this should get you back on track.
Let us know how it goes. If you run into difficulties, repost, and we will try another angle.

 

[snowchick7669]

Great first steps B00kwyrm . If the problem persists then I'd start looking at hardware.

1. System RAM problems, can cause strange graphical problems. Have actually had a case where the RAM slots on the motherboard were faulty and causing this issue. If no errors with memtest, see if cleaning the RAM and re slotting it solves the issue.
2. Graphics card failing (can be due to faulty video RAM). I can give you a tool to test this

Hopefully your previous post sheds some light

 

[fenrisilver]

I think you may be experiencing the same problrem I have. If it happens it usually does happen within the first 5 minutes of starting my pc. It's even happened before I can even log in. I'll be just minding my own business on my computer when all of a sudden my mouse cursor stops moving, my computer ceases to responds, and I have no choice but to do a hard shut down.

This error and the "DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL" blue screen have been happening so often recently that yesterday I backed up all my personal files to disk and restored my computer to it's factory default settings. My computer ran fine for over 12 hours, but then these errors started occuring again and as often as before. I had allways thought these errors were virus/malware related, but if they were, they wouldn't still be happening.

My system is a Gateway M-6882h Notebook. I have not made any changes to my system internally although my computer can really heat up. I try to keep it cool and not leave it running for too long (especially in this summer heat), but I wouldn't be surprised if it was caused by overheating. I just don't know how to fix it.

 

[B00kWyrm]

Hello fenrisilver:wave:
It sounds to me like you have a different issue, and it would be best for you to start your own thread.
Be sure to start by reading HERE
and before you post, study THIS thread too.
Welcome to TechSpot!

 

[fenrisilver]

Maybe. I think you may be right, sorry. I've read that the other issue I'm getting (the "DRIVER_IRQL...") is generally related to bad RAM, and that freezeing and crashing can also be caused by it. I mean my laptop get's VERY hot, do you think the heat could have caused a bit of damage to my RAM stick?