Computer freezes up, seemingly randomly

[pyromaster114]

Okay, so I have this computer, and it NEVER crashes. It'll have a few problems here and there, but it never just completely locks up.

Just this past week, its been crashing. And I don't mean, explorer.exe doesn't respond and crashes. Everything locks up, keyboard and mouse are both completely ignored. The image on the screen freezes like its a static image.
Nothing works.

I shut it down via holding the power button down, which kills the power. When I restart it, everything is fine until the next crash.
The crash isn't temperature related, cause its not ever been very hot when it does this. I checked the Event logs upon restart, and found 2 errors.


Log Name: Application
Source: VzCdbSvc
Date: 11/30/2008 7:41:20 PM
Event ID: 7
Task Category: None
Level: Error
Keywords: Classic
User: N/A
Computer: Chii
Description:
Failed to load the plug-in module. (GUID = {56F9312C-C989-4E04-8C23-299DEE3A36F5})(Error code = 0x80042019)
Event Xml:

and

Log Name: System
Source: Microsoft-Windows-SharedAccess_NAT
Date: 11/30/2008 7:43:12 PM
Event ID: 30013
Task Category: None
Level: Error
Keywords: Classic
User: N/A
Computer: Chii
Description:
The DHCP allocator has disabled itself on IP address 192.168.1.105, since the IP address is outside the 192.168.0.0/255.255.255.0 scope from which addresses are being allocated to DHCP clients. To enable the DHCP allocator on this IP address, change the scope to include the IP address, or change the IP address to fall within the scope.

I've had another computer have a very similar problem to this. It turned out to be a video card driver error. With that one though, I had just changed the video card driver. This one, I didn't change anything. It just started doing this the past couple of days. Within the last week I'd say.

 

[Bobbye]

We'll start on the conservative side:

Event ID#7, Source: vzcdbsvc

VAIO Entertainment Database Service belonging to the VAIO Entertainment studio.
Desc.: Failed to load the plug-in module
1. Take off of Startup:
Start> Run> msconfig> enter> Selective startup> Startup tab> UNCHECK this process> Apply> OK
2. Change Service Startup type:
Start> Run> services.msc>
Right click on VzCdbSvc.> Properties> Change Startup to Manual> Apply> OK.
Right click on Remote Access Auto-Connection Manager> change to Manual> OK.

Reboot> Ignore and close nag message after checking 'don't show this message again'. Stay in Selective Startup

Event ID#30013, Source: Microsoft-Windows-SharedAccess_NAT,

Desc: IP out of range>
Reset Router IP address from 192.168.1.105 to 192.168.0.1
Reboot.

Let me know what the status is after doing these. Thank you for using the Event Viewer.





Reset Router IP address 192.168.1.105 to 192.168.0.1


Remote Access Auto-Conntection Manager- Manual

Reset Router IP address 192.168.1.105 to 192.168.0.1

 

[pyromaster114]

I got rid of vzcdbsvc completely.

The router's IP address isn't set to 192.168.1.105... it's set to the default linksys thing of 192.168.1.1. I don't think that the router having a different IP address would crash the whole computer anyways, would it?

In any case, The computer is still crashing...

 

[Bobbye]

Event ID#30013, Source: Microsoft-Windows-SharedAccess_NAT,
The DHCP allocator has disabled itself on IP address 192.168.1.105
Quote:
Desc: IP out of range>
Reset Router IP address from 192.168.1.105 to 192.168.0.1
Reboot.

Something is pulling up this IP.

 

[pyromaster114]

Well, the router IP address is 192.168.1.1...
and the computer's IP address is assigned by the DHCP on the router, to 192.168.1.1xx. It is possible that the computer's IP address is 192.168.1.105... but its saying that the router's IP is set to that, correct?

The error doesn't make any sense in any case, cause nothing 192.168.1.105 wouldn't be out of range for anything on my network, and 192.168.0.1 WOULD be out of range.

I'll of course re-check the network settings, as something may have gotten changed in the past.

 

[pyromaster114]

I re-checked the network settings...
The computer's IP IS 192.168.1.105... though that's perfectly in the range of the router.
I did ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew, but it gives it the same IP address.
I could force it, but that'd be a problem whenever i connect it somewhere else, I'd have to reset the thing to automatic from manual.
I don't think that (logically) the network adapter should be able to crash the entire system. Lock it up for a moment, crash explorer.exe even, but not just the whole system, screen blank, nothingness. (Could be wrong though, it IS windows.)

I'm honestly just thinking of reloading the operating system. It might end up being faster than trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with this thing.

EDIT:
There appears to be another error, well, a warning rather, here's what it says:
Log Name: Application
Source: SQLBrowser
Date: 12/2/2008 6:07:27 PM
Event ID: 3
Task Category: None
Level: Warning
Keywords: Classic
User: N/A
Computer: Chii
Description:
The configuration of the AdminConnection\TCP protocol in the SQL instance MSSMLBIZ is not valid.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
<Provider Name="SQLBrowser" />
<EventID Qualifiers="49230">3</EventID>
<Level>3</Level>
<Task>0</Task>
<Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2008-12-03T00:07:27.000Z" />
<EventRecordID>286246</EventRecordID>
<Channel>Application</Channel>
<Computer>Chii</Computer>
<Security />
</System>
<EventData>
<Data>AdminConnection\TCP</Data>
<Data>MSSMLBIZ</Data>
</EventData>
</Event>

And yet another error, in the system category though:
Log Name: System
Source: EventLog
Date: 12/2/2008 6:07:20 PM
Event ID: 6008
Task Category: None
Level: Error
Keywords: Classic
User: N/A
Computer: Chii
Description:
The previous system shutdown at 3:55:34 PM on 12/2/2008 was unexpected.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
<Provider Name="EventLog" />
<EventID Qualifiers="32768">6008</EventID>
<Level>2</Level>
<Task>0</Task>
<Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2008-12-03T00:07:20.000Z" />
<EventRecordID>113917</EventRecordID>
<Channel>System</Channel>
<Computer>Chii</Computer>
<Security />
</System>
<EventData>
<Data>3:55:34 PM</Data>
<Data>12/2/2008</Data>
<Data>
</Data>
<Data>
</Data>
<Data>13974</Data>
<Data>
</Data>
<Data>
</Data>
<Binary>D8070C00020002000F0037002200EC00D8070C0002000200150037002200EC00600900003C000000010000006009000000000000B00400000100000000000000</Binary>
</EventData>
</Event>
What's interresting about that one, is that it apparently tells me when something crashed while I was out.
It says at 3:55 or whatever, there was a crash, or a system shutdown. I look back, and it appears that the logs actually say something about a system shutdown, services start entering the 'stopped' state, and then the log entries stop, until around 6:05 i came home and killed the power, and rebooted it.
That means, at least to me, that something that isn't in the log is causing the crash.

 

[pyromaster114]

I reloaded the entire OS, from scratch, created an image of the hard disk drive using Acronis' boot cd utility, and confirmed that in that configuration, it didn't crash.
I restored my backed up data, and a day later, it crashes again.

This would lead me to believe that something I did caused it to crash again.
So I restored the image. Left it for 2 hours, and it crashed.
This doesn't make sense, because previously in that configuration, the thing didn't crash.
I'll be trying to restore it from the factory recovery partition this time, test that, and see how it goes.
If anyone has any ideas on what it could be, please let me know.

I think it might be a video driver problem, having to do with a recent update to vista or something like that. Does anyone know of any good alternative drivers for Nvidia cards?

 

[pyromaster114]

Found a new error today.
Though I have no clue what the heck it means.
Here it is:

Log Name: System
Source: Service Control Manager
Date: 12/18/2008 9:38:03 PM
Event ID: 7000
Task Category: None
Level: Error
Keywords: Classic
User: N/A
Computer: Chii
Description:
The Parallel port driver service failed to start due to the following error:
The service cannot be started, either because it is disabled or because it has no enabled devices associated with it.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
<Provider Name="Service Control Manager" Guid="{555908D1-A6D7-4695-8E1E-26931D2012F4}" EventSourceName="Service Control Manager" />
<EventID Qualifiers="49152">7000</EventID>
<Version>0</Version>
<Level>2</Level>
<Task>0</Task>
<Opcode>0</Opcode>
<Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2008-12-19T03:38:03.000Z" />
<EventRecordID>22148</EventRecordID>
<Correlation />
<Execution ProcessID="0" ThreadID="0" />
<Channel>System</Channel>
<Computer>Chii</Computer>
<Security />
</System>
<EventData>
<Data Name="param1">Parallel port driver</Data>
<Data Name="param2">%%1058</Data>
</EventData>
</Event>

Anyone got a clue what this means?
I mean, what parallel port is it talking about? I'm not using a printer or anything, or a USB device even that could register as a parallel port...
Although I'm certain there are other things that register as a parallel port, like maybe a VGA monitor, or something inside the system. Anyone have an idea what it's referring to when it says "Parallel port"?

 

[Bobbye]

This needs to be clarified: your specs show Windows XP Pro but I just noticed this in Post #7:

I think it might be a video driver problem, having to do with a recent update to vista or something like that.

SO: we need to get on the same page. You have just reloaded the OS and it is Vista, is that correct? Please give me the specs for the Vista machine.

Please see this regarding the Parallel Port Error:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/935497

Please let me know jut what problems you are now encountering on the computer. This thread has gotten old and it appears that nothing has been resolved. This could be partly due to having the wrong information about the system.

 

[pyromaster114]

Sony Vaio VGN-FZ290 (Got it in Nov. 2007 direct from Sony)
2.2GHz Intel Centrino Duo
800MHz FSB
2GB RAM
160GB HDD (I remember something about it being a hybrid drive, having some flash memory... don't know if that's relevant.)
Windows Vista Ultimate

The system usually has an external monitor attached to it, a Samsung Syncmaster 906cw.

EDIT:
I disabled the parallel port driver service thing, so we'll see what happens.
I doubt it will do much, on account of I don't know how a parallel port driver could crash the whole machine, although this is windows, so who knows.

 

[Bobbye]

Okay, If the Vista system replaced the one in your specs, please update.

Hopefully you saw this statement on the site I left re parallel port:

Note When this event is logged in the System log, it does not indicate that there is any serious problem with the comptuer.

It would be best if you stop reloading Windows whenever you have a problem. That is a last resort, not a first. It is much better to troubleshoot the problem and try to resolve it.

 

[pyromaster114]

I don't usually reload windows whenever I have a problem, but when something ends up looking like a possible hardware problem (ie RAM in this case...), and I can't resolve it within a week, I usually try and do a clean install, and see if the problem is still there. Remarkably, 99% of problems I have ever had are resolved by this method. Viruses go away, so do errors that i may have caused in the registry by messing with it, etc. But trust me, I don't enjoy reloading my OS and having to re-configure everything, it IS a last resort.

 

[Bobbye]

I will close this thread now. since you have reloaded the OS, everything previously done has been undone. If you still require assistance, please start a new thread, with the specific problem you are having now.