Windows freezes

[TechE]

Hi,
I got a problem with my computer. It keeps on freezing up every now and then for no reason when I leave it be for a few hours. It's not a complete freeze because when I click on the start menu, desktop icons, or the taskbar items i get the message:

"Windows can not access the specified device, path, or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item."

I'm running winxp sp2, automatic login aka im the adminstrator, amd athlon 64 dual processor 4200, 2gb ram. The only way to fix this is to reset my computer. Two months ago I replaced a power supply and a hard drive and then the above problem started. Otherwise everything is running just fine. Anybody have an idea as to what my problem might be? Thanks for anybody's help to this.

 

[jb444]

If you can still interact the power supply is probably not the cause of the freezing, and symptoms mean its almost certainly a software problem.
Do you mean you replaced the hdd with windows on it or just a data hdd?

 

[TechE]

I replaced the hard drive with a new hard drive and installed winxp on it. The old hd went bad. This was the main OS hdd. Thanks.

 

[gsm]

I would check and modify the power saving settings at the Control panel, especially the settings for the hard disk.

 

[TechE]

I've check my power settings in control panel, and its set to home/office with the options down below all set to never turn off.

 

[tipstir]

How did you set the jumpers on that HD?

CS (cable select)
Master

How many HDs and optical devices (CD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-RW) do you have in the ribbon chain? If you got a lot of? How big is the PSU? Small PSU can cause the system to freeze up. Also RAM problems do happen notthing is perfect. Could be the CPU getting to hot. Do you have intake fan for air coming into the case then outtake for air leaving the case.

How old is the system? Did you scan for viruses/spyware an etc.. Which version of Windows are you using?

Could be a bad MOBO also, the HD Controller could be the problem.

Thinks like this you got to consider? It could be anything. Like one of the optical drives could be going bad cause the system to drag or freeze.

 

[TechE]

Here's what I've got:

My system is just over a year old. I put it together and it has worked fine up until this last december when the original power supply went. I had it replaced and then a couple of weeks later my main 320GB Hard drive went. I got that replaced and reinstalled Windows XP.

3 - hard drives
- 1 - 320GB IDE main drive -installed OS Windows XP
-jumpers are set for Primary Master
- 2 - 300GB SATA secondary drives (backup data)
1 - Lite-On Combo dvdrw - jumpers are set for Secondary Master
450 Power Supply
ASUS A8N32-SLI Mother Board
AMD Athlon 64x2 Dual Core Processor 4200 at 2.21GHz
2 sticks of 1GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 7600GT video card
Windows XP SP2
Nortons AntiVirus '06 - no virus' found
XoftSpySE - no spysoftware
I also have a 4" fan in the back of my computer sucking the hot air out. Although I think that I could get a couple of small fans and put them in the front for more air circulation.

 

[gsm]

Bios

I've check my power settings in control panel, and its set to home/office with the options down below all set to never turn off.

Perhaps you should check the BIOS power settings as well.

Regards,
GSM

 

[TechE]

I generally don't touch the bios settings unless its to change the bootup sequence. Everything is the standard factory default. I've been eliminating the possiblities of whats going wrong and have eliminated my ram. I've also temporarily disconnected my two sata drives as a possiblity. I'm hoping it just might be one of those two drives. So far so good. I'll post again in a day or so to let you know what goes on.

We'll I tried disconnecting my two sata drives. Didn't work, gave me the same trouble again. So I'm down to the remaining items on my list: PowerSupply, Motherboard.

 

[gsm]

The Role of the F5 Key and Shutdown Problems

You may want to look for The Role of the F5 Key, when doing a clean install and Shutdown Problems (ACPI) at this article: http://www.theeldergeek.com/clean_installation_of_windows_xp.htm