system Freezing up

John Bradley wrote:

 > I have just did a quick restore on this computer and reinstalled
 > Windows XP Pro and installed service pack2. now from time to time the
 > thing freezes. the mouse will not move. the keyboard won't work and
 > the only way to reboot is by turning off the power and turning it back
 > on. What can I do to solve this problem?

What were the problems that caused you to do a Quick Restore (Compaq?)?
If you were getting random freezing/locking up before the Quick Restore
and it still continues, you probably have failing hardware. You haven't
given us enough information to get a specific answer. Here are general
hardware troubleshooting steps:

1) Open the computer and run it open, cleaning out all dust bunnies and
observing all fans (overheating will cause system freezing). Obviously
you can't do this with a laptop, but you can hear if the fan is running
and feel if the laptop is getting too hot.

2) Test the RAM - I like Memtest86+ from <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.memtest.org." target="_blank">www.memtest.org.</a> Obviously, you
have to get the program from a working machine. You will either
download the precompiled Windows binary to make a bootable floppy or
the .iso to make a bootable cd. If you want to use the latter, you'll
need to have third-party burning software on the machine where you
download the file - XP's built-in burning capability won't do the job.
In either case, boot with the media you made. The test will run
immediately. Let the test run for an extended period of time - unless
errors are seen immediately. If you get any errors, replace the RAM.

3) Test the hard drive with a diagnostic utility from the mftr. Usually
you will download the file and make a bootable floppy with it. Boot
with the media and do a thorough test. If the drive has physical
errors, replace it.

4) The power supply may be going bad or be inadequate for the devices
you have in the system. The adequacy doesn't really apply to a laptop,
although of course the power
supply can be faulty.

5) Test the motherboard with something like TuffTest from
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.tufftest.com." target="_blank">www.tufftest.com.</a> Sometimes this is useful, and sometimes it isn't.

Testing hardware failures often involves swapping out suspected parts
with known-good parts. If you can't do the testing yourself and/or are
uncomfortable opening your computer, take the machine to a good local
computer repair shop (not a CompUSA or Best Buy type of store).

Malke
--
MS-MVP Windows User/Shell
Elephant Boy Computers
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.elephantboycomputers.com" target="_blank">www.elephantboycomputers.com</a>
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