[Xero4006]

My computer freezes like every 90 minutes. What do you guys recommend me doing? The last step i want to do is reformat my computer. No i did not download any porn. I ran norton anti-virus, avg-free and adware se personal.

my computer uses windows xp sp2 1gb ram 250gb hard drive geforce nvidia 7300 le 2.8ghz pentium d

[smax013]

Xero4006 said:

My computer freezes like every 90 minutes. What do you guys recommend me doing? The last step i want to do is reformat my computer. No i did not download any porn. I ran norton anti-virus, avg-free and adware se personal.

my computer uses windows xp sp2 1gb ram 250gb hard drive geforce nvidia 7300 le 2.8ghz pentium d

Well, then put it next to a heater!



Sorry...could not help playing with the pun! ;-)



If I re-engage serious mode (tough sometimes), it does sound like a potential heat issue (which makes the pun more entertaining). My first guess would be that you might be having an overheating issue (which is ironic since the computer is "freezing") if it is happening on a regular basis. You might want to get ahold of some software that can give you readings on the processor temperature. You will have to wait to see if someone can suggest some software for that...I am not personally aware of a good choice (my one computer came with software for the motherboard, so I did not have to get third party software). Since it would take a while for things to fully heat up, this would be my first suspecion.

[techie4fun]

As Smax suggested, you may want to figure out the actual temperature your CPU is at during the time that your computer freezes. These temperature's can be read by installing SpeedFan onto your machine.


Please click here to download the program.

[Xero4006]

thanks for your guys help. what i was wondering is how do you read the tempature when the computer is frozen? does it save the last known config?

[piyushsingh]

i would suggest core temp instead of speed fan , its a small utility and you can record your CPU temps with it for any duration of time.
Then you will be able to know if it is a heating problem.
By the way do you get any BIOS notification after you restart after freeze. there is always a notification after a thermal event takes place , atlest in intel cpu's as far as i know.

[Xero4006]

No i dont think their was any. However i did remember when i got it was really quite and now it seems to be getting louder but this seems to be the loudest. Not too loud compared to my old xps. may you give me the link for the core temp?

[piyushsingh]

here is the link - http://www.alcpu.com...mp/CoreTemp.zip
but wait urs a pentium D, i dont know whether it will work , its core temp , meant for core cpu.
sorry i didnt see ur specs before , but u may try its a small application.
Message was edited by: piyushsingh

[mphenterprises]

Hi Xero. As the others have mentioned, this is more than likely an overheating issue. The application that Piyushsingh suggested will tell you all the information you need, if it is compatible with your system.

Additionally, can you please tell us the rating of your computer's Power Supply? (You can find the Power Supply rating on the inside of the computer on a sticker on the side of the Power Supply.) You should see something similar to "Peak Power Outage." I have a strong feeling that the Power Supply may be insufficient for your computer usage.

On top of that, you can take a can of compressed air and clean out the inside of your computer. Dust can build up quickly and if not cleaned out, will suffocate your computer.

[techie4fun]

Xero4006 said:

thanks for your guys help. what i was wondering is how do you read the tempature when the computer is frozen? does it save the last known config?

We'll, I believe that once you start Windows and initiate SpeedFan, it will automatically record the temperatures following the icon in the taskbar, and once your computer freezes up, you should still be able to see the temperature your computer was at before the freeze.

[nevertooamazed]

The noise issue you mentioned makes me believe that your fan is going out (i.e. dying). A bad bearing in the fan would certainly lend to increasing noise from your CPU case. And...this will directly affect the temperature (i.e. the heating up) of your components. This backs up what everyone else has previously stated: you have an internal temperature problem that is causing your computer to quit/freeze. A new fan is a minor expense and easily remedied.

[Xero4006]

i believe i have a 420watt power supply. But when i leave it as stand by for hours and come back home i can still use the computer. It doesnt freezes then but short afterwhile. I turn on my computer that long and my graphic card is a 7300LE not overclocked (dont even know if it can) but i dont think it takes a lot of power. What i did remember when i first used it the smell of smoke was coming out for awhile. After a few days it just stopped maybe it is my fan?

[smax013]

Xero4006 said:

i believe i have a 420watt power supply. But when i leave it as stand by for hours and come back home i can still use the computer. It doesnt freezes then but short afterwhile. I turn on my computer that long and my graphic card is a 7300LE not overclocked (dont even know if it can) but i dont think it takes a lot of power. What i did remember when i first used it the smell of smoke was coming out for awhile. After a few days it just stopped maybe it is my fan?

[~89439] might have a good thought. A "busted" fan could lead to overheating which could lead to freezes or shutdowns.

[Xero4006]

if its not that then what do you guys think it is? Because i have 6 fans

[mphenterprises]

Hi Xero. Besides the fact that I am trying to see how six fans can fit nicely in a custom case, since you have that many fans, I would venture a guess and say that if one of those six fans failed, you would not see a significant temperature increase. This would leave a faulty Power Supply as a likely culprit.

Have you downloaded either of the temperature gauges that were suggested to you?

[Xero4006]

sorry i have been away for so long. I left my cousin to use my computer and he said whenever he plays a high-detailed game it freezes for example Battlefield 2142, half life 2, counter-strike source.

[mphenterprises]

Hi Xero. Playing graphic intensive games such as those listed with a 420Watt Power Supply is like shooting yourself in the foot. The Power Supply is one of, if not the most intricate parts of your computer. To play games such as Half Life II and Battlefield 2142, I would recommend a Power Supply with no less than a 650-700Watt rating. For more information on how important the Power Supply is, please read this Document.

Now, besides this point, I believe we have tried to recommend that you download some type of system temperature gauge. As of now, you have not indicated whether or not you have done so. Please download the recommended SpeedFan and tell us what temperature your computer hits when it freezes.

In addition to this, something as small as the amount or type of thermal paste (grease) you used on your processor could cause an overheating problem. Please tell us what kind of thermal paste you used and how much you put on the underside of the processor.

[Xero4006]

Thanks. It probably is my power supply. The tempature is at 59 degrees(F). What is the average tempature? And what power supply do you guys recommend for those games? I am on a tight budget but if there is a big difference please tell me why. If it's not my power supply is it my fan? It is getting dusty and i should clean it. Its not clogged or anything

[mphenterprises]

Hi Xero. Well, let me be blunt. If you have a computer that runs at 59 degrees Fahrenheit, you must have one of the best cooling systems known. :-) I believe you mean Celsius. The conversion of this would be about 138 degrees Fahrenheit. However, this is well within the nominal range for computers. The nominal range is between 100 - 170 degrees Fahrenheit.

I have re-read your Discussion and I have some questions for you:

- Does your computer freeze every 90 minutes like clockwork or just sporadically?

- With Task Manager open, how many processes are running when the computer freezes?

- After you use compressed air and blow out the dust in your computer, at what temperature does your computer run?

- I highly doubt this is a viral issue; however, what security applications do you have and what were the results of the latest scans?

[Xero4006]

:^0 haha my bad it is Celsius. It just randomly freezes when i just low setting games or sometimes anytime. When i leave the computer on for hours and i come back and check the tempature its about the same but i do know its going to freeze soon because it always does. For sure it freezes after a few seconds a high quality game is being played. I use Norton antivirus, Ad-Aware se personal, AVG Free, Zone alarm and i always have my firewall on no matter what. I havn't use the duster on my computer yet for one, i need to find it and it doesnt seem dusty but you never know:D. I will check how many process are being used when it freezes. Right now its running at around 49 processes.

[mphenterprises]

Xero4006 said:

I use Norton antivirus...

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Ahhh, I think we found something. Norton is a serious resource hog. Everyone within this forum would stay far, far away from Norton. Now, I normally do not recommend anything in relation to security simply because there are so many other individuals within this forum who would be able to help with that.

However, in this instance, you really should uninstall Norton. Not only is Norton a resource hog, it will bog down a system with limited system specifications. To uninstall Norton, the only sure-fire way to completely remove this application is to use the Norton Removal Tool.

Once you do this, see if you can play some of the basic games. Once you confirm you can play some of the basic games, try the higher quality games.