System hang

[robbyt]

My system intermittently hangs. Screen freezes, cursor freezes, ctrl-alt-del does nothing, num lock does nothing, caps lock does nothing. Only way out is to power off and on again, naturally losing whatever was in process.

Doesn't matter what is going on at the time or what applications are running. The machine can even be unattended when the freeze happens. Sometimes goes hours and sometimes fails several times in 10-15 minutes.

Compaq Athlon 900, XP Pro. I've swapped my hard drive, completely reinstalled all software, swapped graphics card, swapped memory,... nothing makes the problem go away.

I've run memory diagnostics for hours with no errors.

So how do I trouble shoot an intermittent problem with no clues? I'm exasperated enough to buy a new PC, but that seems crazy when this one would do for a while if only I could get rid of these crashes.

Thanks for any suggestions.

[mireland]

Originally posted by robbyt
My system intermittently hangs. Screen freezes, cursor freezes, ctrl-alt-del does nothing, num lock does nothing, caps lock does nothing. Only way out is to power off and on again, naturally losing whatever was in process.

Doesn't matter what is going on at the time or what applications are running. The machine can even be unattended when the freeze happens. Sometimes goes hours and sometimes fails several times in 10-15 minutes.

Compaq Athlon 900, XP Pro. I've swapped my hard drive, completely reinstalled all software, swapped graphics card, swapped memory,... nothing makes the problem go away.

I've run memory diagnostics for hours with no errors.

So how do I trouble shoot an intermittent problem with no clues? I'm exasperated enough to buy a new PC, but that seems crazy when this one would do for a while if only I could get rid of these crashes.

Thanks for any suggestions.

I wonder if there may be a power supply issue or some sort of other power issue. Maybe try another outlet and/or power cord..or maybe even a new powersupply..This might sound like a stretch, but it's the only thing I can think of

[AllGamer]

i'll say it's due Over Heating

remove the Side Panel cover

and see if it makes any difference

[dmoltrup]

I have to disagree with AllGamer. Removing the side panel won't help. If anything your system will run hotter.
I would suggest going into the BIOS and looking for system temps. If Compaq doesn't have temperature gauges in BIOS, then use Sandra and watch what's happening with your CPU, and mainboard temperature and voltage readings. Keep in mind that it could be a violent, sudden fluctuation, though. If it is, the BIOS or Sandra will never show it, because it will crash the computer too quickly.

[dexmax]

Overheating..

Check heatsink/processor..

If you see some sticky fluid/gel oozing/dropping out.. Its the silicon paste..

Remove the Heatsink and wipeoff the old paste... Then apply Silicon Paste. And reinstall the heatsink, make sure you place it correctly..

Good Luck!

[dexmax]

Originally posted by dmoltrup
I have to disagree with AllGamer. Removing the side panel won't help. If anything your system will run hotter.
I would suggest going into the BIOS and looking for system temps. If Compaq doesn't have temperature gauges in BIOS, then use Sandra and watch what's happening with your CPU, and mainboard temperature and voltage readings. Keep in mind that it could be a violent, sudden fluctuation, though. If it is, the BIOS or Sandra will never show it, because it will crash the computer too quickly.

I agree.

[BipolarBill]

Spyware:

http://security.kolla.de/

[robbyt]

Thanks to all for responding.

Unfortunately, my problem persists after:
1. reseating the heat sink on the chip
2. running SANDRA
3. running Spybot (although it certainly cleaned a lot of garbage!)

SANDRA commented on my BIOS being 'out of date'. Any chance this is related to intermittent failures?

Thanks

[Midknyte]

i've seen cd drives hang compaqs before. it's the darnest thing, but i had to replace a cdrw in order to fix the problem. if you have more than one cd drive, try using one at a time.

yes, it's pretty dumb, but what can i say?

[r8500]

You know, mine was doing that, so I did a repair install, and the problems went away. Then I ran windows updates, and it starting happening again, so I did a repair install again, and it was all better. Perhaps you should try a repair install, and see if that doesn't help it, that way you'll have no service packs, or windows updates.

[robbyt]

EUREKA!

Found out that Compaq has an upgrade for my BIOS, downloaded it, and installed it. So far, I've been up for a day and a half with no freezes... which never would have happened before. Knock on wood, this is it and I am done with this pain in the ****.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions!

[lptech]

robbyt-

Also make sure that you clean out the insides of the system as well as the power supply. Dirt and dust can wreak havoc on those systems especially when a little moisture in the air comes into contact with the dust balls inside the power supply making it run erratic or shorting it internally making it appear dead sometimes. It also impedes internal airflow making the system run hotter internally.

In the event that your problem re-appears, I would suggest checking to see if the power supply might be ready to go out on you! That could also be a distinct possibility! Good luck.

LPTECH