OT: My computer is randomly freezing

[narf poit chez BOOM]

After N amount of time, where 'N' is between one-half hour and six hours, my computer freezes. The screen displays the last update, sans mouse and I see no response save for when I use the power or reset buttons.

It is not the power supply voltage; although Speedfan is convinced the voltages are not all correct, a multimeter says they are correct. My PSU supplies 500W; I have a cheap $50 MB and $50 CPU (2.2 GHz, dual). My graphics card is a 8800GT.

OS is windows XP Home.

Speedfan says temperatures are ok, but I can drop a screenshot or something of them.

[Jack Simth]

Have you checked active processes? It's not only possible, but likely, that some process or another is eating the processor up.

Have you tried it with a Linux boot disk (to eliminate the possibility of it being a software issue)?

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Nope - Currently 99% idle. Although I could just sit there and watch the processes...If I get that desperate.

Nope, good idea, thanks.

[Azselendor]

Things to try:

1.) boot into safe mode and see if it happens.
2.) create a new user profile and log into that and see if it happens
3.) Roll your system back and see if that fixes it.
4.) Check for dust and lint buildup inside the CPU (sounds like this isn't an issue if you were checking for power)
5.) check cable connections for a loose one
6.) check msconfig via the run start menu item for programs.

My computers periodically lock up at random due to 5 programs I have that love to piss away memory.
1.) Firefox 2
2.) Safari (leaks memory like the ocean leaking into the titanic)
3.) Open Office's background soffice.bin process
4.) Linksys wireless monintor program.
5.) google desktop

[Ed Kolis]

Perhaps your RAM has gone bad - have you tried running memtest?

[capnq]

I've been getting similar behavior from XP Pro. I think I've tracked it down to a dodgy subpackage in my ISP's software that keep leaving multiple hung copies of one process in Task Manager.

Can you do a manual Shut Down/Restart from the Start menu, before the system has hung? The error message I get from attempting that is how I narrowed the problem down to the particular process.

[Xrati]

My guess is that the processor is over heating (it doesn't have to be by much to cause a shutdown). As the time is different between shutdowns and the heat is a relative function of how hard the load on the processor. If your N is ½ hr. to six, is the ½ hr. after it was already running and shutdown? Is the 6 hr. N when it was running from a cold boot?

Take the cooling fan off and clean the surface of the processor and bottom contact surface of the fan Make sure you clean the fan too!

[Makinus]

I had the exactly same problem that you had and found 2 main (and completely unrelated) causes for it: 1. One of my RAM has gone bad, just replaced it but the problem continued, while in a less severe way (a freeze every eight hours or so)... 2. I discovered, while navigating the internet, that my dual processor had some incompatibilities with old programs (mostly old games) that causes errors in the processor that would increasingly clutter the cpu without anything appearing in the xp monitoring... i found a 3rd party "patch" that resolved the problem and after aplying it never had any problems again...

After some digging it appears that nearly all dual processor CPUs have some problems (some more other less serious) with programs made before they are created, mainly games...

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Thanks for the suggestions.

[Daynarr]

Narf, there are at least 2 processors in your PC that can cause this - GPU and CPU. You need to make sure that both of them are not overheating (sounds like the case). GPU tends to do the kind of thing you described so you need to check your graphic card if it overheats.

Also, don't forget to check for viruses. You can get Avast or AVG free versions to check your system properly (google for links).