Don't know where to begin on this one

croSSeduP

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My computer will boot to Windows but will randomly freeze. There doesn't seem to be any pattern to the freezing, except that it seems to be worse right after Windows opens or when I get logged on to my desktop. It greatly affects online game play as while I'm playing my connection will get interrupted off and on. This is not a internet connection issue; I've checked all of that. How do I begin to troubleshoot this? It is not regularly occurring so it is hard to nail down. Thanks.
 
Please post the rest of your specs so we can get an idea of what we're working with.

As far as what to try... here's what I'd start with:
Check Event Viewer when the freezes happen to see if there's any clues.

Try updating all of your drivers from each component manufacturer.

Monitor your temps with something like HWMonitor.

You could also try running a chkdsk on your drive to make sure it's alright. Open up a command prompt as admin (if on Vista/7/8), and type in: chkdsk c: /f /r
It will ask to run on next reboot. Type Y and press Enter and then reboot your computer.

You could also check your RAM with Memtest86+: Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool
Burn the ISO to a disc with something like IMGBurn, and run it for a minimum of 4 hours (overnight is usually best).
 
My computer specs are in my profile.

How do I check Event Viewer? I've never used this before so I don't know where to find it.

I do update drivers regularly, but I will do so again.

I do monitor temps. CPU idles around high 30's, at highest load (running OCCT for example) it will get into the low 70's. GPU runs cool. Nothing else has even a remote possibility of overheating because my case has good airflow.

I ran checkdisk one other time when this started; it didn't show anything. I also updated the firmware for my Crucial M4 SSD. Didn't change anything. Will do this again, however.

I have a Memtest CD and haven't run it recently. I think that will be the first thing I try since I've tried the others recently.

I have a gut instinct, however, that the problem lies with one of my PCI slots where I have a network card installed. Will the Even Viewer show a problem with that if that's where it is?

Thanks for the tips!
 
My computer specs are in my profile.

How do I check Event Viewer? I've never used this before so I don't know where to find it.
Click Start --> Type in Event Viewer

I have a gut instinct, however, that the problem lies with one of my PCI slots where I have a network card installed. Will the Even Viewer show a problem with that if that's where it is?

Thanks for the tips!

It may indicate some sort of hardware issues.

Under Windows Logs, look under the System tab as well as the Application tabs.
 
I just looked into my event viewer. There is a BUNCH of errors all the way up to today. There are over 25,000 errors in the list. Today there was a bunch, most of them around Peer Networking or Peer name resolution. There were about 20 errors or warnings just today.
 
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What you are wanting to look for are critical errors. The system will always have errors, but critical ones, or ones that are happening right at the time of the system failure are the most important errors.
 
FOLLOW UP: I have not posted anything more about this because I was following my hunch. I used to have a Linksys WMP600N network adapter in one of my PCI slots for my wireless connection. I suspected this was the problem because before my computer started freezing a lot sometimes my connection speed would drop to 1Mbps. Impossible to do anything with that. When I was looking into my connection I also noticed that my 5.0Ghz connection was not showing up in my connections, and it should have because that network adapter is supposed to detect 5.0Ghz signals, and it used to when I first installed the card. I bought one of these:
Linksys AE3000-NP USB 2.0 High Performance Dual-Band Wireless-N Adapter - Newegg.com

I installed it several days ago, and there have been no drops in internet connection or system freeze ups. My 5.0Ghz signal is running at a ridiculous 400Mbps, and I have a full 5-bar connection strength.
I believe this issue is "solved". Thank you all for your help!
 
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