Problem With One Of The Drivers???

[mirke]

hi all, im new around here and would like to ask someone to help me with my problem...
the problem is with one of my drivers (thats what microsoft help page tells me) my comp crashes after 6-12hrs of working and restarts itself...after 1st restart it can not start the windows and reboots itself few times and then when it starts it tells me that windows has recoverd from serious error... as i sais microsoft help page tells me that one of my drivers (printer, modem...) coused this error. how do i foun out which driver coused this???
im running win xp home edition
ps. after it restarts it works fine again for few hours... by the way i tried to do restore point but it wouldnt work, but im pretty sure this is not related as i had this problem (restore) before.
thanks in advance and hope u can solve my problems

CHEERS

 

[Kangaroo]

There are several reasons why a computer will suddenly restart without telling the user why. Most of the time it is a software problem in which case there are several problem fixing strategies you can try. First off you can run a check disk and this will take place when you restart your computer. Go to "My Computer", right-click your main hard drive (the drive that contains C:\WINDOWS) and go to "Properties". When "Properties" has loaded there are 5+ tabs accross the top, click the tab that is labelled "Tools". There are 3 options to chose from once the Tools menu has loaded, these options are "Error-checking", "Defragmentation" and "Backup". Within the "Error-checking" section click "Check Now...". Another window will open, within this window you should check the "Automatically fix file system errors" box before pressing "Start".

After you press "Start" with the "Automatically fix file system errors" checked another window will open informing you that the system must be restarted before any fixes can be performed. Click "Yes", this tells your computer that you have approved of it checking the disk the next time Windows is restarted. Then restart your computer. When the computer is loading it will go to a pale blue screen where it will tell you that the system is scheduled for a disk check, in which case do not press any keys for 10 seconds. This will repair any bad files, folders or registries within the disk.

The above is the very basic way of repairing files or driver problems. If this does not solve the problem (which is more than likely) then you might have to install service packs, reinstall drivers or solve conflicts between hardware. If worste comes to worste you migtht have to install Windows XP again from fresh or run the Repair option from DOS using the original Windows XP CD. This will repair all system files without deleting any personal documents.

Also you could scan for virus' and remove any spyware that might be within your system.

 

[mirke]

kangaroo thanks for ur answer... but would it be crazy/stupid if i say i did all of the above apart from 'Repair option from DOS' thing and it didnt fix the problem.

 

[mirke]

also my comp is updated all the time

CHEERS

 

[Kangaroo]

Ah it can be a bit risky to update ALL the time, only update if you are having problems. Especially with service packs, they are renowned for being extremely unstable when you download in steps - always wait for the finalised FULL version to be released.

When was the last time you installed your OS (Operating System) fresh?

 

[Kangaroo]

Also that Check Disk option is very helpful, I run it at least once per week just to check to see if all my files are in good condition and not missing certain things

 

[mirke]

sooo u wouldnt recomend updating it from microsoft update site?
will install OS tomorow (havent done it for few mths) how often u shold do it?

CHEERS

 

[Kangaroo]

Every 6 months I would recommend - and when your computer is running perfectly, DON'T CHANGE ANYTHING!

 

[preet2u]

Lemme start off by sayin' ...i don't even remember when i reinstalled my OS last ..... N' i don't have a single problem with it ... N' yes ... i do update the patchs/fixs almost all the time.

Patchs/fixs are released to rectify exixsting problems not create newer ones ..... But then i would hafta agree with Kangaroo on one thing ... n' that would be that beta packs (pror to final release)

Now coming to ur problem ... This is what i suggest

1. Remove all installed PCI cards .. Boot up ur machine ..see if u have any issues.

2. Now put in the card's one at a time ...n' switch on the machine ..again check for problems.

3.U should be able to pin point the device which is cauing the problem by now ... Get the right drivers for it n' reinstall them ..

 

[killians45]

if you want to reinstall drivers, I'd start with the vid card. They usually cause the strangest and most severe problems. That and MBD chipset drivers (IDE and other bus master drivers). If you DO reinstall windows, and same thing happens I would suggest looking into the power supply.