Computer freezes

[ashwanth]

My computer freezes repeatedly and not at anyspecific time. I have re-installed windows, all my drivers are up-to-date, I bought a new CPU fan since previously the CPU temp was 60C (pretty high), I ran memtest and that gave me NO errors. I've run virus scans and haven't found anything yet. I have also cleaned up my registry, etc. When I run defrag, it would run most of it and then freeze up which doesn't help too much. From the memtest, the memory seems to be working fine, my hard-drive is in good condition. I'm not sure what the problem could be. Has anyone come across this before? Any suggestions on what can be done next?

 

[Ste]

What program have you run to confirm that your HD is in good condition? What does SMART say after POST?
Google, download and run Hard Drive Health. Post a screen shot of the SMART Entries and the Extra/More Info Tab.

List all your components. Its possible that the Motherboard is Bad or your Power supply is insufficent or malfunctioning.

 

[ashwanth]

My Power supply is 600W and it's fairly new (purchased ~ 4 months ago). My hard drive is also fairly new (~6 months).

Shuttle AK32E Socket A Motherboard w/ XP 2200+ (MBM-AK32E-2200)
768MB SD-RAM
250GB HD
600W Power Supply
eVGA nVidia GeForce FX 5200 Chipset 128MB DDR AGP 8X w/ CRT & TV-Out
Creative Lab Sound Blaster Audigy 2 6.1 PCI

I'll run Hard Drive Health when I get home and post a message this evening. What is SMART entry?

 

[barbiedoll1973]

My computer does this sometimes I hope that it does not get worse. Let me know what was wrong with it.

 

[ashwanth]

I don't know what triggered this. My computer seemed just fine for the past 2-3 years. And a few weeks ago, it just froze. I thought this was a normal freeze but then it kept happening. Atleast 3-4 times every day. After restarting, it could run for 5 mins before it freezes again or even 5 hours. I did run drive health and that shows everything is fine. Don't know what's wrong.

 

[ashwanth]

Ste,
Here's a screen shot. I quickly went home and ran the program. Since I downloaded the trial version, it didn't check everything on the hard drive. Do you want me to post anything else that might help you figure out what's wrong?

 

[Ste]

Appears that is a newer version then the One I use. Look around in the Options or file menu and locate the SMART Tab.
I don't know why it says Unlock it on a few of the entires. Try to find an older version of that program.
Even though the program says its Ok, 111F is Sorta hot. Its possible that its overheating. Possibly add more fans.

I would also run check disk (Again). Western Digital also has a HD diagnostic. On their site. Symantec Ghost also does and I think Partition magic does too. The Ultimate Boot disk also has serveral HD diagnostic tools.

UBD = free
Partition Magic = Not Free*
Symantec ghost= Not Free*
Western Digital= Should be Free

* = coughtorrentcough

 

[molsen]

my computer used to do just that. turned out it was the power supply. even though it was a historically reliable one with enough power, i had ended up with a bad seed. it ended up frying half of my motherboard. i'd check your PSU. if necessary, bring it to a local computer tech. place, they can test the voltage levels and stability for you.

 

[ashwanth]

So what's the minimum watts PSU I should have?
I'm running an AthlonXP2200+, 2 hard drives (250GB & 150GB), an audigy soundblaster card, GeForce 5200 video card, 768MB Ram.

 

[molsen]

i dont think you'd need anymore 400 or 450 watts. just make sure its a stable and reliable psu