Expert advice needed: Computer locks up every time it boots up

Status
Not open for further replies.

SamLee0519

Baseband Member
Messages
67
Location
Way
Every time I turn on my computer, just a few seconds after my desktop loads up, the computer completely freezes. I can't move my mouse and ctrl+alt+del doesn't work. The keyboard freezes too. When I press Num Lock or Caps Lock, the lights on my keyboard stay exactly the same.

My specs are:
Phenom 9500
GIGABYTE GA-MA78GPM-DS2H Motherboard 780G Chipset
G.Skill 2GB DDR2 800
ASUS TOP HD 4850
Windows XP SP3

I think this started happening when I added in some more RAM. I wanted to go for 4GB (I know it was 3.25. I was preparing myself for Vista 64-bit) so I ordered another set of the exact same G.Skill RAM to have 4GB (4x1GB), but when I received the pair, I noticed it was a little bit different. The design was different, and I think it was an updated version. Ever since then, my computer's been unstable.

I had my Phenom overclocked to 2.46GHz which was rock stable after 15 hours of Prime95. However, once I added in the pair of RAM, everything became unstable. So I reset my BIOS and everything was on stock settings, but even then, while playing games, my computer would just bleep out and restart.

So then, I took out the extra pair of RAM, and was running with the original 2GB. Since then, once in a while, say a fifth of the time, whenever I turned on my computer, right when my desktop loaded, the computer would completely freeze, as stated in the beginning. However, now it's become every single time. Every time I turn my computer on, it does that.

I found a temporary but an impractical solution, which was that as soon as my desktop came up, if I clicked the start menu, and the start menu came up, the computer wouldn't freeze. I have no idea why or how this works, but it does.

Do you guys have any idea what it could be? If it's a software problem, then I'm fine, because I'm reformatting my hard drive anyway with a new OS (Vista 64-bit) and new RAM (4GB DDR2 1066). However, my somehow my motherboard got damaged, that wouldn't be good.

Any help would be tremendously appreciated.
 
Because you can click on the start menu and the computer is fine means it's very likely a Windows problem.
 
Agree with both above... It's more than likely a windows issue, not your ram. When was the last time you slicked your drive? ;) if going into safe mode, and checking your system will not work, and mem-test proves your ram is fine, then I would go for the next thing... reload windows.

The first time I put SP3 on my laptop, I started getting that same problem. In games it would suddenly restart... I finally slicked it, reloaded everything, but put in SP3 first... all was well. I'm not saying that is the issue, but it could have something to do with it... files corruptions in the OS.
 
Yeah, I did think it was a Windows problem. Just as long as it's not hardware issues, I'm on safe ground.
 
Once you've reformatted check back here and let us know if it was in fact Windows. Good to know this information.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom