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Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
HI All
Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myself g WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus & Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted & reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On May 11, 5:08*pm, Adrian Brentnall wrote:
HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myself g WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus & Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted & reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian I've sorted enough well used win installs to know not to bother in most cases. A fresh reinstall is generally quicker and more reliable after several years. Personally I'd install soemthing better like linux Mint 7, and upgrade firefox to 3.6. I might dualboot it with puppy or antix too. NT |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On 11/05/2011 17:08, Adrian Brentnall wrote:
HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myself g WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus & Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted & reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian Sounds like a software problem rather than a hardware problem. Regret I have no ideas but hopefully someone else here will. Have you tried looking for any groups or forums that cover the software, googling for similar problems etc? Uninstalling and reinstalling the suspect software might help but without knowing exactly where to look it does not necessarily clear out any settings that might be causing the problem. If it is easier most PCs can as a last resort be shut down by holding down the on button for up to about 7 seconds. |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
In article , Adrian Brentnall
scribeth thus HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myself g WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus & Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted & reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian With that sort of symptom I'd try a substitute power supply first at that sort of age. Most all the instances of this happening have been hardware related. XP is a stable system otherwise.. Don't know if that make was subject to the dodgy capacitors that did plague many motherboards some time ago, but worth a look to see if any of them are leaking or bulging etc... -- Tony Sayer |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On 11/05/2011 17:17, Tabby wrote:
On May 11, 5:08 pm, Adrian wrote: HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myselfg WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus& Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted& reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian I've sorted enough well used win installs to know not to bother in most cases. A fresh reinstall is generally quicker and more reliable after several years. Personally I'd install soemthing better like linux Mint 7, and upgrade firefox to 3.6. I might dualboot it with puppy or antix too. NT Thanks for that. Is it possible to reinstall Windows and leave all the application programs in place? (I don't really want to start from a clean disk) I'm pretty sure that I've got the Dell install disks somewhere, but I'd presumably have to go through a fairly serious download/update session ? Firefox4 is installed - though it's debatable whether that's an improvement g I tried various linux-type things a while back, and it wasn't that good an experience - maybe distros have improved since..? Anyway - if I was going that way I'd probably want to do it on a spare machine - there's day-to-day jobs ongoing that can't wait while I play 'new operating systems' Thanks Adrian |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On 11/05/2011 17:21, Invisible Man wrote:
On 11/05/2011 17:08, Adrian Brentnall wrote: HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myself g WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus & Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted & reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian Sounds like a software problem rather than a hardware problem. Regret I have no ideas but hopefully someone else here will. Have you tried looking for any groups or forums that cover the software, googling for similar problems etc? The software's supported by an enthusiastic user base, rather than any particular support from the designers. This latest release was let loose in January, and we're still waiting for some major 'day1' bugs to be sorted..... Uninstalling and reinstalling the suspect software might help but without knowing exactly where to look it does not necessarily clear out any settings that might be causing the problem. If it is easier most PCs can as a last resort be shut down by holding down the on button for up to about 7 seconds. I didn't know that - probably a bit kinder than pulling the mains! Thanks Adrian |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On 11/05/2011 17:35, tony sayer wrote:
In , Adrian Brentnall scribeth thus HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myselfg WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus& Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted& reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian With that sort of symptom I'd try a substitute power supply first at that sort of age. Most all the instances of this happening have been hardware related. XP is a stable system otherwise.. Yes - I've been reasonably happy with XP - which is why I've not bothered to upgrade. Odd thing is that this particular piece of software is the only thing I've ever seen that locks the PC up solid.... not as in 'Program not responding' but as in 'PC locked up solid and out to lunch'.... Don't know if that make was subject to the dodgy capacitors that did plague many motherboards some time ago, but worth a look to see if any of them are leaking or bulging etc... Nothing obvious. I think it probably post-dates that episode. - bought new in July 2008..... Thanks Adrian |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On 11/05/2011 17:40, Adrian Brentnall wrote:
On 11/05/2011 17:17, Tabby wrote: On May 11, 5:08 pm, Adrian wrote: HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myselfg WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus& Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted& reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian I've sorted enough well used win installs to know not to bother in most cases. A fresh reinstall is generally quicker and more reliable after several years. Personally I'd install soemthing better like linux Mint 7, and upgrade firefox to 3.6. I might dualboot it with puppy or antix too. NT Thanks for that. Is it possible to reinstall Windows and leave all the application programs in place? (I don't really want to start from a clean disk) I'm pretty sure that I've got the Dell install disks somewhere, but I'd presumably have to go through a fairly serious download/update session ? Firefox4 is installed - though it's debatable whether that's an improvement g I tried various linux-type things a while back, and it wasn't that good an experience - maybe distros have improved since..? Anyway - if I was going that way I'd probably want to do it on a spare machine - there's day-to-day jobs ongoing that can't wait while I play 'new operating systems' Thanks Adrian I prefer Firefox 4 but I know a lot of people don't. Whenever I have reinstalled windows I have had to reinstall everything else afterwards. If there is an easy way I Would love to hear it. Usually takes me a number of days. As I understand it most applications will not work unless they are included in the windows registry which could well be where the problem lies. Hence the need to start all over again. Sorry, not a lot I can do but commiserate. I will however be watching this thread carefully for new ideas. |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On 11/05/2011 17:49, Adrian Brentnall wrote:
On 11/05/2011 17:35, tony sayer wrote: In , Adrian Brentnall scribeth thus HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myselfg WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus& Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted& reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian With that sort of symptom I'd try a substitute power supply first at that sort of age. Most all the instances of this happening have been hardware related. XP is a stable system otherwise.. Yes - I've been reasonably happy with XP - which is why I've not bothered to upgrade. Odd thing is that this particular piece of software is the only thing I've ever seen that locks the PC up solid.... not as in 'Program not responding' but as in 'PC locked up solid and out to lunch'.... Don't know if that make was subject to the dodgy capacitors that did plague many motherboards some time ago, but worth a look to see if any of them are leaking or bulging etc... Nothing obvious. I think it probably post-dates that episode. - bought new in July 2008..... Thanks Adrian We have 2 PCs still running XP and both are pretty stable if slow. Latest PC has Windows 7 64 bit. Very stable but not something to try unless you are entirely satisfied the programs that are important to you will run on it. I had to do some manual entries to get one app to run and Nokia's software was a complete nightmare. HTC's is fine. |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On May 11, 5:57*pm, Invisible Man wrote:
On 11/05/2011 17:40, Adrian Brentnall wrote: On 11/05/2011 17:17, Tabby wrote: On May 11, 5:08 pm, Adrian wrote: HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myselfg WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus& Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted& reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian I've sorted enough well used win installs to know not to bother in most cases. A fresh reinstall is generally quicker and more reliable after several years. Personally I'd install soemthing better like linux Mint 7, and upgrade firefox to 3.6. I might dualboot it with puppy or antix too. NT Thanks for that. Is it possible to reinstall Windows and leave all the application programs in place? (I don't really want to start from a clean disk) I'm pretty sure that I've got the Dell install disks somewhere, but I'd presumably have to go through a fairly serious download/update session ? Firefox4 is installed - though it's debatable whether that's an improvement g I tried various linux-type things a while back, and it wasn't that good an experience - maybe distros have improved since..? Anyway - if I was going that way I'd probably want to do it on a spare machine - there's day-to-day jobs ongoing that can't wait while I play 'new operating systems' Thanks Adrian I prefer Firefox 4 but I know a lot of people don't. Whenever I have reinstalled windows I have had to reinstall everything else afterwards. If there is an easy way I Would love to hear it. Usually takes me a number of days. As I understand it most applications will not work unless they are included in the windows registry which could well be where the problem lies. Hence the need to start all over again. Sorry, not a lot I can do but commiserate. I will however be watching this thread carefully for new ideas. With the system 4 years old then maybe enough dust has been sucked into the CPU heatsink to give intermittant thermal problems, so I'd suck that out for starters. Possibly dodgy PSU as already mentioned. Other than that I'd start looking at software issues, maybe have a look at event and crash logs for anything untoward:- http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308427 http://janakiram.wordpress.com/2007/...in-windows-xp/ Personally I'd only re-install the OS as a last resort, the PITA of re- installing apps. and finding security codes etc. for ones you've paid for is such a hassle. |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
Invisible Man wrote:
On 11/05/2011 17:40, Adrian Brentnall wrote: On 11/05/2011 17:17, Tabby wrote: On May 11, 5:08 pm, Adrian wrote: HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myselfg WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus& Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted& reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian I've sorted enough well used win installs to know not to bother in most cases. A fresh reinstall is generally quicker and more reliable after several years. Personally I'd install soemthing better like linux Mint 7, and upgrade firefox to 3.6. I might dualboot it with puppy or antix too. NT Thanks for that. Is it possible to reinstall Windows and leave all the application programs in place? (I don't really want to start from a clean disk) I'm pretty sure that I've got the Dell install disks somewhere, but I'd presumably have to go through a fairly serious download/update session ? Firefox4 is installed - though it's debatable whether that's an improvement g I tried various linux-type things a while back, and it wasn't that good an experience - maybe distros have improved since..? Anyway - if I was going that way I'd probably want to do it on a spare machine - there's day-to-day jobs ongoing that can't wait while I play 'new operating systems' Thanks Adrian I prefer Firefox 4 but I know a lot of people don't. Whenever I have reinstalled windows I have had to reinstall everything else afterwards. If there is an easy way I Would love to hear it. Usually takes me a number of days. As I understand it most applications will not work unless they are included in the windows registry which could well be where the problem lies. Hence the need to start all over again. The other problem is that when stuff is uninstalled, it leaves registry entries configuration files and .ini files behind. To save time next time, make a slipstreamed install CD for XP immediately you have installed and fully updated, and before you install any programs. Doing this will give you an installation fully updated to the date you made the CD, or get a fully updated installation with all your programs upand running, and use Ghost to copy it to another machine or Harddrive. Sorry, not a lot I can do but commiserate. I will however be watching this thread carefully for new ideas. I normally end up doing a clean reinstall every year or so. An evening getting it to the stage of being safe on the internet, update Windows overnight, which usually takes a couple of evenings while I watch TV, then re-install the programs one by one as I use them from the install images on the HD, or dig out the CDs from the piling system. -- Tciao for Now! John. |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
Adrian Brentnall wrote:
On 11/05/2011 17:21, Invisible Man wrote: Sounds like a software problem rather than a hardware problem. Regret I have no ideas but hopefully someone else here will. Have you tried looking for any groups or forums that cover the software, googling for similar problems etc? The software's supported by an enthusiastic user base, rather than any particular support from the designers. This latest release was let loose in January, and we're still waiting for some major 'day1' bugs to be sorted..... +1 on it being software, not hardware related, with a strong bias toward whatever was the last thingto be installed/ updated. -- Tciao for Now! John. |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On May 11, 6:17*pm, John Williamson
wrote: +1 on it being software, not hardware related, with a strong bias toward whatever was the last thingto be installed/ updated. -- Tciao for Now! John. A system restore back to a point before the last thing was installed would be easy to try. |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
"Adrian Brentnall" wrote in message ... HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myself g WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus & Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted & reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian Run ccleaner from piriform http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner (It's freeware and spyware free) Clean up your hard disk and check for registry errors. -- The man who smiles when things go wrong has thought of someone to blame it on. |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
Adrian Brentnall wrote:
HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myself g WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus & Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted & reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian Instead of pulling plug, hold off button for a while and it will usually shut down. (although will not fix your problem just saves pulling plug) |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea -
but what can you do ?) Does it not even respond to your holding in the power button for 4+ seconds? Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Have you used the Event Viewer to look at the logs? (I don't have much experience with the black art of interpreting the logs but they should at least show if it is a consistent source.) -- Robin PM may be sent to rbw0{at}hotmail{dot}com |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On 11/05/2011 18:35, Robin wrote:
Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Does it not even respond to your holding in the power button for 4+ seconds? Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Have you used the Event Viewer to look at the logs? (I don't have much experience with the black art of interpreting the logs but they should at least show if it is a consistent source.) Also check the hard drive for 'smart' recorded errors? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.M.A.R.T. The free version of HDTune lists those and might show some bad sectors that might be either siting in your application directory, or worse in the disk cache (if periodically short of system memory). -- Adrian C |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On 11/05/2011 18:22, Nitro® wrote:
"Adrian Brentnall" wrote in message ... HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myself g WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus & Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted & reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian Run ccleaner from piriform http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner (It's freeware and spyware free) Clean up your hard disk and check for registry errors. Thanks - I'll give it a try.... g Adrian |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On 11/05/2011 18:13, John Williamson wrote:
Invisible Man wrote: On 11/05/2011 17:40, Adrian Brentnall wrote: On 11/05/2011 17:17, Tabby wrote: On May 11, 5:08 pm, Adrian wrote: HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myselfg WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus& Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted& reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian I've sorted enough well used win installs to know not to bother in most cases. A fresh reinstall is generally quicker and more reliable after several years. Personally I'd install soemthing better like linux Mint 7, and upgrade firefox to 3.6. I might dualboot it with puppy or antix too. NT Thanks for that. Is it possible to reinstall Windows and leave all the application programs in place? (I don't really want to start from a clean disk) I'm pretty sure that I've got the Dell install disks somewhere, but I'd presumably have to go through a fairly serious download/update session ? Firefox4 is installed - though it's debatable whether that's an improvement g I tried various linux-type things a while back, and it wasn't that good an experience - maybe distros have improved since..? Anyway - if I was going that way I'd probably want to do it on a spare machine - there's day-to-day jobs ongoing that can't wait while I play 'new operating systems' Thanks Adrian I prefer Firefox 4 but I know a lot of people don't. Whenever I have reinstalled windows I have had to reinstall everything else afterwards. If there is an easy way I Would love to hear it. Usually takes me a number of days. As I understand it most applications will not work unless they are included in the windows registry which could well be where the problem lies. Hence the need to start all over again. The other problem is that when stuff is uninstalled, it leaves registry entries configuration files and .ini files behind. To save time next time, make a slipstreamed install CD for XP immediately you have installed and fully updated, and before you install any programs. Doing this will give you an installation fully updated to the date you made the CD, or get a fully updated installation with all your programs upand running, and use Ghost to copy it to another machine or Harddrive. Sorry, not a lot I can do but commiserate. I will however be watching this thread carefully for new ideas. I normally end up doing a clean reinstall every year or so. An evening getting it to the stage of being safe on the internet, update Windows overnight, which usually takes a couple of evenings while I watch TV, then re-install the programs one by one as I use them from the install images on the HD, or dig out the CDs from the piling system. I'm trying to avoid the grief of a complete reinstall - if it get that bad then I'll probably buy another PC and migrate across! Was 'piling system' a typo ? g made me chuckle! Adrian |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
Adrian Brentnall wrote:
HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myself g WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus & Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted & reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian It's already been said but I'd be strongly suspecting the power supply unit. If you've got a spare one, stick it in and see (if not, they're cheap as chips to buy these days). |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
"John Williamson" wrote in message ... snip The other problem is that when stuff is uninstalled, it leaves registry entries configuration files and .ini files behind. To save time next time, make a slipstreamed install CD for XP immediately you have installed and fully updated, and before you install any programs. Doing this will give you an installation fully updated to the date you made the CD, or get a fully updated installation with all your programs upand running, and use Ghost to copy it to another machine or Harddrive. Ignorance on my part, but how do you make a slipstreamed install cd? I have heard of it but have no idea of the processes involved. Nick. |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On 11/05/2011 18:17, John Williamson wrote:
Adrian Brentnall wrote: On 11/05/2011 17:21, Invisible Man wrote: Sounds like a software problem rather than a hardware problem. Regret I have no ideas but hopefully someone else here will. Have you tried looking for any groups or forums that cover the software, googling for similar problems etc? The software's supported by an enthusiastic user base, rather than any particular support from the designers. This latest release was let loose in January, and we're still waiting for some major 'day1' bugs to be sorted..... +1 on it being software, not hardware related, with a strong bias toward whatever was the last thingto be installed/ updated. Hmm - as I say, 99% of the time it occurs while I'm using this web design program - and I think that I first noticed it after installing the latest version of it .... ....however - that's not a big help, as the files it works with aren't backwards compatible, so I can't go back to V11.... I'm in the process of migrating my various sites away to a new program called 'WYSIWYG' which has many advantages - not the least of which being that it doesn't trip over its own shoelaces and fall flat on its face! g Have turned on DrWatson - so we'll see what it notices the next time there's an incident. Thanks Adrian |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On 11/05/2011 18:20, Andy Inman wrote:
On May 11, 6:17 pm, John wrote: +1 on it being software, not hardware related, with a strong bias toward whatever was the last thingto be installed/ updated. -- Tciao for Now! John. A system restore back to a point before the last thing was installed would be easy to try. That'd be back in January..... there's been a fair few installs & upgrades since then. As I say - the problem occurred round about the time the new version of this software came out - so I'm perfectly prepared to believe that's where the fault lies.... Thanks Adrian |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On 11/05/2011 18:34, F Murtz wrote:
Adrian Brentnall wrote: HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myself g WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus & Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted & reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian Instead of pulling plug, hold off button for a while and it will usually shut down. (although will not fix your problem just saves pulling plug) Somebody else said that - I didn;t know that trick - thanks - will try that next time it falls over Adrian |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On 11/05/2011 18:35, Robin wrote:
Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Does it not even respond to your holding in the power button for 4+ seconds? Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Have you used the Event Viewer to look at the logs? (I don't have much experience with the black art of interpreting the logs but they should at least show if it is a consistent source.) I've just turned Dr Watson on (sounds kinda kinky!) so we'll see what that shows next time there's a crash Thanks Adrian |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On 11/05/2011 19:16, John wrote:
Adrian Brentnall wrote: HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myselfg WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus& Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted& reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian It's already been said but I'd be strongly suspecting the power supply unit. If you've got a spare one, stick it in and see (if not, they're cheap as chips to buy these days). It's a Dell - so it may not be standard g Would that cause a system freeze.... as in 'display fine but not responding' ? Thanks Adrian |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On Wed, 11 May 2011 17:08:41 +0100, Adrian Brentnall
wrote: HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myself g WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus & Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted & reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian I've found the people on this site very helpful when I had problems: http://forums.majorgeeks.com/forumdisplay.php?f=21 You'll have to sign up in order to post, but it's free. They will even "talk" you through a whole set of diagnostics, some I'd never heard of. |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
"Adrian Brentnall" wrote in message ... HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myself g WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus & Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted & reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? I had similar problems with Netobjects Fusion. It was version 10 and the problem occurred after installing all the updates. Reinstalled Fusion but ignored the updates and all was well. Might not be your problem, but then again...... -- Tinkerer |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
Adrian Brentnall wrote:
I'm trying to avoid the grief of a complete reinstall - if it get that bad then I'll probably buy another PC and migrate across! I've got it to a routine. All the data's on D:\, with the images of the install CDs and DVDs, so it's format C:/U, and go for it. I do back up all the data to another system first, just in case, but I do that most days anyway. All data is present in at least three, often five, locations on different machines and USB drives. Was 'piling system' a typo ? g made me chuckle! If you'd seen my flat, you'd know..... -- Tciao for Now! John. |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
"Invisible Man" wrote in message ... On 11/05/2011 17:40, Adrian Brentnall wrote: On 11/05/2011 17:17, Tabby wrote: On May 11, 5:08 pm, Adrian wrote: HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myselfg WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus& Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted& reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian I've sorted enough well used win installs to know not to bother in most cases. A fresh reinstall is generally quicker and more reliable after several years. Personally I'd install soemthing better like linux Mint 7, and upgrade firefox to 3.6. I might dualboot it with puppy or antix too. NT Thanks for that. Is it possible to reinstall Windows and leave all the application programs in place? (I don't really want to start from a clean disk) I'm pretty sure that I've got the Dell install disks somewhere, but I'd presumably have to go through a fairly serious download/update session ? Firefox4 is installed - though it's debatable whether that's an improvement g I tried various linux-type things a while back, and it wasn't that good an experience - maybe distros have improved since..? Anyway - if I was going that way I'd probably want to do it on a spare machine - there's day-to-day jobs ongoing that can't wait while I play 'new operating systems' Thanks Adrian I prefer Firefox 4 but I know a lot of people don't. Whenever I have reinstalled windows I have had to reinstall everything else afterwards. If there is an easy way I Would love to hear it. Usually takes me a number of days. I just installed XP and kept all the old progs etc. Took a couple of hours. All you do is a normal install but, when asked about formatting, opt to keep the existing file system and ignore activation requests. Windows creates a new Windows folder and users folders but adds a 0 to all their names. Once the install is finished you can edit boot.ini to remove the additional entry so that it points to the original Windows folder and then delete all the folders with a 0 on the end. Reboot and you are back with your old system. I have done it several times on different machines and it has worked every time so far. By the way, first boot after the install, you will have a choice of two Windows XP systems. Choose either, then edit boot.ini as above, reboot again and clear out the 0 suffix folders. -- Tinkerer |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On 11/05/2011 19:49, John Rumm wrote:
On 11/05/2011 17:08, Adrian Brentnall wrote: HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myself g WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus & Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Hold the power button down for 5 secs - bit kinder than yanking the mains. Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted & reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Any random reboots? Do you get any messages on recovery? No random reboots - no messages on recovery What processor is it? According to 'my computer;... Intel Dual Cpu E2200 @ 2.2ghz Thanks Adrian |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
I normally end up doing a clean reinstall every year or so. An evening
getting it to the stage of being safe on the internet, update Windows overnight, which usually takes a couple of evenings while I watch TV, then re-install the programs one by one as I use them from the install images on the HD, or dig out the CDs from the piling system. Why do you do that John?. Which version of Win are you running as we have a good mix of WIN 200 Pro and XP machines around and all in there're running fine, some been on the go 6 odd or more years!... -- Tony Sayer |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
Nick wrote:
"John Williamson" wrote in message ... snip The other problem is that when stuff is uninstalled, it leaves registry entries configuration files and .ini files behind. To save time next time, make a slipstreamed install CD for XP immediately you have installed and fully updated, and before you install any programs. Doing this will give you an installation fully updated to the date you made the CD, or get a fully updated installation with all your programs upand running, and use Ghost to copy it to another machine or Harddrive. Ignorance on my part, but how do you make a slipstreamed install cd? I have heard of it but have no idea of the processes involved. Nick. I've not personally used this method, but:- http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tuto...torial154.html Shows one way. -- Tciao for Now! John. |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
In message , Adrian Brentnall
writes HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myself g WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus & Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted & reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian How much memory have you got? -- hugh "Believe nothing. No matter where you read it, Or who said it, Even if I have said it, Unless it agrees with your own reason And your own common sense." Buddha |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On May 11, 5:40*pm, Adrian Brentnall wrote:
On 11/05/2011 17:17, Tabby wrote: On May 11, 5:08 pm, Adrian *wrote: HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myselfg WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus& *Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted& *reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian I've sorted enough well used win installs to know not to bother in most cases. A fresh reinstall is generally quicker and more reliable after several years. *Personally I'd install soemthing better like linux Mint 7, and upgrade firefox to 3.6. I might dualboot it with puppy or antix too. NT Thanks for that. Is it possible to reinstall Windows and leave all the application programs in place? (I don't really want to start from a clean disk) I'm pretty sure that I've got the Dell install disks Mistake. IME you need to wipe the disc and redo everything, or regrets are likely. Its not hard. somewhere, but I'd presumably have to go through a fairly serious download/update session ? Now that people have broadband its very easy. Nothing like it was in the dial up years. Firefox4 is installed - though it's debatable whether that's an improvement g I tried various linux-type things a while back, and it wasn't that good an experience - maybe distros have improved since..? Hugely. Ubuntu has transformed linux from geekdom to even more newbie friendly than windows. Mint has sorted ubuntu's niggles out. For a machine that age I'd suggest Mint 7 (but not mint 9 or 10). Mint 7 comes with firefox 3.0, upgrade it to 3.6, 3.0 has problems. Anyway - if I was going that way I'd probably want to do it on a spare machine - there's day-to-day jobs ongoing that can't wait while I play 'new operating systems' Thanks Adrian Then set up dualboot with mint and xp, if you know how to partition the disc suitably (windows needs NTFS, Linux needs ext3) or know someone that does. Mint likes 10G or so as ext3, plus a 2G swap partition, and give xp the rest. Dual boot has real advantages: when windows dies, linux will work fine until you sort another machine out, you can use linux to fix windows, and you can play with linux now and then, and seamlessly move over to it any time if you like. John Williamson wrote: I've got it to a routine. All the data's on D:\, with the images of the install CDs and DVDs, so it's format C:/U, and go for it. Excellent plan. Use the previous machine's hdd as the new machines C:, and use a new bigger disc for the data disc D:. It makes life /so/ much easier. Computer dies? Just plug the disc into another, its that easy. Need to reformat and reindtall OS? Just unplug data disc, wipe all, then plug it back in. Data never at risk. NT |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
Have you used the Event Viewer to look at the logs? (I don't have
much experience with the black art of interpreting the logs but they should at least show if it is a consistent source.) I've just turned Dr Watson on (sounds kinda kinky!) so we'll see what that shows next time there's a crash Yerrbut - you can look in the Event Viewer *now*. See http://www.microsoft.com/resources/d....mspx?mfr=true Then look in the application and system logs in particular for the red error events and see what their source was. PS If you have not looked at the logs before be prepared for an awful lot of errors and even more warnings. Most are ignorable. -- Robin PM may be sent to rbw0{at}hotmail{dot}com |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On 11/05/2011 20:36, John Williamson wrote:
Adrian Brentnall wrote: I'm trying to avoid the grief of a complete reinstall - if it get that bad then I'll probably buy another PC and migrate across! I've got it to a routine. All the data's on D:\, with the images of the install CDs and DVDs, so it's format C:/U, and go for it. I do back up all the data to another system first, just in case, but I do that most days anyway. All data is present in at least three, often five, locations on different machines and USB drives. I used to work for a company fifteen years ago that backed up their system to tape, kept a copy in the "fireproof" safe and another off-site, plus backing up to remote servers on two different continents. An excellent backup system, except that most of out information was still on paper drawings and quite often you'd find one that was not only the only known copy in the world, but was so aged as to be almost unreadable! SteveW |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On 11/05/2011 17:08, Adrian Brentnall wrote:
HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myself g WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus & Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted & reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian I had similar problems with random lock-ups, but in my case it was after changing to Windows 7. Went back to XP, fine, re-installed 7, random crashes. After trying many things, I eventually downloaded a free memory testing program (I can't remember which) which could be burned to disk and booted from and I quickly tracked it down to a few faulty bits in a couple of memory locations. I removed the offending memory and everything was fine again. I had a similar experience with another computer many years ago which would run Windows NT fine, but crashed mid installation when installing Windows Me (NT didn't allow the use of the USB ports, hence the change to Me). SteveW |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On 11/05/2011 19:14, Adrian Brentnall wrote:
On 11/05/2011 18:22, Nitro® wrote: "Adrian Brentnall" wrote in message ... HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myself g WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus & Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted & reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian Run ccleaner from piriform http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner (It's freeware and spyware free) Clean up your hard disk and check for registry errors. Thanks - I'll give it a try.... g Adrian Take care with CCleaner |
Bit OT - WinXP PC locks up!
On 11/05/2011 21:03, hugh wrote:
In message , Adrian Brentnall writes HI All Sorta DIY - I'm trying to fix it myself g WinXP Pro SP3 PC, Dell fairly basic desktop (Vostro 200), about 4 years old, fully updated, running Avast antivirus & Spybot. Every so often, the PC just locks up solid, not responsive to mouse, Alt-Ctl-Del or anything else... Only way out is to pull the mains plug (I know it's not a good idea - but what can you do ?) Happens most often when running a particular web authoring package (Netobjects Fusion) - but has also happened (once) with another web authoring package (WYSIWYG). Tried blowing the muck out of the PC fans etc. - but doesn't seem to have made any difference. Lifted & reseated the memory. I'm a bit at a loss for where to look next? Any ideas, please ? Thanks Adrian How much memory have you got? 4gigs - reported on 'my computer' as 3.25.. Adrian |
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