Computer Freezing Up

[Being_the_Don]

Hi,

Can anyone here help me with a problem I'm experiencing with my computer? Since last Wednesday my computer has frozen at start up. It's a problem that I have been experiencing for several days. Initially I thought it was a virus/malware problem and submitted a report to safernetworking.org but after reviewing the HJT report, they told me that it was a hardware issue. To give you a better idea of what is going on, I've posted what I told them. The below is what I originally told to safernetworking.org (detailed in bold):

The freeze has been happening everyday since last Wednesday. I have not installed any hardware on my computer. I have downloaded java because I need this for certain functions related to work. Around the time of the initial freeze, I ran an spybot immunization and found 1 unprotected under my Mozilla default cookies which I promptly immunized against. Everyday since asking for help from spybot's forums, my computer has frozen. I have had to manually turn my computer off by hitting the power switch that controls the computer, printer and my ISP cable modem. Manually depressing the off button on my computer has not worked ie I can't turn it off that way. It takes an average of three attempts ie turning it off and on again before I can use my computer.

I did some online searching for why does my computer freeze and found some discussions about registry key problems. But the discussions were by non computer techs, merely people who speculated about their own problems (and those discussions were years old). So I went to about dot com and found some free registry downloads; I'm using Piriform CCleaner to clear my registry. I did this Friday afternoon. But as of Saturday morning (the last time I turned it on) the problem continued. As soon as I turned on my PC, I got as far as the desktop then it froze (96% of the time the freeze happens at this point). I turned it off then on again and it then froze on a black screen prior to desktop, then had to turn it off and on again. The third time I was able to use my computer. I then went to CCleaner to fix registry again.

I'm not computer savvy and I don't have much money so I can't spring for another computer. I haven't experienced many problems with this computer and prior to a few days ago I have never had it freeze on me. The PC is old but reliable, it is an Windows XP Professional which I got from a friend over a year ago. Even though it is a used computer it is the only one I have and I need it.

I use disk clean up, I have been using this even prior to the computer freeze, on average I have 19 000 - 20 000 unnecessary files on the C: that can be deleted. I do this several times a day. I ran a disk fragmenter a couple of months ago and fragmented the C: drive and I have 51 % free space on C; drive and 83 % free space on the D: drive. At this time I do not have the A: drive installed on this PC. I have run disk fragmenter as recently as two days ago and was informed that fragmentation isn't necessary.

Something that I forgot to mention when talking to safernetworking.org was that on July 1 I signed up for Facebook's Farmville. I didn't think it mattered but maybe it does. The game is in Beta and my computer became slow for a few moments after using it. It was around that time that my computer began freezing at start up. I don't know if the fact that I had been using Farmville would have shown up in the HJT report that I submitted to safernetworking.org, though.

I ran CCleaner as recently as this evening (Tues. July 7, 2009); there are no registry problems as of now but I still am concerned about my computer freezing again at start up.


***It is now Tuesday July 7, 2009. I have not turned off the computer since Friday night. It has been running all day Saturday up to now because I'm wary of turning it off.***

Does anyone here have any idea what is going on and can help me correct the problem? Thanks.

 

[OzyBoy]

Boot the computer. That will fix it.

 

[Alle_Gory]

but after reviewing the HJT report, they told me that it was a hardware issue.

Related to what? What is HJT?

Manually depressing the off button on my computer has not worked ie I can't turn it off that way. It takes an average of three attempts ie turning it off and on again before I can use my computer.

This sounds like a hardware issue, but the rest sounds like software issues.

I did some online searching for why does my computer freeze and found some discussions about registry key problems.

Not necessarily. There's lots of causes.

I'm not computer savvy and I don't have much money so I can't spring for another computer. I haven't experienced many problems with this computer and prior to a few days ago I have never had it freeze on me. The PC is old but reliable, it is an Windows XP Professional which I got from a friend over a year ago. Even though it is a used computer it is the only one I have and I need it.

If its a software issue, its cheap to fix and you don't need to buy a new PC. Do you have a copy of XP Pro lying around? And what service pack is this current install? Also, have you looked inside the computer lately? I need to know what the ribbon is like that connects the hard drive to the motherboard. Do you have another computer lying around that you can use to load stuff off the current hard drive?

 

[Being_the_Don]

Boot the computer. That will fix it.

I don't know if re-booting the computer will help. ctrl+alt+del Is merely shutting the computer off.

 

[Being_the_Don]

Related to what? What is HJT?



This sounds like a hardware issue, but the rest sounds like software issues.



Not necessarily. There's lots of causes.



If its a software issue, its cheap to fix and you don't need to buy a new PC. Do you have a copy of XP Pro lying around? And what service pack is this current install? Also, have you looked inside the computer lately? I need to know what the ribbon is like that connects the hard drive to the motherboard. Do you have another computer lying around that you can use to load stuff off the current hard drive?

This is the only computer I have at the moment. I try not to tinker around inside the computer, the friend I got it from actually did most of the installing but he's not available now. I did have SP 3 loaded on the computer. As for a copy of WP Professional, I don't have a copy of it right now.

BTW, "HJT" stands for "Hijack This" which is a program that scans your computer for viruses and malware. I got it from spybot a long time ago.

 

[Alle_Gory]

This is the only computer I have at the moment. I try not to tinker around inside the computer, the friend I got it from actually did most of the installing but he's not available now. I did have SP 3 loaded on the computer. As for a copy of WP Professional, I don't have a copy of it right now.

BTW, "HJT" stands for "Hijack This" which is a program that scans your computer for viruses and malware. I got it from spybot a long time ago.

Ok. Get a copy of Ubuntu Live CD. Boot it instead of your OS (don't install it over windows!!) and tell me if it freezes.

I want to know if the XP install is broken for some reason.

 

[Atom Smasher]

Go over to malwarebytes.org.

Download & install, tell it to update. Now first run a quick scan.

Then go into system restore and disable it. This is critically important because malware hides in there and can re-emerge when it wants to.

Reboot your computer. Run MWB again and this time do a full scan.

Reboot once again. If all is well, re-enable system restore.

Last step, send me money.

 

[Being_the_Don]

Related to what? What is HJT?



This sounds like a hardware issue, but the rest sounds like software issues.



Not necessarily. There's lots of causes.



If its a software issue, its cheap to fix and you don't need to buy a new PC. Do you have a copy of XP Pro lying around? And what service pack is this current install? Also, have you looked inside the computer lately? I need to know what the ribbon is like that connects the hard drive to the motherboard. Do you have another computer lying around that you can use to load stuff off the current hard drive?

The ribbons are fine, I haven't installed any hardware to the computer since my buddy set it up for me last year. There is a lot of dust that has collected in there, though, maybe this is a contributing factor. Should I get a computer only vacuum cleaner?

I'll say this, though. I was running a Malwarebytes Anti-Adware scan (I've had it installed a long time ago but didn't think to run it again until today. I did so prior to reading that a poster suggest I do just that.) and left it running for a while. I let relatives use the computer for writing papers, checking email so while this was going on I took a break. Then about 4 hrs later I come back in and the desktop is black. This happens as a screensaver anyway but this time, swiping the mouse did NOTHING. It was almost as if the computer was shut off even though it was still turned on. From there other hokey things happened. I had to turn off the power at the source (I couldn't use the computer's off switch) and when I turned it on again it froze. (Needless to say that since I had to turn the computer off I don't know the results of the Malwarebytes scan.) I then did a reboot by depressing the reboot button (this is the first time I've done so since the freeze up problems which began 1 week ago). I then heard a siren-like sound coming from my computer. I had to turn the computer off at the source again. It froze up several more times after that right at start up. Then I was able to open some browsers and was looking for info on freezes. (Just before this I had opened up my computer to check the ribbons and noticed the dust.) Then it froze, this time it was on a BROWSER. I had to shut it off using the process I've been using thus far. I had freezes at start up again. Eventually I got back online and went to admin tools and checked the event log. I had some info that perhaps some of you can decifer. The thing is the computer froze yet again this time while in event viewer. After that it kept freezing at start up again and again. Then one time at start up I was informed that windows had to shut down, to check BIOS, etc. But then the computer automatically started itself after this message.

Anyway here is some info from the event log (and note this is not extensive, merely a selection of some of the errors from a given day):

Event 5/13/2009 TCP/IP has reached the security limit imposed on the number of concurrent TCP connect attempts

Event 5/14/2009 service control manager error The HP CUE Device Discovery service hung on starting

Event 5/14/2009 source W32Time WARNING The time service has not been able to synchronize the system for 49152 seconds because none of the time providers has been able to provide a useable time stamp. The system clock is unsynchronized. (NOTE: I've seen a lot of these synch warnings going all the way up to today).

There was another with an error for the hard disk. I didn't get a good look because the computer froze as I was scrolling. I'll look again. I've got more to post, too. I get warnings and errors for W32Time, Windows Defender and service control manager.

 

[Being_the_Don]

Error 7/9/2009 2:38 AM service control manager. the HP CUE DeviceDiscovery service hung on starting.

7/9/2009 Error. service control manager. The McAfee McShield service terminated unexpectedly.

***7/7/2009 WARNING. source Cdrom. An error was detected on device \Device\CdRom0 during a paging operation

****7/7/2009 Error. source atapi. The device \DEVICE\Ide (or lde)\Ide (or lde)Port1 did not respond within the timeout


6/28/2009 Error. 8:28 AM DCOM. The server {E5D12C4E-7B4F-11D3-B5C9-0050045C3C96} did not register with DCOM within the required time out. I got the same DCOM at 8:27 AM, too.

Error 6/19/2009 disk. When I got to this point the computer froze again. It is now 4:14 AM Thurs. July 9, 2009.

 

[Being_the_Don]

Malwarebytes' quick scan found nothing. Last night I had run the full scan and although I didn't see the final report, after 35 minutes (and the scan still running) there were no objects detected. So either there is something buried deep or there is no malware on the computer. About 3 hr ago (between frezes) I did the latest spybot update and got protection from trojans, etc. I also did an immunization and found 100 unprotected. I ran immunization again and was fully protected, but nontheless the computer froze up again later while I was doing an online search for info about computer freezes.

 

[Being_the_Don]

Go over to malwarebytes.org.

Download & install, tell it to update. Now first run a quick scan.

Then go into system restore and disable it. This is critically important because malware hides in there and can re-emerge when it wants to.

Reboot your computer. Run MWB again and this time do a full scan.

Reboot once again. If all is well, re-enable system restore.

Last step, send me money.

Are you saying that after I run MWB I should do a system restore then undo the system restore?

 

[Atom Smasher]

Are you saying that after I run MWB I should do a system restore then undo the system restore?

To play it safe, you can turn off sys restore first, then do all your work, and after all is finished turn it back on again.

If there is something bad in your PC, sys restore WILL re-infect it. This is my business and I know from experience. There's no maybe about it. You will be reinfected unless you disable it. When you re-enable it, Windows makes a brand new resore file.

So to be clear, I would just disable it until you get this squared away.

 

[Atom Smasher]

Also, did you run a chkdsk?

My computer >> RIGHT-click C drive >>Properties

Tools tab

"Check Now" button

PLace a check into BOTH check boxes

Click Start button.

A message will pop up saying it can't run now, but do you want to schedule it for your next bootup?

CLick Yes and reboot the PC.

The test may take a long time. You will see a DOS-like screen and it will chug away perhaps for up to an hour.

This will repair many file system errors and if it finds bad sectors on your hard drive the data will be moved to good sectors. I routinely run this on my customers' computers.

I didn't see in your message - did you try a different power supply?

 

[Being_the_Don]

Also, did you run a chkdsk?

My computer >> RIGHT-click C drive >>Properties

Tools tab

"Check Now" button

PLace a check into BOTH check boxes

Click Start button.

A message will pop up saying it can't run now, but do you want to schedule it for your next bootup?

CLick Yes and reboot the PC.

The test may take a long time. You will see a DOS-like screen and it will chug away perhaps for up to an hour.

This will repair many file system errors and if it finds bad sectors on your hard drive the data will be moved to good sectors. I routinely run this on my customers' computers.

I didn't see in your message - did you try a different power supply?

Hi Atom Smasher,

I sent you a PM before I read this, I'll try your suggestion. I hope the computer doesn't freeze while this is running. I had forgotten about chkdsk. As for power supply, I'm using the same outlet I don't know of any alternative power supplies.

Thanks for the help. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Atom Smasher]

BtD,

I'm sending this to you privately, too, but I want it here in the public forum so others can benefit from it, too.

First of all, it sounds like more of a hardware problem than software at this point.

Did you check that the exhaust fans are running? How about the CPU fan inside the case? Are the fans/heat sink full of dust? That acts like a sweater keeping the heat in. Blow it all out with air if it's dusty in there.

When I mentioned power supply, I mean the actual power supply inside your computer. Sometimes they go flaky.

How did it go running chkdsk? Another strong suspicion is that your hard drive is failing.

Most likely causes in my opinion:
Overheating
Hard drive failing.

Make sure you back up your important stuff now.

 

[Being_the_Don]

BtD,

I'm sending this to you privately, too, but I want it here in the public forum so others can benefit from it, too.

First of all, it sounds like more of a hardware problem than software at this point.

Did you check that the exhaust fans are running? How about the CPU fan inside the case? Are the fans/heat sink full of dust? That acts like a sweater keeping the heat in. Blow it all out with air if it's dusty in there.

When I mentioned power supply, I mean the actual power supply inside your computer. Sometimes they go flaky.

How did it go running chkdsk? Another strong suspicion is that your hard drive is failing.

Most likely causes in my opinion:
Overheating
Hard drive failing.

Make sure you back up your important stuff now.

Hi Atom Smasher,

I sent you a PM a few minutes ago. Yes, the computer had a lot of dust, I purchased some compressed air and cleaned out the dust. But after that the computer froze completely. Is compressed air good or bad for use inside a PC?

I did run chkdsk and it said that I had no problems but the computer still froze up. I ran the chkdsk after I read your PM, also this took place after using the compressed air. Incidentally, about 1 year ago the computer would shut off unexpectedly, the friend who gave me the PC (a windows XP professional) came over and we checked the computer. One of the drives (a rectangular piece of equipment) was hot so he removed it. I was able to use the computer with seemingly little problem after that-that is up until late June/early July 2009.


Odds are it is the operating system (OS) I purchased a windows vista and I'm going to be very careful with it. BTW, when I try to use mozilla, the computer won't let me install plug ins. My old PC did w/o any hassle, but now I download them but get nowhere. I had to install adobe via internet explorer and I don't like IE because it is vulnerable to virus, trojans, etc.

Also, should the new computer come with a CD for the operating system? With my old PC, my friend had to burn a CD for me. I thought that new computers come with a CD, mine did not have one.