Freezing, lock up, unresponsive problem.

Okay, I'll lay down my system specs first

AMD Athlon XP1900+
Soltek SL-75DRV4 (via kt266a chipset)
Using onboard AC '97 sound
PC 2100 512MB DDR
Samsung 5400RPM ata100 20 GB HDD.
Asus V9280S ( GeForce4 ti4200 8X AGP 128MB)
Plextor burner.
Just added Lite-On 16X DVD
USR OEM 56K (non-hardware) voice modem
Generic NiC.
Generic 420W PSU

No USB devices installed.

Now, basically, I've got this problem, WHAT is causing it, I'm NOT
entirely sure, as I can't forcibly invoke the problem. The BIGGEST
clue points toward a possible problem in my hard drive. About a year
and a half ago, I installed MSN (I needed the $200 best buy rebate and
I can't get Broadband). Basically, since then, there's been a slowly
increasing series of freezes, crashes, and lock-ups. The first
indication was when MSN started up, it would go to play the Welcome
sound, and instead go unresponsive for a few minutes. If I bother to
wait for it to un-lock, there after I have NO volume control, and my
volume's dead. Then some few months later, if I tried to ctrl-alt-del
a frozen program, the system would sort of lock. What do I mean by
sort of? Well, the close program manager would come up, I'd select the
defunct program, and click end task. The typical "end task" or
"cancel" window would arise immediately, however, if I CLICK end task,
BOOM! I get the broken program stuck on my screen WITH the close
program manager window, explorer, as well as EVERYTHING is frozen, and
I get an hour glass over the close program screen. My first thought is
just that explorer has frozen, and not refreshed the video, as is
typical with any frozen program. Nope, I can click off the close
program screen and the title bar greys out, as if something were atop
it. And if I hit ctrl-alt-del again? It reboots. Now, what's happening
in the computer whenever a program fails to respond is often both a
sound loading for play, and my HDD gathering data. For instance MSN
will ONLY freeze if I click 'connect' before everything has finished
loading. Winamp will ONLY freeze if something else is loading. The
only other time I've encountered freezes or lock-up is when trasfering
large ammounts of data to my HDD (i.e. copying from my CDs when I
reformatted). The other clue I've been given is that twice in the last
few months, the computer failed to boot, locking up durring the drive
detection process in the opening bios page. Now, I've had this problem
on windows both before AND after I reinstalled it. I'm guessing either
a faulty PSU or HDD, I really can't say, as I've tried old and new
drivers on EVERYTHING in my system, the problem STILL occured before I
had this current video card, before my newer drives. The HDD is old, I
live in a dusty envoronment, and it's had a LOT of use, in it's day.
Any suggestions are welcome and appreciated, as I don't have a spare
HDD to test. I'm going to use my spare PSU as soon as I find the damn
thing, though it's weaker and even MORE generic than the one I'm using
now, so I won't be sticking with that, be it the problem. I don't
know. I keep filling the 20 gigger quickly, anyway. I might just
replace that, too if it is the problem. Right now, I'm going to try a
different ribbon on the HDD, to see if it may the culprit. I'll keep
it updated.

Sounds like Power supply or ram. Generic power supplies have lies for specs. If
you check closely even a 420W can put out as low as 150W continously.Check the
Amperge listed on the PS and compare it to brand name PS's like Antec and
Enermax.
If you PS has dent amperage,check the timing on your ram. Try CAS 3 if it's at
CAS 2 or 2.5.
Also,update your sound drivers.Just a hunch.


Okay, I'll lay down my system specs first

AMD Athlon XP1900+
Soltek SL-75DRV4 (via kt266a chipset)
Using onboard AC '97 sound
PC 2100 512MB DDR
Samsung 5400RPM ata100 20 GB HDD.
Asus V9280S ( GeForce4 ti4200 8X AGP 128MB)
Plextor burner.
Just added Lite-On 16X DVD
USR OEM 56K (non-hardware) voice modem
Generic NiC.
Generic 420W PSU

No USB devices installed.

only other time I've encountered freezes or lock-up is when trasfering
large ammounts of data to my HDD (i.e. copying from my CDs when I
reformatted). The other clue I've been given is that twice in the last
few months, the computer failed to boot, locking up durring the drive
detection process in the opening bios page. Now, I've had this problem
on windows both before AND after I reinstalled it.

(YanquiDawg) wrote in message ...
Sounds like Power supply or ram. Generic power supplies have lies for specs. If
you check closely even a 420W can put out as low as 150W continously.Check the
Amperge listed on the PS and compare it to brand name PS's like Antec and
Enermax.
If you PS has dent amperage,check the timing on your ram. Try CAS 3 if it's at
CAS 2 or 2.5.
Also,update your sound drivers.Just a hunch.


{mass snippage}

I've tried various sound drivers. I finally found my other PSU and got
identical results on both. The 420W PSU is a TTGI. Is it possible that
the problem occured from a newer version of direct X where as my sound
chip isn't as compatable? Otherwise, I'm beginning to think it's my
HDD, and I'm becoming more and more certain. I WOULD check out the
amprage on the PSU, except nothing on it seems to boast "I am 'amp'
related!" and being I'm not educated on the ways of electricity and
it's workings, I have no clue what I'm looking for. I think it's still
possibly a software thing, or the HDD. Possibly my lack of a floppy?
Even though it's disabled in the bios, it's STILL listed in windows
(being I'm using 98SE).

(YanquiDawg) wrote in message ...
Sounds like Power supply or ram. Generic power supplies have lies for specs. If
you check closely even a 420W can put out as low as 150W continously.Check the
Amperge listed on the PS and compare it to brand name PS's like Antec and
Enermax.
If you PS has dent amperage,check the timing on your ram. Try CAS 3 if it's at
CAS 2 or 2.5.
Also,update your sound drivers.Just a hunch.


I just rad another article which prompted me to look into something.
My computer typically runs REALLY hot. My case was opened to look at
my PSU data and the case temp went from 43C, to 31C. That's a pretty
big shift. With it's temp my my case drop my CPU went from 53C to
45C... Could it be heat effecting my case? The thing is a heater, and
leaving it on REALLY heats the room up. Perhaps if I turn on the AC,
point a house fan at the open case and try to recreate the MSN glitch,
I'll have an answer.

Well, I've narrowed the problem down to either HDD or memory. Not
quite sure, yet. I'm going to go chase down a mem test program, and
see what happens, just for giggles, then i'll replace whatever the
problem peice happens to be.

Do you have Norton AntiVirus on your computer? I had a client whose
computer had Norton on it that caused the freezing. I disabled Norton and
it stopped freezing. Then I removed it and put on a free antivirus program
for her. It is called avast and is available at download.com Worth a try
if you have Norton.
Jeanette
"James" wrote in message
om...
Well, I've narrowed the problem down to either HDD or memory. Not
quite sure, yet. I'm going to go chase down a mem test program, and
see what happens, just for giggles, then i'll replace whatever the
problem peice happens to be.