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Computer freezes randomly with external HDD plugged in
My computer is an Alienware M11x R1 (yes yes, gripe all you want, I like them!) running Windows 7 Premium 64 bit.
Okay so since the day I got my M11x it has been freezing randomly. No one could find the source of this problem, though I seem to have located it recently...
Whenever I have an external HDD plugged in my system will completely lock up randomly. Can't move the mouse or do anything, the last sound that was playing hangs (Ie. if a song was playing the song would go kind of "zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz-" continuously), and I have to shut it off by holding the power button. It can go for a week without locking up or it can lock up two times in a single day. It also does this with some random programs that it just doesn't seem to like very much.
Can anyone help with this? I just went out and bought a new HDD to see if it was a compatibility problem (the old external I was using was fairly old) and it just froze up again while using the new one...
My warranty is out and now it seems I'm out 120$ from this new HDD...
Please help!
Thanks,
Alex
EDIT - I also forgot to mention that the programs that make it freeze tend to be things like antivirus such as "Avast!"
Last edited by Rains; 14 Jun 2012 at 22:02.