Windows 7: desktop freezes randomly except in safe mode - driver issue, right?

Hi,

I've written out everything that I've done to this computer over the past few weeks. Some of it may not be applicable to the current problem but I thought I better include it anyway.

I have a 3 year old Gateway Desktop that has been having all sorts of weird problems for months, gradually getting worse (BSOD, freezing, screen going black at random times, unable to come out of hibernation mode, would hang up when doing back ups, sudden random restarts, toward the end, I noticed the time in the lower right was incorrect).

No BSOD, freezing, hanging during safe mode.

I manually made back ups of all my files and did a complete reinstall of Windows 7.

The computer behaved marginally better but in a few days, it gave me a screen message of CMOS Checksum Error.

I changed the CMOS battery.

It behaved much better, however, I still would get random black screen and occasionally it would freeze. Upon restart it sometimes said it could not come out of hibernation mode.

Checked and saw the monitor was listed as generic PNP monitor and so installed updated monitor driver (monitor is Compaq FP17). No more black screens.

Two days ago I hooked up my Konica-Minolta 1600W color laser printer. According to the Microsoft Windows 7 Compatibility Center, this printer is compatible and should be able to plug & play. That was not the case (computer did not recognize it as a printer) and when I looked in "Devices & Printers", it was listed below the printers as a "printing support tool".

Konica Minolta, in theory, has a driver for this printer for windows 7 but that driver will not install (goes through the process and then says installation failed). Searching online, I saw the suggestion to install the Vista driver instead, I installed the vista driver and the printer worked fine.



The printer was installed only two days ago so I don't think it's related to the ongoing freezing issue but I thought I better include the info about it anyway.

For the past week the computer has froze, I believe 4 times. Each time, the cursor would freeze in place and the only way I could get things going again was to press the start button. Twice I was on Firefox, once watching you tube, once on Reddit.

As always, the freezing never occurs in safe mode.

It froze this morning and, after I opened it in safe mode, I used the Windows Seven Forums Diagnostic tool for the first time. The zip file is attached.

Many many thanks for reading this. I eagerly await your pearls of wisdom.

You haven't attached the .zip file with the post, you can use the paper clip symbol to attach files.

Troubleshooting Steps for Windows 7

Hope this helps,

Harry

Huh, I don't see my zip file. Let's see if I can do it right this time.

Thanks, and you've got two BSOD crash dump files, which will have a look at that now; have you checked through the tutorial provided?

For the BSOD, the Microsoft website provides some information about the issue:

Bug Check 0x1000007F: UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP_M

1) Have you installed the latest device drivers and updates?
2) Hard-drive Disk Check?
3) AV scan with Microsoft Security Essentials?

The "crash & debugging how to" video tutorials? I'm in safe mode right now, no audio and, thus, I'm not getting a whole lot out of the first video. Pretty photo of a plant though - staring at it puts me in a calm state of mind. Is that the purpose of the plant photo - to calm people down and keep them from throwing their computers out the window?

I'll restart in normal mode and see if I can watch the video.

I meant the Troubleshooting Windows 7 tutorial, which I provided in one of posts (#2)

Please go through the steps with the BSOD information link too (#5)