Windows 7 machine freezes every several hours


  1. Posts : 6
    Windows 7 x64
       #1

    Windows 7 machine freezes every several hours


    Hello

    I am currently experiencing a problem with my computer where it completely freezes every ten minutes to two hours. When it freezes the mouse won't move, but any sound will continue to play. Holding the power button or unplugging it are the only ways to turn it off. I have tried CCcleaner, Microsoft hotfix, moving the RAM sticks around, using only one stick of RAM, running Memtest86+, running full system scans with antivirus, updating drivers, changing DRAM timings to manufacturer's specs, even deleting everything I installed before this started happening, but the problem still persists. The CPU never goes above 40 degrees C, and the video card never goes above 60. I have two start-up programs, rivatuner and FWupdate. The only event log kept was that the computer shut down unexpectedly.

    My system specs are:
    Intel core i5 750 (stock clock)
    ASUS P7P55D-E
    4GB OCZ obsidian RAM (1600MHZ but won't run more than 1333)(2x2GB)
    BFG GeForce GTX285 (stock clocks)
    Seagate barracuda 320GB HDD @7200rpm
    Rosewill 950W "Xtreme" series PSU

    I have experienced freezing like this before and usually switching the RAM sticks places with each other or running CCcleaner worked.

    Thanks in advance for any help with this.
      My Computer

  2.    #2

    Are you overclocking?

    RivaTuner is a tweaking utility. Win7 needs no tweaking whatsoever as it is as lean and optimized as an OS can be. As beta testers learned the hard way, tweaking always comes back to bite you with Win7. Neither of the two you mention are needed for startup so can be turned off. However your AV should start with Windows - make sure you are running a lean mean AV like free MS Security Essentials or Avast with the Win7 Firewall only.

    Try running Clean Boot to see if anything else is running that might be responsible: How to Troubleshoot a Problem by Performing a Clean Startup in Windows 7 or Vista

    If this fails, I'd try SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker, then if necessary Repair Install as a last step before a clean reinstall.

    If you clean reinstall, swear off overclocking or any tweaking whatsoever beyond normal system settings. Follow these steps to get a perfect install: re-install windows 7
    Last edited by Brink; 05 Aug 2011 at 03:48.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 6
    Windows 7 x64
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Thanks for the help!

    I uninstalled RivaTuner, and did the clean startup, computer still froze. The SFC /SCANNOW command reported no damaged files. I can't do a repair install because it won't work in safe mode and my computer freezes before i can start it up in regular mode. Would using the system repair on the OS disc do anything? I really don't want to do a clean install because of the hassle of reinstalling everything, and I've read on other forums that it didn't fix this problem.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 2,562
    windows 10 pro 64 bit
       #4

    will it work in safe mode? If so check the video drivers/card....if you go the repair route be sure to backup everything...
      My Computer

  5.    #5

    Worth a try to boot Win7 DVD Repair console, click through to Recov Tools list to run Startup Repair. Startup Repair

    If it doesn't offer it, try also System Restore to as far back as you can go - maybe you can remember when the prob started.

    If a clean reinstall is reported to not fix this prob, then you are looking at a BIOS setting or hardware problem. Try resetting the CMOS: Clear CMOS - 3 Ways to Clear the CMOS - Reset BIOS then go over all settings in BIOS setup.

    Test your RAM overnight with memtest86. Then test the HD using maker's diag/repair CD scan full test.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 6
    Windows 7 x64
    Thread Starter
       #6

    The first thing I did was update the video card drivers. There were, in fact, new ones, but they didn't solve the problem.

    I tried restoring my computer to a date before the lock-ups and it still freezes, this gives me no hope that a clean install will work. Not to mention all the other articles I've read where people say a clean install didn't help at all.

    [EDIT]

    I read somewhere that a switch on the motherboard or in the bios changed to x64 mode instead of x32 fixed the problem, i'll try to find it.

    Thanks
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 6
    Windows 7 x64
    Thread Starter
       #7

    Well, I updated the Bios but that didn't seem to work. Turned out I never updated it, probably good I did that even though it didn't fix the problem.

    I'm going to let it run an HDD diagnostic overnight and check on it in the morning. Thanks for all the help so far, I'll check in tomorrow.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 2,562
    windows 10 pro 64 bit
       #8

    Your motherboard supports 1600...bad board?/mismatched ram?....my asus is stupid picky about what ram it will run
      My Computer

  9.    #9

    If you tweaked Win7 heavily then you'll need a clean reinstall to know what Win7 runs lke. You can't really judge by what others with the problem experienced with a clean reinstall because they might not have been tweakers.

    Tweaking Win7 beyond normal system settings always comes back to bite you, often in ways like this.

    You can try your oldest Restore Point to see if that gets behind the problem.

    What was the result of Startup Repair?

    If you can't find the switch you referred to on your mobo for 64 bit, try reinstalling 32 bit. 4gb of RAM is right on the border between 32/64 bit. You could also have 64 bit driver probs.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 6
    Windows 7 x64
    Thread Starter
       #10

    I let Seagate's drive diagnostic run all night and it came up fine. Start up repair didn't detect any problems. But something else happened.

    I got home and turned it on, and it didn't freeze. Went three hours without freezing then restarted itself and hasn't done so since. I have no Idea what happened, it sure felt like everything didn't work but now it's fine. The RAM will only run up to 1333MHZ without changing the BCLK clock on this motherboard, even though it supports 1600.

    I only used RivaTuner to change the fan speeds on my video card because it didn't come with anything to do it in the first place, I'll look for alternatives in the meantime.

    Thanks everybody for all the help! I'll post back here if it happens again.
      My Computer


 

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