Windows 7 Freezing/BSOD? [Read this FIRST]

MadMaxData · 16 Mar 2010

Hello Windows 7 users,

I've joined this forum in the hopes you don't have to go through the same laborious effort I did to figure out why my Windows 7 OS kept freezing up, and BSOD on me. This is an extremely common problem for many Windows 7 users. The very first thing you want to do is change your power options. By default, your power option is set to "Balanced (Recommended)" so simply change the plan to "High Performance." You may have to set the monitor, and hard disc shutoff times higher as well. The default setting of "Balanced (Recommended)" does not allow your hardware to recieve the proper voltage, and this is why your experiencing freezes, and/or BSOD's.

I've seen some really horrible advice given for these symptoms. So be smart and try this before you go messing around with your BIOS, or searching for updated drivers. Especially if you own a new computer.

To change your power options simply click the Windows orb at the bottom left of your desktop. Then type "Power Options" [without the quotes] into the search box. Click on the Power Options link, and bam your there. Select the "High Performance" plan. Reboot.

Let me know if this advice helped you?

MadMax

Neverhavemoney · 16 Mar 2010

Hey Max,
I am going to have to disagree on this one with you. Some people dont want to jack up their electric bill, so they will probably keep it on balanced. BSOD are closly related to software conflicts, from my understanding. Adjusting your power settings will not do much for BSOD. If you are experiencing a lot of lagging, or programs taking a while (if your hardware is average or better), then yes, your power settings may be a factor. Also, for people without a good power adapter, it could short out, then they would have to invest in a brand new one.
If you are experiencing trouble with BSOD's, i would suggest installing BlueScreen View.

BlueScreenView scans all your minidump files created during 'blue screen of death' crashes, and displays the information about all crashes in one table. For each crash, BlueScreenView displays the minidump filename, the date/time of the crash, the basic crash information displayed in the blue screen (Bug Check Code and 4 parameters), and the details of the driver or module that possibly caused the crash (filename, product name, file description, and file version). For each crash displayed in the upper pane, you can view the details of the device drivers loaded during the crash in the lower pane. BlueScreenView also mark the drivers that their addresses found in the crash stack, so you can easily locate the suspected drivers that possibly caused the crash.

This way, you will be able to directly diagnose your issue, and can post it here under the Crashes and Debugging section for further help if needed.

Thanks for your input,
Ben

MadMaxData · 16 Mar 2010

Neverhavemoney said:

Hey Max,
I am going to have to disagree on this one with you.

And that's fine, as everyone is entitled to their own opinion. However, I've installed Windows 7 Ultimate x64 on eight different rigs now, and every one of them froze up occasionally. I set the power option to high performance and not one of them has had a single problem since then, and it's been over a week. That can't be a coincidence.

Neverhavemoney · 17 Mar 2010

Yes, it seems odd. But are these computers built for win 7? Do there computers have the proper specs to be able to handle the OS? If the power is higher on these computers, then they would burn out easily.

MadMaxData · 17 Mar 2010

Neverhavemoney said:

Yes, it seems odd. But are these computers built for win 7? Do there computers have the proper specs to be able to handle the OS? If the power is higher on these computers, then they would burn out easily.

2 of them are the old socket A, with AMD Athlon CPU's, and both have 1GB of OCZ Gold series running in dual channel. 5 of them are socket 939, with various AMD CPU's, but have plenty of dual channel RAM. And the last is a socket AM2, with 8GB of OCZ dual channel RAM.

I know your suppose to have more than a single GB of RAM to run Windows 7 Ultimate x64, but for some reason, both of the old socket A rigs FLY. Strange huh? I guess you can't beat the Abit Fatal1ty boards, AMD CPU's, and OCZ memory. All my rigs have good brand name PSU's as well. Something most people overlook when doing a build, but probably the most important thing to have is a good clean power supply.

I have no idea why the power setting was making those rigs freeze up, but it's unmistakable that it was that causing the problem. I suspect a bug in the OS, that most likely will be patched somewhere in the near future.

Max

Neverhavemoney · 18 Mar 2010

MadMax419 said:

All my rigs have good brand name PSU's as well. Something most people overlook when doing a build, but probably the most important thing to have is a good clean power supply.

Max

You said it yourself, that having a solid PSU is crucial. And most computers dont, and thus will burn out. I am just saying that you should be sure that your computer can handle this before you do this. Yes, using the high power setting is quite useful, but if your computer cant handle it, then you shouldnt do it. There are other ways to address the constant BSOD's.

Thats all,
Ben

MadMaxData · 25 Mar 2010

I would also like to add that if your voltage to certain hardware is below the minimum requirement, that is also detrimental. Most people only know that too much voltage is risky, but do not know that not enough is risky too. It can indeed damage your hardware.

Max

jtigrrrr · 26 Mar 2010

Could the difference between you 2 poster have to do with one experiencing BSOD and the other a freeze up/lockup no BSOD?
2 diff solutions?

Neverhavemoney · 26 Mar 2010

What do you mean jtigrrrr?
I dont understand what you are asking.

Thanks,
Ben

jtigrrrr said:

Could the difference between you 2 poster have to do with one experiencing BSOD and the other a freeze up/lockup no BSOD?
2 diff solutions?

jtigrrrr · 27 Mar 2010

Sorry for not being clear. I meant that there are 2 types of problems mixed in this thread.
1)BSOD
2)freezing/lockups

I can say from experience, that I tried altering my power scheme as suggested here by max, and my freezes completely stopped. It should be noted that I have never expereinced a BSOD on this new laptop, so max's suggestion made sense to me as opposed to a software conflict.

win7 pro- 64
i7

just my .02
jtigrrrr