I crash, dunno what's causing it

Hello !!

Follow this article Run Selective Startup using System Configuration and reboot in Selective Startup and see if that fixes your problem.

Hope this helps,
Captain

djbded said:

i tried that and nothing untoward happened.
these are the services at normal startup:
realtek hd audio manager
microsoft windows mobile device center
avast antivirus
groovemonitor utility
adobe acrobat
adobe reader and acrobat manager
java platform se auto updater 2.0

Well disable all of them including Avast

- Captain

Try this free video stress test: FurMark: Graphics Card Stability and Stress Test, OpenGL Benchmark and GPU Temperature | oZone3D.Net

FurMark Setup:
- If you have more than one GPU, select Multi-GPU during setup
- In the Run mode box, select "Stability Test" and "Log GPU Temperature"
Click "Go" to start the test
- Run the test until the GPU temperature maxes out - or until you start having problems (whichever comes first).
- Click "Quit" to exit

Also, uninstall your current GFX drivers and install a fresh copy.

djbded said:

i found others with the same problem:
GTX280 Problems. Please Help! - NVIDIA Forums

and this video:
YouTube - Geforce GTX 280 freeze solution

looks like there is something wrong with my gpu and as yet no one has been able to figure out what exactly

Did you try the stress test what Jonathan suggestion ?? Mostly it might be the GPU itself if it covers under warranty see if you get a replacement. If not borrow one from your friend and see if that works fine. If so then you can probably get a new one.

Good Luck,
Captain