my screen freezes but computer doesnt.. help please

Im having a really strange issue on my computer, im running windows 7 x64

basically what happens is im using my computer and suddenly it freezes. At first I thought the whole computer freezes but I soon realized this is not the case. My mouse pointer remains free and i can move it while everything else freezes. The strange part is that the actual computer doesnt freeze, I know this because of some things I observed in this "frozen" state:

- if i have itunes running before it freezes , I can still hit the pause/play buttons and switch songs after it freezes by clicking on them in the itunes interface. The selected song plays, and hitting the pause/play buttons do what they should, but nothing changes on the screen, it remains "frozen"

- if i double click a program from a desktop icon I get the loading mouse pointer as if the program is loading but the screen remains frozen so i dont actually see the program pop up.

so basically what I thought was my computer freezing is really just my screen freezing, the computer is running fine in the "background" as I can still do certain tasks, but the screen doesnt update to reflect these tasks.

What could be the problem? I had this same exact issue like half a year back and it one day just went away so I never bothered with it but here it is, its back and its really annoying because i have to hard restart my computer every time it happens.

Sometimes it happens out of nowhere, but I noticed it happens most of the time when my computer "shakes". Like when i get up and bang my knee on the desk, it freezes. or when i walk like an elephant in my room, it freezes.. etc. But sometimes it happens when im sitting perfectly still also so I dont even know if the shaking is really what causes it

Any suggestions? Could it be my video cards? I have 2 GTX 470's

does task manager or control+alt+delete still work during the freeze?

Update your Display driver or try another to see if problem goes away.

Test your RAM for 5-6 passes or overnight to stress it: RAM - Test with Memtest86+

Work through these other troubleshooting steps to look for clues such as repeat errors at time of fault in logs, System Resources such as Problem sollutions already cued or cueing, HD test, check System Files, working up to a possible Repair Install or clean reinstall to see if OS is responsible or it falls to hardware.

WaxyChicken said:

does task manager or control+alt+delete still work during the freeze?

Nope, it doesnt reflect on the screen but Im sure it launches in the background.

gregrocker said:

Update your Display driver or try another to see if problem goes away.

Test your RAM for 5-6 passes or overnight to stress it: RAM - Test with Memtest86+

Work through these other troubleshooting steps to look for clues such as repeat errors at time of fault in logs, System Resources such as Problem sollutions already cued or cueing, HD test, check System Files, working up to a possible Repair Install or clean reinstall to see if OS is responsible or it falls to hardware.

Ok great thanks! that'll take me some time to test but im sure one of those will work. if all else fails, i shall return! (:

Keep us posted on progress and feel free to ask all the questions you need.

techtalk7 said:

Sometimes it happens out of nowhere, but I noticed it happens most of the time when my computer "shakes". Like when i get up and bang my knee on the desk, it freezes. or when i walk like an elephant in my room, it freezes.

I would re-seat all your cards and cable connections, both for data and for power. Overall this sounds like a driver issue, but your comment above does point to a loose connection somewhere.