Random PC Freezing - no pattern

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Buckalou

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I hope everyone had a great holiday! I'm having some freezing issues. With no warning or error messages or blue screens my PC just random freezes, everything stops working and I can't do anything at that point expect force shut down. I ran chk dsk and no issues came back and I also ran sfc /scannow and no issues came back. There is literally no pattern when this happens. I can be opening up a game, browsing the Internet, basically anything and I can't seem to replicate it or find a direct cause. Any help or additional troubleshooting tips would be greatly appreciated.
 

My Computer

OS
Windows 7 x64
Try disconnecting your CD/DVD drive from the motherboard and see if that fixes the problem. Also, if you have any other specific thing connected to the motherboard (like small monitor in the front of the case, etc.), disconnect it.
 
Could be caused by the CPU overheating.

Do you have a program (like Speccy) that can tell you system information like the temperature?
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
n/a
OS
W7 Ultimate SP1, LM19.2 MATE, W10 Home 1703, W10 Pro 1703 VM, #All 64 bit
CPU
AMD Phenom II x6 1100T, 3.3 GHz
Motherboard
ASUS M4A88T-M/USB3 (AM3)
Memory
12GB DDR3 1333 G-Skill (4GB x 2), G-Skill (2GB x 2)
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660
Sound Card
Realtek?
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung S23B350
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
WD Green 2TB (SATA), WD Green 3TB (SATA), WD Blue 4TB (SATA), WD Blue 6TB (SATA)
PSU
Cooler Master
Case
Antec GX300 Tower
Cooling
3x Antec TRICOOL 120mm Fans
Mouse
Wired Optical
Internet Speed
DSL
Antivirus
Avast
Browser
Pale Moon (64 bit)
Other Info
2018-12-27 Upgraded HDDs
2015-12-10 Upgraded case, graphics card, storage
2015-08-15 Upgraded motherboard & RAM
2015-07-15 Upgraded LM17.1 to LM17.2
lehnerus2000 said:
Could be caused by the CPU overheating.

Do you have a program (like Speccy) that can tell you system information like the temperature?
Click to expand...

No but would you recommend downloading it? What are average temperatures I should be looking out for? Also I thought that if CPU overheated rather than freezing it would just shut down. Is that not true?
 

My Computer

OS
Windows 7 x64
MSClin said:
Try disconnecting your CD/DVD drive from the motherboard and see if that fixes the problem. Also, if you have any other specific thing connected to the motherboard (like small monitor in the front of the case, etc.), disconnect it.
Click to expand...

Is that easy to do? I've never connected or disconnected anything from a motherboard. Also just wondering how could that potentially be causing a problem?
 

My Computer

OS
Windows 7 x64
Buckalou said:
Is that easy to do? I've never connected or disconnected anything from a motherboard. Also just wondering how could that potentially be causing a problem?
Click to expand...

Yes, it's as easy as connecting USB to your PC. Open your side panel of the case (2 screws holding it most of the times), disconnect the SATA and Molex cable for the CD/DVD drive, and that's it. Just be aware of ESD! You don't need to also remove the SATA cable from the motherboard, since we are just diagnosing from where's the problem. Any hardware can cause random problems, including the CD/DVD drive, and freezing problems are mostly related to drivers and hardware.
 
Buckalou said:
No but would you recommend downloading it? What are average temperatures I should be looking out for? Also I thought that if CPU overheated rather than freezing it would just shut down. Is that not true?
Click to expand...
There are various programs that can retrieve info from hardware sensors.
I have Speccy installed so I suggested that one. :-)

Modern chips can run at much higher temperatures than in the "old days".
I used to work with electronics back in the '80s, so I get nervous if any temperatures get above 50 Celsius. :-)

I misunderstood your 1st post.
Your machine probably would just shut down if the CPU was overheating.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
n/a
OS
W7 Ultimate SP1, LM19.2 MATE, W10 Home 1703, W10 Pro 1703 VM, #All 64 bit
CPU
AMD Phenom II x6 1100T, 3.3 GHz
Motherboard
ASUS M4A88T-M/USB3 (AM3)
Memory
12GB DDR3 1333 G-Skill (4GB x 2), G-Skill (2GB x 2)
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660
Sound Card
Realtek?
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung S23B350
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
WD Green 2TB (SATA), WD Green 3TB (SATA), WD Blue 4TB (SATA), WD Blue 6TB (SATA)
PSU
Cooler Master
Case
Antec GX300 Tower
Cooling
3x Antec TRICOOL 120mm Fans
Mouse
Wired Optical
Internet Speed
DSL
Antivirus
Avast
Browser
Pale Moon (64 bit)
Other Info
2018-12-27 Upgraded HDDs
2015-12-10 Upgraded case, graphics card, storage
2015-08-15 Upgraded motherboard & RAM
2015-07-15 Upgraded LM17.1 to LM17.2
Buckalou-

How frequently (real time) does this happen?
 

My Computer

Computer type
Laptop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Dell M6500 Precision Work Station
OS
Windows 7 Pro SP1 64 bit
Memory
8 GB
Screen Resolution
1920x
Internet Speed
30 Mbps
Antivirus
Norton Security
Browser
IE 11
wither 2 said:
Buckalou-

How frequently (real time) does this happen?
Click to expand...

Oh man it's super hard to say due to the complete randomness of it. This week so far it's happened twice. I think the week before it was maybe 1-2 times as well, before that I can't remember it happening.
 

My Computer

OS
Windows 7 x64
lehnerus2000 said:
There are various programs that can retrieve info from hardware sensors.
I have Speccy installed so I suggested that one. :-)

Modern chips can run at much higher temperatures than in the "old days".
I used to work with electronics back in the '80s, so I get nervous if any temperatures get above 50 Celsius. :-)

I misunderstood your 1st post.
Your machine probably would just shut down if the CPU was overheating.
Click to expand...

No worries :-). Ya it's not shutting down just freezing and in turn I have to force shut down but it's not actually shutting my computer down. So sounds like overheating probably not the issue then?
 

My Computer

OS
Windows 7 x64
Are you able to get to Task Manager (cntrl-alt-delete) when this happens to possibly see if some service or process is periodically hogging resources?
 

My Computer

Computer type
Laptop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Dell M6500 Precision Work Station
OS
Windows 7 Pro SP1 64 bit
Memory
8 GB
Screen Resolution
1920x
Internet Speed
30 Mbps
Antivirus
Norton Security
Browser
IE 11
I have the same issue. Started just after last few rounds of Win 7 updates. Random, but generally when internet or browser being used, but not necessarily when interacting/working online.

Mouse and keyboard act as if dead. So could be some sort of USB port or driver incompatibility with something in one of those
Win 7 updates. Not able to get to task manager or logs to see what is running once it happens. Have to hard shut down computer, thus evoking the DOS screen choice to "Start Windows normally" . Once Win 7 is loaded, the Desktop Background Taskbar is not loaded to user preference. Requires another Restart and then seems to work OK until if freezes again. Same results whether or not "Restore OS to previous version" of the OS or "Start Win normally" is selected.

Screenshot of those Win 7 updates:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=17kBbdRociLZKfdgbyG0bgfmN1qgZHJ78
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
custom build
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
CPU
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3930K @ 3.20 GHz 3.20 GHz
Motherboard
ASUS P9X79PRO
Memory
32 GB Patriot (4 x 8)
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680
Hard Drives
C:\ WD Green WDC WD30EZRX-00D8PB0 (ATA) 3TB (primary)
E:\ WD Black WDC WD1003FZEX-00MK2A0 (USB) 1TB (secondary)
Antivirus
Norton Security Ver 22.16.2.22 (12-30-2018)Malwarebytes
Browser
Google Chrome Version 71.0.3578.98 (Official Build) (64-bit)
wither 2 said:
Are you able to get to Task Manager (cntrl-alt-delete) when this happens to possibly see if some service or process is periodically hogging resources?
Click to expand...

I'm unable to get to task manager or anything, completely freezes, mouse, keyboard, everything is unusable.
 

My Computer

OS
Windows 7 x64
Buckalou said:
I'm unable to get to task manager or anything, completely freezes, mouse, keyboard, everything is unusable.
Click to expand...

Ditto. Buckalou, By chance does your system have more in common with mine? Say the same brand or even make of Video Card? See my profile for PC Specs.

I can safely assert that it is not a heat issue on the part of the CPU, Motherboard, Graphics Card/CPU, or Hard Drive. Speccy does not monitor Memory, or at least I do not have a thermister in the memory bank. Whilst my temps are not optimum (case needs a good cleaning) they are well within acceptable running ranges of 75 F - 100 F. In the past I had issues with the CPU Cooler, so I know how the computer acts when CPU gets hot. This is nothing like that.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
custom build
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
CPU
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3930K @ 3.20 GHz 3.20 GHz
Motherboard
ASUS P9X79PRO
Memory
32 GB Patriot (4 x 8)
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680
Hard Drives
C:\ WD Green WDC WD30EZRX-00D8PB0 (ATA) 3TB (primary)
E:\ WD Black WDC WD1003FZEX-00MK2A0 (USB) 1TB (secondary)
Antivirus
Norton Security Ver 22.16.2.22 (12-30-2018)Malwarebytes
Browser
Google Chrome Version 71.0.3578.98 (Official Build) (64-bit)
techmanhou said:
Ditto. Buckalou, By chance does your system have more in common with mine? Say the same brand or even make of Video Card? See my profile for PC Specs.

I can safely assert that it is not a heat issue on the part of the CPU, Motherboard, Graphics Card/CPU, or Hard Drive. Speccy does not monitor Memory, or at least I do not have a thermister in the memory bank. Whilst my temps are not optimum (case needs a good cleaning) they are well within acceptable running ranges of 75 F - 100 F. In the past I had issues with the CPU Cooler, so I know how the computer acts when CPU gets hot. This is nothing like that.
Click to expand...

Our PC specs are a bit different minus the operating system. I have an AMD fx(tm) 8100 8 core processor 2.80 GHz and 8 gig of RAM. The way you described your issue in your last past is basically identical to mine though...very weird.
 

My Computer

OS
Windows 7 x64
Ahhh. Oh well, then that pretty much tends to lean on Win & x 64 OS, or one of those recent updates as the culprit. Do you have all of those Win 7 Updates as shown in my screenshot in prior post? If not up to which one do you have installed.

Is you motherboard an ASUS?

My suspicions are it is either:
1) A USB controller driver compatibility issue with latest updates.
2) A Video Card compatibility issue with latest updates.
3) Mother board compatibility issue with latest updates.
4) Still could be some random heat issue as I had not monitored the temps using Speccy when this occurs. Yet PC has run for hours and not a problem overheating while monitoring it.
5) Also could be that we both just happen to have a coincidental broken component.

Not really sure. However I checked the Device Manager and all of my USB controller and video devices appear to be working; at least none are flagged with yellow question mark.

Still need to run full diagnostics and look through logs on everything though.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
custom build
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
CPU
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3930K @ 3.20 GHz 3.20 GHz
Motherboard
ASUS P9X79PRO
Memory
32 GB Patriot (4 x 8)
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680
Hard Drives
C:\ WD Green WDC WD30EZRX-00D8PB0 (ATA) 3TB (primary)
E:\ WD Black WDC WD1003FZEX-00MK2A0 (USB) 1TB (secondary)
Antivirus
Norton Security Ver 22.16.2.22 (12-30-2018)Malwarebytes
Browser
Google Chrome Version 71.0.3578.98 (Official Build) (64-bit)
Hello just wanted to drop in and say that I'm having
the same random lock-up issue that you both are having. techmanhou I am running an ASUS motherboard, though I think we have different specific ones.
Only thing I can add is that my problems, though random, seem to happen the most when just browsing the internet (Firefox) (twitter) in addition to having Discord open.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
CPU
AMD FX 8350 Eight Core Processor
Motherboard
M4A89GTD Pro/USB3
Memory
8 GB
Graphics Card(s)
AMD Radeon HD 5800series
Hard Drives
Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250G SATA
ST310005 28AS Sata
WDC WD10EZEX-08WN4A0 SCSI
Antivirus
AVG Free
Browser
Firefox
And mine as well. Asus M/B. Totally random black screen then it tries to restart but fails. Occasionally going into a loop of restarts. Happy New Year..
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Home built Asus
OS
Windows 7 Pro 64bit
CPU
Intel® Core™ i3 Processor 3.7ghz
Motherboard
Asus Intel Prime H270-Pro LGA 1151 ATX
Memory
Crucial (2x8GB) DDR4-2400
Graphics Card(s)
on board
Monitor(s) Displays
BENQ GL2450HE (24 inch)
Screen Resolution
1980 x 1080
Hard Drives
C drive is SSD Crucial 500gb mostly for the OS
PSU
Corsair CX750
Case
A big black one
Cooling
Cooler Master Hyper TX3i on the processor
Keyboard
Logitech k2700 wireless
Mouse
Logitech M575 wireless trackball
Internet Speed
Just under about 7mb/s on a good day
Antivirus
Avira Free
Browser
Opera, Firefox, Chrome, and Supermium
Could the common denominator be a Windows update? Did everyone here with this issue install an update that was just released when these freezes started to happen?
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
I've been having random freezes as well, that started after the last round of updates. I've uninstalled both updates, first one at a time, then both, that installed (sorry, did not make note of update numbers), yet the crashes are still happening. I will fiddle around more this weekend.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HP Pavillion Elite HPE-590t
OS
Win7 Home Premium x64
CPU
Intel Core i7 Extreme 990X @ 3.47GHz x6
Motherboard
PEGATRON CORPORATION 2A86
Memory
16GB DDR3
Graphics Card(s)
NVidia GeForce GTX460
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung SyncMaster 2443ewx
Screen Resolution
1920x1200
Hard Drives
160 GB SSD @ 2 TB 7200 Internal
750 GB HP, 2 TB WD, 2 TB Samsung External & 3 TB G-Tech firewire external
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