Multiple Reports Of Windows 7 Freezing

[kmullinax]

@snaz -

I am having this exact problem, and it only started within the past week. About once every hour, whatever program I'm running becomes non-responsive. Then if I switch applications, the new application becomes non-responsive. Then the keyboard fails, then the mouse. The same order every time. This is a brand-new problem, and I haven't installed any new software or done anything to change the settings. I thought perhaps the problem was caused by a recent automatic windows update, but after uninstalling the last couple, I'm still having the problem.

My computer is a self-build desktop. Built six months ago or more. It's running Mac OSX Lion on one drive and Windows 7 64-Bit Home on another and I'm using Chameleon as a boot loader. Each OS runs on a 128 GB Crucial SSD.
Here is my build:

CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2500 CPU @ 3.30GHz
Mobo: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. Z68X-UD3H-B3
RAM: 8 GB
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 6800

I tried to duplicate the problem with the Mac and cannot. Therefore I believe it to be a Windows problem, not a hardware issue. I've run Memtest to check the RAM, which passes. I've used HWMonitor to check the system temps, which are all around 50-55º C under max load. The disks pass integrity checks.
I'm out of ideas, and really don't want to reinstall Windows.

Anyone have any suggestions?

*EDIT*

I should also mention that I run Avast Antivirus (never had a problem with it), and I've done system scans with Avast and Malware and everything is clean. Also, I'm fairly tech savvy and won't shy away from editing the registry or anything, but in the last few months I haven't done any updates or downloads other than the standard Windows Updates.

 

[gregrocker]

Work through these Troubleshooting Steps for Windows 7 to establish a Clean Boot, scan the logs for repeat error clues to resolve, use System Resources to find Solutions which might already be cued.

What pops out though is the Mac Lion Dual Boot with a boot manager we don't see mentioned here much. There is a good possibility it's the problem. Would be much better to have a separate Win7 HD booted only via the BIOS which is cleaned of boot code using Diskpart Clean Command and then maintains a baseline perfect Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 which steps are the same for retail.

 

[kmullinax]

Well I suppose that it's possible, but I feel that it's unlikely.
The boot manager (Chameleon) exists on the Mac drive. The Windows OS is isolated on the other hard drive. If there were a problem with the boot loader, I imagine it would have shown up right away, and not 6 months later.
In addition, there are no issues with booting or running Win7... the problem is the very recent regular freezing of the OS.

 

[gregrocker]

Then you have more than a dozen other steps to work through there.

Did you handle drivers according to the methods explained in reinstall tutorial? Are there any drivers or other updates cued in optional Windows Updates now? The logs may yield clues to problem drivers, or you can try Driver Verifier to identify issues with Windows drivers for advanced users.

 

[kmullinax]

Okay so I've narrowed the problem even further.
I've set a timer to determine the exact time the crashes occur.
Like clockwork, the computer will crash between 56-57 minutes after initial boot.
I'm thinking there may be a service that recently updated that is timed to run an hourly check or a search for updates, etc. that is buggy and causing the system crash.

does anyone know an easy way to determine all of the applications that have this kind of access without having to go through each service item-by-item?

 

[gregrocker]

Did you establish a completely Clean Boot, install MSE and only allow it into msconfig>Startup and >Services?

Temporarily disable AV in both places to check for prob.

Are you seeing repeat errors, Problem Solutions, etc from the Troubleshooting steps?

 

[kmullinax]

Solved

In case anyone stumbles across this, the solution to the problem was actually due to firmware updates with my (2) Crucial SSDs.
I have no idea why they suddenly decided to stop working one hour after boot-up or why it's a problem that only started recently. Perhaps they were attempting an auto-update and failed.
In any case, running the firmware update on the drives solved the problem.

 

[gregrocker]

Thanks for reporting back. We will need to remember firmware updates on the SSD's.

 

[Britton30]

In case anyone stumbles across this, the solution to the problem was actually due to firmware updates with my (2) Crucial SSDs.
I have no idea why they suddenly decided to stop working one hour after boot-up or why it's a problem that only started recently. Perhaps they were attempting an auto-update and failed.
In any case, running the firmware update on the drives solved the problem.

yup, good thing to remember. SSDs don't update firmware automatically though, it has to be done manually exactly as the manufacturer's instructions say.