Windows 7 x64 freezing issues like others have had...any other ideas

[weshawk5]

I'm having the same freezing issues that alot of people have had. The system freezes randomly, 10ish seconds later the mouse freezes, and you have to reboot the system by pushing reset on the case. The music loops in the background if there was something playing and im getting no BSOD.

All of the hardware in my pc is x64 compatible and is up to date (AMD quadcore cpu, gtx 280...ect)

Ive tried to fix the problem by researching other posts and nothing has worked, basically this is a last ditch effort before I go back to XP and give 7 another try when SP1 comes out. The problem started when I put windows 7 x64 on my system.

Things ive done/observed...

All drivers are updated and correct.
scanned memory overnight twice (memtest86) - no errors
scanned HDDs - no errors
took out individual components and tried w/o them (sound card, video card)-nothing
BIOS is up to date
adjusted power setting to max- seemed to help but still freezes
no helpful errors in even viewer...only critical is unexpected shutdown

it seems to work better in safe mode but will still freeze.

Freezes are random put they seem to happen more often it alot of data is being transferred or if im doing a lot on my pc at one time. Like if im just playing online poker or on the net it wont freeze as often, but if im trying to listen to music at the same time it will freeze. When I tried to transfer a large amount of music from an external HDD to my pc it would freeze up very quickly.

 

[geniulmalefic]

I've experienced same problem on my PC,but I've tried a diferent version of Windows 7,and update it.
Don't turn off automatic updates,install al updates,and see if the problem persists.

 

[weshawk5]

I've experienced same problem on my PC,but I've tried a diferent version of Windows 7,and update it.
Don't turn off automatic updates,install al updates,and see if the problem persists.

What do you mean a different version...

Auto updates in on and everything is up to date.

 

[brianzion]

hi all welcome to the forums does explorer crash and restart itself when the freezing happens?

 

[weshawk5]

hi all welcome to the forums does explorer crash and restart itself when the freezing happens?

If you mean internet explorer...I use fire fox so its never open.

Once it freezes everything locks up and I have never been able to restart it without pushing reset on the case.

 

[brianzion]

have you added content to the context menus when you have added programs? sometimes explorer.exe will crash because of incompatibility in the shell, i have experienced this with two programs and since not using them problems have stopped i found the culprits using shellxview by nirsoft

extract from write up: Shell Extensions are in-process COM objects which extends the abilities of Windows operating system. Most shell extensions are automatically installed by the operating system, but there are also many other applications that install additional shell extension components. For example: If you install WinZip on your computer, you'll see a special WinZip menu when you right-click on a Zip file. This menu is created by adding a shell extension to the system.
The ShellExView utility displays the details of shell extensions installed on your computer, and allows you to easily disable and enable each shell extension.
you go through the listed items and disable the ones you think may be culprit.
ShellExView can be used for solving context-menu problems in Explorer environment. For more information, read the following article::ar: Right-click is slow or weird behavior caused by context menu handlers

download here :ar:
ShellExView - Shell Extension Manager For Windows

 

[brianzion]

hi all welcome to the forums does explorer crash and restart itself when the freezing happens?

If you mean internet explorer...I use fire fox so its never open.

Once it freezes everything locks up and I have never been able to restart it without pushing reset on the case.

i mean windows explorer that control's your files etc

 

[DeaconFrost]

That is typically a sign of a hardware issue. Have you reset the CMOS on your motherboard? Is your HSF mounted properly, and using some form of heat transfer compound? Is your case clean and clear of dust? It is also possible that your PSU is either weak or failing.

 

[brianzion]

if you are unsure have a read here :ar: Windows Explorer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[brianzion]

Perform a SFC Scan

1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Allow

2. Type the following command, and then press ENTER:

sfc /scannow

A message will appear stating that 'The system scan will begin'. Be patient because the scan may take some time

3. If any files require a replace SFC will replace them. You may be asked to insert your Windows 7 DVD for this process to continue

4. If everything is okay you should, after the scan, see the following message "Windows resource protection did not find any integrity violations"

5. After the scan has completed, close the command prompt window, restart the computer and check.

more information here :ar: How to use the System File Checker tool to troubleshoot missing or corrupted system files on Windows Vista or on Windows 7

 

[weshawk5]

That is typically a sign of a hardware issue. Have you reset the CMOS on your motherboard? Is your HSF mounted properly, and using some form of heat transfer compound? Is your case clean and clear of dust? It is also possible that your PSU is either weak or failing.

Yea its clean and clear of dust yes mounted correctly...I will reset the cmos

 

[brianzion]

also it is worth looking in event viewer for recent problems

1. to open Event Viewer: Click the Start button .
2. In the Search box, type Event Viewer,
3. and then, in the list of results, double-click Event Viewer.

Event Viewer is an advanced tool that displays detailed information about significant events on your computer. It can be helpful when troubleshooting problems and errors with Windows and other programs.

What information appears in event logs? (Event Viewer)

You must be logged on as an administrator to perform these steps. If you are not logged on as an administrator, you can only change settings that apply to your user account, and some event logs may not be accessible.

Event logs are special files that record significant events on your computer, such as when a user logs on to the computer or when a program encounters an error. Whenever these types of events occur, Windows records the event in an event log that you can read by using Event Viewer. Advanced users might find the details in event logs helpful when troubleshooting problems with Windows and other programs.

Event Viewer tracks information in several different logs. Windows Logs include:

1. Application (program) events. Events are classified as error, warning, or information, depending on the severity of the event. An error is a significant problem, such as loss of data. A warning is an event that is not necessarily significant, but might indicate a possible future problem. An information event describes the successful operation of a program, driver, or service.
   
2. Security-related events. These events are called audits and are described as successful or failed, depending on the event, such as whether a user trying to log on to Windows was successful.
   
3. Setup events. Computers that are configured as domain controllers will have additional logs displayed here.
   
4. System events. System events are logged by Windows and Windows system services, and are classified as error, warning, or information.

 

[weshawk5]

have you added content to the context menus when you have added programs? sometimes explorer.exe will crash because of incompatibility in the shell, i have experienced this with two programs and since not using them problems have stopped i found the culprits using shellxview by nirsoft

extract from write up: Shell Extensions are in-process COM objects which extends the abilities of Windows operating system. Most shell extensions are automatically installed by the operating system, but there are also many other applications that install additional shell extension components. For example: If you install WinZip on your computer, you'll see a special WinZip menu when you right-click on a Zip file. This menu is created by adding a shell extension to the system.
The ShellExView utility displays the details of shell extensions installed on your computer, and allows you to easily disable and enable each shell extension.
you go through the listed items and disable the ones you think may be culprit.
ShellExView can be used for solving context-menu problems in Explorer environment. For more information, read the following article::ar: Right-click is slow or weird behavior caused by context menu handlers

download here :ar:
ShellExView - Shell Extension Manager For Windows

i will give this a try also...

 

[GeneO]

What is your system spec? Is your power supply adequate for your system?

There is also a bug fix for windows for random lockups due to OS deadlocks.

A computer that is running Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7 stops responding randomly

- Gene

 

[brianzion]

Check for solutions to software problems

To check for solutions to problems using Control Panel

Open Problem Reports and Solutions by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Problem Reports and Solutions.

Click Check for new solutions.

Windows will notify you if there are any steps you can take to solve problems on your computer.

i have updated post 12 for you

 

[kword88]

you might also try a clean boot:

How to troubleshoot a problem by performing a clean boot in Windows Vista or in Windows 7

that should eliminate a software issue, other than drivers, windows system files, or a virus.

 

[Nikolay]

Just throwing this out there; how much wattage does your PSU have?