frozen system

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jim
  • Start date Start date
J

Jim

Hi,

I loaded up Windows on my system and now it freezes once
it gets to the desktop loading stage. No response from
the mouse or keyboard.
Is this a software or hardware issue? (System was
compatible with upgrade)

Thanks
 
Before you installed the upgrade, did you run the upgrade advisor to be sure
that your system, any hardware and software you had installed on your
previous setup was compatible with XP. If not, reinstall your previous
operating system and any other software and hardware that will be used or
was installed during this upgrade installation, when finished, at the
desktop, place the XP CD in the drive and select "Check system
compatibility."

I recognize you said the system was compatible with the upgrade but this has
a lot of meanings so I apologize if you already did the above.
 
Yup, I went through all the precautions such as Check
system compatibility, but now it just sits there at
various stages of either setting the desktop in order or
once it is all set, just freezing.
 
If this is a clean install (it can be done with an upgrade disk) then it's
quite likely some hardware is the source of the issue. Some later nVidia
cards even though compatible can cause this issue. If you have such a card,
if you have access to an older card, install that and run setup again.

If you were installing over the top of a previous setup, there are a whole
host of possibilities, most likely firewall, antivirus or CD burning
software but it could be almost anything and you'd have to start removing
items one at a time to diagnose which is what you may have to do with
hardware until you find what is halting setup.
 
Hi Mr. Solomon...
I posted a similar problems a few days ago. Yes, my
install was an Upgrade from W98SE, but my freezing didn't
start until I later converted to NTFS.

What caught my interest is that I, in fact, have an
nVidia TNT 64 32mb video card. If it is the source of
the problem, why didn't it happen under FAT32?? This
could very well be the answer I've been looking for, I'd
just like to know why NTFS and nVidia are a bad
combination.

Any suggestions for a 32mb or more video card that won't
cause this problem?? I'll keep this one as a spare or
sell it.

I'd welcome any ideas/suggestions in a personal email if
you prefer.
Sincere Appreciation in advance -- Jeff S.
 
I think the change from FAT32 to NTFS was coincidental. I'm more inclined
to think the graphics card drivers are corrupt, if the card is the source of
the issue and need to be reinstalled or you need to check the card
manufacturer's website for the latest XP drivers for your card.

Personally, I use ATI cards. I don't want to set off an uproar up here as
many people have their preferences and I can't guarantee it's the card.
Since you ran the upgrade advisor, have you checked the Event Viewer. Open
Control Panel, open Administrative Tools, open Event Viewer, look for errors
that correspond to when the freezing occurs, double click the error, the
information contained within may give a clue as to the source of the issue.

And while we're at the issue of drivers, you might want to be sure the
drivers for all your other hardware are up to date and are specifically
drivers for Windows XP. Check the hardware manufacturer's websites for
this, don't rely on Windows Update.
 
Hi Again -- Yes, I have checked Event Viewer many times
and there are error messages that correlate to the
freezes, but its gibberish I don't understand. It6s
always something like this:: [THANK YOU AGAIN!]

Event Type: Error
Event Source: ACPI
Event Category: None
Event ID: 4
Date: 01/28/04
Time: 7:06:11 PM
User: N/A
Computer: JEFF
Description:
AMLI: ACPI BIOS is attempting to read from an illegal IO
port address (0x71), which lies in the 0x70 - 0x71
protected address range. This could lead to system
instability. Please contact your system vendor for
technical assistance.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 00 00 00 00 04 00 52 00 ......R.
0008: 00 00 00 00 04 00 05 c0 .......À
0010: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........
0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........
0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........
 
There's a similar issue in the Knowledge Base, it appears you need to look
into a BIOS update:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;283649

--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/

Hi Again -- Yes, I have checked Event Viewer many times
and there are error messages that correlate to the
freezes, but its gibberish I don't understand. It6s
always something like this:: [THANK YOU AGAIN!]

Event Type: Error
Event Source: ACPI
Event Category: None
Event ID: 4
Date: 01/28/04
Time: 7:06:11 PM
User: N/A
Computer: JEFF
Description:
AMLI: ACPI BIOS is attempting to read from an illegal IO
port address (0x71), which lies in the 0x70 - 0x71
protected address range. This could lead to system
instability. Please contact your system vendor for
technical assistance.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 00 00 00 00 04 00 52 00 ......R.
0008: 00 00 00 00 04 00 05 c0 .......À
0010: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........
0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........
0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........
 
THANK YOU very much, I will definitely look into it! I
am also beginning to suspect it may be my video card.
After searching thru and reading Newsgroups posts, it
seems a lot of people using WinXP and nVidia cards are
having compatability problems even though the latest
driver is installed. I'm not sure how to perform a BIOS
Update, but I will see what I can find out.
Sincere Thanks -- Jeff S.
 
If you have a brand name system, check the manufacturer's website for BIOS
updates. If you have a shop built system you can check with the shop or
check your system documentation for the manufacturer of your motherboard and
the model, then check the manufacturer's website for BIOS updates. They
should have instructions for performing the update.
 
This has happened to me at well. I upgraded to XP Home
from Win 98 SE. Every time I reboot, it hangs, and I
need to reboot 3-5 times before it loads, and is then
perfectly fine. Don't know why. Someone suggested
putting the Win XP in the CD drive, and try to repair or
re-install. What do others think?
Howard
 
I'd try to diagnose the issue before trying a repair install.

First, be sure your antivirus software has the latest definitions and run a
virus scan.

Second, download, install and run Ad Aware:
www.lavasoftusa.com
Note: you should always be well backed up before running an application of
this type.

If your system is clear of viruses, open Control Panel, open System, go to
the Advanced tab, click Settings under Startup and Recovery, remove the
check from "Automatically Restart" under System Failure. This will cause
the system to blue screen instead of restarting on errors and the
information on the blue screen may give a clue as to the source of the
issue.

Open Control Panel, open Administrative Tools, open Event Viewer, look for
errors corresponding to the crash, double click the error, the information
contained within may give a clue as to the
source of the problem.

Assuming you have an XP CD and not a recovery CD, place the XP CD in the
drive, when the setup screen appears, select "Check System Compatibility,"
the report it generates may point to problem hardware or software on your
system. If you do not have an XP CD, you can download this application
known as the Upgrade Advisor from the following site:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgrading/advisor.asp
Note: If you have access to a broadband connection it might be best to
download using that as this is a rather large download.

Check for the latest drivers for your hardware, especially your graphics
card and soundcard and all peripherals connected to your system. Do not use
Windows Update for this, go to the device manufacturer's web sites and if
you install updated drivers, ignore the message about drivers being unsigned
by Microsoft.
 
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