julie said:
i am still experiencing problems with my computer
completely freezing up.it seems to happen after different
periods of time(sometimes immediately upon startup
sometimes after lengthy periods of time)i am really
baffled by it and have tried using different mouse and
keyboard but nothing seems to help.can anyone help?
Begin at the beginning: Check out your hardware:
1. Make sure your CPU and case temperatures are OK.
2. Shut down your computer and turn off power *at the
surge protector* (which cuts off standby power while
leaving your computer grounded) or unplug it. Take
the standard protections against static electricity
(wear a wrist strap or keep one hand grounded at all
times).
3. Open up your computer and and make sure all your CPU
and case fans are working. Then dust it out. *Do not
use a vacuum cleaner* - it might cause static discharge.
Get some dust remover spray (RadioShack has it) and
a dust mask, and take your computer outside and spray
out the dust. Keep the end of the spray straw at least
six inches from any components and keep it moving so as
to avoid excessive thermal shock.
4. Reseat all the modules and cables inside your computer.
5. Run "memtest86" (download from
http://www.memtest86.com)
to thoroughly check out your memory. You should get
zero errors.
6. Run a full set of hardware diagnostics. ("diag378.exe",
downloadable from ftp://ftp1.dell.com/diags, after a few
complaints, will run on most non-Dell computers.)
You should get zero errors.
-- Bob Day
