PC standby freeze-up

  • Thread starter Thread starter cc_bigelow
  • Start date Start date
C

cc_bigelow

If anyone can help, thanx. Thinks I may have
inadvertently deleted a file necessary to place my
computer in standby mode. Every time I try it just
freezes at the screen. If anyone knows how or where I can
retrieve them I'd be ecstatic...lol
 
Greetings,

Have you tried reinstalling or updating your Windows XP operating system?

Thanks and best of luck!
 
Hi, CC.
Unfortunately, pc came installed with xp and no disc was
provided
Click to expand...

Then you really need to discuss this with whoever sold you the computer
without the full WinXP CD-ROM. Original Equipment Manufacturers (big ones
like Compaq and Dell and small ones like your local mom and pop PC
assembler) buy WinXP from Microsoft at a discount price, reflecting the fact
that the OEM assumes the responsibility to support that modified version of
WinXP. If you mention the make and model of your computer, there's a good
chance that someone here will recognize it and have some specific advice for
you.

Otherwise, about all you can do is run the System File Checker and hope that
the files you need are somewhere on your hard drive, perhaps in a partition
hidden by the computer vendor.

At a Run prompt, type: sfc /scannow

SFC will compare each WinXP operating system file with the "known good" copy
held in your on-drive cache and replace any missing or damaged ones.
Normally, you should have the original WinXP CD-ROM available, because SFC
will probably need to see it. In your case, SFC may be able to find the
files in that hidden partition.

If that doesn't work, you may have no resource except the vendor who sold
you that computer.

RC
 
Problems with Standby are almost always caused by driver issues, usually the
driver for the graphics card or soundcard. Check your card manufacturer's
website for updated drivers for those cards and see if it resolves the
issue.
 
At least does the monitor enter Energy Saving mode (S1)? Standby is S3. If
it enters S1 and freezes at S3, might be a mouse (wireless, optical) driver.

You can do a little detective work, but not necessarily in the following
order:

1. See if S3 works in Safe Mode - XP should load a reduced number of drivers
including its own VGA drivers. If you have the problem while in Safe Mode,
unplug anything except the keyboard and the monitor - you can do OK without
a mouse. If you still don't get a Standby, check the BIOS - mainly, ACPI,
APM or whatever functions related to energy saving features. While in BIOS,
reassign Power OFF button to Standby for easier testing in Normal Mode - you
can do that in Windows as well. By now, you should get a fiable S3. If not,
I guess you'll have to reinstall XP - wrong hal.dll. However, if you get a
Standby in Safe mode, reboot to Normal Mode.

2. Back in Normal Mode, if Standby freezes again, disable all drivers
(uninstall the graphic card drivers and make sure that XP can load its own
VGA drivers), audio, mouse, modem (mainly USB, wireless, optical), network
and whatever you might have. Enable/Reinstall drivers one at a time and test
for Standby. Make sure your video card is not overclocked. In ACPI, some
device drivers have a Power Management (Device
Manager/Driver/Properties/Power Management/check or uncheck (!?) the Allow
this device to wakeup Windows from standby (or similar)

3. Disable all startup itmes in msconfig, reboot and see what you get,
enable them one by one and test.

4. Check for worms, trojans, viruses etc w/ SpyBot, AdAware, HijackThis.

5. If anything else fails or it takes too much time, prepare for a clean
install - some would argue that a reinstall or repair would do.

Michael
 
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