-----Original Message-----
I installed Windows XP Upgrade about 6months ago and am
having problems with it freezing up...so I have decided
to do a clean install. Do I need to also install Windows
98 again? I can play any game that came with XP while it
is frozen but I can't close any windows or do whatever it
was i was doing when it froze..if I'm typing an e-mail I
can't type but I can play solitaire until it
unfreezes...this usually takes about 2-3 minutes...this
is very frustrating since it happens about every half
hour...thank you for any help...Gloria
Troubleshooting Computer Lockups (Freezes)
Many readers write each week with a similar problem:
their computers periodically lock up or "freeze," so that
the mouse and keyboard won't function and nothing can be
done for a period of time (sometimes the system unlocks
after a while; in other cases you have to reboot). This
is a common problem but not an easy one to diagnose
because it has so many causes. It's like a person going
to the doctor with the complaint of a cough; the problem
could be a cold, an allergy, a substance stuck in the
throat, cancer, pneumonia, tuberculosis, etc. Here are
some common causes of lockups:
Software incompatibility
Hardware incompatibility or incorrect device driver
Bad RAM
Video card problems
Dying power supply
Processor getting too hot
The first step in diagnosing the problem is to keep a
journal showing exactly what you were doing each time the
system froze. This can help you spot patterns - for
example, if the lockup occurs when you try to print, or
whenever you play a sound, that suggests a problem with
the specific hardware device or its software driver.
Heat, bad RAM or a power supply that's about to give out
are more likely if the lockups are random.
