Hi,
The freezing sounds like it's one of the components are bad. You need to do some testing of components that you can test. You said you increased your RAM to 2GB, Did you buy all new memory or did you add additional to your existing memory? Here's what components I believe could be causing the problem. It's either the memory, cpu, or possibly the hard drive (that is easy to test) Just run a chkdsk from cmd prompt and if it comes clean, then it's not the disk. The last component which is not typically the problem (but can be) is the motherboard itself could have a short. It's not software, or any virus, since you've restored, upgraded, an the like, that usually will wipe any viruses out. I for some reason get the feeling it's the CPU. You said it started from out of the box, and it's been randomly doing this for a couple of years. (your are a very patient person) I would test the CPU HEREs a free cpu tester. If it freezes during the test, then I'd say it's the cpu. If not then you need to start testing each componeant to make sure it's first a compatible part, and 2nd if it's in perfect working order.
Let me know how it goes.
Thanks
Mark
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Hi habes1278,
Good info, the chkdsk thing is a bit off beat, but if it got through the chkdsk, and segmented the errors, then you could be fine on the drive. It's great to hear the CPU test ran ok, that's the most expensive component. Next, I'd take out the single 512k, it's not really being used by the board, it should be matched ram to work properly.
NOW! on that graphic card the Geeks put in, does the board have it's own graphics embeded? If so, take out the graphics card and plug into the boards port and give that a spin. Graphic cards are extremely sensative, and are a cause for problems such as your having. They have as many components on them these days as the motherboard. It's a good test to run it without that card.
Let me know if any changes occur?
Thank Mark
Hi,
Yes a power supply can cause problems, but typically if it has enough power to start the machine, it should be ok. Even thou I've seen PSU (power supply units) that spike when the board exceeds the limit the PSU can supply. The only way to tell is to add up all of the components power requirements to see if there is enought voltage to support it. I'd suggest looking at the manual of the graphics card and see what volts are required for it. Then again, you could get a clue that if when it freezes your doing something that is taxing the Graphics card, like running a game, or designing graphics with a graphics program etc. Those programs go through and add additional power consumption when being accessed. If your doing spreadsheets or on the internet when it freezes, that doesn't really access the graphics cards to much.
Thanks again.
Mark
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It could be an overheating issue. Try reapplying some artic silver thermal paste onto the processor and see if that helps. If you need some assistance with this just google "applying artic silver thermal paste". And that might work. If it doesnt then i would try upgrading the power supplyisnce you did upgrade your system...make sure you have sufficient power and a good power supply. Compaqs usually use mid to low grade supplies to save on cost!
If your laptop freezes randomly follow the steps given below:
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Thanks, all. This is a step in the right direction.
Mbase: Okay, CHKDSK won't work when I attempt it manually. It blips up on the screen for a fraction of a second, and then disappears. I wasn't sure if my Trend Internet Security PRO program was interfering (it overrides other windows programs, like Defender), so I ran CHKDSK again in Safe Mode; and while it seemed to get through an inspection, once it did it would immediately disappear, and not allow me to read or review the results. Any ideas?
The RAM I added was all new RAM-- 2 GB that were all on one card (is that the term?). When I spoke with the technician, he advised that the old RAM (two 512 MB cards) be removed, just in case there were compatibility issues. I agreed. Yet inexplicably, I just realized, after viewing my computer properties, that the 2 GB card was added, and one of the 512 cards was left installed (not removed). Could this be the problem?
Also, when I purchased the computer three years ago, I was talked into purchasing a better video card, which was installed before I took the computer home (all of this work, including my recent upgrade, was done by the Geek Squad-- a mistake I won't make again). Could there be a compatibility issue with the video card?
My apologies for the novice questions, but I'm very new to this, and don't know what I'm doing. Any help you can lend (in as elementary a manner as you can manage) would be greatly appreciated).
Update: I've been running the system stress test for just over 2 hours and 15 minutes, and no freezes, no problems. So, the chkdsk operation was sketchy (see previous comment), and it seems to be passing the stress test. Does this remove the harddrive from suspicion, or do the chkdsk failures reveal potential problems? I plan to bring it back to the tech's tomorrow (I have no idea how to resolve these issues myself), and it would be useful to know whether the components, or the harddrive, should be our focus. Thanks again for all of your help.
Thanks, Mark.
Removing the 512 RAM will be no problem. I'm sure I can figure out that much. As for the rest, I'm unfortunately out of my depth-- I don't know whether there are graphics embedded onto the board, nor do I have any idea how to remove the graphics card, or plug directly into the board's port (nor, for that matter, would I know what to look for once I did). I've begun to suspect the video card as the problem (it was the only component added to the machine before I brought it home), but I continued to told by the Geeks that if I was able to watch videos, there was no problem. I'll look into this further, and let you know what I find. In the meantime, is there any chance that this is a problem with the power supply, as suggested by the previous poster? I'm just trying to index all of the possible maladies so I can narrow them down, one by one.
Thanks again for all of your help.
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