Computer keeps Freezing whenever I launch a big program...

Bill,

Here are removal instructions for eAcceleration

http://www.pestpatrol.com/pestinfo/e/eAcceleration.asp

Yikes, looks complicated, but I'm off to give it a try. Thanks again dude.

While you're woried about overheating I wouldn't recommend leaving your PC case open, even with a fan pointed at it. In fact, there shouldn't be any gaps open in the case (shims in the back missing, etc.). Airflow design goes a big way towards keeping components cool. You want one entry point for cool air, and one exit point for warm air. Proper airflow design works, and that's one factor that makes some PC cases more expensive than others. Keep in mind that the most important component to keep cool is the CPU. In fact, even if its fan is properly working & everything, if there is too much or too little (or no) thermal compound (heat dope) between the CPU & its heatsink you will still likely have problems with overheating, even with powerful fans running (especially with modern ultra-fast CPUs).

Getting rid of any spy/adware you may have is certainly crucial too as that'll go a long way towards overall system speed & stability.

McAfee may or may not be causing some of the lockups (&/or slowdowns), but for people reading along it should be noted that, yes, in many cases it's very normal behavior for running applications' CPU processing needs to fluctuate wildly.

damn htin shuts down right agter start up, what do i do?

some kind of auto shutdown going on

I suspect that the entirety of your problems with lockups while running big applications is a result of the overheating problem (which it would seem is not entirely corrected as of yet). Other programs (e.g. a possibly strange-acting McAfee, one or more spyware programs, needlessly running background programs, etc.) may be causing slowdowns & using a lot of cpu power, but I don't think that has any direct relavance to the lockups you described, other than the fact that they're helping to heat up the CPU.

Out of curiousity, who's the manufacturer of your PC, what CPU does it use, & how old is the machine?

This new development is most likely the result of overheating, improper/incomplete removal of a bad program (virus, spyware, etc), damage the bad program or its removal caused, or a bad program you haven't yet removed.

Does the computer stay on if started in Safe Mode (press f8 before Windows starts)? Is there any message you're seeing that might give a hint as to what's causing it?

Okay, I'm in safe mode finally after about a dozen automatic restarts. Thank YOU!
First, I'll tell you what I've done
Deleted the entire contents of my C: drive. That is the oldest of the bunch and seemed to be where most of the scanning hangups were coming from.
Next, I got greedy, and used disk clean up to delete what was left including some microsoft stuff. Well apparently that doesn't just remove from the C drive because my tray icon for IE and Outlook Express dissappeared with it. Since then; the machine shuts itself down as if I had asked it to restart after it's been on for about 10 seconds (leaving about 5 seconds to log on and beg for your help... that worked to get me into safe mode.)

I built the system 2 years ago out of a kit, screwed it up and paid an expert to finish it up and load the software

2.2 Gig pentium proccessor, 256 MB Ram and there is plenty of HD space.
I have WindowsXP Home edition running. I had tried making the CD boot first in CMOS to repair, but strangely that shuts off my keyboard right before it asks me to hit R (Sony Keyboard).
So now I'm stuck in safe mode wondering what to do, lol
Considering the window, since I do live on the fourth floor.

First of all, Safe Mode is a Windows maintenance mode where only the bare minimum of drivers are loaded, and that excludes software needed for you to connect to the Internet. So unless you used Safe Mode With Networking Support, I'm not sure what configuration/software your PC is using to get online in Safe Mode.

Anywho, first thing I'd do is just restart again in regular mode & see if it's working now (some simple problems are fixed by just starting in Safe Mode then rebooting). If it still reboots automatically, and it probly will, use System Restore to return to a point before you removed stuff which caused the reboots (System Restore should run fine from Safe Mode).


I suspected it was a custom-built machine, as many people who slap together their own PCs pay little attention to the importance of temperature control.

Some other people on this thread have been IMO mistakingly trying to troubleshoot this as if it were a software issue, but, short of being able to look at the machine for myself, I don't believe that's addressing the real problem. Don't get me wrong, software issues (e.g. Windows configuration problems, registry errors, crapware, etc.) may be causing other problems which appear to be similar in nature, but I'm trying to address what I believe to be the main underlying cause of the problem where intensive CPU processing causes the computer to lock up...The best example might be:

Here's some of what I think you should do to address the temperature control problem...

- Clean out the dust from the PC inside & out, and replace any fans (including the one in the power supply) which you think may no longer work effectively enough.

- Remove the CPU fan & heatsink & check how the heat dope (sorry, thermal paste), if there's any there in the first place, is looking. Applying heat dope to the CPU greatly increases thermal conductivity & is a must for today's hot, hot, hot CPUs, such as yours running at 2.2GHz (though it isn't needed if your heatsink has a thermal pad on it). The amount of paste to apply depends on what brand of paste you're using & whether you're putting it on a heat spreader or on the core itself. You don't wanna use too much as it can get messy & will defeat the purpose. I'd recommend Arctic Silver ( www.arcticsilver.com ).

- Upgrade your motherboard's BIOS & chipset driver to the latest versions. I've seen relatively recent Toshiba laptops (and it wouldn't surprise me to hear about this on other systems) which had faulty temperature control software which was fixed by an update. Basically what was happening was that the firmware which controlled CPU shutdown during overheating was kicking in too soon & not allowing the fans to do their job properly.

- Close up any open spaces in your PC case other than the small ventilation slits or holes which are there by design. This will help improve airflow.

- Turn off any CPU overclocking features you (or the other guy who helped set up your system) might have enabled. Overclocking hijinks don't usually damage your CPU in the short term, but excessive overclocking (especially with inadequate cooling) can greatly shorten its life. I've also heard of cases in which the CPU simply stopped running at the overclocked speed after 2 years, but still ran fine at the stock speed.

If your computer started to shut down, then yes 99% the problem is caused by an overheated CPU.
You need a software that test and keep an eye on CPU tempearture like CPU Cool or Hot CPU Tester Pro
You can downloaded from here:
http://www.7byte.com/

And check your PM

You are correct; I'm in Safe Mode with Networking.

I had system restored turned off.

I'll shut it down and do the physical stuff you are suggesting today.

Thank you for your continued support.

Windows said it had 2 driver updates:

Realtek Semiconductor Corp. network software update released on April 13 2004.
Download size: 58 KB, < 1 minute
Supported hardware...

VIA Technologies, Inc. multimedia software update released on April 23 2004.
Download size: 69 KB, < 1 minute
Supported hardware...

btw, when installing XP, why does it shut off my key board just seconds before asking me a question that requires it's use to answer?

Okay, Windows found 2 driver updates for me in the automatic search... I put them in and when I restarted it didn't go into autor restart mode! There may be hope yet!

Great.


Neither of those are related to your chipset driver or BIOS. (Actually, I don't think updating the chipset driver will help with this problem [though it would be a good idea anyway, since it can fix other problems]...the BIOS update is more important). You can't use the Windows Update site for that, you need to download it from your motherboard manufacturer, and it's absolutely critical you get the update specific to your motherboard. If you tell us your motherboard's model number, someone here should be able to track down the latest BIOS update for it. But keep in mind that the BIOS update suggestion is a longshot fix, it would only help with cooling if your system has faulty temperature control firmware.


Does it connect to a PS/2 or USB port (or something else)? If you have another keyboard around, test it out & see if it behaves the same.

Thanks Monger, it is PS/2, not USB, and wired... nothing fancy. It came from a Sony VAIO machine that since died a while back. My other keyboards have too big of a connector.

While installing Windows I believe you're using a base level keyboard driver built into your BIOS, so there isn't too much you can do about it.

First of all, remove & reconnect the keyboard's connector after blowing out any dust that's gotten in there or in the ps/2 port.

The 2nd thing I'd try would be using a new keyboard. It'd be best to use a different port to connect as well, so since you're using a PS/2 keyboard now, go with one that connects through USB. (If it was a USB keyboard you were having trouble with, you'd wanna contact your motherboard manufacturer about/check their website for the availability of a BIOS upgrade. If you feel so inclined, do it anyway.)

One other thing you could try is removing any attached devices which aren't required for setup (e.g., printers, external serial devices, and USB devices.)

By the way, how do you know it's "shuting off your keyboard", as opposed to the Windows installation program just locking up?

There are led lights on the keyboard for Num Lock that go off just before the set up asks me to confirm I want to set up by pressing enter. When machine freezes, this light remains on.

I'll try disconnecting everything and blowing it out like you suggested.

Interesting thought. I know it would never start with my camera cord stuck in a usb. Confused me a couple times till I noticed it.

The status of the Num Lock LED can be controlled by software. In fact, there is an option in most CMOS setup programs to choose what status you want Num Lock set to during boot up.

With a program crashed you may or may not be able to toggle it...it depends. It's state alone (on or off), is indicative of very little if anything in your situation.

In other words, you've not proven the keyboard stopped working (though it might've).

Your sig line is ironically funny. (Error. Keyboard not found...)

Disconnecting everything and blowing didn't help. I guess I need to buy another Keyboard and some heat dope. btw, the processor and it's fan were already attached when they sent me the bear-bones unit. I haven't looked at it yet, cause I figure I better get the dope first.