[RESOLVED] My computer hangs up like anything

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We bought our computer this May, everything is fine but for the hanging problem with Windows 98

Why does it hang up again and again?

Upon someone's suggestion I defragmented all the drives still it hangs up? I even ran Scan Disk, no errors came up. Moreover, I even ran an online scan, no problems again.

But the truth is - IT IS HANGING UP AGAIN AND AGAIN. Sometimes, immediately on start up, sometimes after an hour or two of use.

Any idea, what is wrong with my computer? (and what is the possible solution)

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Re: My computer hangs up like anything.....
It could be many things, but most common causes are registry problems. You probably uninstalled something and it didn't clean up it's files completely. Or, there could be a piece of hardware going bad inside of your computer. If you trust your skills you could try removing any unused hardware cards inside your computer. It could have been user error, maybe some critical files have been deleted. You could have a corrupt memory chip. Could be running out of disk space, in that case clearing up some space may help, but that's not likely the problem. I think that a good old fashioned reformat of your hard drive and reinstall of windows works wonders and is often the easiest way to go as long as you have all of your driver software and know how to install everything again. You could also try to find a free registry repair program on download.com

Good luck. By the way, Microsoft stopped supporting Windows 98.

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System hangs are pretty common on Win9x systems. Unfortunately, there are a wide variety of causes. One suspect, given the likely age of any machine still running Win98, is hardware failure, but right at the moment, that doesn't sound like what you've got going on.

Its not untypical for driver issues, particularly video or sound drivers, to cause startup/shutdown hangs, but that sorta fades as a real strong contender in your case, since you say the machine sometimes goes a good long whie between hangs.

Don't really have a lot of info to go on here, but I sorta suspect a resource issue. Out of curiosity, what antivirus are you using, and what version?

roverroad wrote:

... Microsoft stopped supporting Windows 98 ...

Not exactly - soon, but not quite just yet:

Quote:

Microsoft: Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Millennium Support Extended

Updated Clarification on the Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Millennium Support Extended Announcement

Microsoft is pleased to announce a clarification in our extended security update support for Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Millennium (Me) Editions forcritical security issues. As part of this extended support, Microsoft will provide information about whether critical issues affect these operating systems. Microsoft will provide security updates on the operating systems that are affected and the severity rating is critical.

Key Dates:

Paid incident support for Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Millennium Edition (Me) is available through June 30, 2006.

Critical security updates will be provided on the Windows Update site through June 30, 2006.

Customers may request non-critical security fixes for Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Me, and the most current version of their components until June 30, 2006 through typical assisted-support channels.

Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Me downloads for existing security issues will continue to be available through regular assisted-support channels at no charge until June 30, 2006.

No-charge incident support and extended hotfix support for Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition ended on June 30, 2003.

No-charge incident support and extended hotfix support for Windows Me ended on December 31, 2003.

Online self-help support will be available until at least June 30, 2007.

Details:

Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition support was scheduled to end on January 16, 2004. The continual evaluation of the Support Lifecycle policy revealed, however, that customers in the smaller and the emerging markets needed additional time to upgrade their product. Therefore, Microsoft will continue to support Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Me through June 30, 2006.

Critical security updates will be provided on the Windows Update site through June 30, 2006.

Microsoft will not publicly release non-critical security hotfixes for Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, or Windows Millennium Edition. However, customers may request a non-critical security hotfix through On-Demand Security Hotfix support, which is offered for these products through June 30, 2006. When a request is received, Microsoft will investigate the issue and try to provide an appropriate response to the customer ...

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I am using Norton antivirus 2005.

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Two suggstions:

1. Check that the fan on the back is actually blowing air. Failing fans are quite common and can cause the symptoms you describe. Replacing the power supply takes just a few minutes with a screwdriver and can give an old machine new life.

2. Download and run an anti-spyware program such as Ad Aware. Then download another anti-spyware program and run it, too.

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Thanks Rover and Timber! Thanks very much…….Now, I have some idea what could be possibly wrong with this thing, my comp. Roger, my experience with computers has only lasted six months or so till now so obviously, I am not going to go about the repair!
Our computer man will probably turn up in a couple of days and I think a reinstall is safe bet. But would a reinstall means removing all the stored content from my hard disk (please don't laugh if this question reflects my ignorance)

P.S. Is it possible that some internet virus is causing this trouble though I have run a lot of online scans which reported no problems.

DrewDad, the fan is causing a lot of noise - it sounds like a truck accelating on the highways, thats another prob that i had forgotten to mention...... Rolling Eyes

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Then I'd bet on the problem being overheating. The fan on the power supply also pulls cool air through the computer. If it fails, then heat builds up and starts to affect the components inside.

You probably just need a new power supply.

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Yes perhaps....

Could the overheating have been caused because I never removed the covers on the CPU while working?

I m afraid.....

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DrewDad wrote:

You probably just need a new power supply.

You probably need a new computer.

Something to consider. I realize you just bought it, but while replacing a power supply is relatively easy, there is some cost involved in parts, and not everyone can do it -- perhaps your "computer man" is up to the task. Plus, when you are finished, you will have a computer that is old enough to have Win 98 installed as its main OS. Other hardware components will be failing soon.

Might give some thought into putting the money you would otherwise spend on a new power supply into a new/newer system.

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Well, a new power supply would be much cheaper

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spidergal wrote:

Well, a new power supply would be much cheaper

Yes, it would.

And assuming that is the entirety of your problem, and you are happy with your system, you might be satisfied for quite a while.

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In any case, I would advise you to make a full system backup. Or at least a data backup. Immediately. Sooner.

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A full system back up.....what is that?

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Your computer guy should know. Basically, it backs up every file on your computer.

If you store data locally (on c:\ or d:\, usually), you need to back it up.

If you store data on a network disk (f:\, p:\, z:\, etc.) then your system admin is responsible for backing it up.

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i have a five year old intel P 3 computer running under windows ME . it's been getting quite slow lately, sysstems errors show up (quit & restart) and the monitor dissolves into vertical stripes on occasion ... so tomorrow it goes into the shop .
had it in about 1 1/2 years ago for cleanup - made all the difference .
i'm considering upgrading to windows XP ; have had differing comments , some say it won't make much of a difference on a 5 year old computer (get a new one) , others say, it's made quite a difference to their system .
any comments ?
thanks ! hbg

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XP needs a lot more memory than ME. On the other hand, ME is a black hole of suckage.

On the gripping hand, you could probably get a new PC for what it would cost you to upgrade to XP.

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dd : sure will keep your advice inmind when speaking to the technician tomorrow . thanks . hbg

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Ya know, hbg - if your use of a computer consists of websurfing, emailing, a little image manipulation and some simple household book keeping, DD makes a very good pont - you need replace only the computer itself, your monitor, printer, and other peripherals likely are just fine. Your most cost-effective, highest-satisfaction option well could be just to plug in a new machine.

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timber : thanks . i had figured that replacing the tower should be good enough . even so i still have an "old-fashioned" monitor , it serves me just fine .
btw. spoke to a friend this morning who is in the process of publishing his own book . i suggested to him to use a commercial computer-printing service . he didn't like the idea. purchased a laser printer ... he just figured out that it'll cost him about $40-50 in laser "ink" per book ! ouch ! hbg

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[RESOLVED] My computer hangs up like anything

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