[5th Letter]

OK I have been having this problem for close to 2 months now.... my computer works fine as long as I keep doing something on it..... but if I leave it sitting for 5-10 minutes or so, it freezes...... I initially went to the HiJack This forum and we were able to clear out all malware off of my system, yet the problem is still occurring..... any help would be greatly appreciated.....

Peace.

E

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Hi 5th Letter and welcome to Geeks to Go!

I apologize for the delay --- we have all been very busy. Having said that, let us begin troubleshooting.

Can I please verify that you are currently using Windows XP with Service Pack 2 installed?

Also, I would like to attempt to "narrow down" the possible reasons for what is happening.

Please follow these directions for me and reply with your findings/results.

(1) On your Desktop, right click in any open space, and select Properties from the drop down menu.
(2) The Display Properties window will now open
(3) Left click on the Screen Saver tab, located at the top of the window
(4) Underneath the type of screen saver being used, look where it says Wait:
(5) What number is being displayed here? Please include the number in your reply to me.
(6) In order to help narrow down possible resolutions to your issue, we need to deactivate the screen saver. You can do this by...
(7) Above the Wait: box, you will see a drop down menu of available screen savers to choose from. Left click on that drop down menu and select (None)
(8) Once (None) is selected, please left click on the Apply button, and then on the OK button, located at the bottom of the window.

Your final step is to wait. Now that we have deactivated the screen saver, I want to know if the issue continues to take place. Let the computer sit for a while and see what happens.

Keep in touch, and let me know if you have any questions.

Good luck!

[Facedown98]

Hi 5th Letter and welcome to Geeks to Go!

I apologize for the delay --- we have all been very busy. Having said that, let us begin troubleshooting.

Can I please verify that you are currently using Windows XP with Service Pack 2 installed?

Also, I would like to attempt to "narrow down" the possible reasons for what is happening.

Please follow these directions for me and reply with your findings/results.

(1) On your Desktop, right click in any open space, and select Properties from the drop down menu.
(2) The Display Properties window will now open
(3) Left click on the Screen Saver tab, located at the top of the window
(4) Underneath the type of screen saver being used, look where it says Wait:
(5) What number is being displayed here? Please include the number in your reply to me.
(6) In order to help narrow down possible resolutions to your issue, we need to deactivate the screen saver. You can do this by...
(7) Above the Wait: box, you will see a drop down menu of available screen savers to choose from. Left click on that drop down menu and select (None)
(8) Once (None) is selected, please left click on the Apply button, and then on the OK button, located at the bottom of the window.

Your final step is to wait. Now that we have deactivated the screen saver, I want to know if the issue continues to take place. Let the computer sit for a while and see what happens.

Keep in touch, and let me know if you have any questions.

Good luck!

[5th Letter]

Sorry about the long reply time..... just got in from work... OK I did what you asked and, yes, it still freezes.... the screen saver wait timer is at 5 mins.... also, earlier today, my Symantec picked up Trojan.Zlob again, which was part of my original problem..... but it says it is clear now....

Peace.

E

[Facedown98]

Please standby while I consult with a Malware Specialist in regards to this issue. They will be more capable of answering why you see this message.

[Facedown98]

After speaking about this issue with a Malware Specialist, I have been told to have you quarantine the file if applicable, and ignore the message. Your system was thoroughly checked, and this should not be an issue.

As another test, please follow these directions... I'm going to have you boot the computer in Safe Mode, which will virtually eliminate third party applications form my "suspect list."

While starting your computer tap the F8 key once every second during the memory count up, or during the system splash screen where you see the system manufacturer's name (HP, COMPAQ, DELL....etc.)

This will result in a text based menu. Use the cursor/arrow keys to navigate to SAFE MODE and hit enter.

Please leave the PC the same as you normally would and let me know if the problem occurs in Safe Mode.

Good luck!

[gclipse02]

Facedown98: How about a problem with the hiber.sys file and a wrong setting for computer hibernation? maybe when the computer tries to sleep?

[Facedown98]

Don't be afraid to make suggestions!

I have seen some conflicting reports while searching about that. I think we should just disable to to ensure that it's not a problem.

5th Letter, while you seem pretty computer literate, I'm going to post some instructions about how to deactivate Hibernation. I'm sure someone out there will be able to use them sometime

(1) On your Desktop, right click in any open space, and select Properties from the drop down menu.
(2) The Display Properties window will now open
(3) Left click on the Screen Saver tab, located at the top of the window
(4) Left click on the Power... button located at the bottom-right corner of the window.
(5) Left click on the Hibernate tab.
(6) If there is a check mark inside of the box labeled "Enable Hibernation" then left click on that box to remove it.
(7) After doing so, left click on the Apply button, and then the OK button.
(8) Lastly, left-click on the OK button (for the Display Properties window)

What we have done is make sure that your system is not trying to Hibernate at any time. This should rule-out the Hibernation file as a possible suspect.

Good luck, and keep in touch

[5th Letter]

OK hibernation was not enabled....

Peace.

E

[Facedown98]

Does this issue still appear even in Safe Mode?

[5th Letter]

Sorry I forgot to mention that..... no it does not happen in safe mode...

Peace.

E

[Facedown98]

Because the issue is not replicating in Safe Mode, I'm thinking we have something software-wise that's doing this... Right now I just need to figure out what angle to attack this from. Please allow me a short amount of time to conduct further research. I will get back to you as soon as possible. We're getting there

[Facedown98]

Alright, here is what we'll need to do...

I would like to check out your third party services.

Please follow these directions carefully. If you have any questions, please stop and let me know before continuing.

(1) Click on Start

(2) Click on Run

(3) In the Run box, type (without quotes) "msconfig" and press the Enter key

(4) Click on the Services tab

(5) At the bottom of the window, place a check mark in the box which says "Hide all Microsoft services"

(6) Click on the Disable All button to your right

(7) Click on the Apply and then the OK buttons.

(8) Please be advised that this process will likely leave you without antivirus protection. I'm going to ask that you remove your data connection before rebooting, simply by unplugging it from the PC.

(9) You will be prompted to reboot the PC as soon as you click on the OK button. Please do so after unplugging your data connection.

Now that we have disabled the third party applications, my question is going to be if the issue still continues to take place. Please let us know. If this is the only computer you currently have access to, then you may plug in your data connection to reply to us. However, because you will not have your antivirus active, we ask that you please refrain from "surfing the web" as you would be wide open to any threats.

Good luck!

[5th Letter]

OK after disabling 3rd party apps, the comp still froze.... btw, none of my scans are picking up a virus anymore....

Peace.

E

[Facedown98]

Sorry for the wait.

I'd like to try something a little different...

Please follow these directions carefully. If you have any questions, please stop and let me know before continuing.

(1) Click on Start

(2) Click on Run

(3) In the Run box, type (without quotes) "msconfig" and press the Enter key

(4) By default, you should load at the General tab

(5) You will notice some radio buttons. Please click on the button next to Diagnostic Startup

(6) Click on the Apply and then the OK buttons.

(7) You will be prompted to reboot the PC as soon as you click on the OK button. Please do so.

Your next step is to wait and see if the problem persists. Please keep me informed.

Good luck!

[5th Letter]

OK I set up diagnostic mode, and waited 30 minutes..... to my surprise, the computer was still functioning....

Peace.

E