[Kusuri]

I bought this computer about 3 months ago from a store that custom built it for me.
The computer freezes only for a few seconds and everything is back to normal.
It happens when I am watching a video, playing a game and sometimes even while browsing while listening to music.

Specs:
Intel i5-2320
Asrock H61M-DGS
Sapphire 1GB 6850 DDR5
FSP HEXA 500W
2 x Corsair PC10600 1333MHz 4GB

Thank you.

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Operating system?
This kind of thing can really be a pain to track down; you have to start investigating until you find the culprit. Sometimes the problem suddenly stops and you never do find the reason! Usually it is something that is scheduled to update; try to remember when the first occurrence was and did you install a program, change a configuration in the system properties? Time this between happenings - does it happen at regular intervals or is it random times? Check all your utilities that have to regularly update, such as your antivirus, firewall, flash player, Java, etc. and also look for other programs that have "scheduled themselves" without your knowledge to access the internet and update. The fact that you are not crashing or rebooting means that it is not anything that is foreign to the system. However, I suggest that you immediately run a full, in-depth scan of your system with your anitvirus. I also suggest download and run Malwareytes (you can get it from File Hippo)just for further safety. Sometimes backdoor trojans with keyloggers will "dial home" with information. Let us know how it goes. Good hunting!
[EDIT]: I just remembered the (free) firewall, Comodo. Comodo firewall is really good, and it will alert you to any non-Windows system that attempts to dial out. It is a bit of a pain, because it also installs the Comodo antivirus and "Geek Buddy" utilities, but you can uninstall them as separate modules. You don't want multiple antivirus programs running at the same time.

Edited by ranchhand3, 24 August 2012 - 02:04 PM.

[ranchhand3]

Operating system?
This kind of thing can really be a pain to track down; you have to start investigating until you find the culprit. Sometimes the problem suddenly stops and you never do find the reason! Usually it is something that is scheduled to update; try to remember when the first occurrence was and did you install a program, change a configuration in the system properties? Time this between happenings - does it happen at regular intervals or is it random times? Check all your utilities that have to regularly update, such as your antivirus, firewall, flash player, Java, etc. and also look for other programs that have "scheduled themselves" without your knowledge to access the internet and update. The fact that you are not crashing or rebooting means that it is not anything that is foreign to the system. However, I suggest that you immediately run a full, in-depth scan of your system with your anitvirus. I also suggest download and run Malwareytes (you can get it from File Hippo)just for further safety. Sometimes backdoor trojans with keyloggers will "dial home" with information. Let us know how it goes. Good hunting!
[EDIT]: I just remembered the (free) firewall, Comodo. Comodo firewall is really good, and it will alert you to any non-Windows system that attempts to dial out. It is a bit of a pain, because it also installs the Comodo antivirus and "Geek Buddy" utilities, but you can uninstall them as separate modules. You don't want multiple antivirus programs running at the same time.

Edited by ranchhand3, 24 August 2012 - 02:04 PM.

[Kusuri]

Operating system?
This kind of thing can really be a pain to track down; you have to start investigating until you find the culprit. Sometimes the problem suddenly stops and you never do find the reason! Usually it is something that is scheduled to update; try to remember when the first occurrence was and did you install a program, change a configuration in the system properties? Time this between happenings - does it happen at regular intervals or is it random times? Check all your utilities that have to regularly update, such as your antivirus, firewall, flash player, Java, etc. and also look for other programs that have "scheduled themselves" without your knowledge to access the internet and update. The fact that you are not crashing or rebooting means that it is not anything that is foreign to the system. However, I suggest that you immediately run a full, in-depth scan of your system with your anitvirus. I also suggest download and run Malwareytes (you can get it from File Hippo)just for further safety. Sometimes backdoor trojans with keyloggers will "dial home" with information. Let us know how it goes. Good hunting!
[EDIT]: I just remembered the (free) firewall, Comodo. Comodo firewall is really good, and it will alert you to any non-Windows system that attempts to dial out. It is a bit of a pain, because it also installs the Comodo antivirus and "Geek Buddy" utilities, but you can uninstall them as separate modules. You don't want multiple antivirus programs running at the same time.

Hello, I am using Windows 7 64-bit SP1 Home Premium. I first experienced the problem on the day I brought it back from the store and set it up. I installed various programs likes Google Chrome, MSE, VLC and other utility programs etc. I am pretty sure it happens at random intervals. I can go for days without experiencing the freezes and then experiencing it several times in one day. (Which prompted me to seek help here.) I ran MSE and found nothing, but Malwarebytes found 13 instances of Trojan.Dropper.AI. It found it inside my Morrowind directory. Considering the fact that I installed it from a CD, I doubt the trojan came from there. The only other possible source could be the mods that I installed, which means that this may very well be a false positive. Nevertheless, I allowed Malwarebytes to remove the threat. Also, I realized that the freezes coincide with the CPU reaching 20-30%(based on the CPU meter Windows Gadget). Is it normal for the CPU to reach bottleneck at 20-30%?

[ranchhand3]

I first experienced the problem on the day I brought it back

I would assume that your computer is still under a warranty. I strongly suggest you return it back to the retail store you purchased it from and give them the history, including the fact that it started doing this the first day and it has gotten worse. Yes, we can spend 30 posts back and forth trying things, but obviously there is a software/hardware problem and they can diagnose with the unit in front of them. Don't let your warranty expire, that is what warranties are for.

[Kusuri]

I first experienced the problem on the day I brought it back

I would assume that your computer is still under a warranty. I strongly suggest you return it back to the retail store you purchased it from and give them the history, including the fact that it started doing this the first day and it has gotten worse. Yes, we can spend 30 posts back and forth trying things, but obviously there is a software/hardware problem and they can diagnose with the unit in front of them. Don't let your warranty expire, that is what warranties are for.

Okay, I'll do that. Thank you.