[elip195]

Before I tell you about the problem here are my specs:

Windows XP Professional SP 3
Intel Pentium 4 2.66GHz, 2.67GHz
1.0GB of RAM
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500, 256MB of VRAM.


The problem is that sometimes when I run a relatively intensive application like Team Fortress 2 the whole computer suddenly freezes. That means the mouse and the keyboard are frozen, the sound stops playing and the screen isn't updating at all. Only the CPU and the fans keep on working. I've had this problem for a long time and a fix would be very appreciated. Thanks!

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elip195

What you describe can be caused one of the following, lack of system resources, a flaky power supply and overheating -a flaky PSU can also cause overheating.

Please do the following, when you reply can you also tell us the brand and model name or number of the PSU (power supply unit).

Go to Start then to Run/Search
Type in compmgmt.msc and click Enter
On the left side click on Disk Management
On the right side you will see your hard drive.
Now I need you to take a screenshot and attach it to your next reply.
Do the following to take a screenshot while the above is open and showing on your desktop.

To capture and post a screenshot;

Click on the ALT key + PRT SCR key..its on the top row..right hand side..now click on start...all programs...accessories...paint....left click in the white area ...press CTRL + V...click on file...click on save...save it to your desktop...name it something related to the screen your capturing... BE SURE TO SAVE IT AS A .JPG ...otherwise it may be to big to upload... then after typing in any response you have... click on browse...desktop...find the screenshot..select it and click on the upload button...then on the lower left...after it says upload successful...click on add reply like you normally would.

Screenshot instructions are provided to assist those that may read this topic but are not yet aware of the “how to”.

[phillpower2]

elip195

What you describe can be caused one of the following, lack of system resources, a flaky power supply and overheating -a flaky PSU can also cause overheating.

Please do the following, when you reply can you also tell us the brand and model name or number of the PSU (power supply unit).

Go to Start then to Run/Search
Type in compmgmt.msc and click Enter
On the left side click on Disk Management
On the right side you will see your hard drive.
Now I need you to take a screenshot and attach it to your next reply.
Do the following to take a screenshot while the above is open and showing on your desktop.

To capture and post a screenshot;

Click on the ALT key + PRT SCR key..its on the top row..right hand side..now click on start...all programs...accessories...paint....left click in the white area ...press CTRL + V...click on file...click on save...save it to your desktop...name it something related to the screen your capturing... BE SURE TO SAVE IT AS A .JPG ...otherwise it may be to big to upload... then after typing in any response you have... click on browse...desktop...find the screenshot..select it and click on the upload button...then on the lower left...after it says upload successful...click on add reply like you normally would.

Screenshot instructions are provided to assist those that may read this topic but are not yet aware of the “how to”.

[elip195]

Disk Management:


I formatted the computer not too long ago with a clean version of XP.

I don't really know how to check my PSU brand or model :/

[phillpower2]

HDD looks ok at present but if C: is your boot drive/has your OS on it you could have done with it being bigger 15 -20GB.

The only conclusive way of finding the PSU details is by taking the side off the case and writing down the details off the label that it may have on it.

Is this a brand name computer such as a Dell or HP, if it is can you provide the brand and model name or number so that we can do some research.

Can I ask when the last time that the inside of the case was cleaned out of heat trapping dust.

Download Speedfan and install it. Once it's installed, run the program and post here the information it shows. The information I want you to post is the stuff that is circled in the example picture I have attached.
If you are running on a vista machine, please go to where you installed the program and run the program as administrator.


(this is a screenshot from a vista machine)

[elip195]

I don't currently have the tools to check the inside of it but I thought this system information might help:




Maybe it's the available physical memory?


SpeedFan:

Edited by elip195, 28 April 2013 - 09:52 PM.

[elip195]

I think some of the results above don't seem to make any sense so I downloaded HW Monitor.

Fan's maximum RPM is 2667.
When running the game (TF2) both THRM and CPUTIN rise almost up to 70C.

Voltages (left value is the current value, middle is the minimum and right is the maximum):

[phillpower2]

Hello elip195

A screw driver is the only tool that you would need to take off the side of the case to check the PSU, some cases have thumb screws and do not even require a screwdriver.
Look for the PSU information on a label like in the attachment below.

Overheating - flaky PSU are strong contenders as the cause.

Can you please provide the Speedfan and HWMonitor readings the same way that you provided the Disk Management screenshot, I did not provide the instructions again as I did not think you needed them, sorry for that.

To capture and post a screenshot;

Click on the ALT key + PRT SCR key..its on the top row..right hand side..now click on start...all programs...accessories...paint....left click in the white area ...press CTRL + V...click on file...click on save...save it to your desktop...name it something related to the screen your capturing... BE SURE TO SAVE IT AS A .JPG ...otherwise it may be to big to upload... then after typing in any response you have... click on browse...desktop...find the screenshot..select it and click on the upload button...then on the lower left...after it says upload successful...click on add reply like you normally would.

As an asides elip195;

If you have something to add while waiting for a reply use the edit tab – bottom right of the dialogue input box and this will ensure that nothing gets overlooked.