[gen244drdr]

Hi Again people,

I'm seeking advice about fixing my mothers computer which keeps pausing.

Computer Specs
She has a 3.0 Prescott on a Giga 81875 Ultra with 1024 MB Dual Channel DDR 400. She runs a PATA HDD and a SATA HDD. It has dual LCD monitors with AGP and PCI video. Neither card is anything special, but they dont have to be because its mostly used for non-gaming activities like email and word processing. Nothing is overclocked or overheating. It is Windows XP SP2 with SAV Corporate edition and MS Antispyware. Everything is up to date that I know of.

The Problem
Individual programs keeps pausing. Sometimes it recovers, other times she's forced to kill the task and reload it. Reloading seems to consistantly fix the problem for at least a whlie. Individual programs pause, while others seem to work okay during the pause. All of the programs she uses pause, but nothing pauses consistantly or as far as I can tell, in response to anything else happening. She uses MS Word, HTML Kit Pro, Notepad, Paint Shop Pro and Outlook Express.

What I've tried already (In no particular order)
Re-installing windows. Windows update. Updated drivers. Monitoring mobo and CPU temperature. Checking CPU load when things stall (interestingly the CPU load isnt at 100%). Updating programs. CPU/MOBO/RAM diagnostic testing. Changing the PCI video card. Checked for spyware/malware. Changing mice. Disabling SAV.

Anyone got any other ideas?

thanks

Adrian.

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How big is you page file, you might need a bigger one
Go start<control panel<system<advanced<preformance<settings<advanced<virtual memory<change and make it a something like 2000mb.

This might help.

[Michael]

How big is you page file, you might need a bigger one
Go start<control panel<system<advanced<preformance<settings<advanced<virtual memory<change and make it a something like 2000mb.

This might help.

[RockyIV]

It could be malware, but first try Michaels' Idea!
RockyIV

[gen244drdr]

I thought I'd finally come back and tell you the solution I found. I'm not sure you guys will believe me because in 20 years in IT I'm not sure I believe myself!

Finally, and reluctantly after swapping my motherboard and cpu into my mums computer hers began working fine. But I didn't leave things this way since my CPU was a 3.2 and hers only a 3.0 and I'm power hungry. When I swapped CPU's back her problems returned! So to confirm this I am again using her cpu and she is using mine and now my machine pauses at times and hers is working fine. I've confirmed the problem isnt motherboard, RAM, vido, malware, virii or OS related. It has to be the CPU.

The problem seems most prominant with my computer when...

1) I right click on a file in windows explorer (screen goes black very briefly and then comes back)
2) When I load a webpage in firefox sometimes it pauses for up to a minute or so
3) When I click on a box in firefox which brings up a text selection choice (ie. a pulldown box to put in a date or age etc)
4) occasionally windows explorer windows take up to a minute to realise I've clicked something
ETC.

I realise this problem doesnt sound anything like a CPU problem, which I would have thought would relate to slowiing down (throttling due to heat) or crashing outright. But honestly swapping the CPU to another computer swaps the problem to that computer!

Freaky eh? And the first time I've seen a problem with a cpu in 20 years as I said.

Would anyone like to comment?

thanks

Adrian.

[andrewsexton]

ive got the same problem but have changed cpus fro a p4 2.0ghz to a P4 2.66ghz. Any ideas? my PC even crashes when using the mail ware programs and nero etc.

Andrew

[Ashers]

One of mine does exactly the same thing. It used to happen on my P4 3.2 but after upgrading to AMD X2 4800+ it still does it. Happens anytime, any program and it literally pauses everything. The pc doesn't know anything has happened although in games it usually screws the sound up.

It happens for about a month after re-install of everthing then gradually gets less and less till it don't happen at all. I've tried loads of things to get rid of it. Strangest thing I've ever had on my numerous pc's. Guess I'll have to wait till it goes.