Member Avatar for shorn51

I'm guessing that this is a hardware manfunction of some sort.

After my computer has been on for a while it will lock up with no applications running. It will try to load an application but will appear to be using all available resources (hour glass on screen). In task manager, CPU usage is 0 and memory use is very low (<20%). It is working fine right now as I'm typing this, but will freeze up if the computer is left on for perhaps an hour.

After it freezes are there any diagnostics that I can do to check for a hardware problem? I'm thinking motherboard/capacitor, etc.

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Short summary and context: described a warm-system freeze where the pointer still moves but applications become unresponsive; suggested the disk going to sleep as one possibility. Below are practical, ordered checks and tests that isolate software vs hardware and help pinpoint the fault without repeating the thread verbatim.

First, collect evidence before changing hardware. Check Windows Event Viewer for Error/Critical entries at the freeze time. Run a full file-system scan from an elevated prompt with chkdsk C: /r (agree to schedule at next reboot). Run sfc /scannow if system files may be corrupted. Boot into Safe Mode; if the system stays stable there, suspect drivers or a service. Boot a clean, bootable Linux or utility USB to see whether the freeze reproduces outside Windows — that separates OS issues from hardware faults.

Second, test components. Run a multi-pass memory test (MemTest86) from USB. Check disk health and SMART attributes (manufacturer tools or CrystalDiskInfo) and run the vendor diagnostic utility. Monitor temperatures and fan speeds with a hardware monitor tool (or the BIOS) to rule out thermal shutdowns. Disable any HDD power-down setting in Power Options to test ’s theory.

Finally, inspect and swap physical parts: visually check for bulging/leaking capacitors on the motherboard and PSU, reseat RAM and expansion cards, remove nonessential peripherals, and if possible test with a known-good power supply. Back up important data before destructive tests. Record results of each test and proceed one change at a time so failures can be traced reliably.

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Member Avatar for shorn51

More info. When I say lock up, the mouse still works but applications will not open. I can get the Task Manager window to open from the keyboard (Ctrl-Alt-Delete) but if I attempt to open it form the bottom bar it will attempt but not open.

Member Avatar for Salem

How about some specs for your machine.

How about mentioning which of the myriad of operating systems you're actually using. Saying "task manager" might infer Microsoft windows, but that's still too many to guess.

Is that "left on for an hour, but in constant use", or "left on for an hour displaying a screen saver".

My first thought is your HD has gone into sleep mode, and some buggy motherboard driver doesn't know how to wake it up again.

Member Avatar for shorn51

OK
Dell Dimension 2400
XP home
I doesn't appear to matter whether the machine is in use or not. Even after a hard reboot (the only way to shut down when it happens) if the computer is still warm it will not open any applications.

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