Member Avatar for CarolinaGirl87

I have a laptop that has been through hell and back recently.
Long story short, my HDD crashed last month and I bought a brand new one to replace the now dead one. I lost everything and was unable to recover anything. I had a bit of trouble installing the OS until I finally got a copy of Windows XP Pro...Afterwards, I did everything I thought was necessary (installation of drivers,installing anti-virus software,updating to SVP 3, etc)

The only major difference now is that instead of being online through the same wireless connection I had before (through wi-fi/and a wireless router) I am now connected through an ethernet cable to a modem in which my ISP provided.....How safe is this? Why can't I successfully use my little wi-fi button and have what I had before?

***The PROBLEM: Almost everyday, my computer freezes. I tried to even temporarily disable my anti-virus (I use A-Squared) to see if that would help. A majority of the work I do HAS to be done online, and I'll be in the middle of typing and my computer freezes to the point where I have to keep restarting it. I can't even press ctrl+alt+dlt. *********************************************

It NEVER did this before. Am I missing something? Could a virus/trojan cause things like this to happen? Although I'm more experienced repairing desktops, I have limited experience dealing with laptop recovery/repairs, but I did everything I knew to do when it crashed last month. (I bought a new hard-drive,installed the OS, updated the drivers,installed most of the necessary software I had on there before, and with the exception of how I have my internet connection set-up, everything is essentially the same!!)

I keep reading how it could be RAM, or a heatsink issue. Well, how can I find out for sure? All ideas,suggestions will greatly be appreciated!!:icon_neutral:

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This thread (Jan 20, 2010) started by describes daily, total freezes after a crashed HDD was replaced and Windows XP reinstalled; internet access was also changed from the laptop’s Wi‑Fi to an ISP‑supplied Ethernet modem. ’s suggestion to verify devices and the disk is a good start. The notes below expand the triage with low‑level tests and isolation steps to help determine whether the problem is hardware, firmware, or a driver/application conflict.

Freezes that ignore Ctrl-Alt-Del usually indicate kernel-level faults: bad RAM, a failing storage controller or drive, overheating/thermal throttling, BIOS/firmware issues, or a problematic driver (network or security drivers can hang the system). A fresh OS and new HDD lower the chance of ordinary user‑level corruption, so prioritize hardware stress tests, firmware/driver versions from the laptop vendor, and thermal/power checks before assuming a simple software bug. Note that temporarily disabling A‑Squared may not remove low‑level hooks; a full uninstall is often necessary to rule the AV out.

Recommended triage (in roughly this order):

  • Boot a Linux live USB and use the system for several hours; if it freezes under Linux, the cause is almost certainly hardware.
  • Run Memtest86+ (bootable) for multiple full passes; test one DIMM at a time or swap modules.
  • Run the HDD maker’s extended SMART/self-test (bootable vendor tool) — new drives can still be faulty.
  • Test with the network physically disconnected and also try the original Wi‑Fi; a bad NIC driver, cable, or modem port can cause kernel hangs.
  • Inspect cooling: verify fan operation, clear vents, reseat RAM and drive, and monitor temperatures in BIOS or with a hardware utility.
  • Perform a clean/minimal boot (disable non‑Microsoft services/startup items) to rule out third‑party drivers; if BSODs appear later, capture and analyze minidumps.
  • Update BIOS and laptop chipset/NIC drivers from the manufacturer, not generic packs.

These steps build on ’s checks. Immediate backup of important files is advised. If hardware tests fail, stop normal use to avoid further damage and pursue warranty or part replacement; if hardware tests pass but freezes continue, a minimal clean OS install (no extra drivers/AV) is the next logical isolation step.

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Member Avatar for Bob_180_Bob

Hi and welcome to Daniweb,
Have a look at your Devise Manager and see if there are any yellow exclamation marks on any listing, if so right click on them and click update driver.
To access the “Devise Manager” Go “Start” “Run” type “devmgmt.msc” without the “ “ then press “OK”
I know its a new hard drive but it still could be faulty. Right click on your drive in MY Computer, Click properties, click tools, click Checknow, put a check in both boxes and click start. Reboot your machine and allow it to check your drive, it could take over an hour.
If you are still having problems check your event viewer for problems.

Post back if you need more assistance, Good luck.

Member Avatar for CarolinaGirl87

Thank you for the suggestion. I will try to do that at some point today! :icon_exclaim:

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