Member Avatar for cyrusgramps

My wife's HP desktop runs with XP Home. Every now and then, the desktop freezes. Completely. She has to unplug the computer, then it boots and runs ok. The freezeup mostly happens when the desktop has been sitting idle for quite a while, but sometimes it occurs
after only a few minutes of idle time. She uses Norton for virus protection.

What do you suggest that we try?

cyrusgramps

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suggested a malware scan and reports Malwarebytes found nothing, while correctly pointed at junkware/temp files. Because the freeze happens mostly when the PC sits idle, the fault is more likely to be power-management/driver interaction, a scheduled/background task, or intermittent hardware trouble rather than an active virus. The following steps focus on isolating software vs hardware and are ordered from low-risk to deeper diagnostics.

Low-risk isolation

  • Check the Event Viewer (System and Application) for errors logged at the time of a freeze.
  • Turn off screensaver and set Power Options so the disk and display never sleep while testing.
  • In Device Manager, disable any "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" options for network and USB controllers.
  • Perform a clean boot with msconfig (hide Microsoft services, disable startup items) and let the machine sit idle to see if it still freezes.
  • Boot to Safe Mode and observe. If the freeze disappears under clean boot or Safe Mode, narrow the bad item by re-enabling services/startups in small groups. Temporarily uninstall Norton while offline as a test (disconnect network first).

Deeper checks and hardware tests

  • Run chkdsk /r and sfc /scannow to catch disk or system-file corruption.
  • Run a full memory test (Memtest86+ from a boot CD/USB) for several passes.
  • Disconnect all nonessential USB and PCI devices, reseat RAM and power/data cables, and clean dust from fans/heat sinks.
  • Run the HP built-in hardware diagnostics from the boot menu and, if diagnostics pass, update BIOS, chipset and video drivers from HP support. Use Driver Verifier only as a last-resort troubleshooting step (it will intentionally crash the system to expose bad drivers).

Cautions and next moves
Avoid repeatedly hard-powering-off the machine because that can corrupt the file system. Capture timestamps of freezes and the matching Event Viewer entries before and after tests. If hardware tests show failures or freezes persist despite driver/BIOS updates, back up data and consider a clean OS install or professional service.

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Member Avatar for zeroth

Welcome to Daniweb! You probably have some kind of infection. I suggest you download and run MalWareBytes from here:

http://www.download.com/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware/3000-8022_4-10804572.html

You can then go to our forum Virus, Spyware and other Nasties and read the sticky posts for help in getting rid of most bugs, if MalWareBytes does not fix the issue. There are some gurus over there that can help if you can't get it done...

Member Avatar for caperjack

Welcome to Daniweb! You probably have some kind of infection. I suggest you download and run MalWareBytes from here:

http://www.download.com/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware/3000-8022_4-10804572.html

You can then go to our forum Virus, Spyware and other Nasties and read the sticky posts for help in getting rid of most bugs, if MalWareBytes does not fix the issue. There are some gurus over there that can help if you can't get it done...

should alwas include the use instruction when posting the link for malwarebytes .
* Double-click mbam-setup.exe and follow the prompts to install the program.
* At the end, be sure to checkmark the Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, then click Finish.
* If an update is found, it will download and install the latest version.
* Once the program has loaded, select Perform full scan, then click Scan.
* When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results.
* Be sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected.
* When completed, a log will open in Notepad.
post the log back here

commented: right, of course...thanks for cleaning up after me... +8
Member Avatar for cyrusgramps

I downloaded malwarebytes, updated it, and ran a full scan. Zero: No malware found.
So far, I've found no clues in the Viruses. . .forum, either. My wife does have a lot of junkware that came with the computer. I removed some of that sooon after she got the computer, about a year ago, but I should probably do a more complete job now.
cyrusgramps

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