Vista freeze ups/lock ups,weird behavior HELP!!!!

[vtcampguy]

Here is a copy of a portion of an email i sent to HP (to save me typing it out)

1 ) Program freeze ups. Where I have to close a program to get another to run. With 2 gigs of ram I shouldn't have to do this. Not multiple programs at once either I can have 3 running and have to shut down 2 just to get 1 running. It wont allow me to right click, double click, bring up IE etc.

2)On occasions I click on a folder either on the desktop as an icon or
one listed when I click the Windows button and it does not show the
items in the folder it takes me to a search screen. I have to restart
the computer to be able to view the files in the folder.Then it will work fine for about a half hour then back to licking up. When on a website i notice a little "web page error" at bottom left corner at times. Or I try to view one of my pictures, it will flash as if its going to come up then doesnt.

4) I purchased an HP notebook before this only to return it because of
the same problems plus problems with the dvd/cd rom drive. Hoping it was just a fluke, it wasn't it appears.( I went through 3 HPs only to return them all)

Very frustrating problem, and no "techs" at HP had any clue how to fix it and I'm experiencing same issues with the Sony Vaio i bought as a replacement. I can't find this isue listed on any web forums either GRRRRR On all machines they were brand new with vista home premium installed. ON the last HP, a tech suggested dont add any of my programs and see how it runs then add programs gradually,no luck with just there software still had same issues. Also had same issues when HD was reformatted to factory condition. I've done adware scans,virus scans,RAM checks,software tweaks, you name it, nothing comes up or helps.

Only thing left I can think of is id mt Wireless Vonage Linksys router is having issues with Vista somehow. GRRRR, very frustrating,PLEASE HELP!!

[vtcampguy]

A new wrinkle to this whole fiasco, of course there is no Installation cd with the brand new PC and no partition on the HD with the install info but here's the kicker I can't even do a simple system restore. It keeps freezing up on m when I try it. I waited 30 min first time, 45 min the next still no further progress then the loading settings screen GRRRRRR!!!

[jjharriz]

A new wrinkle to this whole fiasco, of course there is no Installation cd with the brand new PC and no partition on the HD with the install info but here's the kicker I can't even do a simple system restore. It keeps freezing up on m when I try it. I waited 30 min first time, 45 min the next still no further progress then the loading settings screen GRRRRRR!!!

Did you ever figure out what the problem was? I have the same issue.

[vtcampguy]

NO, no one seems to have a clue what it is. I thought perhaps was limwire messing it up but after a hard drive has been reformatted it ereases anything i had on it so it still shouldnt have problems. and only other possibility is my wireless router.

[jjharriz]

I have a wireless linksys router as well. This vista drives me nuts. I work from my house and need several windows open at once and I have to reboot several times a day because it just freezes. I also have an HP desktop.

[pjpinella]

I had similar problems with unexplained Windows Vista program freezes, lock-ups and similar frustrations running on my new (as of September 2007) Dell XPS 720 desktop.

Some of these problems were software-related and eventually resolved with service packs, updates, etc. But the biggest help by far, which I've read very little about elsewhere, was when I bought and installed an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for my PC and monitor. (For the record, I am using a 1500 watt CyperPower unit but I doubt the brand name is the important part.)

Turns out Windows Vista and at least this particular PC model are very sensitive to power fluctuations, many of which are invisible in terms of other electrical appliances in the home. I often use the Windows Vista sleep feature, and I'm now convinced that power fluctuations can wreak havoc on what's stored in memory and will show up as intermittent problems when the computer awakes. Of course the UPS also guards against outright power failures, which occur somewhat frequently in my neighborhood during summer and winter storms.

When the air conditioner in our home kicks in, this, too, can sometimes subtly alter the AC power causing the UPS to briefly kick into gear.

I've never used or thought I needed a UPS in over 20 years of computing, but this was one of the single best computer purchases I've made this year. If you are running Windows Vista, experiencing unexplained problems and NOT using a UPS, go get one now.

Paul Pinella
President
Radar Media Group, Inc.
Winchester, MA

[mgrantaz]

I had similar problems with unexplained Windows Vista program freezes, lock-ups and similar frustrations running on my new (as of September 2007) Dell XPS 720 desktop.

Some of these problems were software-related and eventually resolved with service packs, updates, etc. But the biggest help by far, which I've read very little about elsewhere, was when I bought and installed an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for my PC and monitor. (For the record, I am using a 1500 watt CyperPower unit but I doubt the brand name is the important part.)

Turns out Windows Vista and at least this particular PC model are very sensitive to power fluctuations, many of which are invisible in terms of other electrical appliances in the home. I often use the Windows Vista sleep feature, and I'm now convinced that power fluctuations can wreak havoc on what's stored in memory and will show up as intermittent problems when the computer awakes. Of course the UPS also guards against outright power failures, which occur somewhat frequently in my neighborhood during summer and winter storms.

When the air conditioner in our home kicks in, this, too, can sometimes subtly alter the AC power causing the UPS to briefly kick into gear.

I've never used or thought I needed a UPS in over 20 years of computing, but this was one of the single best computer purchases I've made this year. If you are running Windows Vista, experiencing unexplained problems and NOT using a UPS, go get one now.

Paul Pinella
President
Radar Media Group, Inc.
Winchester, MA

===================================
REPLY:

I have Vista Home Premium and IE7 running on a Toshiba notebook PC and regularly have lock ups and freezes in IE7 when I use multiple tabs. Notebooks have batteries, so a UPS is not required, and therefore power is not causing my lock ups and freezes in Vista. The TV ads with Mac and Windows Vista are very real.

I have to close IE7 and sometimes restart in order to get my notebook running again. Naturally, I lose whatever I am working on, so this is very annoying. It reminds me of the days with Windows 95, 98, and Millenium.

[Stefano Mtangoo]

I have Vista Home Prem and HP Notebook, have got No Problem.
What error does it give?

[mgrantaz]

I have Vista Home Prem and HP Notebook, have got No Problem.
What error does it give?

============================
I don't get any error message, it just locks up or freezes, especially when I have many tabs open at once in IE7. I have Vista Home Premium and only 1 GB of memory, so it might be related to memory and swaps. I saw on another site that someone solved a similar problem of lock ups by changing their notebook's Power settings from Balanced to Performance. Mine was set to Balanced, but now its on Performance, so we'll see. It may take a week or two before I know if this really cures it.

[Stefano Mtangoo]

If IE lets you down why not try Firefox?
I dont use IE BTW as my default browser so I cannot guess if it causes problem. Try FF and post result

[jbennet]

Its because you have 1gb memory

brand name laptops come preloaded with all sort of crap you dont need which eats your memory, upgrade to 2gb and remove the stuff you dont need, then it will run faster.

[Stefano Mtangoo]

first I removed Junk trials came preinstalled, and I still enjoy my 1GB RAM with big big speed

[jbennet]

Exactly. I had a lenovo laptop with 1gb ram and it was sloowwwww by default due to the crap they put on there. I reinstalled it using an actual plain vista disk and then it was much much faster. 2gb of ram made it even better.