Computer locking up

[Dan]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.general (More info?)

Hello Folks,

I just built this maching for my son and put XP Pro on it. Every now and
then the machine locks up and I am unable to figure it out. At this time
there is only the mouse, KB, and USB wireless that have installed drivers
(all xp rated). All program are from XP except WordPerfect, System Mechanic,
and Cox internet software, so there's not a lot to look through.

I noticed in the events viewer that I am getting 2 errors consistantly, but
the info given doesn't really give the cause, the first is DCOM and the
second is Service control Manager. Could either of these errors cause the
inconsistant lock ups???

Thanks in advance.

Dan

 

[Malke]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.general (More info?)

Dan wrote:

> Hello Folks,
>
> I just built this maching for my son and put XP Pro on it. Every now
> and
> then the machine locks up and I am unable to figure it out. At this
> time there is only the mouse, KB, and USB wireless that have installed
> drivers (all xp rated). All program are from XP except WordPerfect,
> System Mechanic, and Cox internet software, so there's not a lot to
> look through.
>
> I noticed in the events viewer that I am getting 2 errors
> consistantly, but the info given doesn't really give the cause, the
> first is DCOM and the
> second is Service control Manager. Could either of these errors cause
> the inconsistant lock ups???

Random lockups are most often caused by faulty hardware with marginal
RAM being the first suspect. Test your RAM. I like Memtest86+ from
www.memtest.org. Obviously, you have to get the program from a working
machine. You will either download the precompiled Windows binary to
make a bootable floppy or the .iso to make a bootable cd. If you want
to use the latter, you'll need to have third-party burning software on
the machine where you download the file - XP's built-in burning
capability won't do the job. In either case, boot with the media you
made. The test will run immediately. Let the test run for an extended
period of time - unless errors are seen immediately. If you get any
errors, replace the RAM.

Also make sure all your hardware is healthy, supported by XP, and you
have the latest drivers. Get the drivers from the device mftrs.'
websites, not Windows Update.

Make sure your power supply is adequate for the devices in the machine.
Make sure you have proper air flow and the machine is not overheating.

Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

 

[Dan]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.general (More info?)

Thanks for the quick reply.

All the hdwr and drivers are xp OK. I should have thought about the memory.
I'll give it a try.

Thanks again.

Dan

"Malke" wrote:

> Dan wrote:
>
> > Hello Folks,
> >
> > I just built this maching for my son and put XP Pro on it. Every now
> > and
> > then the machine locks up and I am unable to figure it out. At this
> > time there is only the mouse, KB, and USB wireless that have installed
> > drivers (all xp rated). All program are from XP except WordPerfect,
> > System Mechanic, and Cox internet software, so there's not a lot to
> > look through.
> >
> > I noticed in the events viewer that I am getting 2 errors
> > consistantly, but the info given doesn't really give the cause, the
> > first is DCOM and the
> > second is Service control Manager. Could either of these errors cause
> > the inconsistant lock ups???
>
> Random lockups are most often caused by faulty hardware with marginal
> RAM being the first suspect. Test your RAM. I like Memtest86+ from
> www.memtest.org. Obviously, you have to get the program from a working
> machine. You will either download the precompiled Windows binary to
> make a bootable floppy or the .iso to make a bootable cd. If you want
> to use the latter, you'll need to have third-party burning software on
> the machine where you download the file - XP's built-in burning
> capability won't do the job. In either case, boot with the media you
> made. The test will run immediately. Let the test run for an extended
> period of time - unless errors are seen immediately. If you get any
> errors, replace the RAM.
>
> Also make sure all your hardware is healthy, supported by XP, and you
> have the latest drivers. Get the drivers from the device mftrs.'
> websites, not Windows Update.
>
> Make sure your power supply is adequate for the devices in the machine.
> Make sure you have proper air flow and the machine is not overheating.
>
> Malke
> --
> Elephant Boy Computers
> www.elephantboycomputers.com
> "Don't Panic!"
> MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User
>