Any idea why Computers Lock Up and Freeze?

[Pheonix81]

I am setting up new computers for users in my company but i have a couple of machine which just randomly crash and freeze, so i have to reset them to continue.

I set them up all the same yet 2 of them have the problem

THe specifications are:-
Processor: 1100 Celeron
Motherboard: Asus CUSI-M
RAM: 128Mb
HDD: 40Gb ATA100
OS: WIndows 2000
Software: Office 2000 Small Business, PC-Cillin 2000, Access Runtime, Novell Client 4.83 SP1 and Adobe Acrobat 5.0

Please i am at a loose end, please help.

Many thanks

 

[Pyramus]

1) Check the temperature of cpu- if it's too hot it will randomly crash/freeze.
2) Check your memory- swap with another DIMM and see if the problem persists. Bad memory can cause those symptoms.

 

[tempo21]

yup, heat is the first thing, unlikely in a celery but worth a check - are all the fans tunring?

Is the PC looking for something ? A network printer, another PC ? Systems can lock when they cant find something on the network. T3/\/\p()
tek-tips UK branch!
_________________

http://www.tempocentral.com

 

[Accessdabbler]

Don't forget about power supplies! Are you using older power supplies from another machine? Doesn't hurt to make sure you are getting the proper voltages from them.

Also, check the power source. If these computers are on a different circuit, maybe the circuits are bad/overloaded. I once had a laser printer that acted goofy, sometimes printing out garbage. When I plugged it into a different circuit, it worked great! Turns out another machine using that circuit was drawing too much amps.

 

[PapaBobDole]

Most common causes of instability have been listed already, so I will elaborate.

In the case of a PSU, a low -5v rail will cause random reboots or freezing. This can be checked in the BIOS. Anything below 4.70 is dangerous, however with a decent PSU and the hardware you listed, I can't imagine there is too much drain.

In the case of CPU temperature, (this is most likely) make sure that the fan is spinning first off. Also check to see that the HS is level with the CPU core and not seated on the ZIF socket lip. Make sure that if the HSF came with a thermal transfer pad, the plastic cover was removed. Make sure that there is not an excessive amount of thermal compound on the CPU. Check the Temperature in the BIOS, as well as the voltage. I'm not 100% sure about the core that you are using, but if it is a Tualie then I believe it should be in the neighborhood of 1.5v and below 60 degrees C.

 

[ANFPS26]

Here is an FAQ on the subject:

faq602-1088 "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing....."

 

[ceh4702]

1. Bad Motherboard. Could you have a lemeon???

2. Bad or hot CPU. If it is hot, it will soon be bad.

3. Inadequate or bad power supply. Not all power supplies can reach their actual watt usage rating. Power supplies provide different levels of power like 12,5, and 3 and all the different voltages have to be maintained at a steady and consistent voltage and ampage rating.

4. Bad Memory on the motherboard or video card. Memory can be incompatable, unstable, or just plain bad. Memory can work great with one computer and cause another one to crash or not even to be able to function. Look for memory compatablility list. DDR400 is not officially supported by VIA Chipset maker because it runs hot.

5. Inadequate or bad video card.

6. Inadequate or bad sound card or other hardware.

7. Bad Hardware device drivers.

8. IRQ Conflicts for devices like serial mouse, modem, etc. If you have devices you do not use you can inactivate plug and play and deactivate them in the BIOS to free up IRQ'S on some motherboards. Some devices might be Serial Port, Printer Port, MIDI game port, USB, etc. If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.