PC locks up after 10 min of inactivity

[gusbrunston]

[tt]Hi: I maintain a computer system and MS Access application for a Real Estate Property Management Company. My setup: 5 computers on an LAN, peer to peer network (if that's what "no domain" means). Operating system: Win XP Pro[highlight] My problem: The computer that I use as a file server locks up after about 10 minutes of inactivty.[/highlight] Win XP's System Restore Wizard unable to restore system to a prior restore point. That is: PC will not respond to mouse or keyboard; drives continue to run. [highlight]Possible causes:[/highlight][tab](1) Recently installed Norton 360 protection suite on the file server.[tab](2) Very recently installed Sammsoft Advanced Registry Optimizer[tab](3) Also installed Sammsoft Memturbo 4 (to boost application speed)[tab](4) I have now uninstalled the two Sammsoft programs.[tab](5) I used Administrative manager(?) to change several applications from "Automatic" starters to "Manual" in order to reduce the time for my file server to boot.[tab](6) I have had to copy data files to another computer; it's now the temporary file server.[tab] I've isolated the old file server until I can get it fixed. I changed the names of the old and new file server PCs to allow users' MS Access front end to find the linked back end files. That caused some problems that are now resolved.[tab]Can you help with this problem?[tab]Thanks for your attention to this post, and I would sure appreciate your suggestions and welcome your questions. Sincerely,[/tt]

[tt]Gus Brunston[/tt]

 

[chronics]

Does it lockup in safe mode.

 

[strongm]

>Memturbo 4 (to boost application speed)

Oh, please don't get taken in by the snake oil salesmen ...

 

[wahnula]

Also, why would you care how long it takes a fileserver to boot? Hopefully it would reboot once every never to keep the availability high.

I would look into Windows Small Business Server 2003 Standard as a replacement OS for the fileserver. It is rock-stable and easy to implement. The only difference between Standard & Premium is that Premium comes with SQL and ISA, which may or may not be something you'd be interested in having.

It seems to me the XP fileserver is suffering from Windows XP Crud Disease, which can be cured with a nice clean install. You've meant well with those extra applications, but a fileserver should be bare-naked simple in configuration to minimize problems like these. It should run Windows and that's it. Even go into BIOS and disable parallel ports, audio, serial etc that's not being used.

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[vacunita]

When it locks up, Can you Remote into the server using RDP form another computer? see if you can find out what is running that locks it?

Is there anything relevant in Event Viewer?

As someone else said if you boot into safe mode, does it lock up also or not?

I agree with what has been said, a server machine should have the least possible clutter.

Al those membooster things and optimizers, really do nothing but bog it down.

Keep it clean, with at the very most a good Anti-virus, and lots of ram. As much as the MB can take. Ram, should improve performance more noticeably than those applications.

----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[linney]

Some general things to try.

See if System Restore will get you back to a restore point before your problem with the machine.

Try using System Restore from Safe Mode (Do you have this problem in Safe Mode?).

Try running ChkDsk to check your drive for errors. Right-click your Drive icon/ Properties/ Tools/ Error Checking. Select both boxes.

Run the System File Checker program from the Run Box by typing.....Sfc /Scannow in it and have your XP CD handy.

HOW TO: Verify Unsigned Device Drivers in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q308/5/14.asp

If they don't work you could try repairing windows by running it over itself. You will lose all your windows updates but your files will be untouched.

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade (Reinstallation) of Windows XP (Q315341)

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q315/3/41.asp

And get rid of all the helpful memory boosting and Registry cleanup programs you have installed.

 

[gusbrunston]

[tt]Thanks for so many ideas, and especially endorsing what I had been thinking about, a clean install. When I get this done, I'll post my resolution(s) here.[/tt]

[tt]Gus Brunston[/tt]

 

[gusbrunston]

[tt]Thanks, chronics.
No, it doesn't lock up in Safe Mode! Can you guide me from there to a fix?[/tt]

[tt]Gus Brunston[/tt]

 

[linney]

See if you can further isolate the problem from Safe Mode, then test in Normal Mode.

310353 - How to Perform a Clean Boot in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310353&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

316434 - HOW TO: Perform Advanced Clean-Boot Troubleshooting in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;316434&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

310560 - How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310560&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

 

[chronics]

I would use msconfig and start by disabling all items from the startup tab that you identify as not being essential. You can probably disable most items as they actually just slow down startup. User a process of elimination to see which item causes the pc to reboot.

As an alternative to msconfig you can use sysinternals autoruns as this shows a much larger picture of what actually runs on startup.

 

[wahnula]

Devil's advocate here, but if it works in Safe Mode and it's just a fileserver as you say, why not leave it in Safe Mode With Networking as the default? It will probably be a faster and better fileserver and you don't need all the niceties of quality graphics etc. It will probably perform better this way.

I offer this as an option to spending loads of time trying to find a problem that will probably solve itself with a fresh install of XP when you have the time to do it.

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[JockMullin]

Is this happening EXACTLy after 10 mins inactivity or approximately?

If exactly, check and disable screen saver and power options. A server should be always on. Turn off the screen (if there is one attached) when not in use.

Just a thought out of left field.

Jock

 

[vacunita]

Since you say it doesn't lock up in safe mode, that its pretty much down to a process that gets run in Normal Mode. as someone else said look into msconfig, and disable pretty much everything in the Startup tab there.

Then re-enable one by one, re-starting in between, and leaving it if it doesn't lock up enable another and so on until it locks up, then you have your culprit, if its something you can uninstall, do so.

Again anything relevant in Event viewer?

----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.