Computer Freezing, Please Help

[Sparhawk]

My computer is a home-made system with the following stats:
* EpoX 8KTA3+ motherboard
* AMD Duron 800MHz processor
* 1 GB of PC133 SD-RAM
* DVD Drive
* 24x generic CD-Burner
* 32GB and 13GB hard drives
* Network card for DSL internet
* Running WinXP Pro

At random times, while running random programs, the system freezes solid. The mouse stops responding, the keyboard stops responding, and the power button doesn't turn off the system (unless I hold the power button down for 4-5 seconds).

Once I reboot, the computer runs fine for a while, then the problem repeats itself.

I have already done a complete format of the primary partition and re-installed WinXP Pro from scratch, and the problem continues.

One other point, which may be related:

When running Windows Explorer, if I try to expand My Computer to show all of the drives, the right side of the window shows the animated flashlight moving around for several seconds (sometimes up to 15) before it brings up the list of available drives.

Do these two issues point to one of the hard drives is failing?

[satis]

No, not really. The drives are probably fine. XP is just a slow OS sometimes, especially when you've got all the prettiness turned on.

You may be well-served by tweaking your system out some. Of course, I'm assuming you haven't already done so. Here's a step-by-step walkthrough on that. Besides speeding up your system, it MAY get the service that's causing you issues.

http://clankiller.com/tech/WinXP/

(I love self-aggrandizement)

Have you tried removing/replacing your nic? I've had issues with a nic freezing my system, but not in XP.

[Croc Hunter]

Keyboard lockouts with 1GB of pc133 sd-ram are common with TiBook and Dell is that what you have ?

[Rick_E]

To eliminate software conflicts, try having no extra programs running in the background. Remove all programs from the Startup Group and restart the computer. For programs such as antivirus and utilities still running in the system tray, change the options so they do not load at startup. Then restart the computer again. If freezing continues, read on...

Check the MB manufacturer's web site for a MB BIOS update.

Check the graphics adapter manufacturer's web site for a graphics adapter driver update. Graphics drivers are notorious for causing problems and are updated frequently.

Check the device manager to see if there are resource conflicts showing.

Random freezing with random programs is sometimes caused by hardware issues such as...

* Failing RAM modules

* RAM of the wrong speed rating (using PC100 RAM with a MB requiring PC133 for example).

* BIOS settings too agressive for the speed of the hardware.

* Failing components such as IDE controllers or hard drives.

* Defective CPU fan causing overheating (does it freeze when cold?)

If you still have freezing, try pulling out all non-essential cards and drives and see if that helps.