Comp's freezin

[SwiSSArMy]

it all started about a month ago
i got a burner (lite-on) off my friend and installed it
after that my comp started to freeze while starting windows (98... when it was actually in windows.. loading the interface)
im quite sure that it has nothing to do with the introduction of the burner into my comp, because i tried disconnecting it and it continued to freeze
it appears to be totally random.. sometimes it freezes when i have toi choose which login to use.. and other times it simply freezes when all apps are loaded and ready to go
when i attempt to ctrl alt dlt it doesnt comply.. forcing me to use the reset button on the case
there are no viruses on my comp and i keep it well maintained, defragging when possible and using norton utilities to fix windows problems etcccccc
i was just wondering if anyone can shed some light on this gloomy situation, and possibly offer a solution (besides reformatting)
if you need more info, lemme know right here
thanks

[Hybrid]

Uninstalling or disabling/removing hardware wouldnt fix your problem. Once a driver is installed, Windows does not uninstall it. It simply removes the hardware connected to it but it is for the most part still "installed" on your system.

I cant think of anything off hand that could help you in your situation except a reformat. To which I dont understand why people are so afraid to do one. Some people would rather suffer months and months of problems...

I would certainly do a reformat, even though its not what you wanted to hear...

What burning software, if any did you install with your CDRW? If its adaptec/roxio, that could also be the culprit...and if it is, there is no fix for that either but a reformat.

[Magic]

try a reformat, and try a more recent version of windows (ME, 2k, XP)... upgrading to 2k solved issues i had like that no problem.

[Beavis77]

Originally posted by Hybrid
What burning software, if any did you install with your CDRW? If its adaptec/roxio, that could also be the culprit...and if it is, there is no fix for that either but a reformat.

Yeah,
that information would help. It can be very problematic to have different burning progs installed...

[Tom]

my first thought to this is that sometime when the case was open
something may have gotten bummped,partialy has become not seated correctly inside.
check all cables ,cards,mem sticks etc.
and my second thought is you may have a memory stick going bad.
third thought if this happens while burning, you may not even have a fast enough computer and or enough memory

fourth for best operation;
the hard drives should be on the same ide ribbon
set as master and slave
and the cd-roms/burners should be on the same ide ribbon
set as master and slave


just my 2cents worth

[zedug]

I had the same behaviour recently, it was actually related to a faulty CPU, with a defective L2 cache.
Disabling the L2 cache in the BIOS allows it to keep on running, albeit not as fast as it should...
So I don't know if it's your problem, but the symptoms certainly match!

[SwiSSArMy]

thanks for the help
perhaps i will reformat in the next week or so.. gotta back tons of sh*t up though
peace

[Ultima5k]

Try to reinstall OS from a clean drive is probably the best idea.

[hatfarce]

if you do have conflicting burning progs (Roxio, Nero etc), can you not uninstall them using the add/remove option in Control Panel?
Also, wouldn't upgrading over your present OS perhaps remedy the problem? :)

[Hybrid]

Originally posted by hatfarce
if you do have conflicting burning progs (Roxio, Nero etc), can you not uninstall them using the add/remove option in Control Panel?
Also, wouldn't upgrading over your present OS perhaps remedy the problem? :)

Certain programs (Adaptec/Roxio, Symantec/Norton to name a few) have been known to cause system problems and even worse, have been known to cause more harm during an uninstall. I have seen and had my fair share of problems mostly when uninstalling these programs. The reason lies because they point your system to certain files that when uninstalled, are no longer present and thus cause massive system complications. This is because they replace existing core files and register new ones that are all removed upon uninstall or left for system stability but still have dependence on other files that were removed.

Uninstalling a program is not the same as never installing one in the first place. Most of the time this is not an issue but there are some out there that can cause nothing but problems and most of the time, will cause them on uninstall.

[anvil82]

Does it work in safe mode?

If so try uninstalling any burning programs, and then checking your startup, by using msconfig. Good Luck.