Any computer experts out there???

CPT Furious

Now MAJ FURY!
Mar 30, 2005
607
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KDOV
Good evening to all,

I just bought a used HP Pavilion N3370 notebook computer and I'm having trouble with the computer randomly "locking up." It appears to be pretty random in nature and if you turn it off and reboot, it usually works fine for a while before it does it again. The previous owner said he didn't have any problems, go figure, and I installed Win XP SP2 along with Microsoft Office 2002. He had re-formated the hard drive before he shipped it to me, so I don't know if this has anything to do with it or not.

Any ideas as to potential hardware conflicts or troubleshooting advice?

Thanks!
 

Joel W.

Just A Jedi
Nov 7, 2005
1,561
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Washington
i know some ppl had issues with sp2 pack, you could try uninstalling it, also sounds like its used lt,,,, just for kicks right click on the c drive and see how much room is left on the hard drive, scandisk and defrad, also make sure the fans not clogged with dust bunnies.. all i got...
 

Milenko

New Member
Mar 31, 2005
83
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Mifflinville, PA
You can test the memory with memtest86. You can download it for free from www.memtest86.com. It's the best memory diagnostic program ever made. If it finds any errors, reset the laptop and run it again just to make sure it's not a fluke. If it still generates errors then you have one or more bad RAM chips that need to be replaced.

Also, find out what brand of hard drive is in it and get that manufacturers diagnostic utility and use it to scan the drive. If it gives you any errors, then you need to replace the drive.
 

Dark Ninja

New Member
Jan 20, 2006
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Near Philadelphia PA
i hate sp2. i put it on my laptop because it seems to work with wireless easier, but my computer now has problems seeing anything on my network. it also randomly locks up if it goes into suspend mode, dunno why but it only seems to do it when sp2 is installed. i hate its new "features" and "security" aka pain in the ass updates.

sp1a on my pc, and i wont be putting sp2 on it ever.
 

SupraMario

I think it was the google
Mar 30, 2005
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The Farm
^^ uhh u might want to put SP2 on there, its not there just to clean up bugs in windows.
and learn windows and it will work.
USE POWER TOOLS go to microsoft.com and DL them they are free.
 

SupraMario

I think it was the google
Mar 30, 2005
3,467
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The Farm
drunk_medic said:
I thought that the only people who hated SP2 were people who did not pay for a legitimate copy of Windows...

hehehhe, thats what we.... I mean They want u to think :biggrinki
 

Milenko

New Member
Mar 31, 2005
83
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Mifflinville, PA
CPT Furious said:
Hey Milenko,

How long is this test supposed to take? It's been running for 13+ hours...just curious...

It just runs forever. Once it's looped through twice you can shut it off.

Did it detect any error? They would be listed in the lower half of the screen if it did.
 

robeats91t

237lbs. of Ballast
Jun 4, 2005
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Tampa, FL
CPT Furious, I had similar problems with my own laptop when I first acquired it--maybe my experience can help you out.

I inherited a Dell laptop (an Inspiron 5100) that is a model that has heat-related issues that cause lockups and sudden shut downs. These problems are mainly attributed to the combination of dust buildup and heavy processor utilization, and can be alleviated by a thorough cleaning with compressed air and elimination of spyware on the computer.

The Easy part: Get a can of compressed air from your local Radio Shack or office supply store and clean the ventilation ports on your laptop (turned off, of course). Use liberally; continue to clean it out until you have sneezed at least six times.

Less Easy part: The more the cpu is used, the more heat it generates. On your computer, boot it fresh, allow it to fully load windows and click on Start --> Run..., type in taskmgr and click ok. This will bring up the Windows Task Manager, where you can find info on the programs and the processes that are running on your computer.

Click on the Processes tab in the Windows Task Manager window and click the CPU column heading--this will let you see which processes are using the most CPU time. Also note the number of processes you have running; a count of processes and cpu usage are both given at the bottom of the window.

On a fresh install of windows, with no open programs, the number of processes will vary by computer configuration, but in my experience anywhere from 30-45 is pretty normal. Mine right now is at 38. Watch your CPU usage there at the bottom for a few seconds. If it stays above 10% when you're not doing anything, and no programs you know of are running, you mave have an issue with spyware, viruses, or a windows/software/driver issue.

Spyware often causes high cpu utilization, which can definitely cause overheating issues. If your CPU usage remains high I'd recommend you first ensure you have all the correct drivers for your hardware, and if so, I'd try running a spyware detection program.

Download and install a spyware checking program--I usually recommend Ad-Aware and Spybot: Search and Destroy because they are effective, constantly updated, and FREE. Install and run the programs and see if they locate any problems. If so, follow each program's prompts to remove or quarantine the offenders.

Try these if you can, and report back to us on how everything works out. I know how frustrating computer issues can be; I've worked as a computer tech (professionally and as the family pc doc) for years.
 

suprageezer

New Member
Aug 27, 2005
778
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Southern California
So all you experts out there how many of you know about the Black Viper Windows XP settings? If you have never heard of them and your on the Internet with Cable or DSL your BIG TIME Vulnerable. I dont use anti-viruses and have been clean for over ten years. I use the Black Viper Windows Services Settings, Adaware form Lavasoft, Spybot 1.4, and MOST importantly ALL the latest Microsoft Windows Security Updates. I make my living by applying these tips to home users and once I get them set up I never hear from them again since they are pretty much as rock solid as you can be which will never be 100%. Networks make you vulnerable, so use a memory stick to swap files between computers. Unless your a network security wiz, if you have wireless you are sharing with your neighbors, as the saying goes if it's in the air you share.
Geezer
http://www.dead-eye.net/WinXP Services.htm
 

CPT Furious

Now MAJ FURY!
Mar 30, 2005
607
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KDOV
Hey Milenko:

I ran the memtest86 thing and it didn't find any errors on the disk.

Robeasts91T:

I have 38 processes running and the one that takes the most is "System Idle Process." What is this one for? It keeps bouncing around between 14-30 and then will sometimes jumpt to 80 or 90.

I do have spyware and anti-virus programs running and they all come back clean and have the latest updates...
 

SupraMario

I think it was the google
Mar 30, 2005
3,467
6
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The Farm
suprageezer said:
So all you experts out there how many of you know about the Black Viper Windows XP settings? If you have never heard of them and your on the Internet with Cable or DSL your BIG TIME Vulnerable. I dont use anti-viruses and have been clean for over ten years. I use the Black Viper Windows Services Settings, Adaware form Lavasoft, Spybot 1.4, and MOST importantly ALL the latest Microsoft Windows Security Updates. I make my living by applying these tips to home users and once I get them set up I never hear from them again since they are pretty much as rock solid as you can be which will never be 100%. Networks make you vulnerable, so use a memory stick to swap files between computers. Unless your a network security wiz, if you have wireless you are sharing with your neighbors, as the saying goes if it's in the air you share.
Geezer
http://www.dead-eye.net/WinXP%20Services.htm


....
:3d_frown:
 

Maroon88

I collect BHG's
May 3, 2005
50
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Cincinnati, OH
The System Idle Process is basically what is left over from everything else. You may be able to go in the startup tab under MSConfig (type it into the Run pormpt on the start menu) and shut down things that are not supposed to be there, just don't shut down stuff in the windows folder unless you are positive of what it is. Do you have a firewall running on your computer? (just checking) Also, do you have the correct drivers? HP likes having their own drivers for some of the hardware they put out there.
 

CPT Furious

Now MAJ FURY!
Mar 30, 2005
607
0
0
KDOV
Maroon88: Yes, I have firewall software running in addition to the router firewall itself. As far as drivers go, all of them appear to be up to date. This is a fresh install of Windows, so I think everything ought to be fine. I pulled the RAM chips out and ran some compressed air inside (gently...) to get rid of some dirt...we'll see how this goes because I'm using it now.
 

IJ.

Grumpy Old Man
Mar 30, 2005
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I come from a land down under
My big system fell over on the weekend from the dreaded Dust Bunnies!

The power supply for the Drives and cooling system wouldn't fire up at all so I took the box out to the workshop and attacked it with compressed air and all is fine now! (I run 2x 520w PSU's)