computer crash and stop error.

[nomofoshobro]

OS: Windows XP sp2

Background:
The problem I am about to describe has been going on for a couple of years. Obviously, it has been more of an annoyance than a serious problem, but I am fed up with it now and need some help figuring this out. I would say it has happened only a handful of times.

Important note: when I first bought the computer, it did this quite often. I took it back to the store and they replaced the HD. Of course this problem didn't happen again until the warranty had expired.

My computer will do one of two things when it crashes: 1. the programs hang up first, but the mouse is still working.....then the mouse hangs. the HD light burns continuously, and it's done. 2. less frequently, i get a BSOD with the following error message:

KERNEL_STACK_INPAGE_ERROR

STOP: 0x00000077 (0xC000000E, 0xC000000E, 0xC000000E, 0x00000000, 0x0B06E000)

If I hit the reset button the computer will not boot. It searches for the drives and cannot find them. The only thing that works is to completely shut off the power to the computer. This technique seems to reset the computer and it boots normally. I realize that this is probably not such a good thing for the computer, but it has worked every time.

Also of note is that I have completely reformatted the HD at least twice. The computer came with XP sp1, and after my most recent reformat (2 weeks ago), I installed sp2. Since this problem persists, I am assuming it is some sort of hardware malfunction. Perhaps the HD?

A couple of times, including this last occurence, i heard an alarming click when the HD was spooling as well as some strange random spooling sounds.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Jimmy0]

Go to the manufacturers website for your hdd, then download and run the diagnostic tools.

Also use Memtest to scan your RAM for errors.

[glc]

System specs including brand and model of power supply, please.

[nomofoshobro]

thanks for the replies.

i ran both the memtest and the western digital diagnostics. neither one found any errors. could it be gremlins, perhaps?

SPECS:

brand:
Proworx
mobo:
ECS P4S5A/DX+ with a P4 2.8 GHz processor
power supply:
Task International TK-930TX 300W
graphic card:
NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440-SE (128MB)
Ram:
512 MB DDR 2100 (Melco)
HD:
Western Digital Caviar 120 GB

[glc]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315266