A Windows XP Bug?

[mrmister1]

I've been having some problems with Windows XP. Sometimes when I am in the middle of using explorer (not internet explorer; windows explorer rather) it suddenly closes and I get one of those Bug Report screens, where you can choose to send it or not send it to Microsoft. Also, in the middle of games, the game just closes totally, it's not even in the toolbar anymore. And lastly, sometimes the computer just restarts when it's in the middle of doing nothing. Could this be from overheating or something (the temperature isn't really very hot; only around 70 F, and my temp. probe is right next to the heatsink).

I haven' read about any of these problems anywhere, so I was wondering if it was a problem with Windows XP, or if it is just my PC.

By the way, it's Windows XP Pro.

Thanks

[eldon]

A friend of mine had some similar problems and it turned out he had a stick of bad ram.may want to check your memory.

[Force Flow]

Originally posted by mrmister1 Could this be from overheating or something (the temperature isn't really very hot; only around 70 F, and my temp. probe is right next to the heatsink).

If the temp probe is next to the CPU, then it is measuring the motherboard temp. The CPU temp sensor is under the CPU. If there isn't one, then the CPU temp is not being measured. The board temp may be okay, but the CPU temp may not.

[doctorgonzo]

There could be several non-XP reasons for this behaviour: bad RAM (as mentioned before), high temperature, or a bad power supply come to mind.

The circumstances surrounding these errors (shortly after startup? Only after playing the game for a while?) would help.

[mrmister1]

Well I really hope it isn't the memory, because I got my memory from a very reliable manufacturer - Kingston. And the same for my power supply, which is a Turbolink.

I had another weird thing happen today; when I started up my computer, my background came up like normal, but there was no icons or toolbars. Also, my mouse was fully operational.

Any ideas?

Thanks

[mrmister1]

Please, does anyone else have any other thought as to what could be wrong... It's starting to get annoying.

[reboot]

What could be wrong?
Any number of missing/corrupt windows files.
Any possible software conflicts.
Any driver conflicts.
Even the possibility of bad RAM.
Have you tested it yet?
If all else fails, run a repair install over top and see if it straightens out, if not it's possibly a hardware issue.

[sleepypost]

yea, repair the registry, system files, and run a virus check.

[mjkovis]

More than likely it is a bad stick of RAM. I have used Kingston in every comupter I have bought and still gotten a bad stick once and heard of many other people who have gotten a bad stick also. Just try it and see what happens.

Also try making sure you are getting the proper reading from your CPU temp and not the motherboard. I honestly think that it would not be from overheating. Your CPU would just shut down.

My past experience with that problem wound up being a bad motherboard and video card. The mobo was shot and the video cards fan was not working. But that is a highly unlikely problem to happen, but who knows. You do have some of the same symptoms, but try new RAM first.

[Force Flow]

Originally posted by Acid-Klutch I honestly think that it would not be from overheating. Your CPU would just shut down.

Not necessarily. The comp shuts down when the temp gets critically hot. Freezing and random errors occur when the CPU just gets too hot to operate correctly.

[mrmister1]

Okay...after getting a few more of those annoying Microsoft Bug Reports, I finally sent it in. The "analysis" Micrsoft gave me was that it was a driver problem. I looked through the video and audio drivers (the catalyst version 6.14.1.6292 for my Radeon 9800 Pro, and for my SoundBlaster Live 5.1, I have the 5.12.2.252). Have there been other problems with these? I'm guessing the driver that is having the problem is one of those two, becasue all my other drivers are either the proprietary Micrsoft drivers, or the drivers for my Microsoft wireless network adapter.

Thanks again.

[Panama Red]

If it makes you feel any better, you're not alone with this problem. I've been having the same thing happen for the last couple weeks. All the MS knowledge base info seems to point to upgrading drivers and/or bios. I checked on my sound and video cards earlier today and found that new drivers were available. My Radeon 7500 wasn't even using a factory driver, looks like XP just picked one. My sound card is a SB Audigy Platinum. Mobo is Asus P4PE/L. I updated both drivers earlier today, and so far, so good. I think I aggravated the problem and caused an increase in faults when I adjusted the video refresh rate from 60 Hz to 72Hz. I now backed it down to 70. Good Luck, MM1

[mrmister1]

Well I uninstalled my audio and my video drivers, and guess what...it's still happening! Right now, I am at a loss. Are there any other ideas as to what it could be? Remember the Microsoft bug report "analysis" said it was a device driver that was causing the problem. Could they be wrong?

Thanks again.

[mrmister1]

Does nobody have any ideas as to what the problem might be? Nobodys had similar problems? THe only thing I could say would be one of the drivers that Windows automatically installs, like the cd/dvd-rom, or hard drive, because the only drivers I had installed myself were the Radeon 9800 Pro, the SoundBlaster Live 5.1, and the Microsoft network adapter.

Please, I need help.

Thanks

[Cricket]

Go to Simmtester.com and download DocMemory and test your RAM to rule it out as a possible cause of the problem.

Go to the hard drive manufacturer's website and download the hard drive diagnostic utility and test the hard drive.

Try another IDE cable on the main hard drive.

Clean out all the Windows Temp folders.

Open your computer case up and clean it out if necessary. Then carefully look over all the capacitors on the motherboard and check for leaking.

Cricket

[dlawe]

If it helps any I have just purchased a new EMachine with XP installed and the problems you outline are exactly what I am getting as you say Microsoft keep telling me its the drivers but I have taken it back to the store and they have checked it out but cant find anything as you say it gets ratyer annoying after a while it would be nice if anyony out there has a solution sorry I cant help anymore
Regards
dlawe

[ktkendall]

Gotta test that RAM>>> Use the link Cricket provided You'll put the program on a boot floppy and it really runs extensive ram tests. Yes Microsofts diagnosis can be wrong but not their fault because bad ram causes all kind of errors that are misdiagnosed, because whatever the PC was attempting to do or load at the time it tries to use the bad section of the memory will seem like the cause of the problem but in reality it is the memory, which will never actually get reported as being the root cause of the problem in windows. Thats why U need to use the simmtester to pinpoint or eliminate the ram as the cause, my hunch is that the ram is at fault here....

[dlawe]

tested ram it tests o.k

[ktkendall]

U could run a repair installation of XP and let it use its own native drivers for a while and see if that clears the problem...

[dlawe]

Thanks for trying to help but what you are sugesting has all been done I am wondering if it has somthing to do with Broadband which I am running
thanks again

[mrmister1]

Well, same here. I checked both my hard drive and my memory, and both passed. Any other ideas? I'm sorry for being repetitive, but all the other drivers are ones automatically installed by Windows, that I haven't changed.

[ktkendall]

Originally posted by mrmister1 Well, same here. I checked both my hard drive and my memory, and both passed. Any other ideas? I'm sorry for being repetitive, but all the other drivers are ones automatically installed by Windows, that I haven't changed.

Then perhaps update to the manufacturers latest drivers, When U get that message about them not being XP tested or designed or whatever it says just click on continue anyways, just be sure that coming from the manufacturers side that they are designed for winXP..

[morriswindgate]

If I read the starting post this is a problem with Windows Explorer, the screen where you see all drives, and not the core windows enviro. If this is the case, I have seen this problem on several machines running both XP Home and XP Pro. In this problem Windows Explorer will shutdown and the ICons on the desktop plus the icons in the taskbar will disappear for a short time. The Desktop will reappear, but the taskbar icons will selectivly reappear, although all the original programs that were running will still be running.
I have seen this on my computers, the computers here at work, and ones I have built. And without a doubt the problem is not heat, drivers, or RAM related. The problem seems to manifest itself with multimedia files and game files (ie heavy video content), plus sometimes it happens with other older programs> IMHO the problem may be related to memory managment in XP as it tends to be random.

[mrmister1]

Originally posted by ktkendall Then perhaps update to the manufacturers latest drivers, When U get that message about them not being XP tested or designed or whatever it says just click on continue anyways, just be sure that coming from the manufacturers side that they are designed for winXP..

By updating the drivers, do you mean going into device manager and choosing to update driver, or do you mean going to each website of the separate manufacturers, and downloading the drivers from them?

[ktkendall]

Either way will work but I mean that I would get the latest drivers from the mfg's site and install them....

[Panama Red]

Earlier I said in this thread that I had downloaded the latest drivers from ATI and Creative and planned to see if it made any change. Everything was fine for a few days and then I had 2 BSOD's in 2 days. My ATI Radeon 7500 is a PCI card (dumb ordering mistake) so I moved it to another slot (4) to change IRQ sharing and see if that makes a difference. In an earlier thread I read that having any card in PCI slot 1 can potentially cause an IRQ conflict with the AGP Card. Don't know what your slot configuration is, mrmister1, but you may want to check your motherboard manual for IRQ asignments and see if that makes a difference. You're probably like me right now and willing to try anything to stop this crash stuff!

[mrmister1]

I had already knew about that conflict, and made sure not to put any PCI card in the first slot.

I don't know what's up with this...Microsoft has no idea what is causing the problem, only that it is a device driver, and I've sent tons of the bug reports into them, and still nothing... Oh well...