Computer Lock-Ups Frequently Asked Questions...    
 

Introduction

Basic causes for system lock ups, hangs or freezes

Computer hangs while running a program

Computer hangs or becomes very slow after or when connected to the Internet

Computer freezes when playing a game

Computer freezes when playing a game (for advanced users)

Low on disk space or out of disk space error messages

Display Settings Correct? appears, and screen goes black (Windows 95, 98)

Introduction

This document explains the main causes for system lock ups and some possible remedies in Windows 95, 98, Me and XP. The following are symptoms of when the system freezes or stops responding:

bulletNothing moves or blinks on the computer display.
bulletThe arrow, hourglass, or cursor does not respond when the mouse is moved.
bulletNothing appears on the display when typing on the keyboard.
bulletAn error message may be displayed and the keyboard or mouse will lock up.

Print out this document, if possible, to help after the computer is restarted or when an Internet connection is not available.

Basic causes for system lock ups, hangs or freezes

A number of causes will lock up a computer system. The following outline should help in understanding some of those causes. Ideas from this list can be used as search criteria for future searches on HP's or Microsoft's (R) support Web.

Hardware causes

bulletCD-Writer or DVD discs are dirty or bad, or swapping discs too quickly.
bulletHard drive is low on available disk space.
bulletThe hard drive data may be corrupted.
bulletInternal drive cables could have come loose from their connections.
bulletThe processor and the air inside the case may be getting too hot. Fans may be dirty.
bulletAnother device has been added and is in hard conflict with some other device on the computer. Usually this is because a device's jumper settings are set wrong.

Software causes

bulletActive virus scanning is on and is not agreeing with another background task.
bulletA system file could have become overwritten with an incomplete or older version.
bulletA software package may have been added to the system that is not compatible with the operating system or another existing software package.
bulletA virus is, or was, active.
bulletToo many software applications are open.
bulletA program is opened before a session of the same program is allowed to fully close.
bulletAn attempt to reconnect to the Internet while the program RNAAP is still running.

System errors that accompany system locks-up, hangs or freezes

bulletGeneral Protection Fault (GPF)
bulletInvalid Page Fault (IPF)
bulletMemory parity error

Environmental causes

bulletPower brownouts, resulting in a power cycle to the PC.
bulletPower blackouts, resulting in a power cycle to the PC.
bulletPower surges or spikes in power supply voltage.
bulletFaulty ground circuitry in the residence.

The sections below list possible causes and solutions for a variety of system lock up issues.

Computer hangs while running a program

This type of issue may occur with or without an error message. Try one of the following solutions to resolve this type of lock up. If an error message is present and this issue repeats itself, write the error message down and use it as search criteria on the Internet. If no error is present, look up information regarding the software that was being used when the lock up occurred. It could also be a conflict originated by another software that is running at the same time.

  1. Press the CTRL + ALT + DELETE keys simultaneously. A Close Program screen should appear with a list of running programs or tasks. Highlight the task that best represents the program that is not responding and select End Task. If another screen appears stating that the task has stopped responding, then select End Task again. This should terminate the program that was not responding. If this situation happens frequently while using a particular program, then make a special note of which program or programs are running together. This may provide an idea of which program(s) conflict when used together.
  2. If the close program screen does not appear, then perform a hard-boot (turning the machine off then back on). Press and hold the POWER button for five seconds to turn the machine off. Wait five more seconds and press the POWER button to turn the machine back on again. A Scanning Drive C:> screen should appear. Do not disrupt this process. Wait until the Windows desktop has appears.
  3. If pressing the POWER button does not turn the power off:
    1. Press and hold the POWER button down for 15 seconds.
    2. Unplug the computer's power cord from the electrical outlet.
    3. Wait a few seconds, then plug the computer's power cord back in.
    4. Press the POWER button to turn on the computer.

CAUTION: It should rarely be necessary to unplug the power cord from the wall while the system is running. Use this approach only if the other methods fail.

  1. If the problem still persists, try any of the following:
    bulletMake sure there is enough space on the hard drive to run the program. Refer to the section below on Low Disk Space Errors if the disk space is getting low.
    bulletUninstall and reload the software that is suspected of causing the problems.
    bulletInstall a surge protector between the power outlet and the computer's power cord. It is possible that a voltage spike, power outage, or brownout has occurred. Symptoms of voltage spikes include a flickering video display and unexpected computer startups.
    bulletRemove any hardware that was recently added to the computer and test again.
    bulletReduce the hardware graphics acceleration by performing the following steps:
    1. Click Start, Settings, then Control Panel.
    2. Double-click the System icon.
    3. Select Performance.
    4. Click Graphics.
    5. Move the setting back one notch at a time to see if this resolves the problem.
    6. Restart the system after each adjustment is made.
    bulletClose programs that are running silently in the background. See steps below.
    1. Save any open documents.
    2. From the Windows desktop, press the CTRL + ALT + DELETE keys on the keyboard. The Close Program window appears. End Task for each of the programs listed in the Close Program window, except Explorer and Systray.
    3. To close down a program, select a name in the Close Program list, and click End Task.
    4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for each of the programs listed (except Explorer and Systray). When Explorer and Systray are the only items listed in the Close Program window, click Cancel to close the Close Program window.
  2. Run a thorough ScanDisk to repair the hard drive:
    bulletIn Windows 95, 98, and Me: click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and ScanDisk. Make sure Thorough and Automatically Fix Errors are selected and click Start.
    bulletIn Windows XP: open My Computer, right-click the hard drive's icon, and select Properties. Click the Tools tab and the Check Now button. Select both checkboxes and click Start.

Computer hangs or becomes very slow after or when connected to the Internetback to table of contents

First, go into the Virus scanning software and set Active Scanning to Program Files and Documents only or its equivalent. For most Pavilions this would be the McAfee software and this setting is changed from Active Scanning Properties:

  1. Right-click the small McAfee icon next to the time (you can run the mouse pointer over the icons and a box will pop up telling you what program the icon is for).
  2. Select Virus Scan On-Line, Active Scanning, then Properties.
  3. Choose Program Files and Documents Only.
  4. Click OK.

Next, clear the history folder and the cache memory in the browser:

  1. Open Internet Explorer or Netscape.
  2. Click Tools from the menu bar.
  3. Select Internet Options. An Internet Options screen appears (Figure 1).
  4. From General, click Delete Files in Temporary Internet Files. Click OK.
  5. Click Clear History in the History area and click OK.

Figure 1: Internet options
Computer freezes when playing a game

Check the software requirements

Make sure the computer meets the minimum requirements to run the program. (Most software companies print minimum system requirements on their product packages.) To find the computer's specifications, right-click My Computer, select Properties, then click General. For detailed specifications, see the User's Guide, or search for the Product Specification document for the computer model on the Hewlett-Packard Web site.

Update the necessary software

Check the Web site of the game manufacturer for updates. Almost all newer games have patches available from their manufacturer's Web site. These patches will usually fix a variety of compatibility issues as well as game play issues.

Also, use Windows update to make sure you have the latest version of DirectX for games that use DirectX. In some cases, it may be necessary to install an OLDER version of DirectX to eliminate bugs in games. Older versions of DirectX are usually found on the game's CD.

    1. Log onto the Internet.
    2. Click Start, Settings, and Windows Update.
    3. When the Windows Update Web Page appears, click the link: Product Updates.
    4. When the Download Page appears, scroll down and select the DirectX Update that appears in the list.
    5. Click the Download link. It may be necessary to download a critical update package first or Microsoft's Web page may change. Refer to the latest information on Microsoft's Update page for more detailed information on its use.

Changing the video display settings

To change the video display settings, follow these steps:

    1. Right-click anywhere on an open area of the Windows desktop and select Properties from the drop-down list that appears.
    2. The Display Properties window appears (see Figure 2). Click Settings, and change the colors and resolution to the recommended settings for the game. (See the software package for minimum display requirements.)
    3. Click Advanced, and change the Refresh Rate to a setting between 65 Hz and 85 Hz or to a rate recommended by the monitor's manufacturer. Click OK.
    4. The following message should appear: Windows will now change the desktop settings. It will take a few minutes to become stable. If the screen does not appear correctly, wait 15 seconds and the original settings will be restored.
    5. Click OK. The screen turns black and then reappears with the new refresh rate. A message will appear asking to keep the desktop settings. Click Yes. If the screen becomes unreadable or stays black, then just wait about thirty seconds. Windows will automatically revert back to the old display settings.

Figure 2: Display Properties

Computer freezes when playing a game (for advanced users)

Compatability

Video cards that support 3D games with advanced rendering functions (3dfx, DirectDraw, OpenGL...) are prone to react differently across the various versions of the game and the various versions of the rendering function used. A game may work fine on a GeForce2 video card while the same game encounters intermittent lockups on a different card that uses 3dfx technology.
Always consult the game vendor's support Web site first. If the game's site does not offer patches for the game, then try using different versions of the video card's driver, and Direct X. Getting Direct X off a system can be very hard and should be done as a last resort. There are some public domain shareware programs that can make the process easier but it is still unreliable. Removing DirectX is not recommended by HP unless one is willing to perform a full system restore in the event a problem occurs.
Example from testing: a 3D driving game locks up intermittently when using a Pavilion 7970c with a TNTPro2 video card and DirectX 8.0. Reverting back to DirectX 6.1 solved the issue but renders newer games that require version 8.0 useless. The only option at this point is to contact the software vendor for a software update.

Game freezes intermittently

This is one of the hardest and most frustrating problems to try and solve. It is usually caused by newer games being used with video cards that still support todays technology but overheat when given too many different operations. Perform the following items, in order, to try and eliminate the problem:

    1. Refer to the games Readme file for any known problems and workarounds.
    2. Consult the game's Web site to download any patches and to become aware of any late breaking issues with the game.
    3. Remove and reinstall the video driver from device manager.
    4. If the video card is PCI, then turn off the computer and open the case. Move the video card to a different PCI slot, prefereably to a slot that will provide more open space around the card.
    5. If the video card has a sinksink without a fan (many TNT cards come with this configuration), then install a slot fan in an open PCI slot directly underneath the current video card. Get a slot fan that has a fan facing upward and that will draw the heat from the card above it down and out of the case. Slot fans are available at almost any computer supply store, are fairly inexpensive, and will improve the heating conditions inside the case anyway.

Low on disk space or out of disk space error messagesWindows uses disk space for different types of operations such as caching and virtual memory. The computer may not run reliably if the free disk space drops under 100 MB.
To see how much space remains on the hard drive, open My Computer and right-click on the hard drive's icon (C: is most common), and select Properties.
Use the following steps to remove unwanted programs and increase hard drive space:

  1. Click Start, Settings, then Control Panel.
  2. Open Add/Remove Programs.
  3. Click the Install/Uninstall tab and select a program that is no longer used.
  4. Highlight a program's name that will not be used anymore and click Add/Remove.
  5. Click OK to continue and restart the computer when fully finished.

Display Settings Correct? appears, and screen goes black (Windows 98,2000,XP)

After turning on the computer, and just before Windows loads, the following message may appear on the screen: "Display Settings Correct?" The monitor will then go into suspend mode (black screen), and the computer will not start Windows. This problem occurs if a game or program changes the computer's default display properties (such as the refresh rate).

To correct the problem in Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows 98, follow these steps:

    1. Click Start, then Shut Down.
    2. Select Restart, then OK.
    3. At the blue Hewlett-Packard logo screen press the F8 key.
    4. When the Windows Startup menu appears, select Safe Mode.
    5. A message appears explaining Windows is running in Safe Mode. Click OK.
    6. From the main screen in Windows Safe Mode, click Start, Settings, then Control Panel.
    7. Double-click Display.
    8. The Display Properties window appears. Click Settings.
    9. The color palette will be set to 16 colors and the screen area will be set to 640 by 480 pixels. Click Apply.
    10. A message appears explaining that the custom refresh rates will be removed. Click Yes.
    11. Another message appears asking to restart the computer. Click Yes