ten2368

Problem: computer freezes sporatically. Background: computer built 5 years ago; lightening storm blew out modem 3 years ago - replaced modem; computer started freezing - possibility storm blew out video card - replaced ATI Rage 128 to VisionTek Xtasy 2d/3d Accelerator; now thinking could be motherboard (ABIT VA6)incompatible with video card; have FDisk'd and reinstalled all software several times; upgraded OS from 98SE to XP Home. I'm looking for experienced advice. I have intermediate PC support skills. Thanks for taking the time. ten2368

Shadow64Bt - thanks for your reply. I went to the SiSoft site and decided to wait for you to check it out for me as I have no idea how I would use this software to help me. Soooo, if you get the chance and remember my little teeny problem, thanks a bunch! Ness.

Shadow64bt - thanks for your reply. "Sounds like someone has a cooked CPU-to-PCI/AGP bridge." Is there a tool 'out there' that could detect this? "Use a different power bar. It could be something as simple as a blown ground, which would cause your computer to run on dirty power." I am using a power bar; it is the same one that was in the storm. I'll change it and see if that makes a difference.

So I ran memtest for over 13 hours with a result of no errors. What a bitter sweet result... Well, if anyone has any other ideas I would greatly appreciate a response. Much thanks to all who have helped so far!

and so what would i do with that information?

Wilhelmus - thank you for your reply. Question: Does this lockup happen also in safe mode? Answer: Hmmmm. I don't think it has. I really think it has something to do with the resolution settings, in Safe Mode the colors are grainy and the icons are huge. If I change the resolution when I'm not in Safe Mode, well, I'm lucky to get the Desktop Properties window saved and closed (after making changes to a higher resolution) before the PC freezes. I will run Memtest tonight; what exactly does memtest 'test'? Does it test the memory of all components, ie video card, ram, etc... or has my lack of PC knowledge just ran out? Thanks for taking the time...

ScinteX - thanks for your response. Question: When does the PC lockup? I mean is there anything in particular that causes it? What actually happens - does the screen just freeze or does the pc turn itself off? Answer: The PC usually locks up after startup sometimes before; it doesn't shut down. As I start 'opening windows' it will partly populate a window and freeze. CTRL/ALT/DEL won't work at this point either. When I say 'opening windows' the latest example was when I was opening the Desktop properties to change the resolution of the desktop because I thought this might help and the PC froze. Question: What program you might be running. Answer: XP Related Window, MS Word/Excel/PPT, IE 5.5, doesn't seem to matter what is running. I'm luck to open a few things and it freezes. Also - This computer is not used for games. This doesn't happen when the computer has been on for a long time; it freezes to quick to have it on too long. How would I know what wattage/make the power supply is? I have checked the BIOS and reset to default except for the CMOS Soft Menu. I checked XP compatibility prior to upgrading and everything was fine. There really wasn't much on the computer at this point. Plus this problem was happening way before XP was installed. Again, thanks for you suggestions/ideas. Any other thoughts out there?