Computer Lockup

does it gets any blue screens?
and if it has does get a message for 'vxd:....'
if so, propably some programs you installed once now dont exist and gives your pc conflicts.....
if this continues trying backing up your data and then format.

Are you using a hard drive that had been in use in another computer? If so, at the run command (Start, Run), type regedit and OK it. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, Enum. Right click on the Enum Key and delete it. Reboot.

Windows will find your new sytem hardware, and ask for any drivers it is unable to find.

You should also load the chipset drivers that came with the motherboard. If you do not have them, post the motherboard make and model, and we will look for them for you.

I can say the vxd problem may be it.  I had the same thing happen to me.  It turned out it was an old version of McGaffee virus scanner that had not been fully uninstalled in the registry.  If you have a specific error code I bet someone here can help specifically.

It might also be bad ram.  I was getting tons of blue screens and then replaced the ram and things worked muc better even though I hadn't added any additional megs.

webcs! Welcome to E-E! Its common courtesy to provide comments unless you know your answer is the
only answer and is 300% correct and is what the questioner is looking for and will fix their problem.
Please don?t take this personally, (others could let you know before I and not so diplomatically) I
made the same mistake when I first arrived and someone was nice enough to point it out to me (It hurt
my feelings, but I soon realized its teamwork that?s used here). This accomplishes a couple of things:
First: it doesn't lock the question allowing more exposure to other experts allowing a faster fix (many
problems require an interactive dialogue to troubleshoot them properly), Secondly: it gives the questioner
the option to make an award based on the best comment that helped the most in fixing their problem and
it is also is common courtesy to other experts.  Again welcome and look forward to working with you
in the future, a lot of teamwork is used at this forum, as you will see! :>)  Quote shamelessly stolen
from Dave, Thanks again Dave

Your answer may be correct, and I hope it is, after all the main goal here is to help the questioner,
but when you propose an answer it removes the "accept comment as answer" button thereby robbing the
questioner of the choice to choose which expert helped the most. If your comment is chosen by the questioner,
you will be awarded the points.
Thank you  
makiz  

If you read the original post, it states speficially that:

1) "The computer does not blue screen"
2) "I have reformated it before I reinstalled Win 98."

Therefore, the first two comments seem irrelevant in this specific case.

This seems to be more of a System Resource issue. It would be pertinent to know what was/is running before/at the time the system freezes and if it seems to freeze at regular or intermittent intervals.

I think this question was edited after the first posts. Always a problem in trying to figure out what is going on.

StuartAdkins,

It is better to post a new comment, rather than editing the original question, when providing additional information.

If you have a CDRW drive and are running anti-virus, you may be running into a notorious conflict.
Goto control panel, system, device properties, your drive, properties, settings and turn off the dma.

So far this has fixed one out of two computers I have found this on, the other had to have the CDRW removed.

The system is not running any anti virus software. I did originally think the problem maybe temperature related as the case was located next to a bed and sat on the carpet therefore restricting air flow through one side and bottom of the case, but I have lifted it off the carpet and installed a case fan as close as possible to the CPU. There does not seem to be any common denominator for when it freezes i.e. when you try to load a certain program etc. The longest I have managed to get it running for is about 45 minutes but usually it freezes within 10 mintues.

Could this be a problem one dimms ?

I apologise for editing the original question I will not do this in the future.

It could, possibly, be an issue with memory. In the past, I have used MemTest86 (http://www.teresaudio.com/memtest86/) to test and identify bad memory. Although not as good as a dedicated memory module tester, it has correctly identified memory chips that were faulty for me in the past.

Some of the testing procedures can take awhile, so you may want to have the test run overnight if it does not indicate an error in a timely manner. I believe that the floppy created is self-booting, which will eliminate any OS or software-related issues; since they are not loaded.

I have tried deleting ENUM from the registry, unfortunately this only seemed to have created another problem. The sound card now does not work. I tried reloading the sound card drivers to no effect, so I decided to reinstall Windows, but the following error code appears about half way through the installation process :

A fatal exception 0E has occured at 0028:C0005257 in VXD VMM(01) + 00004257

Can anyone tell me what this error code means.

Apologise for delay in accepting the answer. I have eventually replace the graphics card which seems to have fixed the problem.

Glad to be of assistance.