WeThotUWasAToad
asked on
PC freezes and shutdowns becoming more frequent
Hello,
I've got a desktop PC which is running Windows 7. Due to quadriplegia and living on my own, I use it 14-16 hrs per day. I usually always have a lot of programs open including all the MS Office apps, Dragon NaturallySpeaking, an on-screen phone (RingCentral), and I spend a fair amount of time gaming.
Over the past couple of months my system has been freezing periodically and sometimes even shutting down spontaneously.
By freezing I mean that everything on the screen is still present but neither the mouse nor the keyboard is usable. On some occasions, pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete will bring up the Windows screen with a handful of options (logout, etc) which can be selected and pressed by use of the Tab key and Spacebar. Usually the only option has been to manually hold down the power button on the tower until the system shuts down then wait a minute or so and press the button again to restart.
In the cases of shutting down, the screen goes dark and doesn't come back necessitating a manual restart with the power button as described above. Actually, in many or even most cases, the system has not been totally shut down because the lights on my trackball and keyboard have remained on — although I can't say with certainty that that has always been the case.
As far as I can remember, the manual power-offs and restarts have always been followed by the black and white screen (I think that's called the bios) asking if I want to restart in Safe mode or Normal mode and I've always chosen the latter. It seems like that has always been followed by Windows taking more time to launch than normal so I've generally followed the slow boot up with a 2nd restart in the normal way through the Start menu.
Unfortunately these episodes have been increasing in frequency and yesterday when it occurred, the bios — which usually scrolls rapidly through all the info it displays — got hung up at one point for maybe 30-40 seconds. Unfortunately there was no way to get a screenshot but in case it's of any value, I do remember the line it seemed stuck on included something with "USB controllers…" Also, either just before or just after that occurred (I can't remember which), I got a dreaded "blue screen" that persisted for only a few seconds.
Does Windows 7 have any type of event-tracking log or is there a utility or app I could install that could possibly determine the problem? I'm not real tech-savvy beyond just the basics of Windows but it would sure be great to be able to diagnose what's going on before I'm out of commission.
By the way, I just got a current Belarc Computer Profile Summary which I will post in a few minutes after removing the personal info.
Thanks a bunch.
I've got a desktop PC which is running Windows 7. Due to quadriplegia and living on my own, I use it 14-16 hrs per day. I usually always have a lot of programs open including all the MS Office apps, Dragon NaturallySpeaking, an on-screen phone (RingCentral), and I spend a fair amount of time gaming.
Over the past couple of months my system has been freezing periodically and sometimes even shutting down spontaneously.
By freezing I mean that everything on the screen is still present but neither the mouse nor the keyboard is usable. On some occasions, pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete will bring up the Windows screen with a handful of options (logout, etc) which can be selected and pressed by use of the Tab key and Spacebar. Usually the only option has been to manually hold down the power button on the tower until the system shuts down then wait a minute or so and press the button again to restart.
In the cases of shutting down, the screen goes dark and doesn't come back necessitating a manual restart with the power button as described above. Actually, in many or even most cases, the system has not been totally shut down because the lights on my trackball and keyboard have remained on — although I can't say with certainty that that has always been the case.
As far as I can remember, the manual power-offs and restarts have always been followed by the black and white screen (I think that's called the bios) asking if I want to restart in Safe mode or Normal mode and I've always chosen the latter. It seems like that has always been followed by Windows taking more time to launch than normal so I've generally followed the slow boot up with a 2nd restart in the normal way through the Start menu.
Unfortunately these episodes have been increasing in frequency and yesterday when it occurred, the bios — which usually scrolls rapidly through all the info it displays — got hung up at one point for maybe 30-40 seconds. Unfortunately there was no way to get a screenshot but in case it's of any value, I do remember the line it seemed stuck on included something with "USB controllers…" Also, either just before or just after that occurred (I can't remember which), I got a dreaded "blue screen" that persisted for only a few seconds.
Does Windows 7 have any type of event-tracking log or is there a utility or app I could install that could possibly determine the problem? I'm not real tech-savvy beyond just the basics of Windows but it would sure be great to be able to diagnose what's going on before I'm out of commission.
By the way, I just got a current Belarc Computer Profile Summary which I will post in a few minutes after removing the personal info.
Thanks a bunch.
SOLUTION
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ASKER
Attached is the Belarc summary. Personal info including software keycodes have been replaced by underscores ("____").
Belarc-Computer-Profile-Summary_201.docx
Belarc-Computer-Profile-Summary_201.docx
ASKER
Thanks for the response.
My system was custom-built in 2012. I don't remember when Windows 10 came out but due to my paralysis, I purposely avoided it after reading how much it was changed from previous versions to make it touchscreen friendly.
That's all just FYI though if the symptoms are suggestive of the hardware issues you described. I will follow-up on your recommendations but in the meantime is there anything I can do to delay what sounds inevitable? For example, should I start shutting it down at night or running fewer programs simultaneously? Does gaming and all its graphics tax the motherboard more than non-gaming? It's been quite a few months since the tower has been opened so I should probably check the vents for dust, right? Anything else?
It will be into next week before I can get someone to look at it so anything I can do to to eke out as much time as possible would be extremely helpful.
Thanks
If the motherboard and power supply in the system are still the originals, then this W7 system is getting on in years. Ten years is better than the average lifetime for a PC and this one is probably pushing that, if not more.
My system was custom-built in 2012. I don't remember when Windows 10 came out but due to my paralysis, I purposely avoided it after reading how much it was changed from previous versions to make it touchscreen friendly.
That's all just FYI though if the symptoms are suggestive of the hardware issues you described. I will follow-up on your recommendations but in the meantime is there anything I can do to delay what sounds inevitable? For example, should I start shutting it down at night or running fewer programs simultaneously? Does gaming and all its graphics tax the motherboard more than non-gaming? It's been quite a few months since the tower has been opened so I should probably check the vents for dust, right? Anything else?
It will be into next week before I can get someone to look at it so anything I can do to to eke out as much time as possible would be extremely helpful.
Thanks
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ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
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you mentioned a dump - so post the dmp file plse
find it in windows\minidumps
find it in windows\minidumps
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It is time to get a new computer with SSD drive if you do not have a Win 7 setup DVD.
You need a reinstall of the OS if you do not want to spend a cent.
You need a reinstall of the OS if you do not want to spend a cent.
waiting for the dmp file..
ASKER
Thanks for all the responses.
That folder is empty even when Explorer is set to display hidden files.
you mentioned a dump - so post the dmp file plse
find it in windows\minidumps
That folder is empty even when Explorer is set to display hidden files.
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SOLUTION
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ASKER
Thanks for all the great feedback which include many good suggestions.
I don't know if it's related or just coincidence but after reading some of your comments, I started shutting down my system each night then restarting it in the morning. Since then, it's had significantly fewer problems but again, I don't know if that's connected and if so, how it may be helpful.
My current plan is to hopefully make it for a couple more weeks when my nephew — who built and maintains my system — is in town and can give it a very thorough going over.
Thanks again for all the comments.
I don't know if it's related or just coincidence but after reading some of your comments, I started shutting down my system each night then restarting it in the morning. Since then, it's had significantly fewer problems but again, I don't know if that's connected and if so, how it may be helpful.
My current plan is to hopefully make it for a couple more weeks when my nephew — who built and maintains my system — is in town and can give it a very thorough going over.
Thanks again for all the comments.
ASKER
Thanks
>> shutting down my system each night << that's what i do; most people don't realise that windows is not made for a 24x7 service like server software
you should regularly shut down and restart (i do it 3x per day) with my SSD system, it takes under 20 sec to boot - after the initial bios display
so yes - imo it is connected
and was the systtem set to make dmps?
you should regularly shut down and restart (i do it 3x per day) with my SSD system, it takes under 20 sec to boot - after the initial bios display
so yes - imo it is connected
and was the systtem set to make dmps?
Thank you WeThotUWasAToad
ASKER
November 2016 Security Monthly Quality Rollup for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3197868
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MS16-120: Description of the Security and Quality Rollup for the .NET Framework 3.5.1 for Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1: October 11, 2016
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3188740
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MS16-059: Security update to Windows Media Center: May 10, 2016
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3150220
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The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool helps remove specific, prevalent malicious software from computers that are running supported versions of Windows
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/890830
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