Intermittent problems
in [Computer]
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From: UCLAN on 22 May 2010 15:38 I have numerous intermittent problems. This is an older system - an Anthlon XP 2.1GHz running under Windows XP, 1GB RAM (max allowed) 65GB HDD about half full. Problems: Web browser (latest Firefox version) will be working fine, then start not correctly opening pages (graphics, fonts incorrect.) Closing & re-opening Firefox corrects problem (for a while). Mail client (Thunderbird) will sometimes not add attachments to mail. Closing and reopening Thunderbird corrects problem. Adobe Reader 9.0 will sometimes not correctly open a PDF file or even open its "OPEN" menu. Closing and re-opening Adobe Reader solves the problem. Word will sometimes give a "not enough memory" error when trying to open file, or sometimes when trying to open "OPEN" menu. Closing and re-opening Word corrects the problem. Do these symptoms ring a bell, anyone? Thanks.
From: Jeff Strickland on 22 May 2010 16:14 Have you run your anti virus? Is it up to date? Have you scanned for malware? Is the malware scanner up to date? And, finally, have you scanned for spyware, and is your spy checker up to date? If yes to all of these, and you still have problems, then I'd suggest that you need to reload Windows and start over. Unfortunately, virii, malware, and spyware can all sneak past the tools on occasion, and remain after the checks come up clean. If this happens, there's not much you can do but to reinstall Windows. The downside of this is that you also have to reinstall all of the apps. XP running under 1G of RAM is gonna struggle anyhow. Well, it should run okay, but to get real performance, 2G is way better, and bumping it to 4G is the best. It's difficult to beat XP that's running under 4G. I bought a motherboard at Fry's last week (Tue., 05/18) for $38.25 that included the CPU _ and_ has a $10 mail-in rebate dropping the price to $28.25. It's a pretty nice board for a non-gamer -- which with what you're running now, you have to be. And if you _are_ gaming with that machine and getting by, the board I got from Fry's will change your life and improve your scores. "UCLAN" <invalid(a)invalid.com> wrote in message news:85qq67FgltU1(a)mid.individual.net... >I have numerous intermittent problems. This is an older system - an > Anthlon XP 2.1GHz running under Windows XP, 1GB RAM (max allowed) > 65GB HDD about half full. > > Problems: > > Web browser (latest Firefox version) will be working fine, then start > not correctly opening pages (graphics, fonts incorrect.) Closing & > re-opening Firefox corrects problem (for a while). > > Mail client (Thunderbird) will sometimes not add attachments to mail. > Closing and reopening Thunderbird corrects problem. > > Adobe Reader 9.0 will sometimes not correctly open a PDF file or even > open its "OPEN" menu. Closing and re-opening Adobe Reader solves the > problem. > > Word will sometimes give a "not enough memory" error when trying to open > file, > or sometimes when trying to open "OPEN" menu. Closing and re-opening Word > corrects the problem. > > Do these symptoms ring a bell, anyone? Thanks.
From: Paul on 22 May 2010 17:25 UCLAN wrote: > I have numerous intermittent problems. This is an older system - an > Anthlon XP 2.1GHz running under Windows XP, 1GB RAM (max allowed) > 65GB HDD about half full. > > Problems: > > Web browser (latest Firefox version) will be working fine, then start > not correctly opening pages (graphics, fonts incorrect.) Closing & > re-opening Firefox corrects problem (for a while). > > Mail client (Thunderbird) will sometimes not add attachments to mail. > Closing and reopening Thunderbird corrects problem. > > Adobe Reader 9.0 will sometimes not correctly open a PDF file or even > open its "OPEN" menu. Closing and re-opening Adobe Reader solves the > problem. > > Word will sometimes give a "not enough memory" error when trying to open > file, > or sometimes when trying to open "OPEN" menu. Closing and re-opening Word > corrects the problem. > > Do these symptoms ring a bell, anyone? Thanks. Run Prime95, and see if it remains error free in a four hour run. If it stops in a matter of minutes, with an error, it could be processor or memory. You can then work on the problem, until Prime95 is clean. (You want the stress test option of this program, and don't have to "Join GIMPS".) http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft/ The purpose of using Prime95, is partly to do a test that doesn't touch the graphics card. If Prime95 runs fine, then you'd suspect the problems are caused by the video card/AGP slot, and its interaction with the OS. If you want, you can also do a visual inspection for bad capacitors. My AthlonXP machine started to crash, as the 5V rail on the power supply started to fail, and there were four leaking caps inside the power supply. But that is a different set of symptoms than you're getting, and your problem smells more like a bad video card. But running a few more test cases, may help isolate the problem. For a graphics stress test, I like 3DMark2001SE, as the download size is smaller than a lot of the later versions. At this point, it isn't going to isolate a problem - but if Prime95 passes, and 3DMark "crashes and burns", you'd suspect a video card problem or a bad AGP slot. (It could even be the onboard power source for the low voltage AGP I/O supply for example.) http://majorgeeks.com/3Dmark_d99.html (41MB) Paul
From: UCLAN on 23 May 2010 01:05 Jeff Strickland wrote: > Have you run your anti virus? Is it up to date? Have you scanned for > malware? Is the malware scanner up to date? And, finally, have you scanned > for spyware, and is your spy checker up to date? > > If yes to all of these, and you still have problems, then I'd suggest that > you need to reload Windows and start over. I thought the same thing, but my runs were all clean. Problems persisted, so I let an "expert" come over and have a go at it. He found no virii, malware, or spyware. He cleaned up my registry, defragged my HDD, got rid of many unwanted and unneeded programs active at start-up, check PSU voltages, checked CPU fan and exhaust fan operation, installed more RAM (up to the MB's 1GB max), and told me if I still have problems Windows might need to be re-installed. Since Windows XP came pre-installed, I never had it on disc (to my knowledge.) Of course, all of the intermittent problems did not appear in his presence. > XP running under 1G of RAM is gonna struggle anyhow. Well, it should run > okay, but to get real performance, 2G is way better, and bumping it to 4G is > the best. It's difficult to beat XP that's running under 4G. This Asus MB has a max of 1GB of RAM. Still have the problems, but the 'puter sure is faster than it was before. > I bought a motherboard at Fry's last week (Tue., 05/18) for $38.25 that > included the CPU _ and_ has a $10 mail-in rebate dropping the price to > $28.25. It's a pretty nice board for a non-gamer -- which with what you're > running now, you have to be. And if you _are_ gaming with that machine and > getting by, the board I got from Fry's will change your life and improve > your scores. Not a gamer. But I'm getting sick of these intermittent problems. If I keep my current monitor, speakers, etc., I can get a new HP PC only with an Intel i3, 6GB RAM, 1GB HDD, Windows 7 Premium, etc., for about $600 delivered. That may be my best route. Thanks.
From: Jeff Strickland on 23 May 2010 11:13
"UCLAN" <invalid(a)invalid.com> wrote in message news:85rrdiFnobU1(a)mid.individual.net... > Jeff Strickland wrote: > >> Have you run your anti virus? Is it up to date? Have you scanned for >> malware? Is the malware scanner up to date? And, finally, have you >> scanned for spyware, and is your spy checker up to date? >> >> If yes to all of these, and you still have problems, then I'd suggest >> that you need to reload Windows and start over. > > I thought the same thing, but my runs were all clean. Problems persisted, > so I let an "expert" come over and have a go at it. He found no virii, > malware, or spyware. He cleaned up my registry, defragged my HDD, got rid > of many unwanted and unneeded programs active at start-up, check PSU > voltages, > checked CPU fan and exhaust fan operation, installed more RAM (up to the > MB's > 1GB max), and told me if I still have problems Windows might need to be > re-installed. Since Windows XP came pre-installed, I never had it on disc > (to my knowledge.) Of course, all of the intermittent problems did not > appear > in his presence. > >> XP running under 1G of RAM is gonna struggle anyhow. Well, it should run >> okay, but to get real performance, 2G is way better, and bumping it to 4G >> is the best. It's difficult to beat XP that's running under 4G. > > This Asus MB has a max of 1GB of RAM. Still have the problems, but the > 'puter > sure is faster than it was before. > >> I bought a motherboard at Fry's last week (Tue., 05/18) for $38.25 that >> included the CPU _ and_ has a $10 mail-in rebate dropping the price to >> $28.25. It's a pretty nice board for a non-gamer -- which with what >> you're running now, you have to be. And if you _are_ gaming with that >> machine and getting by, the board I got from Fry's will change your life >> and improve your scores. > > Not a gamer. But I'm getting sick of these intermittent problems. If I > keep > my current monitor, speakers, etc., I can get a new HP PC only with an > Intel > i3, 6GB RAM, 1GB HDD, Windows 7 Premium, etc., for about $600 delivered. > That > may be my best route. > > Thanks. If you have your BIOS set (properly is the word I'll use, but it not the right word ...) then you should see an opportunity for F11, or something, to Restore Windows. If you have a Drive D: that is hidden or protected or otherwise configured to keep you from using it, then it should carry the original issue of XP. I don't recall what machine you said you have, but it is common that major brands that have Windows pre-installed will have a disk partition with the original software stored in the partitioned space. If you go to My Computer, it should show Drive C and Drive D. If D is configured so that you cannot get to it, then you should have an F10 of F11 opportunity during boot-time to restore Windows. If you have Fry's Electronics nearby, you can buy a decent motherboard and gobs of RAM for $150 any day of the week, and if you wait for a sale, or accept DDR2, then you can get down to 50-ish dollars for the board and 25-ish dollars for RAM. They'll plug the CPU and RAM in for you for another 10 bucks, but I see no reason you can't do it yourself if you understand how to orient the components so the pins fit properly. Of you bought the board and RAM, then you would also need to buy a copy of the OS. You could drop the new board into your existing case if you wanted to, and keep the other parts of your machine just as they are now. |