PC Vista Keeps Freezing..

[itzCowiee]

I believe it may be the RAM, correct me if i am wrong i have no idea when it comes to the backhand of computers...
i've had a new motherboard, new graphics card, ect.
I love my PC to bits, it runs on 2GB and uses about half of it- (so my friend said)
I've had it for a couple of years (since 2007), it's a Vista and a COMPAQ PC, And it's not insured anymore.

The only time it freezes is when i'm either watching videos, playing games or drawing- But when browsing the internet and my files it's completely fine.

Can someone tell me what is happening, or tell me i'm being dumb.

I'm just thinking of buying a new tower, save up for one and buy one.

[psychic stalker]

itzCowiee

The only time it freezes is when i'm either watching videos, playing games or drawing- But when browsing the internet and my files it's completely fine.

That tells me that it's not the RAM, but may indeed be your graphics card.

Try updating your graphics drivers. Very often, that fixes problems like this.

If you want to test your RAM anyway, you can download a copy of Memtest86+ and burn it to a CD. Put in the CD and reboot and let it run for at least 36 hours. (No, really. If you want to test your RAM, this is the only way.) I'd wager that it will show no errors.

[itzCowiee]

psychic stalker

can't be the graphics card surely, i've only just had a new one put in. :/
But thanks, i'll see if that does anything. But i am genuinely thinking of just buying a new tower if it doesn't get any better.

[Aven Donn]

itzCowiee

psychic stalker

can't be the graphics card surely, i've only just had a new one put in. :/
But thanks, i'll see if that does anything. But i am genuinely thinking of just buying a new tower if it doesn't get any better.

If you buy a cheap car with a weak engine and shitty transmission, does being manufactured yesterday give it any advantage over a 50 year old luxury car? Yeah, but not in performance. Maybe in safety, support for latest technology, etc. But not in performance.

Well graphics cards are like that. That's why their numbering and pricing is so "illogical" and how an old card costs as much as one that was just released. Newer does not mean better.

[itzCowiee]

Aven Donn

If you buy a cheap car with a weak engine and shitty transmission, does being manufactured yesterday give it any advantage over a 50 year old luxury car? Yeah, but not in performance. Maybe in safety, support for latest technology, etc. But not in performance.

Well graphics cards are like that. That's why their numbering and pricing is so "illogical" and how an old card costs as much as one that was just released. Newer does not mean better.

i have no idea what on earth you're on about with cars, because that makes no sense to me whatsoever, but alright..
Nah, it's not because i want a 'better' tower. I love my tower as it is, but i cant do anything for it to work properly. And i never said newer means better, i just feel like Vista is loosing updates and shizz.

[psychic stalker]

itzCowiee

can't be the graphics card surely, i've only just had a new one put in. :/

Yes, it can be.

There are three parts to graphics: The physical card, the divers, and the applications. Applications are buggy - hardware makers assume that and try to make things work despite those buggy programs. Drivers are buggy - hardware makers try their damnedest to make it work, but they make mistakes and miss things and so drivers crash from time to time. Hardware is buggy - they try their hardest to make the graphics card as perfect as possible, but they make mistakes.

The best they can do is fix the drivers as fast as they can to prevent crashes, like the ones you have been experiencing.

So, update your drivers.

[itzCowiee]

Stsksl249

Well i don't have any trouble with the compaq at all, it's been a brilliant computer. Probably just needs another update on everything. I've used a clickfree to move files over because last time it just deleted everything from my computer. It does over heat a little because it does get that heat smell, so i'll look into that, but thanks for all the tips and advice, much appreciated- just useless at these things :l

[itzCowiee]

psychic stalker

Ah i update quite a lot, on everything. But i'll look into the graphics card more- Thanks for the tips though much appreciated!

[Lethal chesthair]

itzCowiee

I believe it may be the RAM, correct me if i am wrong i have no idea when it comes to the backhand of computers...
i've had a new motherboard, new graphics card, ect.
I love my PC to bits, it runs on 2GB and uses about half of it- (so my friend said)
I've had it for a couple of years (since 2007), it's a Vista and a COMPAQ PC, And it's not insured anymore.

The only time it freezes is when i'm either watching videos, playing games or drawing- But when browsing the internet and my files it's completely fine.

Can someone tell me what is happening, or tell me i'm being dumb.

I'm just thinking of buying a new tower, save up for one and buy one.

The problem is that you have used up too much hdd space. You need to have at least 17gb for your computer to run at the fastest speed possible. Your RAM seems fine.

[itzCowiee]

uk hardcore

The problem is that you have used up too much hdd space. You need to have at least 17gb for your computer to run at the fastest speed possible. Your RAM seems fine.

Well apparently i have loads of space left, it's not slow i hardly have anything on there. My sisters computer is the same and that's using more than mine yet her's is fine.

[Lethal chesthair]

itzCowiee

uk hardcore

The problem is that you have used up too much hdd space. You need to have at least 17gb for your computer to run at the fastest speed possible. Your RAM seems fine.

Well apparently i have loads of space left, it's not slow i hardly have anything on there. My sisters computer is the same and that's using more than mine yet her's is fine.

How much memory have you got on your pc/laptop then?

[itzCowiee]

uk hardcore

itzCowiee

uk hardcore

The problem is that you have used up too much hdd space. You need to have at least 17gb for your computer to run at the fastest speed possible. Your RAM seems fine.

Well apparently i have loads of space left, it's not slow i hardly have anything on there. My sisters computer is the same and that's using more than mine yet her's is fine.

How much memory have you got on your pc/laptop then?

My PC, i'm not sure as i'm not at home right- but i'll check when i do get back. College sucks. I mean i have a macbook pro for college, but i only use that because my PC is bugging me :l

[Octavius Maximilian]

Run memtest86+ on your computer and check to see if it is truly your RAM. Follow the instructions you see online, as there are several websites and youtube videos dedicated to explaining the tool. 8 passes overnight should be standard. You might want to do several more passes than that to be extra sure that the RAM is not at fault. When running these tests, alternate between RAM sticks, switching them in different DIMM slots to pinpoint specific faulting modules.

Drivers might be an issue like previous users mentioned before. If you're using nvidia drivers, I suggest going to the nvidia forum and reading a few of their guides. There are known issues with their graphics cards and vista drivers that cause BSoDs, as well as artifacts. Consider using something like a driver sweeper, which deletes registry files as well as the entire folders of nvidia to make a new profile from scratch. Several conflicts can be happening to cause these crashes, and the main culprit is usually nvlddmkm.sys file. It might show up as a warning when it crashes on the taskbar. You might also need to download a windows debugging tool to analyze your bug reports, and see whether it is nvlddmkm.sys at fault. Disregard this if you are using ATI.

Overheating might be an issue as well. Use a tool to monitor your temperatures of your CPU as well as video card. If it spikes above 60C consider replacing your stock fans and coolers.

These crashes can be rather complex, and at times it is simply a faulty motherboard. Nothing can be done in that case except replace the entire mobo. Hopefully it's just a driver issue or something to that extent, but at least try to pin point what it is. If you know it is RAM, it'll be the cheapest hardware fix. So hope that it is just that.

[Lanackse-Kanvae]

No. DO NOT TOUCH THE REGISTRY UNLESS YOU ARE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. REMOVING THE WRONG KEY COULD BREAK WINDOWS.

Also most "registry cleaner" programs are a ton of hokum. Some just scare you into giving out money to "fix" problems that don't exist and others may even contain some viruses/spyware/other that you will end up having to clean out.