ANSWERS: 2
  • You didn't say what operating system you're running. I'll assume Winblows 98 or XP. I'd suggest you update your video driver first, then clean boot. For starters anyway... www.nvidia.com www.ati.com support.intel.com www.godhelpyouifyouarerunninganothervideocardmake.com http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;316434 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/192926/
  • You have run into an issue that can be a real bear to track down. It usually is your power supply is going bad. You can test the power supply with a voltage tester, by pressing the test rod down into each pin to get a measurement of the voltage of each pin of the power cord that plugs directly into the motherboard. You have to do this while your PC is running. Disconnecting the connector and then testing it will not get a reading. The voltage reading that you get should be within (+/-)0.5V. If you are getting anything different, replace it. Motherboards come with ATXv1 and ATXv2 power connectors. ATXv1 has a 20-pin connector and ATXv2 has a 24-pin. If you have to replace the power supply, be sure to get the right type, because if you plug in the wrong one and turn it on, you may have to replace the motherboard also. If the power supply checks out to be OK, then remove all extra cards installed into your system. There maybe a LAN card, TV Tuner card, Modem, etc... Remove them, and just leave in the graphics card, connect only the mouse and keyboard, and see if you can use your PC for a while. If you can, then plug in one of the removed cards and run your PC for a while again. Repeat this until the hang up problem returns. It can also be that your CPU and/or chipset is getting too hot. If you have a lot of dust in your PC, the air flow isn't cooling it down. Either get a can of compressed air or a vacuum to clean it out. Canned air works best, but whatever you do, be sure to unplug the PC before you do this. Also, the CPU can have the epoxy that is between it and its heatsink cracked and its ability to transfer heat to the heatsink is lessened. Get a little tube of this epoxy, unplug PC, remove the heatsink and fan together, clean off the old epoxy off the heatsink, and squirt a little new back on. A little goes a long way; it squishes out well. Pull it back off after you set the heatsink on the CPU and see if it covers the CPU pretty well. It sets up once it gets heated up, so you can add more if you have to. If none of these do it, create another answer, and I will get back to it.

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