Help with computer troubles?

Question

My computer is getting very iffy with me. Every time I leave it on for about maybe 20-30 minutes at a time it'll just lock down completly. If I try to open up Internet Explorer or any other application the icon just goes semi-transparent and won't open-up, infact nothing at all will work. The taskbar at the bottom will mess up as well, on the green start button (on the default windows XP skin) the word "start" will dissappear. I've tried scanning for viruses and spyware and all the scanners I've tried found nothing. I run windows XP home edition on a somewhat new computer (not brand new, had it for maybe a few years) with DSL on it. Just started happening a few days ago, nothing at all fixes it, I've tried scans, system restores, defrags, just about everything I can think of, so if you know how to fix this please tell me. If you need more details I'd be glad to edit this.

Answer 1

Best thing to do is save/backup all your data, and then format your drive. make sure you have all the disc's required for the job before you start. You seem to know what you are doing so it should not be a big deal...

Answer 2

There are several possibilites, assuming you've done an adequate scan for virus/spyware. In order:
1. You have a faulty/failing power supply. Very common in computers a few years old. Intermittent lockups, weird errors, etc. This is far and away the most likely problem. Replace the power supply for a few bucks, and see.
2. Faulty RAM. Much less likely, but still #2 on the list. Pull out your RAM chips and throw in a new one (even if Windows tells you the RAM is fine). If the problems disappear... well, that was your problem.
3. Faulty driver. Some drivers (particularly for HP printers) are notorious for driving Windows nuts, even if the driver is for a peripheral that should have nothing to do with it. Remove all the drivers you've installed the past few days.
4. Hard drive issues. Even less likely. CHKDSK should pick up most common errors. I'm still betting on #1.
5. Operating System issues. Save your data and reload Windows.
Better than 90% odds it's your power supply.

Answer 3

I've seen this problem on a few computers and there really is no fix for it other than to reload your system (that ive found anyway). There is a work around, which is simple, yet causes some issues in itself. The issue is that the explorer.exe process isn't running like it should, so it causes glitches on your computer screen and often will not let programs run until that process is cleared (either restart or kill). The problem with killing the process is that you will find that your ability to browse your computer for files can't be done and even your desktop icons will disappear to include your taskbar and start menu.
The only way to kickstart this process is to go into your task manager, click on the processes tab, find explorer.exe and click on end task. You will then click on the file dropdown menu and select new task - type in explorer.exe and wait for everything to come back up. You will find that a few of your taskbar icons may be missing, which can be an issue sometimes, but trust me in that the programs that were running in thee taskbar are still running.
Frustrating, I know, but this is the only way I know how to address this issue without a reload of the system.

Answer 4

probably just the processor getting too hot. check your power supply and processor cooling fan to make sure they are working. usually once this starts happening in the power supply it limits the amount of power to the pc and causes the pc to slow to a crawl, if not freeze up altogether.
if one or both fans aren't working, replace both the power supply and the processor cooling fan

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Answer 5

take it to a computer place

Answer 6

reinstall windows. it will help