my computer keeps freezing esp when i go into the start menu, im on windows xp and computer is 1.5 yrs old?

Question

what will i do...?

Answer 1

one thing that you can do that MIGHT help is at startup press f8 and conduct a hard drive test. This will fix any problems that are in the hardware. This may or may not help.

My pc did this awhile back and it was my memory stick that was bad.

Answer 2

1) Check for spyware. Run both Ad-aware Peronal Edition ( http://www.lavasoftusa.com ) and Skybot (http://www.safer-networking.org/) to remove any spyware. Run both as one may caught something the other missing. Then go to microsoft.com and download Defender to protect against future infections.

2) Check that you have a least 10% of your hard drive free. Go to My Computer and right click on the Local Drive (C:). Look at the properties. If it has less that 10% free space, you will need to delete some files, or move them off the hard drive and on to a CD or DVD. Start by running the disk cleanup, which will remove temporary and other unneeded files. Go to Start, then All Programs, then System Tools and click the Disk Cleanup icon.

3) Run the msconfig utility. Go to Start, then Run and type in: msconfig
Go to the startup tab
You will see a list of all the programs that are loaded when your computer starts up. Uncheck any that you do not have to have. (Usually you can uncheck them all). If you decide you to need one, you can go back and recheck it.

4) Defrag the hard drive. Go into My Computer and right click on the Local Drive (C:). Select Properties and go into the Tools tab. Click the Defragment Now button to start the defrag program. If you have not defrag recently (or never) it may take several hours for the program to complete.

Answer 3

You probably recently installed a software that generates those problems.

1) If the problem is recent, try a System Restore: Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore

If you're having problems accessing the start menu, open a command prompt (Windows Key + "R") and type "%SystemRoot%\ system32\ restore\ rstrui.exe" (without the quotes; remove the spaces).

2) If the problem has been occuring for a while, try reinstalling Windows. Yes, unfortunately, you may have to reinstall Windows periodically, especially if you install multiple programs.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Sounds like a memory issue.
don't know the amount of ram you have, but it happened to me on a new Dell laptop. I had to many things running in the background though (server, p2p, avirus, and the list went on)

I reduced my services, performed a Defrag and I am better now.


good luck
ron

Answer 5

there's one solution u have to replace your motherboard or your memory if ur still using the 266 sdram memory that's slow use a memory with 266 ddr its is much faster or replace ur hard drive with an 80 gigabytes capacity in other words u need an update okay if you can afford it . its much better than having a headache everytime u start ur old computer okay

Answer 6

VIRUS, SPYWARE ETC.....

Try log in on safe mode by pressing F8 at boot and the run antispyware software and antivirus. clean hard drive and defra hard drive if problems still occour then you need to repair windows instalation or restore windows.

Answer 7

Make sure you are not low on RAM or hard drive space. Check your "Available Physicaly Memory" in the Performance tab in Task Manager (CTRL+Shift+Esc).

Answer 8

Take the case off and get all the dust out, use a can of compressed air, it might not be the problem but it will help.

Answer 9

Have you ever update your graphic driver, if no trying downloading the latest driver for your card.
Certain program you install might not be supported by your old card driver.

Answer 10

Spyware is a common problem and will affect all computers if your computer is not protected.

Read this forum which details how to use various anti spyware tools, instructions on how to set them up and even provides support if you have anymore questions.

General Spyware advice:
http://www.phx-web.co.uk/forum/index.php?board=8.0

Spybot:
http://www.phx-web.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=21.0
Windows Defender:
http://www.phx-web.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=78.0
HijackThis!:
http://www.phx-web.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=57.0