Random System Lock-ups

[EvilEmpire]

It just does it. The whole thing locks up, can't use mouse, can't use keyboard, not even shutdown button. No Blue Screens. Just freezes.

For at least a month now I've been doing my own research on it, trying to eliminate programs' fault or even program versions! Different startups different programs running at the same time, enabling or disabling system processes, changing Anti-Virus software, Firewall software, multi-media software, NOTHING HELPS It just keeps on doing it on random occasions.
Or does it?
It never does it when I don't touch anything, It can go 24h uptime (now is the time that "it" is my PC) and not lockup and then I use it for an hour and do it. Restart, use it another varying period of time and do it again. Always when I do something, browse internet, files, playing a game, writing a document.
I think it does it when there's a higher need of CPU power or more HD reads/writes, it has to be hardware.
I think its even smart.
It did it 4 times during the last 3 hours, 2 of the times exactly when my dad entered the room (and I wasn't dealing with pr0n! It didn't save me). It even did it exactly when I was aiming at Post New Thread button to write all this (don't worry FF makes a Form cache every 10 secs and I just did a notepad copy).

I even repaired my WinXP installation.

I run a 2 year old AMD Athlon XP next to a nVidia 6600GT and also 2 yr old 4x256MB ram (two pieces are a bit younger).

Might it be the heat? I cant experiment in that field, its 44C in the sun here. All the time. (it has been doing it before though)

Help Please!
*crash*

---
HJT log (http://up.kupatrix.com/f/2/hijackthis.txt),
temperatures http://up.kupatrix.com/f/2/Pictures/Screens/speedf.PNG

[Neo]

Have you run a chkdsk or even a memtest?

A failing drive, or messed up memory stick could explain freezes of that sort.

-Neo

[EvilEmpire]

Blast! I never wanted to end up like the ppl in most other PC problems threads "do a mem test and what-not test":P I just forgot.

Not too sure about chkdsk, I did chkdsk /f on all my partitions but results disappear too fast I cant see sh*t. I read somewhere that running chkdsk a few more times is good if anything was left out.

Memtest is 100,*% Coverage 0 errors (some kind of interface version, not the one with the bootdiskette) (sorry I couldnt resist starting up FF, i guess im an e-junkie)
Will leave it overnight though.


Might it be ...dust?

[Neo]

I would suggest you run a chkdsk manually then, if you're getting a lot of errors with chkdsk that is not a good thing -- you shouldn't need to look at the screen fast (chkdsk only starts scrolling if it catches errors).

err something.

Just boot the computer into safe mode and run a chkdsk manually (or simply have it do a defragment, which might help anyways).

it kinda sounds like you're hard drive might have an issue, but not sure.

-Neo

[EvilEmpire]

Status Report.

Did chkdsk /r-s on all partitions (or did I forget C:\ crap), in safemode, nothing turned up.
Memtest also no errors.

I opened it up and cleaned some dust and left the case open, tempretures are a good 3-4 points lower. But I cant say anything for sure.

That paste thingy between my processor and heatsink is 2 years old, is this bad?

[Neo]

Only if you've taken them apart recently :p

It would be nice if you could figure out if the computer is shutting of specifically because of high temps, if so, then that might explain it.

You could try one of those temp monitors and see if the temp seems really high right before it locks up.

edit: the stuff between my HSF and Processor is like 3 years old, so... :p

-Neo

[jinexviper]

Make sure the CPU fan isen't shutting off on you and it has a good connection. I had a computer where the CPU fan would shut off thus freezing the computer because of a fail safe most computers have. I would suspect it's one of two things a CPU overheating issue or memory....Your not overclocking are you??

[EvilEmpire]

Yea I opened the case and there was some dust between the fan and the shiny thing. So I left the case open and now temperatures a bit lower, especially CPU, down to 51C. Now the HDs are a bit warmer, I don't know how that happens, most of the times theyre hotter than the CPU.

The other day I did a deep system scan of the computer with my BitDefender (the last AV I installed) and left for math class, when I got back home it was locked up and couldn't wake up the monitor cos no peripherals respond. Today I started a deep scan too and although both HDs heated to 54C nothing happened, Im during the same session! Now HDs dropped to 50-1C and CPU to 52 and all looks good.

It went through another harsh test yesterday evening, as we all know uTorrent is a recourse hog as of late I needn't explain what happens during transfers of 4-5 MB/s, the whole system heated up fast but no lockups!

It must've been the heat or damaged sectors of hd, fixed after numerous chkdsk-ing.:)

[U-238]

uTorrent = Resource hog???? Since when? (Read: Bittorrent is a way way way bigger pig)

I have the EXACT same problem you do. My guess is it's a failing processor. Yes the chances are slim that it could happen but it does. I'd suggest trying to (carefully) swap out processors with another machine if you have one that you can access and has the same slot type as your machine. If the freezing stops then that's your problem....

[EvilEmpire]

Nah i really think it was the heat..
(I doubt that I can find a AthlonXP equivalent anywhere near, Im surrounded by intels :<)

--
Well yeah, hog, constantly 10% and using 50MB ram. I think it cant manage its cache well, I unleashed it and it quickly filled 100+MB ram without reducing ram usage when cache not used.
Well... upload was with.. 3mb/s <_<