VERY Mysterious Compter Freezing and Recovery

[mankey818]

Please help, I am 100% stumped.

My computer has started freezing out of nowhere. Sometimes it will happen once every 10 minutes, or sometimes it will go hours before doing so. It will freeze, everything will lock, even the mouse. Then 10-20 seconds later, it will continue as if nothing happened at all. If there is sound playing, either music, or a game, the sound will stutter until the system recovers. This happens completely randomly. It happens during playing a 3d game, or while browsing the internet, and has even happened while at the desktop. There is no correlation with CPU load and the freezing as well. I have tried to create the problem by stressing the CPU, memory, and video card, and nothing happens.

I am currently running:
p4 2.4ghz 533mhz
512mb RAM 266
Asus p4s800d-e motherboard
9800 XT
sb live value
Antec phantom power supply



I have done the following to try and isolate the problem:

I have replaced:
Video card
Sound card
Network card
Motherboard
Memory
Power supply

The problem keeps occuring with all of the replacements.

I have also installed windows XP sp1 and 2, as well as windows 2000. The problem occurs with all OS'es that I have tried.

I have tried several different drivers for my video card as well, and have even tried my video card in another system, where it works flawlessly.

I am at my wits end here. I'm not a computer noob, and have built many many systems, but I have no idea what can be causing this problem at all. Please help!

 

[LiLithTecH]

I have a curious question.

Why are you using add-in Network & Audio cards when the motherboard
has these onboard? (i.e. Gigabit LAN and 6 channel Audio)

Do you have the onboard Network & Audio disabled in the BIOS?

Did you install the latest SIS TX chipset drivers?

Does Hyper-Threading happen to be enabled in the BIOS?

With all the swapping of devices you have done you may want to CLEAR the CMOS
if you haven't already done so.

 

[KB]

You aren't running wireless are you? Searching for wireless networks can cause these sort of problems. If not, I would be leaning towards a failing hard drive. When windows fails to read from a drive, it willtry to reread from it over and over again. You might try running your hard drive manuafacturers testing utitlity from http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287.

 

[montag451]

Look at task manager, when this happens. Compare it to before and after TMan

 

[mankey818]

I'm using the on-board network right now, but I have tried an external card. I am using an add-on sound blaster because the quality is better, but I have tried using the on-board sound as well.

I DO have onboard sound as well as hyperthreading diabled in the bios. I also have the latest chipset drivers.

I'll try and clear the CMOS and see what happens.

Originally posted by: LiLithTecH
I have a curious question.

Why are you using add-in Network & Audio cards when the motherboard
has these onboard? (i.e. Gigabit LAN and 6 channel Audio)

Do you have the onboard Network & Audio disabled in the BIOS?

Did you install the latest SIS TX chipset drivers?

Does Hyper-Threading happen to be enabled in the BIOS?

With all the swapping of devices you have done you may want to CLEAR the CMOS
if you haven't already done so.

 

[mankey818]

No wireless for me. I have checked my hard drives, and it says they are fine, along with the cable and the interface. Is there a program that will check my cd-rom drives?

Originally posted by: KB
You aren't running wireless are you? Searching for wireless networks can cause these sort of problems. If not, I would be leaning towards a failing hard drive. When windows fails to read from a drive, it willtry to reread from it over and over again. You might try running your hard drive manuafacturers testing utitlity from http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287.