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Intermittent Windows XP freeze at startup.

  • 02-04-2009 5:16pm
    #1
    cork-spotters
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 25 ✭


    Intermittent Windows freeze at startup.

    I'm having an intermittent problem with windows for the last year and a half. I have an Alienware desktop. These are my specs:
    Intel D975XBX motherboard
    Intel E6600 2.4GHz processor
    2x Samsung 250 GB HDD in RAID0
    ATI Radeon X1950XTX 512MB
    2GB Crucial Ram
    Some oddball PSU that shipped with it (can't remember what make)
    Windows XP Pro SP3

    Approximately a year after I got the computer I started having the first problem. When I press the start button, the computer comes on. However the monitor stays on standby. (I've used two different monitors, both showing the same problem). Then I need to shut down the comp by holding in the Alien's head for 5 seconds.
    I then start it again and the same thing might happen.

    Usually the third time I start it, it works. Firstly the screen comes alive, and then the comp gives a "chi-chick" sound which I presume is the floppy drive being checked during the boot sequence. However during the times when the sreen stays on standby during startup, the distinctive click of what I think is the floppy drive is missing. The plot thickens.

    But quite often, when it does actually load up, when it gets to the login screen for XP, the display is corrupted. The bottom portion of it is tilted at an angle, with the are below the tilt being white, and the bottom portion of the screen being a sort of green, as opposed to the normal blue colour at the top of the screen.
    Then I restart it again and 99% of the time it boots up perfectly this time.
    This problem is always present.
    To try and solve the problem I updated graphics drivers, and BIOS etc numerous times, but alas, to no avail.

    Then Christmas 2007 Windows XP corrupted and I lost everything (*slaps wrist* should have made backups). I had to reformat. This stopped the problem of the screen not being recognised for about 2 days. Then it started again.

    All continued on as before with the recurring startup problem until last Christmas (2008). After starting the comp, windows loaded, but before it got to the login screen, windows froze on the default Windows blue screen with the windows XP logo in the middle. It would not go beyond this. I eventually restored Windows by repairing it using the XP SP2 CD, but after backing everything up I had to reformat the computer as everything was extremely messed. Windows took ages to shut down, loads of programmes were corrupted and the registry was a complete mess (probably a conflict between restoring XP SP3 with an XP SP2 CD).

    All was grand again until last week when I had a repeat of what happened three months ago. The only difference between this time and last is that Windows did a system check (the 5-step check) at startup, but this check hung. I had to force shut-down and restart, but it would not load as far as the login screen. Another system restore has brought me to where I am today. I will need to reformat again.

    Except this time I am determined to get to the root of the problem. I have suspicions that it's the graphics card that is causing the issue. So yesterday I swapped it out for an ATI X300SE (or something to that effect, can't remember). The problem has, as of yet, not manifested itself. XP boots up straight away each time. The other thing that is raising my suspicions is the motherboard because it could have some sort of problem with the boot sequence which could explain the screen on standby, the floppy drive not getting checked and possibly even the XP freeze problem.

    The problem of XP freezing is hard to pinpoint as it has only shown up three times in a year and a bit.

    Is it possible something else obvious is causing my troubles?
    Would a faulty graphics card be enough to cause all of the above?
    Is there a way I can do a test of all hardware on the system to analyse it for faults?

    Thanks in advance for the help. Apologies for the long post, but want to be as accurate as possible so anyone viewing has a good idea of the problem.


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