Windows 7 Home Premium freezing up

[Mark_Chevalier]

This is really getting annoying. My system is locking up at random and the only way to get it to come back is to completely reboot my system. Both Dell and Microsoft don't seem to have any other answer other than to do a clean install...which I did and guess what...still happening!

I never had this problem with XP Pro. If Microsoft can't do better than this...the first chance I get I'm ripping the OS off my laptop. Enough is enough!

Config:

Dell Studio 1747
I7 Quad Core 1.60 GHz
8 GB ram
64 bit Operating system
ATI Mobility 4650 with 1 GB


HELP!

 

[Nibiru2012]

It may be with the way your notebook's hardware is configured.

I'm not sure about that though. I assume you bought this notebook with Windows 7 already installed?

If so, did you use the install disk provided by Dell?

You may have had a bad disk and Dell may have done a bad install.

I am NOT a Dell fan by any stretch, I feel most of their stuff is sub-par. Tech support is worthless.

If it were me I would send it back to Dell, get my money back and buy a good notebook computer such as a Toshiba, Acer, Asus or Sony.

I wish you all the best on this and hope it gets resolved to your satisfaction. There are many members here who may have some insight that perhaps I don't have regarding this issue.

Keep us posted on what happens!

Oh by the way... Welcome to the Windows 7 Forums website Mark_Chevalier! :ciao:

P.S.
I really don't think this is a Windows 7 fault, unless Dell didn't configure the install right. There are tens of thousands of notebooks out there running Windows 7 with no issues at all, even Dells.

 

[TorrentG]

It's not the OS doing this. It's a third party software, such as antivirus.
You should uninstall your current antivirus with the special utility found here, then install MSE as a replacement.

AV Uninstallers - Windows 7 Forums

Other than that, you can look in the event manager for possible clues.

Does it lock up in safe mode?

 

[Core]

This is really getting annoying. My system is locking up at random and the only way to get it to come back is to completely reboot my system. Both Dell and Microsoft don't seem to have any other answer other than to do a clean install...which I did and guess what...still happening!

I never had this problem with XP Pro. If Microsoft can't do better than this...the first chance I get I'm ripping the OS off my laptop. Enough is enough!

Config:

Dell Studio 1747
I7 Quad Core 1.60 GHz
8 GB ram
64 bit Operating system
ATI Mobility 4650 with 1 GB


HELP!

Did you run XP Pro on this particular notebook?

 

[Nibiru2012]

It's not the OS doing this. It's a third party software, such as antivirus.
You should uninstall your current antivirus with the special utility found here, then install MSE as a replacement.

AV Uninstallers - Windows 7 Forums

Other than that, you can look in the event manager for possible clues.

Does it lock up in safe mode?

TorrentG's suggestion may be spot on! If Symantec / Norton is on there, that could be your problem. I have even heard that McAfee is causing issues too.

 

[yodap]

I agree with TorrentG and Nibs. Get rid of whatever AV Dell pushed on you. Use the removal tools in the link provided by TorrentG. (important because those tools do a great job of removing everything those bloated programs put on.)

Also download Decrapifier and unstall whatever else you don't use.

And thirdly, down load a good uninstaller and finish the job.

Welcome!

http://laptoplogic.com/resources/38-pre-installed-programs-you-should-remove-from-your-new-laptop

 

[Fire cat]

Revo Uninstaller Pro is very nice.

http://www.revouninstaller.com/revo_uninstaller_free_download.html

 

[Windows7Guy]

Hello Mark,

You can place spybot and free AVG on a USB drive, additionally, you can run a complete scan with NAV (Norton Anti-Virus) Boot Disk: This will check everything BEFORE booting to windows.
You will need a reliable source computer to work from since your main computer seems to be comprimised.
Article forAVG and instructions found here:
http://www.computing.net/answers/security/avg-antivirus/17758.html

Hopefully, that will help out!

John M
Microsoft Windows Client Team

 

[Fire cat]

You may want to check the threads available there for additional assitance and support.

This forum ain't good enough, he?

By the way, it's easier to put spybot and other softwares on a DVD. USB can become very fiddly... Ultimate Boot CD is very nice and powerful, plus, as the name indicates, it can be put on a CD, not only DVD.

All of these are preinstalled enviroments...

 

[yodap]

This forum ain't good enough, he?

By the way, it's easier to put spybot and other softwares on a DVD. USB can become very fiddly... Ultimate Boot CD is very nice and powerful, plus, as the name indicates, it can be put on a CD, not only DVD.

All of these are preinstalled enviroments...

I sense the claws coming out FC.

 

[TrainableMan]

Just curious, when you say freezing up, is this as you are using it, or could you be referring to sleep mode, where you are away for a while and when you come back you can't wake the computer up?

The antivirus suggestions above would be directed at the system freezing, lagging, while you are actually using it. If it is sleep mode then please let us know as that would be a different solution.

 

[TorrentG]

Hello Mark,

You can place spybot and free AVG on a USB drive,

Worst advice I've ever seen on this forum. AVG and doing anything at all with it besides letting it be on its server without ever downloading it in the first place is the only recommendation here. Again, just being honest and we're not trying to cause the OP further problems then he already has.

Norton is almost as bad.

It's funny how I have no affiliation with Microsoft and really don't care what kind of profits they make or not, but I recommend MSE (free of course) and you don't seem to do that, being an MS rep and all. Hrrrm.

 

[Nibiru2012]

@TM - Your suggestion about the OP expanding his post about what specifically is happening would be a help!

@TorerntG - Great comment! It is peculiar he didn't recommend MSE?! Of course any of us here could change our sigs and such to say we worked for MS too! Hmmm...???

 

[Mark_Chevalier]

My thanks to everyone who answered this thread, helpful or not.

The problem does not occur in sleep mode or when locked and brought back. It did occur when coming out of screen-saver mode, but I disabled it to start with. It now occurs primarily when I'm using IExplorer 8, or oddly enough, opening My Documents.

This morning at about 8 am I removed Silverlight after two freezes. It is the most recent thing that was downloaded when the issue started, and I noticed an update for 64 bit Java, and Flash. And yes, when I initially took it out of the box it wasn't freezing. Back then it was the ATI driver crashing my video/system. So I think it's possible that the problem is still video related. A new CC got that going again.

I'm going out on a limb here thinking there might be some executables in the registry causing the freeze, or, Silverlight, Java and Flash can't get along on Windows 7 64. So until they can coexist, they shalt not be together on my system.

So far...2:06 pm, no freezes...keeping fingers crossed.

Dissapointed though because now I can't use Windows Media Center...I liked the Twilight Zone black and white episodes...

 

[TrainableMan]

You may still have old device drivers out there.

I recommend you try this:
In Start Menu\Accessories run Command Prompt (this should have administrator priviledges)
type "set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1" (w/o quotes)
then type "devmgmt.msc"
this will bring up device manager
Click View and select Show hidden devices
You can go down all the mice, keyboards, graphics cards etc and any that are ghosted (lighter) are ones not attached, you can right-click on each of them and choose uninstall
(note: some of these will be because you plug your usb devices in a different location etc but if not in use they can be removed)

This may not solve your problem but it can't hurt to try.

 

[catilley1092]

I find it very peculiar too that a MS employee would recommend AVG (of all solutions). If he wasn't going to recommend his company's product (MSE) which I depend on for my security needs for my XP & up installs, at least go with Malwarebytes, which does a far better job (than AVG or Spybot). AVG isn't worth the web page that it's advertised on. My mother-in-law's computer (or rather her OS) was reduced almost to rubbish due to this product. It took two sweeps with MSE and one with Malwarebytes to clean the crap that AVG left behind.

Mabye I should come out of disability and apply for a job with MS, at least I know how to push my own employer's products.

Cat