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General discussion

My computer freeze when copying large files or ...

Apr 25, 2004 7:44AM PDT

My computer freezes ... when encoding videos, scan for viruses or copying large files or sometime (Rarely) when doing nothing

I have pc on win xp home with:
- CPU Type Intel Pentium 4A, 2000 MHz (5 x 400)
- Motherboard Chipset SiS 645DX
System Memory 512 MB (PC133 SDRAM)
Video Adapter NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 4000 (64 MB)

Partitions:
C: (NTFS) 39205 MB (20240 MB free)
E: (FAT32) 29118 MB (12836 MB free)
F: (FAT32) 78878 MB (8891 MB free)
G: (FAT32) 9212 MB (6729 MB free)


I tired to :
-update the bios
-defrag all hd

-format hd and reinstall windows ( I had a problem with setup windows - the computer hang so I tired a lot of thing and a friend told me to unplug the IDEs (DVD rw and the 2nd hard drive) and it works)

-unplug the second hard disk
-update drivers for video cards and others
but the problem is still there

Please help

Discussion is locked

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Power and cooling?
Apr 25, 2004 8:08AM PDT

I have a similar machine with just one hard disk, but both CDRW and DVD. The DVD recorder is out on USB 2.0 in it's own case. The power is from a 550Watt PSU and the side cover has a huge hole in it for better airflow.

My bet is either heat or power.

You can't do much about the power issue for testing, but try pulling the case cover and pointing a fan at it to see if that helps.

Bob

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Re:Power and cooling?
Apr 25, 2004 8:31AM PDT

I tried the fan thing but it still freezeing.
I get this from Aida32

Sensor Properties:
Sensor Type ITE IT8705F
Sensor Access ISA 290h

Temperatures:
Motherboard 28

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How much power?
Apr 25, 2004 10:16AM PDT

The Watts is usually noted on the sticky on the power supply. While I oversize my supplies since I know that doing so extends the life of the machine and keeps it cooler, others won't do this. My "guess" is you'll want to see a 450 Watt rating.

I also read "issues" in your posting.

1. You "tried" to update the BIOS.

This is a common mistake. Please update the BIOS to be sure about that. AFTER you determine that the power supply is sized properly.

Light reading about selecting a power supply size and another article about why you go past that size.

-> http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/20040122/
-> http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/02q4/021021/

2. You may not know that Microsoft won't install the MOTHERBOARD DRIVERS for you. While you note the SIS chipset, I don't know what drivers you need. Some of the motherboard drivers and USB issues are noted at http://www.usbman.com

3. IDE CABLES.

Some try to get by with the old 40 conductor cables on the hard disks. This is a bad idea and a post like yours can result. Only 80 conductore cables please. Not expensive. Don't know about this? Please research it on http://www.google.com

Bob

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z8nomad, Which Antivirus Program and Have You Tried Closing It..
Apr 25, 2004 10:59AM PDT

..during the graphics work??. Frequently, AV programs such as McAfee and Norton will cause major problems when dealing with extremely large files such as the ones you're dealing with. With McAfee, you should be able to access the icon in the Control Panel, then shut it down.

See if this helps.

Grif