Vista just locks up - Help

hemi68charger

hemi68charger

Member
Hello All..
I'm new to the board, so please ignore my apparent lack of hardware/system knowledge.
Computer: HP Media Center PC
OS: Vista x64 Home Premium Edition

As of recent, my Desktop PC just locks up. What I mean by that is after a random number of minutes of inactivity, the screen will be blank and any/all my lights on the keyboard will be off. I have tried pushing down on keys or moving the mouse as if the machine was "asleep", but to no avail. I have to hold the on/off button for the typical 5 seconds to turn off the CPU.

Any forward guidance on troubleshooting or maintenance would be greatly appreciated and please be patient with me..

Now, if you have any questions on classic Mopars/Dodges, I'm your man.. :D
 

My Computer

System One

Welcome
We will find the cause. Start with a complete antivirus scan
Download and make a fulls scan with malwarebytes.
If both are negative try a clean boot to diagnose.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

If none of these options help, try in safe mode. If safe mode still has the problem a good bet would be a hardware problem and we can go from there
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
Troy
Even with my ideas, its hit and miss. We have to experiment. Try anything else that you can think of.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
Rich..
malwarebytes didn't turn up anything.. Zero defects.. I'm going to attempt and follow the procedures outlined in the safe boot link you mentioned..

Troy
 

My Computer

System One

Rich,
I did all on the reboots except, I wasn't quite sure about the:
Click to select half of the check boxes in the Service list. In step 2.

Either way, it mentions of the problems still persists... The shutdown is a random thing from my observation. Is there a way to confirm all peripherals are working properly? i.e keyboard, mouse, etc...

Cheers,
Troy
 

My Computer

System One

Rich,
I put the PC into the sleep mode last night before I went to bed and sure enough, when I woke up this morning to, the PC's keyboard and mouse were inoperable, yet the on/off button was still on....... :sa:
 

My Computer

System One

Rich..
What is the power save mode? I'll google it, but you may be able to explain it better. Why is having my computer, if it is, enabled in the "power save mode" bad?

Thanks again for your feedback..

Troy
 

My Computer

System One

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