Vista Idle Problem

S

Squakyduck

New Member
Good Morning.

I've been having a problem with my vista where it stops working after about 20-30 minutes of idling.

Everything functions until I bring it out of idle and issue a command (like start playing a song) then everything just hangs. Even the time stops working.

I've been into the power settings and changed it so everything stays on. The hard drive stays working and the monitors keep running, no screen saver or anything.

I've since updated the graphics driver and moved vista over to SP2, also I've done a virus scan. My system restore dates are unable to take me back to a time when i didn't have this problem (about a week ago).

So, to my knowledge, it isn't a hardware problem and It's not a virus, leading me to believe vista has vista'd itself somewhere along the line. Does anyone know how to fix this, or any other steps I should take?

The problem first started when I left it on torrenting overnight.
 

My Computer

System One

Hello Squakyduck,
Open a command prompt as administrator and type sfc/scannow and press enter.
Let it scan, if errors are found you may have to run it more than once.

Download this free app and scan.

Malwarebytes

Give this a try and post your results, good luck.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Self Build
    CPU
    QX9650 (black box) [email protected]
    Motherboard
    Asus P5Q Premium
    Memory
    8GB-4x2GB Corsair Dominator DDR 2-1066
    Graphics card(s)
    2 x ASUS EAH 4870 X 2 (Quad)
    Sound Card
    Supreme FX 2
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Fujitsu Siemens 22inch flat screen
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    150 Gig WD Raptor 300 Gig Maxtor 300 Gig Maxtor, (External)
    PSU
    CoolerMaster 1000
    Case
    CoolerMaster N-Vidia stacker 830
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-U12P x 1x120mm fan, 6x120mm case fans
    Mouse
    Logitech G5
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15
    Internet Speed
    20Mbps
    Other Info
    Audio FX Pro 5+1 gaming head set
Will do, I've ran the sfc before and it replaced a number of files, however the problem continued.

Oh, I should post my specs:

2.4 ghz quad core
3 gigs of DDR2 ram
GTX260
Loads of HDD space
Dual monitors
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

Squakyduck said:
Good Morning.

I've been having a problem with my vista where it stops working after about 20-30 minutes of idling.

Everything functions until I bring it out of idle and issue a command (like start playing a song) then everything just hangs. Even the time stops working.

I've been into the power settings and changed it so everything stays on. The hard drive stays working and the monitors keep running, no screen saver or anything.

I've since updated the graphics driver and moved vista over to SP2, also I've done a virus scan. My system restore dates are unable to take me back to a time when i didn't have this problem (about a week ago).

So, to my knowledge, it isn't a hardware problem and It's not a virus, leading me to believe vista has vista'd itself somewhere along the line. Does anyone know how to fix this, or any other steps I should take?

The problem first started when I left it on torrenting overnight.
Click to expand...

Lets see now, virus symptoms, Stoney thinks it may be Malware and you use torrents. Go with Stoney's suggestion, use malewarebytes. If you still come up negative, try this.
It is an online virus scan from Mcafee: http://home.mcafee.com/Downloads/FreeScan.aspx
 

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
Ok so I was 59 minutes and 14 seconds through the scan when it froze, now it would seem the whole system is freezing when it pleases.

Edit: It just froze for a very long time, I am confident this wasn't the case for the other freezes as I've left them for in excess of 30 minutes.
 

My Computer

System One

I would remove all sticks of ram and try with one at a time.
This will eliminate the ram, which is often the cause of lockups.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Self Build
    CPU
    QX9650 (black box) [email protected]
    Motherboard
    Asus P5Q Premium
    Memory
    8GB-4x2GB Corsair Dominator DDR 2-1066
    Graphics card(s)
    2 x ASUS EAH 4870 X 2 (Quad)
    Sound Card
    Supreme FX 2
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Fujitsu Siemens 22inch flat screen
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    150 Gig WD Raptor 300 Gig Maxtor 300 Gig Maxtor, (External)
    PSU
    CoolerMaster 1000
    Case
    CoolerMaster N-Vidia stacker 830
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-U12P x 1x120mm fan, 6x120mm case fans
    Mouse
    Logitech G5
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15
    Internet Speed
    20Mbps
    Other Info
    Audio FX Pro 5+1 gaming head set
I have 2 sticks of 2gig ram. Are you suggesting I take one stick out and run the PC again, then do the same with the other?

Is there anything I have to do before/after I take the sticks out?
 

My Computer

System One

Ok I just scanned all of the C drive, 0 infections were found, It'll take a long long time to scan the other two, as there's loads of files. But I think it's fair to assume the problem isn't a virus.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

Boot the computer and describe the beeps, if any. Long, short, 3, 1 long one short, etc.
 

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
Yes just turn off and turn on. One beep may be ok, more than one no good.If you have beeps I will look up for your computer model.
 

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
Thats great news. Means no problem with your hardware it is a software problem. We will try to correct that.

Go to search and type memory diagnostics and take that test.
 

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
Lets see if it is memory take the memory test. Memory diagnostics, type that in search.
 

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
I know that you are getting concerned, but actually everything so far is good news. Your memory is ok, not a hardware problem. Lets check for overheating. This often causes freezes etc.

CPUID

If that is ok

go to search type cmd (do not hit enter) right click run as administrator.Then type sfc /scannow.

If we do not find the solution run the memory test over night. It take seveal hours for an accurate test.
 

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
That memory test should be run for sevral hours. Not just 15 minutes. Most do it over night.

Take the temp after it is idle for a while, so you can see if that is the cause of the shutdown.
 

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
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