System freeze

[BDR]

Hi folks-
I have a new Gateway LX6810 and running Vista 64 and connecting wirelessly via Linksys G(wmp54g) network card to Linksys G(wrt54g2) router. It seems once online (at first nearly always, now every couple days) AND once I deviate from my homepage, the initial page will load and then I'll get total lock-up. So, let's say i go to espn.com, that page will load and then without warning or error message, it'll just freeze. I cannot enter task manager to kill it or anything. The keyboard, mouse, all keys are rendered useless. I have to turn off the computer at the power strip and start over. I've tested the memory (just fine), countless router/wireless troubleshooting (all signs seem fine). I took every precaution to load the Kaspersky antivirus before going online (hopefully averting viruses) in the beginning. I've chatted online with support only to have them say it could be a system restore, it's probably a virus. If it was the wireless network, wouldn't it just drop me, not freeze? I'm lost, people. Oh, and I've checked problem reports and see this:

Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: regsvr32.exe
Application Version: 6.0.6000.16386
Application Timestamp: 4549b3c7
Fault Module Name: StackHash_1703
Fault Module Version: 0.0.0.0
Fault Module Timestamp: 00000000
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 009ba8ed
OS Version: 6.0.6001.2.1.0.768.3
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: 1703
Additional Information 2: 2264db07e74365624c50317d7b856ae9
Additional Information 3: 1344
Additional Information 4: 875fa2ef9d2bdca96466e8af55d1ae6e

AND THIS:
​

Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: regsvr32.exe
Application Version: 6.0.6000.16386
Application Timestamp: 4549b3c7
Fault Module Name: StackHash_1703
Fault Module Version: 0.0.0.0
Fault Module Timestamp: 00000000
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 002aa8ed
OS Version: 6.0.6001.2.1.0.768.3
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: 1703
Additional Information 2: 2264db07e74365624c50317d7b856ae9
Additional Information 3: 1344
Additional Information 4: 875fa2ef9d2bdca96466e8af55d1ae6e

Well, I certainly appreciate any insight. Forgive me for any pertinent omissions. Thank you very much.

Brad

 

[H2SO4]

Total system lockups of the sort where the mouse and keyboard are completely unresponsive come down to one of two causes: a bad driver or broken hardware. I suspect the former in your case, given that it always seems to occur in a very specific place - when you navigate away from your homepage. Bad hardware would generally be more likely to manifest itself in a range of symptoms, including multiple different crashes and unreproducible badness. That's not always the case though; your problem may still be borked hardware.

The OS prioritises everything it does internally with a priority scale called the "interrupt request level" (IRQL). A USB keyboard and mouse may operate at IRQL=2, while your NIC and NIC driver (just as an example), may be assigned say IRQL=17. While the NIC is doing stuff, the mouse and keyboard and everything else lower in priority than the NIC will just have to wait. A common cause of lockups is when a driver goes ga-ga at high IRQL and thus effectively cuts off the mouse and keyboard, and almost everything else. That can happen because of bugs in the driver, or because of hardware-level problems with the device which it represents.

If you're currently using a USB keyboard but you've got access to one with a PS/2 connector, try using the PS/2 keyboard for a while. It will do its thing at a much higher IRQL and perhaps give you more control of the machine the next time the problem occurs. That's not a fix, just something to try for a bit of a laugh

More usefully, try booting to [safe mode + net] and testing to see whether the same issue happens there. If not, you have (almost) proof positive of a software problem.

Unless the regsvr32.exe crashes always seem to accompany every instance of a lockup, they're unlikely to be related. My gut feeling is that your lockups have nothing to do with regsvr32.

 

[BDR]

Thanks for your reponse! How do I track down a bad driver? I'll try the safe-mode deal too, see if I get the same response. Also, if it's a software issue, what do I do, am I pretty much at the factory restore point? Thanks very much for your help.

 

[H2SO4]

Try safe mode and a PS/2 keyboard, if you've got one, before making too many plans. The most immediate concern is to try to work out whether it's hardware or software, and those steps may help in that respect.