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I am using Windows XP operating system with 128 MB RAM and Celeron P4 processor. My system works fine for an hour and then hangs suddenly. I am forced to restart it. I have reinstalled the operating system and changed the RAM too, but the problem persists. Please suggest a solution.

Amaresh Angadi

There can be many reasons for the computer hanging after working for some time. It can be due to a faulty RAM, virus infection, defective SMPS, etc.

Some types of faults in the RAM are not detected at the time of booting. The computer hangs only when that area of RAM is used for running the applications. Such faults can be detected by running the memory diagnostics. One such memory testing utility is mtinst.exe 639 KB from the URL http://oca.microsoft.com/en/mtinst.exe. One more tool is the memtest86 (Size 50 KB), which can be downloaded from the URL, http://www.snapfiles.com/reviews/Memtest86/memtest86.html

The recommended memory for Windows XP OS is 128 MB or higher. If you are using memory-hungry applications, you will have to increase the RAM. Some applications hang if the virtual memory is low.

You can increase virtual memory by following this procedure. Please right-click ‘My Computer’ and click ‘Properties’. In the ‘System Properties’ window, go to the ‘Advanced’ tab. Click the ‘Settings’ button in the performance box. In the ‘Performance Options’ window, click the ‘Advanced’ tab. Click the change button to change the virtual memory. It is recommended to set the virtual memory size to double the size of physical RAM installed.

Please make sure your operating system (OS) is patched and updated with the latest windows updates and that the anti-virus software has the latest virus definitions loaded. The computer may hang due to virus attack.

The SMPS may not be able to supply power to the computer for a prolonged duration. In this case, try changing the SMPS.

You can investigate the reason for the computer hanging by looking up the Event Viewer logs. These logs can be opened from Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Event Viewer.

In the event viewer, please look up the Application Log for any application-related messages and System Log for system-related messages.

If you plan to reinstall the OS, back up the necessary data and format the OS partition fully and install the OS. At times, reinstalling the OS without formatting may not solve the problem. It is always advisable to do a full format of the OS partition.

Boot the computer in safe mode and check if it is stable for a prolonged duration in safe mode.

If the computer hangs in safe mode too, there are possibilities of memory fault or an SMPS problem. If the computer is stable in safe mode, then the problem could be in any one of the drivers. In safe mode, the computer boots with the windows default drivers.

Solution by P. Natarajan

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