i even cleaned this stupid machine out... im running amdk/6 300 mhz... 160 mb pc100 ram.. dunno about mother board... everything is just factory acer aspire... i was thinking it was the heat or dust but everything is as cool and as clean as can be in there (just blew it out with the air spray stuff).... the computer locks up in the middle of typing email, message board posts... screen saver ANYTHING! and usually at the worst time too... locks up to the point where i can do anything.. (keyboard, mouse, monitor ZILCH!) so... where should i look to next? im beginning to get "stuck" with this problem... thanks

jjoel

It could be a lot of things. Are you running windoze 98? While it is working, what does the task manager have in it? Does "ctl+alt+del" work when it freezes? If so, what does task manager have in it then? Do you get the Blue Screen of Death? If so, what does it say?

You might also look into msconfig and see what processes are starting up with the computer that you may not be aware of. Uncheck all the unnecessary processes and see if the problem persists. If the problem goes away, try adding them back one at a time to see which one is causing the problem.

So this locking up stuff just started, right? Did you install any new software or hardware just before the problem began? When you had the case open, did you power up and see if all the fans were spinning properly?
And I know this is difficult because I usually panic when I get a BSOD, but it really would be helpful if we knew what the error message said.

What jim_roberts said above can improve performance..removing stuff from msconfig (page on that..at Whidbey.net (http://www2.whidbey.net/djdenham/Running_items.htm)), but doubt if that is current problem if you've been running along with whatever is in msconfig for awhile.

Please check in Device Manager and see if there is a yellow warning symbol posted with any of the hardware listed there.

Have you downloaded/installed anything new lately that would cause a driver conflict problem?


Luck.

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....How long is a minute... depends on which side of the Bathroom door you're on. ......
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[This message has been edited by ranchdog (edited 04-02-2002).]

no BSOD.. it just locks up to the point where nothing NOTHING responds.. that include alt,ctrl,del... right now its been running fine.. (i had it turned off all last night) lemme wait a couple of dayz and if it runs fine then it might've been a heating cooling thing afterall. im starting to think my power supply is beginning to fail... who knows... anyawyz... thanks for the imput.