Windows freezes

Right-click an open space on yer desktop; Point to properties; Click the screen saver tab; Click the lower Settings button; Use the drop-down arrow to choose Never by Standby or Sleep-mode, 15 minutes below Monitor, 30 minutes by hard drive; Click Apply; Click Ok.

This one troubleshooting step. Savvy's suggestion is a good one. The below just expands on it:

First clean out your Startup folder - Start; Programs; Startup. Right click each item in turn there and choose delete. I have only 'swtray' there, the joystick driver, and it has to be there. On most machines you don't want anything in that folder.

Check your available resources by right-clicking My Computer; clicking Properties; Click the Performance tab. Resources available are displayed as percent there at top. Check it when you get done running the System Configuration Utility mentioned below.

Clicking Start; Run; typing 'msconfig', without the quoatation marks, in the Run box and clicking OK; Then clicking the Startup tab; Uncheck anything you don't need running in the background. For reference on what's not needed running in the background in the System Configuration Utility, view this website first and print out the list:

http://www2.whidbey.net/djdenham/Running_items.htm

***

Get free Zone Alarm personal firewall anti-hacker countermeasure from http://www.zonelabs.com. (not the demo) Don't let anything out to the Internet you don't know what it is.

Update your antivirus, temporarily disable your screen saver and scan with your anti-virus set to scan All Files. Update and scan bi-monthly. Create your anti-virus' Rescue disk(s) and update them after each Windows anti-virus update.

You can scan on-line to double-check your Windows scanner at http://housecall.antivirus.com

yep, lavasoft is not working. i'll try the 'de' one. thanks.

I have just run msconfig

I disabled 'scan registry' and also 'Ensoniq Mixer.' So basically I tried to start the machine using the following:-

sytem tray,
tweak ui,
tweak ui (for network logon I think) and my PC used to freeze before I installed tweakui.

Strange thing is that even though I disabled 'EnsoniqMixer' it becomes activated again at startup. I tried to disable it twice and it keeps coming back on.

I will go to lavasoft.de now.

here are the results for msinfo32:-

EnsoniqMixer starter.exe All Users HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
SystemTray systray.exe All Users HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Tweak UI rundll32.exe tweakui.cpl,tweakmeup All Users HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Tweak UI rundll32.exe tweakui.cpl,tweaklogon All Users HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices

Here is the result of ad-aware5:-

excuse the references of the 'sextracker' stuff. I dont know where thy came from !!! Must be my dirty freind. What are they please:-

Shall i delete them ?

Scan initialized on 19/12/2001 20:20:34.
(AAW release 5.62, referencefile 087-22.09.2001)
=================================================

Started memory scan
====================
Running processes:

#:1 Name: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\KERNEL32.DLL
----------------------------
Threads:4
ProcID:4279174085
ParentProcID:2123309621
BasePriority:High

#:2 Name: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSGSRV32.EXE
----------------------------
Threads:1
ProcID:4294919525
ParentProcID:4279174085
BasePriority:Normal

#:3 Name: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\mmtask.tsk
----------------------------
Threads:1
ProcID:4294960421
ParentProcID:4294919525
BasePriority:Normal

#:4 Name: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MPREXE.EXE
----------------------------
Threads:2
ProcID:4294962913
ParentProcID:4294919525
BasePriority:Normal

#:5 Name: C:\WINDOWS\EXPLORER.EXE
----------------------------
Threads:16
ProcID:4294850537
ParentProcID:4294919525
BasePriority:Normal

#:6 Name: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SYSTRAY.EXE
----------------------------
Threads:2
ProcID:4294877073
ParentProcID:4294850537
BasePriority:Normal

#:7 Name: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\WMIEXE.EXE
----------------------------
Threads:3
ProcID:4294773837
ParentProcID:4294877073
BasePriority:Normal

#:8 Name: C:\PROGRAM FILES\INTERNET EXPLORER\IEXPLORE.EXE
----------------------------
Threads:11
ProcID:4294954369
ParentProcID:4294850537
BasePriority:Normal

#:9 Name: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\RNAAPP.EXE
----------------------------
Threads:3
ProcID:4294832017
ParentProcID:4294954369
BasePriority:Normal

#:10 Name: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\TAPISRV.EXE
----------------------------
Threads:6
ProcID:4294822445
ParentProcID:4294832017
BasePriority:Normal

#:11 Name: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\DDHELP.EXE
----------------------------
Threads:5
ProcID:4294770569
ParentProcID:4294954369
BasePriority:Realtime

#:12 Name: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\STIMON.EXE
----------------------------
Threads:5
ProcID:4294765829
ParentProcID:4294954369
BasePriority:Normal

#:13 Name: C:\PROGRAM FILES\LAVASOFT AD-AWARE\AD-AWARE.EXE
----------------------------
Threads:1
ProcID:4294879821
ParentProcID:4294850537
BasePriority:Normal

Memory scan result:
Total modules found:13
Suspicious modules found:0

Started registry scan
======================

Started extended registry scan
===============================

Registry scan result:
Suspicious keys found :0

Started folder scan
====================
Now processing drive (C), 1 remaining.
Finished processing Drive(C), 476 folders total.

Now processing drive (D), 0 remaining.
Finished processing Drive(D), 516 folders total.

Folder scan result:
Folders processed:992
Suspicious folders found:0

Started file scan
==================
Doubleclick file:C:\WINDOWS\Cookies\[email protected][1].txt
Doubleclick file:C:\WINDOWS\Cookies\[email protected][1].txt
Other file:C:\WINDOWS\Cookies\[email protected][1].txt
Other file:C:\WINDOWS\Cookies\[email protected][2].txt
Other file:C:\WINDOWS\Cookies\[email protected][2].txt
Other file:C:\WINDOWS\Cookies\[email protected][2].txt
Other file:C:\WINDOWS\Cookies\[email protected][1].txt
Other file:C:\WINDOWS\Cookies\[email protected][2].txt
Other file:C:\WINDOWS\Cookies\[email protected][1].txt
Other file:C:\WINDOWS\Cookies\[email protected][1].txt
Other file:C:\WINDOWS\Cookies\[email protected][2].txt
Other file:C:\WINDOWS\Cookies\[email protected][1].txt
Other file:C:\WINDOWS\Cookies\[email protected][1].txt
Other file:C:\WINDOWS\Cookies\[email protected][1].txt
Other file:C:\WINDOWS\Cookies\[email protected][2].txt
Other file:C:\WINDOWS\Cookies\[email protected][1].txt

File scan result:
Suspicious files found:16

Scanning finished
==================
Suspicious modules found:0
Suspicious keys found :0
Suspicious folders found:0
Suspicious files found:16
==========================
Spyware components ignored:0
Total spyware components found:16

Hello All,

After following these instructions, unfortunately my windows ME is still freezing:-

I have:-

Scanned my harddisks: no viruses found

Edited MSconfig: only systray and scan registry are activated at startup

Went to pitstop.com: nothing major was reported

All power managment options are disabled.

Ad-aware: to clear spyware

I have increased my ram from 128 to 256 now.

I did notice that usually my system will freeze just at start up. This happens if I switch my PC on and leave it for about five minutes, come back and it has frozen. If I dont leave it inactive, the PC seems to work OK.

The other day I was playing some MP3 files. My pc will sometimes freeze while MP3 files are being played. Strangely enough, this was when my phone rang. Could the phone ring be sending some type of impulse to the modem, causing the system to freeze.

All my saving mangament is disabled.

I went to PCpitstop.com and carried out a complete scan of my system. The main thing that was reported was the access speed to and from my c:\ drive. My system is fast, its a 1.2 ghz AMD athlon, FIC motherboard, 256 DDR ram. The hard drive is from my old PC and is a 2.5 gig Fujitsu. Could this access be a problem ? Is there anyway I can find this out.

Thanks for the help, please help...