Freezing

I wondering if there is a way to diagnose constant freezing and whether it's software or a hardware issue?

Windows 10 Professional (x64) Version 2009 (build 19042.867)
Install Language: English (United States)
System Locale: English (United States)
Installed: 7/19/2020 5:55:56 PM
Servicing Branch: Current Branch for Business (CBB)
Boot Mode: UEFI (Secure Boot likely not supported by this UEFI)

Processer

3.50 gigahertz AMD FX -6300 Six-Core
288 kilobyte primary memory cache
6144 kilobyte secondary memory cache
8192 kilobyte tertiary memory cache
64-bit ready
Multi-core (3 total)
Hyper-threaded (6 total)

Drives

4999.64 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
3480.32 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

ASUS DRW-24F1ST c SATA CdRom Device [Optical drive]

Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB [Hard drive] (1000.20 GB) -- drive 1, s/n S3Z8NB0KC79786W, rev RVT02B6Q, SMART Status: Healthy
ST2000DM001-1ER164 [Hard drive] (2000.40 GB) -- drive 0, s/n Z4Z16M8C, rev CC25, SMART Status: Healthy
WD My Book 1110 USB Device [Hard drive] (999.49 GB) -- drive 3, s/n WCAV55565856
WDC WD1002FAEX-00Z3A0 [Hard drive] (1000.20 GB) -- drive 2, s/n WD-WCATR3020230, rev 05.01D05, SMART Status: Healthy

Memory

16286 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory

Slot 'DIMM0' is Empty
Slot 'DIMM1' has 8192 MB
Slot 'DIMM2' is Empty
Slot 'DIMM3' has 8192 MB


Display

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti [Display adapter]
Acer G276HL [Monitor] (27.2"vis, s/n ETLW9AA0065150882E8554, April 2015)

 

Not enough information.

What does constant freezing mean? Does it lock up as soon as you boot? After a couple hours of use? At idle?

Did the computer ever work? Any recent changes?

 

I was having pretty much the same issue since late 2019 with freezing. I was using Win 7 at the time, so I installed win 10. Still having the same issue. I get occassional hang booting. When I restart, it will boot properly. It will usually freeze after an hour of use and will see the buffer wheel. My wife notices it more when she is working from home. Not sure if this is related, but I also get a pop up message saying your internet has been restored.

 

I'm still confused here.

It sounds like to me you are now saying it is your Internet connection that is freezing but the computer is still working fine. Is that what you mean?

How does this computer connect to the Internet? Ethernet (wired)? Wireless? Do other computers stay connected?

 

The freezing causes the entire pc to freeze. There is the buffering wheel, the mouse pointer won't move, etc...everything freezes. The PC would be restarted and the freezing would start again. As for the internet restored pop up (that freq. happens); I'm not able to find the source (which program) of the pop up window. Not sure if it's from my AV (has a similar interface) or if it's another program.
The internet is hardwired to the pc from the modem. I had my provider come in 2 weekes ago to check bc other devices (wireless) were losing signal. The tech said recommended using either the 5G or 2.4 for the devices. There doesn't seem to be an issue with the hardwired connection, however I keep getting that pop up on the PC. I've ran speed tests and it seems fine. So I don't know if this is a connection issue or something else.

 

Is there any other freeze where an entire pc does not freeze? I've not heard of any.

 

Yeah, I didn't word that correctly lol.

 

Sure there are. It is not uncommon for an individual program to lock up or freeze and you have to kill it ("End task") through Task Manager. In fact, that may be most common with browsers.

Not sure what this means. Did he mean 5G cellular service? Or 5GHz wifi service?

Note that many, if not most newer wireless networks support both the 5GHz and 2.4GHz wifi bands. But 5G is what all the cell phone carriers are now pushing. Totally different services.

5GHz wifi if better and faster for your wireless devices that are in close proximity (like same room) to your WAP (wireless access point - typically integrated with router). But 5GHz is very limited by distance and barriers (walls, floors, ceilings), and the construction and contents (wallboard or brick, metal pipes, wires, etc.) of the barriers. So for distant devices, 2.4GHz is usually better. However, the 2.4GHz band is typically the most crowded too - especially in crowded wifi neighborhoods, like large apartment complexes. So it is some times necessary change the channel in your router.

That said, in those scenarios, you typically just lose your network connection. The computer does not lock up or freeze. So you might want to try disabling hardware acceleration and see what happens.

 

Sorry, I meant 5GHz. You're right..that's exactly what the technician mentioned when he explained the wifi. I have hardware acceleration turned off in Chrome and I don't see the troubleshoot option for disabling hardware acceleration in Win 10 after opening "Display adapter properties for display 1." I also tried a ping test yesterday and there were no drops. Should I be looking at a potential hardware or software issue?

 

Hard to tell at this point. But I will also say this. You said you connect via Ethernet. Ethernet cables are extremely critical, but fragile network devices. They cannot take much abuse from pulls, yanks and trip-overs. Factory made cables often are poorly/cheaply made - this is why I always make and test my own before using. So I recommend you try a different cable.

Also, ports can go bad too. So when swapping cables, you might try a different port on the back of your router.

 

Good to know. All ethernet cables had been swapped out and changed in the past 3mths by the tech (had them here 2x). I also tried changing ports on the wifi modem as well. I found the pop up that I receive ...https://www.tenforums.com/browsers-email/168960-whats-internet-popup-windows-10-edge-facebook.html

 

And what did the tech say?

 

He wasn't sure about the pop up. He couldn't find any issue with the internet connection from the modem to the pc, only the wifi dropping, which seems to be fixed now.

 

Well, if still freezing, it could be any number of things from heat, to a failing power supply, to failing RAM, or even the motherboard. I would make sure Windows is current too.

As for heat, you need to make sure the fans are spinning and the interior is clean of heat-trapping dust.

I always like to ensure I am providing good, clean, stable power when troubleshooting potential hardware issues - since everything inside the case depends on good power.

You should probably also test your RAM. I only recommend PassMark’s MemTest86. Allow the diagnostics to run for several passes or even overnight. You should have no reported errors – not even one.

Note, however, while software-based RAM diagnostic tools are good, none are 100% conclusive. If they report any errors, even one, the RAM is bad. But it is not uncommon for them to report no problems, yet the RAM still fails in use, and/or when paired with other RAM. So, swapping in all new RAM is often the best test - but of course, not everyone has a bunch of spare RAM laying around so you might try running with just a single RAM stick to see if it fails. Repeat process with remaining modules, hopefully identifying the bad stick through a process of elimination. Just be sure to unplug the computer from the wall (and remove the battery if a notebook) and touch bare metal of the case interior BEFORE reaching for the RAM to discharge any destructive static in your body.

 

Cheers! I will double check the fans for the heat sync and vid cards, and the installed ones,usually clean every 2-3 mths. It’s about that time again. I will run the RAM test this evening. Thanks again for your assistance. I’ll report back once done.

 

Well, if you clean every few months, unless you have a herd of cats laying around your computer, clogging up the vents with dusty cat hair and dander, I doubt cleaning will help. But you can still inspect to ensure the fans spin properly.

 

I got a long hair cat with all lot of shedding. Always removing hair from the front vent of the tower lol, but all fans still operating. No hair inside. I was gonna do the memtest, but didn’t quite understand how to run it. I DL’d it and saved to a USB, but didn’t get the rest of it. I got lost from there.

 

Probably good it is a long hair cat as the vent grills are catching most. Cat hair and cat dander is the worst (though some "hound" breeds of dog are not much better) because it tends to be oily and sticks to just about everything where it can then attract and collect even more hair, dander and dust. If there are smokers in the house, it is even worse. I have seen long neglected computers where it almost took a chisel to scrape it off everything.

For memtest, you need to reboot with the USB drive connected and select the USB device. Booting to the USB device is best because then Windows and your other startup programs are not running. This ensure the least amount of interference while testing the most RAM locations. See instructions here.

Almost as good is Windows own built in memory tester. In the Windows search box, start typing, windows memory diagnostic and when you see it appear, click on that and follow the prompts. It will cause your computer to reboot and run the diagnostics before Windows loads.

 

I bet you have a lot of stories.. that sounds pretty bad! Cheers, I’ll work on it this evening. I did do a windows memtest a couple days ago and no errors came up.

 

Ran Memtest and it passed. So, remove one stick and run the test again for 4 passes? Then do it again with the other stick?

 

Yeah, it can be a tedious process. And sadly, as mentioned above, still not conclusive if no errors are found.

 

All good... on pass 3/4 with the 1st one stick.

 

All done. Did Memtest with both sticks and individually. Passed all 4 passes.

 

Well, again, if me, I would swap in another PSU.

 

Are there any other diagnostics before looking at swapping parts?