Laptop freezing problems

Grainger · Aug 8, 2010

Hey guys, this is my first post on here - I believe this is a valuable source of problem rectifying information

I think I've got a software problem, although I could be completely wrong. I'm running a Dell Studio 15 laptop with Windows 7 which I've been using for about 6 months now without any problem whatsoever (aside from the odd application failure, to be expected). About 2 weeks ago I started getting problems where programs would suddenly just freeze with no prior warning (mainly Firefox and Windows Live, but it has been the whole of Windows as well) and from no pre-determined time or visited page. I've tried solving the problem by defragmenting, running CCleaner and also uninstalling and re-installing Firefox cause I thought that was causing the problem. I also tried switching browsers (to Chrome) to see if that worked and that freezes as well. A couple of times, the laptop has managed to run without the problem occurring for hours, but more recently it just seems to happen very quickly upon startup. Also, Firefox will now not uninstall properly, or so it seems. I've tried uninstalling it many times but whenever I click on Uninstall, the process just doesn't seem to run and it stays there. I've also tried virus scanning a few times, but the laptop just seems to freeze before it can run the whole scan.

I'd be very grateful for any help whatsoever as this whole thing has been driving me crazy for ages and I didn't really know where else to get some good advice. I'm alright at the easy things, but anything more complex may have to be explained a bit more apologies.
Thank you in advance for any help you guys can give me, it really is greatly appreciated

DavidGP · Aug 8, 2010

Hi

What are all the security applications you have installed? and disable or uninstall them to test that they are not the cause of this.

Boot into Safe Mode with networking (F8 at boot) and see if that doesnt freeze as this can then alert you to the issue potentially being a startup application, so click Start and type msconfig into the Start Search box and hit enter, then click the Startup tab and disable all items, and reboot, is your PC now not freezing?

If not then enable and reboot one startup at a time until you start getting the freezing in the apps affected.

For checking for malware then try this guide below, but if anything is found start a new thread in the malware area of our forum and attach the requested logs. Can run the guide form Safe Mode if normal mode freezes on scans.

Please read and follow the following READ & RUN ME FIRST. Malware Removal Guide and once finished please start a new thread in the Malware Forum plus a guide on how to attach the logs HOW TO: Attach Items To Your Post
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Laptop freezing problems

Grainger Private E-2

DavidGP MajorGeeks Forum Administrator - Grand Pooh-Bah Staff Member