lock up, error message, BSOD

Yesterday while surfing my system totally locked up. Mouse and keyboard didn't respond. I powered down by pressing the power button; not a great idea, but I had no other choice.

Today while sending an email I got an error message: "A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down....." I wasn't able to copy down the error number. The computer then restarted, and I got a message stating that it had recovered from a serious error.

I have made no recent changes to my system.

Can someone point me in the right direction on how I should troubleshoot this. I have a Dell 3000 running XP, SP2.

 

When you received the "Windows Has recovered from a serious error" message, was there a link?

The reason I ask is because whenever I receive this message, I click the link, and it shows me exactly what went wrong and how to resolve it. Most cases I've seen are driver issues that are corrected by simply updating (btw http://support.dell.com will have all the latest drivers for your system), other times heat has been the cause. I would recommend checking your system temps (in BIOS), as well as power! Check the voltages, too!

 

I believe there was a link. I went to my History and tried to find it, but couldn't. Is there any way I can get this information otherwise?

I went to Dell's site. It lists many driver updates. Other than by checking release dates, how would I know which ones to choose? It's like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Thanks for your input.

 

Not that I'm aware of. I would wait for the problem to re-occur, and make a note of the link. It won't appear in your browsing history unless you actually visited it.

Heh, I mentioned Dell's site passingly. They're great if you reformat, and have devices that aren't in Windows' driver database, etc. You would be better off by following these steps:

1. Right-click My Computer
2. Select 'Manage'
3. Click 'Device Manager'
4. Expand each device category requiring update
5. Right click an individual device for updating
6. Select 'Update Driver'

From there, it is as simple as following the prompts to search for, and install new drivers. I would recommend that you pay more attention to the video and audio drivers for your system.

 

My bad. I found the link. (I was checking the history for the wrong browser.)

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=329284

I will try your recommendations about updating drivers via device manager.

Thank you.