Windows XP many fatal crashes HELP!!!

Hello,

Please be patient as you read this, I've tried to detail the problem and steps that I have taken to this point. I have posted the info from system info list on my pc below this.

The problem I am having started with some random reboots, then proceeded to fatal system stop errors,. I had done all the spyware malware virus etc steps that I was instructed to do in the spyware forum and they seemed to help for a couple hours then pc would die again. Finally I was getting BSOD error everytime I started my pc as windows was loading to desktop. I have done a full reinstall of windows at this time. (aprox 7 times now) I kept getting errors during setup and finally got it to install correctly. Of course I decided to try and install all of the automatic updates so I could get service pack 2 and have my pc working and running nicely all updated and all that. As I was doing this I got errors and reboot.... bam, pc no longer works... keeps restarting and restarting with errors on hal.dll not being found among others. I tried and tried to reinstall windows... finally got it correctly again and have not yet installed my graphics card or the automatic updates. Looks like I will have to buy a new soundcard due to my not knowing what soundcard I have or how to get it installed as well. This is a fairly new pc (about 6months) that I had built for me by a friend and it has worked great until recently. Also, my former drive C:\ is now my drive F:\ not sure if that makes any differance or how it happend during the installs.

I don't know if I should try the auto updates again or if I'm doing something wrong or how to proceed from here. Any information would be GREATLY appreciated. Please help if you can. Thanks very much

Blaine


OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 1 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name BLAINE-UPCRQ298
System Manufacturer VIA Technologies, Inc.
System Model KT333-8233
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 6 Model 6 Stepping 2 AuthenticAMD ~1533 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Phoenix Technologies, LTD 6.00 PG, 6/4/2002
SMBIOS Version 2.3
Windows Directory F:\WINDOWS
System Directory F:\WINDOWS\System32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.1106 (xpsp1.020828-1920)"
User Name BLAINE-UPCRQ298\Blaine
Time Zone Pacific Standard Time
Total Physical Memory 768.00 MB
Available Physical Memory 621.75 MB
Total Virtual Memory 2.58 GB
Available Virtual Memory 2.35 GB
Page File Space 1.83 GB
Page File F:\pagefile.sys

 

I had some very similar issues with a friend's PC a few weeks ago. The constant reboots lead to system files eventually corrupting, leading to BSOD. When fresh installs can't complete, or crash soon after completing, I think you need to start looking at hardware issues.

In my case, it turned out to be the processor heatsink not having enough thermal heat transfer compound to effectively cool the processor. Sometimes it would make enough contact to work for hours, other times only a few minutes.

It could also be RAM or a flakey Hard Drive. I'd try either replacing the RAM entirely, or only use half of it if you have it on multiple sticks to try & eliminate a bad stick.

If the problem doesn't follow the RAM, next thing to check might be the drive. It sounds like you have multiple hard drives, or possibly one hard drive split into several partitions. If it's multiple hard drives, you chould try switching them & installing the OS on the former 'slave' drive.