Random freezes with windows 7 - 64 bit

Anonymous

I use to run Vista home premium x86 on a acer computer. This summer I downloaded Windows 7 rc x86. A month ago I bought all new parts and since I could use 64-bit system now I installed a 64-bit Windows 7. Then did the problem start. Every new and then the computer freezes, some days over 30 times. I thought it was hardware problem and tried a lot of hardware finders and nothing helped. I also installed windows 7 rc my mothers laptop (The same version I use to have that work fine) that used to run on Vista home basic.. But her computer didn’t freeze it just got a black screen now and then.

The I started to suspect that it was because it was a beta version so when windows 7 were released I bought two of them a 32-bit and a 64-bit. But the problem didn´t go away. It´s still there and It´s kind of frustrating and even more now when I’m trying to write a essay.

I used windows upgrade advisor and it didn´t see any problem with an upgrade to windows 7. What can I do?

original title: Random freezes with windows 7

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Anonymous

Guys,

I might have the answer to your problems. This might fix your sleep/suspend problems and your random freezing problems. Bottom line is that the default and "auto" values in Win 7 and your BIOS might not produce a stable computer...even with a virgin install.

RANDOM FREEZES FIX:

My computer used to freeze randomly until I fixed the memory timings. I suspected bad memory early on and tested it with MEMTEST, but it passed with flying colors. I even tried swaping memory out, trying to eliminate bad memory and/or slots. It turned out that it was a memory frequency/timings/voltage issue. No more freezes! If you have a similar setup, this will most likely fix it. If not, then check your memory and/or power supply.

The "AUTO" settings in BIOS *may not* produce a stable setting. You have to goto the ASUS support website and download the latest memory QVL and lookup the memory settings for your particular brand there. For my memory (OCZX1333LV6GK(XMP)) I had to make the following adjustments in the BIOS:

DRAM Freq:1066 (even though my memory is rated at 1333 frequency, the QVL guide recommended a lower freq!)

7-7-7-16 for the rest of the timings. The other settings I was able to leave in "AUTO"

DRAM BUS Voltage: 1.6

*warning: be sure to consult your memory/motherboard documentation...the wrong value could damage your components!

SUSPEND/SLEEP FIX:

My computer used to hang when coming out of sleep or wouldn't completely goto sleep. This solution may be partially dependent on you fixing a random freezing issue if you have one.

In your "advanced" power settings, disable "Hybrid Sleep". That's it! My motherboard doesn't like hybrid sleep.

*If you have a desktop with a UPS, Win 7 will treat it like a laptop and apply the battery settings....sooo make sure you adjust the "on battery" settings!

My setup:

Processor:Intel core i7 920

Motherboard:Asus P6T

Memory: OCZX1333LV6GK(XMP) (ie. 6GB in 3 sticks)

Harddrive: 3 x WD Caviar Black drives in RAID 5

PSU: X3 1000W

Video card: 2 x NVIDIA 9800 GTX+ SLI

*I have all of the ASUS overclocking/energy savings programs uninstalled

*I have the latest BIOS 0801 and all the latest drivers installed

Nick

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966 additional answers

Anonymous

2009-11-17T04:06:57+00:00

Bah, sorry...triple post.

It's SecuROM, not Starforge.
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Anonymous

2009-11-17T04:00:32+00:00

A small thought struck me...

Do any of you guys game on your PCs? I've heard many horror stories about...starforge isn't it? I usually thought it was just to do with people with mounting programs like Daemon tools and Alcohol etc (Stuff I never use).

When installing Crysis Warhead, I was told about Starforge. I just installed it. I can't say for certain that's when problems started, I honestly have no idea if I was getting freezes before that point...but it's a thought.

Does anyone have a game equipped with Starforge installed?
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Anonymous

2009-11-17T03:18:29+00:00

In a fit of despair, I reinstalled Windows.

I formatted the HDD, made sure the old partitions were gone, then reinstalled it. I'll see how it goes, but so far no problems (albeit, this is just 3 hours after reinstaling, and only 4 reboots).

I'd upgraded my sound drivers as far as possible, still got the freeze.

I got the occasional....sort of blue screen. the screen went blue, but there was no text. Just blank blue. Nothing showed up in the administration event monitor.

I'm uncertain what NIC is, i'm assuming Network Interface Card or something similar? I'd gone from my usual USB dongle to my Linksys PCI card and had the same freezing issues.
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Anonymous

2009-11-16T22:13:09+00:00

Hey, I also have my brand new laptop with Windows 7 64 Bit.

What I noticed is that it only froze when a particular USB device was used. Again it'll run for a few seconds or even up to an hour (only happened once) until it froze and the same, the only way out is to hard-boot. When that particular device isn't connected i do not receive any freezes, at all.

Just as a thought, though maybe hard for some of you, is disconnect all the USB devices you have and see if you still have issues. As I say maybe hard as I bet you have a keyboard and Mouse all connected by USB. And of course there are those USB devices connect internally.

This is the solution that has worked for me, so maybe not the same as the rest of you(?)

See hotfix link I posted above - some fix USB and ASUS related issues ;).
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