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

2010-01-28T15:08:09+00:00

Well, just recieved some bad news.

Sent my motherboard away as an RMA, the retailer recieved it, tested it and found there to be no faults, so they're sending it back.

Depressing, tbh. I really hoped they'd get back to me and say "Yup, it's screwed. We're sending a new one". So now I have to wonder if I should continue to test other components or something...or just assume, as a lot of people have, that it's entirely a Microsoft Windows issue, not hardware related.
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Anonymous

2010-01-27T08:32:27+00:00

Hi, I just purchased a new laptop with Windows 7 installed and was having the same problem, I uninstalled the antivirus program (Trend Antivirus) which came pre-installed on the laptop and installed AVG and now the laptop is even faster and NO problems at all
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Anonymous

2010-01-27T02:21:39+00:00

Difficult issue:

Core 2 Duo E8400

Corsair XMS2 CM2X2048-6400C2 8GB

EVGA 122-CK-NF68 Board

nVidia GTX 9800 graphics

Onboard Sound etc.

Installed Win 7 Ultimate in October. Ran fine until the end of December, when intermittent freezes and restarts began occuring.

Some logs indicated possible HDD failure. Have replaced with two other drives and no change. Reinstalled from scratch with each HDD.

Another log suggested that bios battery might be bad. Replaced that and no change.

Changed SATA wires and plugged into different outlets and no change.

Seems to me that this is some type of hardware issue since it is so intermittent. Have ordered new MB, Processor and RAM. Will reinstall on one of the new drives next week and see what happens.

Not just an issue with ASUS boards as some have suggested.
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Anonymous

2010-01-27T00:16:58+00:00

I'll say this now, KMEM, don't hold your breath.

I did the same thing. I got sick of trying to solve the problem and just reinstalled Windows 7, and I was completely freeze free for ages. I'd installed everything back to how it was, and it ran fine for about 6 weeks.

Then one week I got a freeze, and the freezes quickly increased in frequency until it happened within 5 minutes of powering on without fail, almost always on the desktop just after the Welcome screen when everything sets up.

I'm currently RMAing my motherboard, in case it's that. We'll see on that front.

I reinstalled Windows 7 again when the freezes came back, but they definitely didn't go away this time. In fact I had a freeze before I'd even set up my network fully.
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