bsod's in XP

sup3rcarrx8 · Aug 11, 2003

My friend seems to get BSOD's every now and then. What usually causes them? Is it something wrong with windows or usually a program? Thanks.

EDIT: is there any way to stop making them happen?

Bobby · Aug 11, 2003

Unstable overclocking will do that to you. Check your memory. Use Memtest86 v3.0 and prime95. Both those testing utilities will tell you if your memory and o/c'ing is bad. If it is, back off a bit until it's stable.

If they're both stable, it could be viruses or just a bad windows install. Check your hard drive too.

-Bobby

sup3rcarrx8 · Aug 11, 2003

It's actually just a dell and he doesn't know much about computers so i guess i'll go use memtest on his comptuer if that'll do any good. He does usually leave his computer on overnight for a day or two sometimes. Wonder if that's the problem lol. Thanks for the tips.

Bobby · Aug 11, 2003

I thought you were talking about the system in your sig.

You might want to check for adequate ventilation. It could be overheating and causing the errors. Leaving it on overnight shouldn't be a problem. I have my system on 24/7 and it never crashes.

Run a virus scanner too. Defragging the drive wouldn't be a bad idea either. Check for driver/windows updates.

That's some things I would to check an unstable system.

-Bobby

sup3rcarrx8 · Aug 11, 2003

Ok i'll tell my friend to do that and report back when he actually does it. He's often very lazy that's why.

Needitcooler · Aug 11, 2003

You might want to open that baby up and clean out the dust. Dell's usually have like 1 exhaust fan, and that's it. The dust just piles up. I once opened up my mother-in-laws Dell and found about 3 years of dust accumulated. It was truly an amazing sight.

niter · Aug 11, 2003

you'd be surprised how much dust bunnies can affect the stability of your computer...

sup3rcarrx8 · Aug 11, 2003

Ew i have got to see that and take a pic of it with a digi cam. The thing is that he's only had it for a month or two only. So not much dust would really be in there.

tread70 · Aug 11, 2003

I agree with the rest, open and clean, run memtest from a floppy,defrag the hdd. If it is fine(memory and defrag), yet still BSOD's then try reloading the OS. If it still does it, then possibly a power supply could be causing it but not likely. I would imagine its a combination of dust causing heat related problems and the OS being old and needing a refreshing. Most Windows can only take 6- 12 months of abuse til it starts getting messed up.

Tread

sup3rcarrx8 · Aug 11, 2003

Can dust that clogs up the PSU cause problems too? If nothing else works and he still gets BSOD's, should i just tell him to use those dell restore disks to restore teh computer?

tread70 · Aug 11, 2003

Probably not the PSU dust but the HSF dust is a must to get rid of. I would suggest using a compressor to blow off and out the dust in everything in the case. If you or he doesnt have a compressor then buy a can or two of the compressed air which you can get from most computer stores.

Tread

niter · Aug 11, 2003

has he installed new hardware into the system? (ie) vid card or ram? also, did he move the system from where he originally had it? if so, try reseating the ram. and it never hurts to update the OS... good luck...

sup3rcarrx8 · Aug 11, 2003

He never even opened up his computer yet.

bsod's in XP

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