Computer locks up?

My question this, I have read the question and answer regarding system lock ups

My computer locks up when I m in the middle of typing a email or searching the web and I have just walked away thinking it will unfrezze, but this never happens I have tried the 3 magic keys Ctrl-Alt-Delete, which did not do anything, I have to power off the computer every singal time and wait for it to reboot and I get this error message saying because system was not properly shut down and so on......

I have done a system recovery per some computer programmers at work telling me it is in the soft ware that came with the computer. Then I took it to one of the guys which he all he did was a system clean up, this help some. but I still have this problem not as bad now but it still locks up and I can't do anything with it at all but power it off and I was told this hurts the motherboard when you have to do this???

Thanks for any info you can give or advise

This question was answered on March 31, 2003. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

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It would help to know how long the computer has been on before it locks up. and does it lock up when you're away from the computer?

If the the problem hardware related then you may want to check that the computer is not overheating Overheating will cause it to lock up Make sure it is in an area where air could circulate Dust. is the computer's worst enemy Dust retains heat If there's dust in the computer it would be a good to blow it off A can of compressed air, which could be purchased at staples or office depot will do an excellent job.

Damaged memory could also cause a computer to lock up Unfortunately if this is your case then you will have to purchase new memory If you do, make sure you purchase the right kind.

If it is software related then you should try this

first run scandisk

then run disk defragment

double click my computer --> right click your harddrive (c:\ drive in my case) click properties click tools tab from there run scandisk first when that's done run defragment.

make sure you're not doing anything at your computer while doing those 2 things...

restart your computer and see if that worked :o)

I hope this helps.

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Posted by Cecilia of Katharine Gibbs School - New York on March 31, 2003

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