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Why my computer hangs intermittently?

Posted By : Student of Katharine Gibbs School - New York on March 25, 2004

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The hourglass pops up intermittently on my screen, no matter what application I'm using and whether I'm online or off. It hangs there on the screen for 10 seconds or so before disappearing again. My old 98 system never did this, and I'm wondering if my computer is getting pinged or what's happening. Or could it be XP's firewall or Norton antivirus doing something?

This question was answered on March 25, 2004. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.


There is no way of knowing for sure why your computer hangs for 10 seconds, but there are a few things you can do to eliminate or rule out certain possibilities.

Run ScanDisk and Defragmenter

Run a current version of antivirus software to check for a virus

For software problems, if the PC is old and the OS has been installed for sometime, reinstall the OS.

If you have the time, completely, rebuild the entire hard drive, reformatting the drive, reinstalling the OS and appliccations Back up all your data first and then restore it after you have rebuilt the drive.

For suspected hardware problems, reseat the expansion cards and check cable and power cord connections; remove hardware device drivers and reinstall them; trade good hardware for bad and leave the good in place long enough in the event that the problem resurfaces.

After doing all of that, keep a log of when the problems occur, how may times, and see if there is a pattern.

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Posted by Student of Katharine Gibbs School - New York on March 25, 2004

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