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#131313 06/06/03 11:38 PM
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 8,443
Likes: 3
Trumpy Offline OP
Member
I've got an intermittent fault with my computer and I wondered if you guys could help?.
Sometimes when using the Net, the page that is being viewed, will freeze up and the mouse will not work.
The only way to correct this is to shut down the computer and re-start it.
Is there a fault with my software?.
How can I stop this from happening?.
Has anyone had a similar problem before?.

#131314 06/07/03 02:39 AM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 174
K
Member
Try reinstalling the browser, when I've had this problem I think it was related to Java script problems.

#131315 06/07/03 07:19 AM
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 8,443
Likes: 3
Trumpy Offline OP
Member
Kale,
Thanks for your advice,
This really only happens about once a month, even less, but it's really annoying when it does.
It just catches me when I am about to send a HUGE e-mail to one of my suppliers with about 150 lines of product orders and I normally end up having to re-type the whole thing out again.
GRRRRR!.

#131316 06/07/03 01:05 PM
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 597
E
Member
Trumpy,

A thought. If there is actually a correlation between lengthy new outgoing email that you've just created and the freeze. . .examine the settings on your email software. There should be an automatic background save of what you are creating to a "draft" location. The interval between automatic saves can be shortened. That way, if you have to reboot, you'll only lose the last little bit, not the entire thing.

If a draft save capability is not available, using File - Save should accomplish the same thing. Just remember to do it often, while preparing that long missive for the supplier. ;D


Al Hildenbrand
#131317 06/07/03 01:47 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 4,116
Likes: 4
Member
Trumpy,

There are probably many reasons why the freeze might happen. Prior to MS Explorer 6 I had good luck with re-installing Win98 every now and then to straighten out similar problems.

As far as your Emailing goes, I'd recommend typing your order in MS Word, Excel or something similar and saving it first and then sending it as an attachment.

Bill


Bill
#131318 06/08/03 09:23 AM
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 7,520
P
Member
I get the same thing from time to time. Windows-based software is ssooo flaky at times that conflicts and crashes are inevitable.

I've found it best to reinstall Windows and my browser software about every 6 months.

#131319 06/08/03 10:12 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 2,723
Likes: 1
Broom Pusher and
Member
Web pages freezing up sounds like a Java problem. Used to have this same problem with Netscape 4.0, but a few patches took care of it.

No E-Mail problem like you mentioned using Netscape of any version (probably because I disable Java scripting in E-mail messages???).

Unsure what happens with IE, but will be learning it soon at work [Linked Image].

The hints from other members are great! Save your work, send out as Word or Excel attachments, or retreive it from the "Drafts" folder or make copy and hold it in the Drafts folder (alternately, make your own temp folder and hold stuff there).

Search the web for upgrades / patches and the problem "may" dissappear...??? ... or new ones might appear!

Good luck!

Scott35


Scott " 35 " Thompson
Just Say NO To Green Eggs And Ham!
#131320 07/10/03 07:10 AM
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 8,443
Likes: 3
Trumpy Offline OP
Member
Fella's,
I've got a rather elderly system, here at home that is looking to be repaired.
I didn't personally want to do this job, but I was pressured to, by my partner, so here goes, I hope that your collective knowledge can help me.
I started up the system and it will only run as far as the BIOS screen (hope I've got this term right!)
As soon as the System Configurations List comes up, it shows the following:
  • Primary Master Disk: LBA, Mode 4,1280MB.
  • Pentium S
  • CPU Clock Speed:100MHz
  • Display Type:EGA/VGA
  • Total Memory:16.3MB.

Believe me, there is a lot more on this list than this, but here is the real problem.
The lady that brought the thing around to me, said her teenage sons had been mucking around with the system and had "tried to make it go faster".
Now at the bottom of the screen in the BIOS location, there is a message of:System disk invalid, replace disk and press any key.
Could this be a fault with the Hard Drive?.
Or what could be causing this to happen?.
I can't even tell you what version of Windows it uses.
But, could you guy's please help, and bear in mind that I will not be getting paid for it, either!. [Linked Image]

#131321 07/10/03 11:39 AM
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1,081
T
Member
Quote
System disk invalid, replace disk and press any key.

This could be as simple as a floppy left in the drive. If it's not a "boot disk", meaning it was formatted specifically to be able to start the computer, then you will get the message quoted above.

If there is no floppy issue, then it could be that the hard disk's operating system (DOS, Windows NT, etc.) was corrupted.

One other thing to check is the "boot order" in the BIOS setup (keep track of any changes you make--incorrect changes to BIOS settings can cause even more problems).

For example, if the BIOS is set to first boot at "A" drive (floppy) then "B" drive (floppy) and then "C" drive (hard drive) you can change it so that "C" drive is listed first. Thus, if there's a problem with the floppy drive, the computer won't get bogged down trying to boot from it.

Also, you might want to try a boot disk to just get into a DOS prompt, and try to access C: drive.

I can try to help you along with this, though these things can get messy...

Send an e-mail if you get really stuck [Linked Image]

Edit:

Almost forgot--you can try finding one of the keyboards that has this:

[Linked Image from 65.108.216.53]

[This message has been edited by ThinkGood (edited 07-10-2003).]

#131322 07/10/03 03:53 PM
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 114
E
Member
As Thinkgood says, the hard drive is probably corrupted (no longer bootable).

Something to try: If you can come up with a win95 or win98 boot disk with fdisk on it (I assume this oldie has win95 or win98), use it to boot up to dos. At prompt type "Fdisk /MBR" (without the quotes) and hit enter. This will rebuild the Master Boot Record. That may be all it takes - all data still there. If that doesn't do the trick you may have to reformat the c: drive and reinstall windows.

This can happen when "trying to make it go faster". The kids may have increased the speed of the Front Side Bus to overclock the processor a bit. Usually there is no harm down - it either works or it doesn't and if it doesn't you just set the FSB speed back to its default setting (50 to 66 Mhz for old pentiums). But, when you increase the front side bus speed, you usually are also increasing the PCI bus speed and the hard drive is controlled via a PCI IDE interface. Some hard drives are not tolerant of an out-of-spec PCI bus and will become corrupted (but not usually damaged).

It could also be that they selected incorrect hard drive parameters. You could look through the bios screens (hold Delete during boot-up) to see if there is a HDD autodetect option.

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