Extremely frustrating on randomly laptop freezes

[cyberfox2004]

I've got a Dell Inspiron 6400 laptop with ATI Radeon Mobility X1400 working for 3 years never bothered me with single problem,

I have been experiencing frequent system freezes after I installed windows 7 RC recently from microsft.com .

Immediately after installed and boot up it randomly freezes, I switched back to Win XP Pro sp3, A complete reload of Win XP did not solve the problem. I then took matters into my own hands and start cleaning the fan from dust, cleaning vents and make sure all is clear. and applying Heat Sink Compound / Paste to make sure there is no any lose on processor but did not help either.

So, I thought if swapping the memory card with new one and new HDD as well, but none solved the problem, It is frustrating.

My laptops freezes at random times no matter what I'm doing. While these issues have been monitoring over the past weeks the frequent freezes and the constant shutdowns hit me hard and became an unacceptable part of my workday for about a weeks.

It could be as soon as the laptop starting or minutes or an hours after logging in.

I have no idea where to start. I've tried a disk check but it froze, I've tried a virus scan, boot repair, Bios reset, chkdsk, bootfix, none helped, Even in safe mode it freezes so I'm thinking it might be hardware, So any suggestions?

　

The laptop simply stops responding to mouse clicks & keyboard after running just fine for a few minutes or hours. The only way out is for me to hard reset the laptop It is extremely frustrating.

I have run some Dell diagnostics and have not found anything wrong with hardware. I suspect the power adapter, ( Battery replaced with new one ) I believed it could be something with bad power or power management, It did not help.

And I give up and called Dell support and Dell sent a technician on-site and replaced the motherboard and the CPUs. These replacements did absolutely nothing to address my previous problems and still frustration going on. I just really want to throw away the laptop and go and get another one, and then in other hand I just do not want to give up until overcome this issue and I want to be free from freezing.

I came to know following website through google search for related to my issue on different Models and deferent Graphic card.

http://vivekagarwal.wordpress.com/2008/06/...ing-repeatedly/

My next step, I am thinking of it's graphic card ( ATI Radeon Mobility X1400 ) So any suggestions?

Thank you

[kimsland]

Have you updated the Bios? http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/...p;fileid=212350

2. Fixed issue that some 1394b Express cards will cause an intermittent no post.

Are all external devices disconnected? (I'd even try with battery out)

Was your clean re-install of XP created using the original Dell Restore disc? (with nothing else loaded one finished?)

If this is a clean Restore of XP, and your Bios is updated and set to defaults

And you have tried one confirmed working Ram card.

And nothing else extra is plugged into the laptop.

Then I'd say it must be hardware

[sc302 Veteran]

I am having an issue with xp locking up then freeing up and locking up. I have narrowed it down to either a cd rom issue or a motherboard issue.

No errors, re applied heatsink compound, verified fan is functioning, replaced clicking hard drive, replaced memory. The only 2 things that I have not done is replace the cdrom and motherboard. I think it is the cdrom drive because when it is in it is causing a drive light to come on for 30 seconds to a min before getting to the post screen. However when I take it out, there is no light but it still takes a while to get to that screen. There is no option to disable the cdrom in the bios (fkin crap) to tell 100% for sure it is the cd rom, but when I insert it during the freeze it comes up, which is telling me that it has something to do with that. Not having a cdrom at hand to put in there to test with is a bit frustrating.

Point is it could be a heat issue, it could be a hard drive issue, it could be a cd rom issue, it could be a memory issue, it could be a drivers issue, or it could be a motherboard issue. My issue happens before the laptop even sees the hard drive, before the laptop runs its POST.

Edit: I am not asking for help, and I am not trying to hijack, just pointing out that it could be any of these symptoms. I have already narrowed it down to these two items, one of which is on its way. If you want an update I will post it.

Edited August 16, 2009 by sc302

[cyberfox2004]

Thanks for respond guys. Ok I have latest Bois A17 and set for default I did and tried out all those you guys suggested but it was still freezing,

I think , I have solved my problem with big costs and very good experiences . After buying a Fan, Ram, HardDisk applying new thermal paste none solved my problem.

I even was thinking to replace my graphic card but as it was no any other model for my system I was thinking to buy another new laptop as it was extremely frustrating.

So after searching for almost 2 months I narrowed it down with simple solution and almost zero cost in money wise.

But it already cost me few hundreds but good experiences.

You may now think what it was my solution then, ok let me tell you .

First I changed in Control Panel >> Power schemas in Power Option properties >> Presentation and setting for presentation, Turn off monitor = Never, Turn off harddisk = Never and system standby= Never and this reduce the freezes during windows on but did not solve the problem and increase the freeze during boot time and extreamly helped less conflict between windows and hardware while windows was on here I thought it could be my graphic card .

and in another hand, since it was freezing during boot even before the laptop even sees the hard drive, I thought of boot portion of hard disk corrupted so replaced it with the hard disk which I bought earlier and still was same issue and this confirmed to me that Master Boot Record corrupted since I had a partition on my HDD and I applied FIXMBR command ( MBR = master boot record ) available in Recovery Console of original Windows CD.

So why my master boot damaged? it because during Windows 7 installation I have deleted the partition and made new with Windows 7 partition command, this is not case always but it may corrupt the boot sector during windows installation if half way your computer turns off or what so ever reason for example balckout or any other reasons it will corrupt the boot sector.

How Did I Repair the Master Boot Record ?

I applied Both FIXMBR command ( MBR = master boot record ) and FixBOOT command form Recovery Console of original Windows CD and Laptops runs 48 hours ( for 2 days) since then without single freeze, and I am hopping that it will not freezes again .

If it did so I will post it here again.

Edited August 17, 2009 by cyberfox2004

[kimsland]

If this is a clean Restore of XP...

A "clean" Restore (or Windows install) of XP, means start with no partitions

Therefore there would be no MBR fault, unless hard drive issue (of which it wasn't)

Therefore if you had swapped out the Hard drive (of which you found didn't fix it) and done a clean install

Then you could not have any MBR issues. Unless, it wasn't a clean install?

[cyberfox2004]

A "clean" Restore (or Windows install) of XP, means start with no partitions

Therefore there would be no MBR fault, unless hard drive issue (of which it wasn't)

Therefore if you had swapped out the Hard drive (of which you found didn't fix it) and done a clean install

Then you could not have any MBR issues. Unless, it wasn't a clean install?

Kimsland you are right , The most stupied thing that Dell technician also could not solve the problem.

I am not computer technician but after 2 months study I overcome this problem by searching and searching the google.

Once you call Dell , someone in somewhere in other part of world picks up of the phone and answers you with funny accent but for their advertising using beautifull chicks and when the technician arrives they will charge you with their without solving problem.

[kimsland]

I have spoken to Dell support a lot (basically I made a thread here with some support links ;))

Anyway, I do agree that the communication can be difficult at times

I have had to rephrase my question, and also confirm their answer (in different, clear) words, at times!

[cyberfox2004]

thank you for your input Kimsland .

[cyberfox2004]

I am not asking for help, and I am not trying to hijack, just pointing out that it could be any of these symptoms. I have already narrowed it down to these two items, one of which is on its way. If you want an update I will post it.

You may be on wrong side buddy. I have spend hundereds which I could by another Mini 10 laptop, but at end I found none of them was required to repair the pc, if you have partition on you HDD try my solution, remove the partition and try clean install or run Both FIXMBR command ( MBR = master boot record ) and FixBOOT command form Recovery Console of original Windows CD and I warning you that you may lose all files in your partition portion of the disk, so make sure you have good backup.

You can't imagine how extremely it was frustrating , let say you have typed 10 lines then it freez, create project layout setup after 5 or 10 minutes then while going to save it before crash just incase, but as soon as mouse course moves to save the laptop freezes. Oh boy it was like I wanted throw the laptop out of window.

Good luck .

My laptop runs freeze free for 4 days and happily working on my projects :)

[sc302 Veteran]

"Buddy" it even happens with the hard drive out in the bios. Definatly without a doubt narrowed down to either cdrom or mother board issue. With cd rom out it hands at a black screen for 30 to 45 seconds before the post screen comes up, if I plug it in while on post screen comes up. If I leave the cdrom in it takes 30 to 45 seconds fort the post screen to come up and when I hit the bios key (f2) it gets stuck in the bios and the gets unstuck then gets stuck. Have been having cdrom writing issues for a while and read issues for a moth or so. I think it is pretty much narrowed down to that. During this portion of troubleshooting, the hard drive is out, all original memory is out, a stick of known good memory is in, the battery is out, laptop is plugged directly into the wall. Going through this and while in the bios it studders every ten seconds. The killert is that I can't disable the cdrom drive in the bios to test. The only way I can yest is if I buy one.

Again please don't help me troubleshoot something that I have thouroughly have gone through running through multiple scenerios.

The point that I am trying to make is that this studder can come from anywhere, with no logs pointing to the cause.

Edited August 18, 2009 by sc302