Windows XP freezes and restarts

[Tomswe]

Hi i am having some trouble with a HP Pavilion a130.se a while back i restarted windows from system restore and it worked well until the setup stage when the computer froze. after waiting a while i restarted the computer and got a message saying something along the lines of windows installation was not complete. so i tried a few times but same problem (however computer does not freeze at same place every time).after 10-15 tries i managed to get all the way through the installation without computer freezing but once it was completed the computer froze after minutes of use. now when i start the computer i get a message saying "Windows could not be started due to a problem in the software. Report the problem as: reading program needs dll for kernel." and if i go into BIOS the computer freezes within seconds. when i go into system restore (which is the only place the computer does not freeze or just restart within seconds) the restore stops around 50% and a message comes up saying something has gone wrong and for computer not to be damaged it has turned the program off. (this screen is blue with a lot of white writing)

 

If anyone can help i would be greatful!

Tom

[richammond]

Hi Tom,

 

This blue screen is called Blue Screen Of Death and has been implemented by Microsoft to prevent any damage to your computer. The problem you describe is a little bit confusing. Did you try system restore (windows based), or system restore (dos based) Did u also try restarting in safe mode?? Have u installed any software or driver recently?? If you can check the code written on the BSOD, it will be helpful. it's an asci code like 000x00032442 etc... Please let us know so we can go from there.

 

Cheers

[hardware_dave]

If its crashing in the bios,its a hardware problem. Check all your fans are running and clear of dust.

 

Test your memory - http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

 

 

Dave

[Tomswe]

Hardware_dave:

I have ran the memory test but i only got to step 5 of 6 and then the computer froze. however for the first 5 parts it said it was working fine the computer does crash in the BIOS but also everywhere else. to check the fans do i need to unscrew the case?

 

richammond:

I persume the system restore was windows based (i clicked F10 and went on from there). I have not tried to restart in safe mode as the windows installation never completed and now i have the problem described earlier. i have tried to reinstall windows but so far the computer has froze everytime before i get through the whole installation. No software or drives have been installed. I have ran the restore from F10 a couple of times in hope that the blue screen would reappear however it hasnt now it freezes around 75% and then the computer switches off.

 

also i read in some other forum removing the lithium battery was recommended as a solution to similar situations what do you think?

 

thanks for your time,

tom

[hardware_dave]

Forget windows, its not the problem (for a change). If it crashes in the bios, its a hardware problem.

 

To clean the fans / heatsink you will need to remove the case side. Give them a light blast with air in a can. Dont forget the graphics card.

 

Do you get an error on the memory test or does it just crash ?

 

dave