Windows 7 keeps freezing at the desktop

[sohum]

They shouldn't need to reinstall Windows after a processor upgrade. The max you should need to do is re-activate Windows.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Well, see how it goes. You could also improve stability by using CCleaner (I run it frequently as it removes quite a lot of crap (used to be called CrapCleaner)).

See how those improvements go, but it could be related to so much. Have you checked drivers? Windows 7 is pretty good with drivers and driver corruption, I'd check those as well.

Also, I presume they re-installed Windows following the upgrades?

Yes, I use CCleaner frequently. They didn't reinstall Windows after the CPU upgrade - they've never done that before and there have never been any problems before. It's been fine for a while now but if it does it again, I'll have a look at my drivers.

How often should you run Chkdsk?

 

[sohum]

Chkdsk isn't something that's meant to be run regularly. If your disk keeps getting errors then there's a problem with the hardware.

 

[Sureshot]

They shouldn't need to reinstall Windows after a processor upgrade. The max you should need to do is re-activate Windows.

Hmm, I would, not only are clean installs always good, but Win 7 is so quick to install. Not as important as doing it for a new mobo I suppose.

 

[sohum]

Reinstalling is of course a matter of personal preference. If you change your mobo you will have to reinstall windows since new drivers will need to be installed (in most cases). A CPU change does not require this.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Chkdsk isn't something that's meant to be run regularly. If your disk keeps getting errors then there's a problem with the hardware.

No, this is the first time it's happened, so the HDD should be fine. Very occasionally, it 'checks disks for consistency' or something, but it doesn't happen much.

Reinstalling is of course a matter of personal preference. If you change your mobo you will have to reinstall windows since new drivers will need to be installed (in most cases). A CPU change does not require this.

I'll need to reinstall Windows for my next CPU upgrade then - my mobo only goes as high as Core 2 Quad CPUs.

Edit: Quite a while now since running Chkdsk - no more system freezes - so far.

 

[Kshitiz_Indian]

I feel sohum's right, you shouldn't have to do a re-install after simply a CPU change. I've changed tons of CPU's in my PC but never had to reinstall, not even once.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

It did it again just now - so I'm going to contact the shop and have them replace the CPU. It wasn't doing this at all before the CPU upgrade; sure, it crashed occasionally - everyone's system does - but it didn't bring down Windows 7 with it. Now when it freezes, you can't do anything - you can't move the mouse, or start Task Manager.

Just my luck to get a duff CPU, I suppose!

One other thing: I want to uninstall Windows XP; I don't need dual boot anymore and it's just taking up valuable space. How do I go about doing that?

 

[sachin_rocks]

One other thing: I want to uninstall Windows XP; I don't need dual boot anymore and it's just taking up valuable space. How do I go about doing that?

Just format the partition in which xp is installed and manually remove the xp boot entry

sachin_rocks added 6 Minutes and 58 Seconds later...

sure, it crashed occasionally - everyone's system does -

generalization

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Just format the partition in which xp is installed and manually remove the xp boot entry

sachin_rocks added 6 Minutes and 58 Seconds later...



generalization

What - are you saying your system never crashes?

Anyway, I contacted the shop. They pointed out that their T & C of sales says the CPU only carries the Manufacturer's warranty, meaning if there's a problem with it, it'll have to be returned straight to them (Intel). However, they said that they would remove it, send it back, and install the replacement free of charge - if it turns out it is faulty. They said I should first get onto Intel Customer Support - and that it might also be worthwhile updating the mobo's BIOS.

Regarding uninstalling XP - isn't there a way to do it without formatting the partition? There are a lot of system related things on there that would be a pain to reinstall.

 

[sohum]

If you aren't using XP all those system related things aren't going to be run anyway. You should backup anything from the XP drive that you want to a non-XP drive and then format the partition. If you don't want to do that, you can alternatively remove the Windows folder from the XP partition.

To change the boot order and add/remove entries, I use EasyBCD which is free and pretty straightforward.

You can definitely try updating your BIOS. Find out your mobo manufacturer and then see if they have any updated software at their website.

 

[Sureshot]

They pointed out that their T & C of sales says the CPU only carries the Manufacturer's warranty, meaning if there's a problem with it, it'll have to be returned straight to them (Intel). However, they said that they would remove it, send it back, and install the replacement free of charge - if it turns out it is faulty.

Under the SoGA they have to replace it free of charge, they have no choice in the matter, I'd also say it's reasonable to ask them to replace the CPU without waiting weeks for it to be sent from Intel.

Sale of Goods Act | Consumer Information

Know what your rights are, Steve.

 

[sachin_rocks]

What - are you saying your system never crashes?

From the time i converted to linux(1.5-2 months ago) i haven't crashed a single time

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Under the SoGA they have to replace it free of charge, they have no choice in the matter, I'd also say it's reasonable to ask them to replace the CPU without waiting weeks for it to be sent from Intel.

Sale of Goods Act | Consumer Information

Know what your rights are, Steve.

Right - thanks for the heads up!

Edit: The odd thing is, as I said before, it only ever freezes on the desktop and it usually happens when I'm not actually doing anything with the system. It doesn't happen when I'm surfing the net or watching a youtube or BBC Iplayer video and it doesn't happen when I'm playing games, even something CPU intensive like GTA IV - surely if there was a problem with the actual CPU, things such as gaming would be far more likely to make it fall over?

Anyway, the first thing I'm going to do is contact Intel Support to see if they can help: maybe there's something I can do this end to avoid having to send it back, and then I'm going to see if there's a BIOS update for my mobo.

Thanks again for the info.

 

[sachin_rocks]

Right - thanks for the heads up!

Edit: The odd thing is, as I said before, it only ever freezes on the desktop and it usually happens when I'm not actually doing anything with the system. It doesn't happen when I'm surfing the net or watching a youtube or BBC Iplayer video and it doesn't happen when I'm playing games, even something CPU intensive like GTA IV - surely if there was a problem with the actual CPU, things such as gaming would be far more likely to make it fall over?

Anyway, the first thing I'm going to do is contact Intel Support to see if they can help: maybe there's something I can do this end to avoid having to send it back, and then I'm going to see if there's a BIOS update for my mobo.

Thanks again for the info.

so does it happen if you stay idle on the desktop?