pc troubleshooting issue - where to start?

Question

My XP SP2 is having serious problems...it will run fine for only ~30 seconds, then it inexplicably freezes up. I can't find any obvious viruses running in the program list and the cpu usage seems okay.

The system runs fine in safe mode. Also, I tried rolling back the machine a few months and this did nothing to fix the problem. I heard someone say that it might be a driver issue, but I don't know where to start to solve this. Thanks in advance for your help.

Here is the process list, in order of most memory usage to lowest:

tavscv.exe (trend micro) - 35K mem
TmProxy.exe (trend micro) - 33K mem
SWEEPSRV.SYS - 32K mem
explorer.exe
lsass.exe
spoolsv.exe
services.exe
svchost.exe (5 of these)
taskmgr.exe
TSVNCache.exe (this is for tortoise svn)
ctfmon.exe
crss.exe
acsd.exe
imapi.exe
pctspk.exe
nvsvc.exe
cachemgr.exe
winlogon.exe
wdfmgr.exe
SWNETSUP.EXE
nhksrv.exe
ccEvtMgr.exe
wanmpsvc.exe
smss.exe
System Idle Process (99% of CPU)

Answer 1

Yeah the above posters are on the right track. My vote is motherboard or processor. Which is not all bad, you can find deals on a mb + cpu combo package. Then keep all your other hardware. XP should be able to sort it out when you boot up again.

Answer 2

You may want to try cleaning out your computer to ensure it is clear of dust, especially around the processor, fans, and power supply using canned air only. ( Don't use a vaccum ) Additionally, intermittent computer failure when there is no virus detected can be a sign of internal shorting. If you sense that something smells like it is burning, you may be slowly cooking your motherboard, making it only a matter of time before your computer is completely toast. One of the most tell-tale signs of impending computer cooking is that the voltage resistors (little round cylinders attached all over the motherboard) are bubbled on the top metal piece, rather than flush. If this is the case, it may be time for a new motherboard, or even an entirely new computer. Good news is, in my 8 years of computer repairs, dusting and reseating all the plugs fixes 99.99% of all issues (aside from software malconfigurations / carbon-based input error).



Anyway, good luck. Reply with an update on your cleaning/inspection.

Answer 3

I would definitly take a look at your video card and make sure it is not getting too hot!! Make sure that the fan is rotating and that it is clean and free of dirt and dust! Normal GPU temp should be around 65-68 MAX!