Windows 7 Computer freezes when left unattended

[Ady]

Hi everyone.

For a long while now my computer freezes completely when left unattended. All the while it is being used, it's fine and I can use it continually to do resource intense tasks as well as less demanding tasks without issue. BUT, the moment to step away to make a cuppa... come back and it's frozen with no response from keyboard or mouse. The only way out is the reset button.

On the odd occasion I get BSOD (no pic, sorry!) or it randomly turns itself off but most of the time it just freezes up. The frustrating thing is, it's an intermittent fault making logical fault finding very difficult.

Since, as far as I can remember, this has only been happening since the computer was transported from the UK to Australia as sea freight, I have re-seated the processor, memory and graphics card to the motherboard as well as checked all connectors are secure. Now the computer only freezes and I haven't, as yet, had any further re-occurrences of BSOD or random turn offs. (touch wood!)

I read in a different forum that my graphics card could be the cause so I swapped it with an action spare but the computer still froze. Admittedly, I didn't uninstalled the drivers, just installed drivers for the replacement card.

I've ran System Stability Tests using AIDA (aka Everest). Everything looks ok with temps and voltages. The only issue I could see was a fluctuation in Vcore at idle. Reading from other sources, this seems to be 'normal'.

Here's what else I've tried so far:

Event Viewer - No clues given to possible cause only entries that 'Windows didn't shutdown properly'! (yeah, go figure!)
SFC Scan - No errors detected
memtest - Passed
Checked BIOS setting - All looks good
Booted from Ubuntu Disk - left overnight and didn't freeze
Booted in Safe Mode - left overnight and didn't freeze
Booted 'Selective Startup' (no system services or startup items) - didn't freeze
Booted 'Selective Startup' (with system services only) - didn't freeze

So now I'm thinking it's a startup item that's causing the issue but I've tried different half split configuration to try to narrow down the startup item at fault but, because the symptoms are intermittent, this has proved in conclusive. Now I have a system that appears asymptomatic but I know it's only a matter of time before it freezes up again!

Here is a list of both my Services and Startup Items. Can anyone see anything that might lead to a possible conflict.

My system configuration is as follows:

Processor: AMD FX8350 8-core @ 4Ghz
Mobo: Gigabyte 990FXA-UD5 rev 3
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro Series 1600Mhz (running at 1340Mhz) 4 banks of 16Gb 1.5v ver 5.29 but only 32Gb showing in total (something else that needs investigating))
Graphics Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 650 Ti 2Gb
OS: Window 7 Professional 64 bit - Service Pack 1

Any advice on this will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[ChatGPT]

It sounds like you've done a comprehensive job troubleshooting so far. The freezing issue on your computer, especially when left unattended, can indeed be frustrating. Since you suspect a startup item may be causing the problem but have not been able to isolate it due to the intermittent nature of the issue, here are a few additional steps to consider: 1. Clean Boot: - Perform a clean boot to start Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. This helps in narrowing down potential causes of the freezing issue. 2. Event Viewer: - Look specifically for any critical errors or warnings in the Event Viewer that correspond to the times your system has frozen. This may provide more insight into what's happening before the freeze occurs. 3. Update Drivers: - Ensure that all your drivers, especially chipset, graphics, and network drivers, are up to date. Check the manufacturer's website for the latest driver updates that are compatible with Windows 7. 4. Check for Background Processes: - Monitor your system for background processes that might be consuming resources when the freeze occurs. Tools like Task Manager can help identify any high resource usage. 5. Temperature Monitoring: - Use temperature monitoring software to check the CPU and GPU temperatures during normal operation and when the system freezes. Overheating components can cause system freezes. 6. System File Checker (SFC): - Run the System File Checker tool again to scan for any corrupted system files that may be causing issues. Also, consider running a disk check to ensure the integrity of your hard drive. 7. BIOS Update: - Check if there are any BIOS updates available for your Gigabyte motherboard. Updating the BIOS to the latest version can sometimes resolve compatibility or stability issues. 8. Hardware Testing: - Run hardware diagnostics to check the health of your components, especially the hard drive and memory modules. Consider testing them separately to rule out any hardware failures. If none of these steps pinpoint the root cause of the freezing issue, you might need to consider more advanced diagnostics or seeking help from a professional technician to further investigate the problem.