Help!! Someone who knows about computers ...

1. 68

   jenblacksheepposted 13 years ago

   Windows keeps crashing. When I'm using the Internet or Word and whenever I typed for more than a few minutes at a time it says that Windows has a problem, the programme crashes and sometimes it restarts ... not the computer, just whichever programme I'm using at the time.
   
   I've virus checked and everything, definitely don't have a virus. I went into a computer shop and asked them about it and the guy said that it sounded like a problem with the keyboard, that i was typing a certain combination that was triggering the crash. But I've been paying extra attention and it seems more random.
   
   (As I was typing this Firefox crashed but when I re-opened it all the typing was there). I've noticed that it's not just typing anymore, it was crashing while I was trying to play games when I wasn't using the keyboard.
   
   Does anyone know what might be going on??

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   1. 82

      onaolapo1posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Your computer is having a DEP problem.  DEP means data execution prevention. To access the DEP, click on start, right click on the computer, click on properties from the displayed options. A pop up will display the system properties.  From the display, you'll see 5  option tabs, which are Computer Name, Hardware, Advanced, System Protection, Remote.  Click on Advanced. On the Advanced display, you'll see Performance, User Profiles, Start and Recovery.  Click on Performance.  Under the Performance, you'll see Visual Effects, Advanced, Data Execution Prevention. If your DEP is set to option II, change it to option I or vice versa.  This will allow your browser configuration to allow the plug-in that is disrupting your programs from functioning to run smoothly again.
      
      If this option does not work, simply go to Microsoft official self repair/fix it web site.  http://support.microsoft.com/fixit/.  I am very positive you'll get your computer fixed in a jiffy without leaving your seat.
      
      Have fun.
      
      Regards
      Engr. Prince Onaolapo Adeyemi.

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2. 61

   knolyourselfposted 13 years ago

   Type the problem into Google is what I do.
   If your using say Windows 7, it would go something like: Windows 7+Windows keeps crashing. When I'm using the Internet or Word and whenever I typed for more than a few minutes. See what you can find and or try different question structure.

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3. 63

   Mishaposted 13 years ago

   Did you try to format the drive and reinstall Windows from scratch? It's a painful thing, but it may give you a solution. Less painful alternative is to go through the list of your installed programs and uninstall everything you don't absolutely need, especially things that start automatically when you turn it on. Also no guarantee.
   
   And certainly dump this computer shop, they have no idea what they are talking about. If you find a good one, giving your computer to them for a total cleanup is your best option.

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4. 95

   leahleflerposted 13 years ago

   How old is your computer? We have a problem with ours crashing (it is about 5 1/2  years old) - and it only happens when I am running too many programs at once. For instance, if I have Firefox open, GIMP (a photo editor), and I am trying to upload a video, the computer is sure to crash. I am not sure why, but I think the computer is getting old and can't handle multiple programs running at once...
   
   Microsoft has an online crash analysis tool: http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

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5. 68

   jenblacksheepposted 13 years ago

   Haha Misha, it wasn't just a random computer shop it was a recognised chain. It was probably my fault for not explaining the problem properly ... or not understanding. I really dont want to format the computer and start from scratch, I don't have anywhere to back up my files to, and no money to buy an external hard drive. I've uninstalled some things and run all the programmes I can think of that remove unnecessary files.
   
   Leah, I was trying to work out how long I've had it for and its definitely not more than 3 years, probably closer to 2. It does it when it's the only programme open, but perhaps I need to check if other things are running in the background.

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   1. 61

      paradigmsearchposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      That is a very good idea.

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   2. 63

      Mishaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Well, there are other ways to backup the files - burning a dvd for example

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      1. 68

         jenblacksheepposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Yes I know that. I guess I'll have to do that as a last resort. Was just hoping that there was something easy I could do that would fix it that I didn't know about.

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6. 87

   IzzyMposted 13 years ago

   Have you looked under device manager to see if you have a software conflict? They show up as a yellow exclamation or question mark beside the component.
   Are all your device drivers up to date?

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   1. 68

      jenblacksheepposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      How do I find out if they are up to date? I looked at the device Manager and there don't appear to be any conflicts.

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      1. 87

         IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         The option is there to ask windows to check if they are up-to-date. Not that I think that actually works, but you could go to your computer manufacturers website and have a search for updated drivers.

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7. 61

   paradigmsearchposted 13 years ago

   Does it have all the MS updates? If not, their installation might have the side-effect of cleaning up whatever the current software entanglement that is causing the problem.

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   1. 68

      jenblacksheepposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Definitely has all the updates. When I first had the problem it told me I needed updates so I updated evreything, but it doesnt tell me that anymore.

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8. 81

   ngurecoposted 13 years ago

   Use system restore, found at system tools, to restore your system to an earlier date point when your system used to work well.

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   1. 68

      jenblacksheepposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Already tried that. By the time I realised that it was an option it was already too late. Only lets you restore to a few days ago and I've had this problem for a few weeks now.

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9. 81

   ngurecoposted 13 years ago

   Sorry, but just keep on trying different options.
   
   Remove grammar auto-correction, check spelling, change setting for automatically save documents as I work from, say 1 minute to say 20 minutes. And how big is your RAM?

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   1. 72

      truthfornowposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      if you have registry problems, you can try this download http://glary-utilities.softlate.com/download.php for free before re-installing anything.  worked on my computer at work.  this is free and not a scam.

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