SYSTEM FREEZE IN OLDER COMPAQ COMPUTER

[TLM17]

I have a Compaq Presario Desktop S402WM-B computer and in the past month or so it will lock up and freeze or shut off and then come back on and do it again. It has Windows XP, I already did a regular and a destructive system restore on it and it started doing it again. I've tried all of the things that i know at it but it seems to be determined to act up on me. I don't know what else to do and the last option is to get a new one but i'm not ready for a new computer just yet. I hope someone can help me.    Thanks!!

[Mister_Do]

Hi TLM17,

It could be that your PC is overheating. Overtime dust can buildup inside the PC and make it overheat. When PCs overheat, they shutdown. Try the steps listed in this HP Support Document on reducing heat inside the PC.

I hope this helps. Let us know how it goes.

[anon]

If not overheating, could be some power issue. How 'clean' is the power coming into your house? Do you know? On an older computer, especially with a power supply that is a) probably done cheap and b) old, sometimes power can be an issue. Does it lockup when you do something, like fire up a disk/processor intensive app?

[TLM17]

Well i thought that i fixed the problem and i think it was an application messing with it but now it has another problem, when i turn it on the two buttons that are on the front are orange and green and the green light doesn't come on and nothing works at all. Is it fixable or should i retire it.

[anon]

Is there any beeping? See the HP website for details as to what a beep code means. Inputting your model no produced 2 results, these are linked at the end of post. Also, is there a LED on the power supply at the back? If it is blinking instead of steady, that indicates a power supply fault. If the light is solid but the computer still fails to get to the BIOS screen, either the BIOS is corrupted (almost impossible to fix on a HP) or the video adapter is shot. What do the two buttons do normally?

[anon]

Sorry, forgot to include link. HERE for S4020,

HERE for S4120

[TLM17]

No, there is no beeping and the green power light in the back is solid green like it usually is. It's the green light in front causing the problems.

[anon]

Most likely to be a corrupt BIOS then. If it were beeping, that would indicate a fault with some other component, but if the BIOS is corrupt, it can't really indicate a fault with itself Strip out the components, (optical drive, HDD, case, PSU and CPU possibly),