HP TP01-1036 randomly freezes up

[Mindride]

Hello all, 

I recently purchased a new-old stock HP TP01-1036 and I am having trouble with it freezing up. It will randomly freeze up with no warning. The only way out is a hard restart. I've done all the internet has to say about minimizing the load on the computer and still the same results. Im thinking it might be a hardware issue... Im hoping to find someone with a solution here.

Thanks

[Bill_To]

Hi @Mindride 

Welcome to the HP Forum.

I am guessing the PC is out of warranty.

Your PC's specs show an Intel 10700 released in Q2' 2020. The specs also show integrated graphics.

Have you added any components to the PC?

Please detail all troubleshooting steps you have taken to solve the problem. Don't want to get into a repetitive "try this, I have been there, done that" scenario.

A freezing issue could be a hardware issue, a thermal issue, a driver issue, or system file corruption issue. It's anybody's guess.

So, you don't get the Windows startup "diagnosing system, your PC did not shut down correctly" response after the  forced shutdown/restart. That is unusual. The problem seems to not be causing system boot file corruption.

Tell me what you have done. I might be able to suggest additional troubleshooting steps.

Regards

[Mindride]

Hi Bill

Thanks for the reply. This is a fresh startup of a new old stock TP01-1036. I have done a few things like update all drivers, update the power settings to run without shutting any services off (like letting usb ports to sleep to save power) and I have not added any software or hardware to the unit. I noticed the freeze pretty much right away and now its completely random. I do not get the "windows diagnosis system and PC didnt shut down properly" screen, It just starts right back up normally. I have read this issue on a few other HP PCs and I was wondering if HP had any records or history on this. It is out of warranty but it is new. It happens every time and its getting very frustrating not finding a fix for this. Hope you can help!

[Bill_To]

Hi @Mindride 

My pleasure.

Finding the problem is a process of elimination. 

Try checking hardware outside of Windows. The hardware is {probably} okay if all of the tests pass and the PC does not lockup.

I have seen cases where HP Diagnostics does not find a faulty component even though one exists. The bad part was eventually found by checking MB connections and replacing components. A failing or loose data cable or power cable could cause your problem.

Check Hardware

Start the PC. Repeatedly tap the "ESC" key.

Select "F2". Run all system and component tests.

Let me know how it goes. Next we will check Windows for problems.

Regards

[Mindride]

Thanks for the info. I did all of what you said and all is good. I did the long test and tested hardware and software individually with the HP checker. So far so good. I am updating the HP checker software as well. It went 2 hours during the test and did not freeze. I Checked out the inside and cables and all looks good. 

What a crazy mystery.

[Bill_To]

Hi @Mindride 

My pleasure.

This seems to indicate the hardware is okay. It may indicate a Windows problem.

Test System Files

Run an admin command prompt. See if you can run the following commands before the PC freezes:

sfc scannow

If you have unfixable errors enter the following command:

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

Run sfc scannow again to verify system files are now good.

Safe Mode

Try the PC is safe mode for an extended period of time to check stability. You probably have a driver problem if the PC is stable while in safe mode.

While running Windows continuously hold down the "Shift" key while selecting "Restart".

Now select the following as you go:

Troubleshoot

Advanced options

Startup settings

Restart

Select "Safe Mode". Hit the "enter" key to start safe mode.

Let me know how this goes.

BTW, finding a driver problem or other conflicting software problem can be a real PITA. 😩

I had an PC back in 2000 running WINNT 4.0. The PC froze when only using Internet Explorer. It took many hours to find the conflicting driver. No critical errors in Windows Event Viewer and no device errors in Device Manager.

I can't recall if NT 4.0 had the Reliability Monitor diagnostic tool.

Regards

[Mindride]

ok, I ran the sfc scannow and nothing came up. I ran it in safe mode with no internet for roughly 18 hours and it did not freeze.  I booted up the windows normally and are waiting for the freeze now. 

I updated windows and not sure which drivers to start updating. Lets see whats next 🙂

Update: With normal windows operation it froze up in less than 2 hrs. Maybe the HP version of windows is bad?

[Bill_To]

Hi @Mindride 

Running in safe mode with no problems for 18 hours would suggest a driver problem. 

Do you have any optional USB peripherals connected to the PC? Are you using any optional Bluetooth devices?

Incompatible: graphics drivers, network drivers, chipset drivers, printer drivers and so on can cause problems. Anti-Virus software or other security software can cause instability.

HP factory images are very stable. You could now be running a different version of Windows subsequently offered by Windows Update. 

HP offers various Windows 10 driver updates and Windows 11 driver updates for your PC at this HP Site.

Check your PC's version of Windows:

Run Windows Search. Enter winver. What version do you have?

Finding a bad driver or a conflicting app is tedious and time consuming. You would have to strip the operating system down to a bare minimum condition to find the offending driver or conflicting software.

Uninstall unnecessary software in Control Panel, Programs and Features. Check: Settings, Apps, Installed Apps for unnecessary Apps.

Sometimes it is suggested to back up data and start from scratch. Do a Windows refresh, a Windows reset, or try the HP Cloud Recovery option for your PC.

Regards

[Bill_To]

Hi @Mindride 

Just wanted to add the following:

If you see the same problem after doing a Windows: reset, refresh, or a HP Cloud Recovery, this result would then suggest a hardware problem (power supply, RAM, HDD or SSD, graphics card, WIFI card, CPU or MB) not revealed by running HP Diagnostics.

This result would be confounding since previous hardware troubleshooting had suggested a driver problem.

I would not rule out a possible intermittent power supply problem. A failing power supply usually causes the PC to shut down or power cycle, or fail to POST. An intermittent  MB voltage problem could cause a freeze. Any intermittent interruption of clean power delivery (PSU) or MB power management could cause the freezing symptom. 

Or your PC's hardware may not play well with the Windows drivers provided by Microsoft if the PC updated to W11. Or a BIOS update might solve the problem in some cases. But the PC might freeze during a BIOS update, this would not be good to see.

Download and run HWINFO portable . Check temps on all components to see if you might have a thermal problem.

An intermittent freezing problem with no critical errors in: Windows Event Viewer, or Windows Reliability Monitor is very tough to troubleshoot. No Device Manager errors would seem to indicate hardware drivers are okay.

You might want to touch base with a local PC Tech if you can't find the source of the problem. At this point we can't conclude if you have a hardware problem or an operating system problem.

Regards

[Mindride]

Thanks for all your help so far. Im getting ready to do a reset and see how that goes. Ill keep you posted.

Lets keep this post open just in case.