Computer lock up!!!

[jgcable]

When my computer locks up I get the following message in my Event Viewer:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: Service Control Manager
Event Category: None
Event ID: 7026
Date: 3/26/2007
Time: 7:16:19 PM
User: N/A
Computer: DADSCOMPUTER
Description:
The following boot-start or system-start driver(s) failed to load:
IntelIde

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Does anybody know what this is??

My computer locks up like crazy. The hard drive light stays on and it just freezes. I have to reboot and sometimes it takes 10 tries before I can get out of the Windows XP Pro black start up screen.
I tried everything. New hard drive, checked the memory, removed every removeable device, memtest, updated all the MB drivers etc..
I also did the hard drive utility and both hard drive check out healthy.
I even formated the Maxtor 80GB hard drive and tried to install a fresh copy of XP Pro and the computer locked up during the last 5 minutes of the installation.

The specs are:
Gigabyte GA-7DPXDW Rev 1 Dual Processor MB
Dual Athlon MP1800+ processors
Radeon 9200 SE video card
Soundblaster Audigy 2 sound card
1024 MB ram
Seagate Barracuda 60gb hard drive
Maxtor 80gb hard drive
Lite-on CD drive
Lite-on CD burner
450w Norwood power supply
2 large fans along with the 2 fans for the processors and the fan in the power supply

Any ideas??? This is really driving me crazy. Sometimes the computer works great for hours. Other times.. its a nightmare. It seems that if I keep using it consistantly it works great but as soon as I let it sit idle it freezes. It also freezes during gaming.

Before I bring it in to the local shop to get it checked out I figured I would ask here.

[thetroy]

My computer was acting similarly and after a week or so of trying everything I could think of I got pissed off enough to take everything apart completely. Pulled the motherboard out, every drive, the processor and it's heatsink/fan, RAM, video card, the works. I cleaned out every last bit of dust from the case and each individual part with some paper towels, a vacuum, and compressed air then put it all back together. It's worked perfectly ever since

[hippietim]

Ok, you have an intermittent failure. A lot of things come to mind here:

• The drive is bad - reformatting won't fix a physical problem nor will it necessarily be discovered during a format since your machine will sometimes run for hours
• The IDE controller is bad - it's not something you see to often but I've had it happen
• The driver is bad. Installing the latest drivers is usually a good thing but not always.
• Your power supply may not be delivering consistent power
• Some other device in your system or it's driver could be toasting the box - this happens more often than you'd think. Typically I've seen this problem with display drivers.

What other things are you seeing in the event log? Note that you may not be getting everything logged that you should because the crash is happening in the IDE driver.

[xenophobe]

Even though the Event Logger points to the Intel IDE driver, it sounds like a some kind of hardware issue.

Perhaps what is listed above, perhaps a bad capacitor.

Intermittent crashes are the hardest to diagnose. Good Luck.

[jgcable]

Ok, you have an intermittent failure. A lot of things come to mind here:

• The drive is bad - reformatting won't fix a physical problem nor will it necessarily be discovered during a format since your machine will sometimes run for hours
• The IDE controller is bad - it's not something you see to often but I've had it happen
• The driver is bad. Installing the latest drivers is usually a good thing but not always.
• Your power supply may not be delivering consistent power
• Some other device in your system or it's driver could be toasting the box - this happens more often than you'd think. Typically I've seen this problem with display drivers.

What other things are you seeing in the event log? Note that you may not be getting everything logged that you should because the crash is happening in the IDE driver.

Hey Tim, that is the only error in the event log. It doesn't pop up everytime the computer hangs up but it does follow the pattern of the lockups.
When I brought the computer in to have the MB repaired several months ago (it had some bad caps) they told me that the hard drive was on the way out. I got a new hard drive and I attempted to install a fresh copy of XP Pro on it but the computer locked up with the new hard drive too.

[jgcable]

My computer was acting similarly and after a week or so of trying everything I could think of I got pissed off enough to take everything apart completely. Pulled the motherboard out, every drive, the processor and it's heatsink/fan, RAM, video card, the works. I cleaned out every last bit of dust from the case and each individual part with some paper towels, a vacuum, and compressed air then put it all back together. It's worked perfectly ever since

I have already tried that. It didn't help.

[hippietim]

Hey Tim, that is the only error in the event log. It doesn't pop up everytime the computer hangs up but it does follow the pattern of the lockups.
When I brought the computer in to have the MB repaired several months ago (it had some bad caps) they told me that the hard drive was on the way out. I got a new hard drive and I attempted to install a fresh copy of XP Pro on it but the computer locked up with the new hard drive too.

What made them conclude your HD was going bad?

[OnlineStageGear]

And why didthey send you out with a hard drive on the way out ? Seeing as how you have 2 hard drives, try installing XP on both drives and see which one gives you errors. If they both do, then you have other probelms and not out of the rhelm of possibility that your new Motherboard is bad.

Matt

[thetroy]

I just had a random thought about this. If you haven't already, try switching out your IDE cables. I've had one randomly go bad before. Other than that I've no clue

[heartfielder]

Swap out the memory. Run on one DIMM if you can to determine if one or the other is the problem. A quick fix if that's the problem.

[yard dawg]

I am no computer repairman but I have some advice

BUY A MAC !!!!!!!!!!! best thing I ever done

[Spivonious]

Macs are for tools

Try taking everything out except what you need in there. Disable everything onboard (i.e. sound, video you're not using, serial ports, parallel ports, etc.). Now, with just the processor, memory, video card, hard drive, and cd/dvd rom, try reformatting and installing windows.

If the hard drive light stays on when it crashes, I'd be willing to bet that it's either the hard drive, the hard drive cable, or the motherboard. If you can, try swapping each one out for another one. Just because the hard drive you got was new doesn't mean that there's nothing wrong with it.

Also, it may be heat issues. Try running the computer with the case open and see if it locks up. If everything runs fine, then a case fan will most likely solve your issue.

Also, while you're poking around the motherboard, examine each capacitor for any that are bulging or leaking fluid. If you find any, it's time for a new motherboard or new capacitors.

[Special-K]

you need more RAM!

[xenophobe]

I didn't pay attention to this before...

450w Norwood power supply

Unplug both optical drives, unplug your secondary hard drive, pull the sound card, unhook any firewire/usb devices. See if the crashes are happening as often.

Sounds like you might be overloading that 450w power supply.