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    Win7 freezing after startup...

    Discussion in 'Alienware M15x' started by Quikj, Oct 23, 2010.

  1. Quikj

    Quikj Notebook Consultant

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    Windows allows me to see my desktop, then freezes within 5 min, sometimes as soon as a few seconds upon seeing the desktop. I can boot into safe mode just fine.

    1) power drain? Check
    2) system restore? Check
    3) memory test? Check
    4) isolate and test individual services and startup items using Msconfig? Check
    5) disable and uninstall mcafee? Check (I didn't think that it would help, but I was feeling a bit vindictive.)

    Any other ideas? Obviously, none of the aforementioned procedures worked. I'm trying to avoid a reformat and clean install.
     
    Quikj, Oct 23, 2010
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  2. hub1100

    hub1100 Notebook Evangelist

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    What I have found is that if you can get to the desktop, for any period of time, a full format and rebuild is overkill. but you have gone through the process and it's sounding like a bad spot on the HD. In the mean time please back up your machine on an external drive or web site. I download, and copy to CD, the most recent BIOS and ChipSet drivers from support.dell when I see the first sign of unusual machine activity. -A proponent of Microsoft Security Essentials-
     
    hub1100, Oct 23, 2010
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  3. xlawx

    xlawx Notebook Evangelist

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    ok my question to you is, did u flash your video bios? if you flash it to high your system will hang therefore i pray to god you follow jstarnio guide and have a back up bios.


    EDIT jstarnio is an ATI card i see you have an nvidia card but question still remain is did you flash anything?
     
    xlawx, Oct 23, 2010
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  4. xlawx

    xlawx Notebook Evangelist

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    if not i guess one of us here can send u a vbios of our own and it should work? i dunno someone back me up on that
     
    xlawx, Oct 23, 2010
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  5. taylrjones

    taylrjones Notebook Consultant

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    It should if you have the same card.
     
    taylrjones, Oct 23, 2010
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  6. Quikj

    Quikj Notebook Consultant

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    I haven't flashed my vBIOS. The last thing I flashed was to A08 when it came out.

    All my data is backed up onto an external HDD, along with the latest drivers. I also have CD's of the latest system BIOS and a Win7 recovery disk.

    I have the tools with which to reformat, I just don't want to unless it's my only option.
     
    Quikj, Oct 23, 2010
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  7. xlawx

    xlawx Notebook Evangelist

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    only thing i can say is your video card is messed up man, im pretty sure thats what happen to me when i flash my vbios to the wrong setting
     
    xlawx, Oct 23, 2010
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  8. xlawx

    xlawx Notebook Evangelist

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    but im new so dont do anything yet lol
     
    xlawx, Oct 23, 2010
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  9. Quikj

    Quikj Notebook Consultant

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    If I can boot into windows under a diagnostic startup, would my video card still be to blame?
     
    Quikj, Oct 24, 2010
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  10. xlawx

    xlawx Notebook Evangelist

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    like safemode?? if you can boot into safe mode and still be able to do everything without freezing up then i dont think its your video card(?) try that, go into safe mode, then play around for 5 min if it doesnt freeze up then its not your card (hopefully)
     
    xlawx, Oct 24, 2010
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  11. Quikj

    Quikj Notebook Consultant

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    I've been in safe mode for 10 min or so without it freezing. I'm actually typing from after a diagnostic startup with networking processes enabled.

    I forgot to mention that my system works fine in Ubuntu, so I feel like it's software related.
     
    Quikj, Oct 24, 2010
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  12. xlawx

    xlawx Notebook Evangelist

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    format comp and reinstall everything man
     
    xlawx, Oct 24, 2010
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  13. Quikj

    Quikj Notebook Consultant

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    I was afraid of that...
     
    Quikj, Oct 25, 2010
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  14. KavMx

    KavMx Newbie

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    Same happens to me too, like 5 times a week
     
    KavMx, Oct 26, 2010
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