# Computer Freezes at Windows splash screen



## cgweiser (Mar 7, 2005)

The computer boots up at splash screen and freezes. I am unable to boot in safe mode. I have ran a diagnostic on hardware but to no avail. The hardware showed no problems. I tried to fdisk and format the hard drive but will hang at Windows will load setup files.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


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## JSntgRvr (Jul 1, 2003)

It could be due to malfunctioning Memory Modules. Open the console and reseat the modules. If more than one, swap them around.


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## Hulk701 (Dec 5, 2003)

cgweiser said:


> The computer boots up at splash screen and freezes. I am unable to boot in safe mode. I have ran a diagnostic on hardware but to no avail. The hardware showed no problems. I tried to fdisk and format the hard drive but will hang at Windows will load setup files.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


Were you inside the box recently or did this just start up by itself? If you were inside the box what did you do?

How did you run a diagnostic test if you couldn't boot completely?

When this happened to me it was because the Cpu fan was malfunctioning. You may want to open the box to check it out. :up:


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## Kyizen (Mar 9, 2005)

I have the same issue with my PC. My computer was running perfectly until I installed SP2 for XP pro. After that it would freeze up every once in a while such as if I leave it on over night it would be frozen the next morning. The intervals between the time it would freeze got worse over the next few days it went from say 12 hours to freezing like every hour and then it would freeze right after booting up till finally it froze at the windows splash screen. It's a complete freeze which means it locked up my keyboard and only a hard boot would restart the computer. 

Not knowing what to do I decided to reformat my windows partition and reinstall windows installation went fine until the first time it asks to reboot your computer after that the splash screen comes up and it freezes. Thinking it might be an issue with xp sp2 I got a copy of windows 2000 and the same thing happened at the same place after reformating and installing that OS. Before during the first reformat I tried to run safe mode and it would freeze at mup.sys. I'm at a lost as to what the problem could be. I've run a HDD scan using maxtor boot up disk and a full scan came up clean. I've also have 2 HDD's I tried installing windows on the other HDD and ran into the same problem which leads me to believe it could be a hardware issue. The problem though is I haven't opened my computer for a long time and the problem started after installing SP2 so it would be weird if something just randomly happened with the hardware. I did open my comp to check it out and all the fans are working and everything seems to be in order. it also goes into bios fine and has no problem booting up off the xp cd and does not freeze at all till the same point at the splash screen.

So anyone had this happen and fixed it? I'm at a lost as to what to do to fix this problem.


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## jtsquared (Feb 24, 2005)

Both these problems definitely sound hardware related to me. I agree with JSntgRvr and would try different RAM altogether, or if you have two sticks, just use one and then just the other (possibly one stick gone bad).

Hope this helps,

jT


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## Kyizen (Mar 9, 2005)

I got the microsoft memory diagnostic program and I ran that and during the test the comp freezes while it's testing LRAND. I don't know what that means but since you guys believe it to memory and it is freezing while testing the memory then i'm going to assume it's memory and i'm going to pick up a new chip to see if that works. What I find odd though is that everything worked fine till SP2, so maybe that corrupted the memory or something triggered when SP2 was installed. Anyways if it's the memory i'll let you guys know, thanks for the help so far!


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## jtsquared (Feb 24, 2005)

Kyizen,

I normally would agree with you about SP2 being the culprit as I've seen this happen before when SP2 was installed when the machine had a virus or spyware on it. However, you seemed intent in your last post in eliminating the fact that SP2 could be causing the problem (using a different OS and a different drive) so it's hard to think that could be causing the problem. Unless that is you failed to delete the partitions (using fdisk or Windows 2000/XP setup). If you just formatted and did not delete the partitions, your boot files are still on the drive and could be causing you problems. If this is not the case, it is definitely worth swapping out your RAM to see if that fixes it.

jT


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## cgweiser (Mar 7, 2005)

Thanks for all your help. I have tried new memory modules and this did not work. I am still beating the bushes for a resolution. I ran Post probe and received the message that there was a problem with the motherboard, processor or the BIOS. I am starting with flashing the BIOS or looking for Award BIOS update. Thanks again


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## JSntgRvr (Jul 1, 2003)

Remove all peripherals from the computer. If you have a combination of CD_RW, CD_ROM and DVD, disconnect all devices axcept for the CD_ROM, setting this last one as Master. If there are integrated components, disable these components throughout the BIOS (Peripheral settings). If you are using a PCI card as a hard drive controller, connect the hard drive directly to the MoBo throughout an IDE Channel and remove the PCI Card. Remove the Modem and Network Card if available. Just set your computer as simple as possible and see if the issue improves. Then start adding disabled components one by one until you have narrow down the possible cause for this issue. I do not believe that flashing the BIOS will do any good. A malfunctioning device could be the cause.


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## chrychek (Apr 4, 2005)

Check all drives in your computer! My DVD drive was damaged (after a format, which did not allow for a System Restore) and the damaged DVD drive wouldn't allow the OS to start up. It prevented the Internet from working in Safe Mode with Networking, as well. I suggest unhooking one thing at a time and then restarting to see if the last thing you unplugged makes the computer boot through to Windows. After each unsuccessful reboot...if there is no change, it might be a good idea to re-hook things that aren't the cause, as you find out that they are not the cause (to ensure things are getting put back in the right spot, especially helpful if your computer is a maze of wires to you). I'd also check the RAM to be sure it is seated correctly, or if it just ceased to work all of a sudden. All it takes is a little ESD sometimes. (Electrostatic Discharge). I hope this helps someone with this problem. I posted this as a thank-you to those who had this problem thereby helping to lead me toward the solution. It's always nice to know that the repairman can eat on someone else's computer dollars.


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## bobbih2u (Apr 5, 2005)

Today when I tried to turn on my old PC it froze on the Windows98 logo screen and I couldn't shut it down with control/alt/delete & had to use the power button. When I turned it back on it came up in the safe mode, but nothing I've tried has gotten it out of than and it alternates between the logo freeze up page or the safe mode. I've been into the MISCONFIG and tried every option available, I've unchecked everything that didn't need to be checked, I searched thru the help sections, which have been no help at all. This Compaq Preserio MV520 is connected to my wireless high speed Internet from my XP, but I can't even access the Internet in this safe mode to try to have any diagnostics run on it.  

I need to be able to get in and clean this computer out, as I'm giving it to a friend. So I don't want to spend money on it by taking it into a repair shop. Surely there must be someway to get me out of this hole.

Thanks in advance and I hope your suggestions are something I haven't already tried, unsuccessfully.


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## chrychek (Apr 4, 2005)

I have recently done a lot of research on this topic of WIndows freezing at the loadup splash screen. One idea was to rollback the drivers one at time, after you've backed them up of course. If there is device not working correctly it may be the easiest solution to determining device failure. Unfortunately, when I tried this in Windows XP the Safe Mode feature would not allow me to connect through my high speed Internet connection, and it would not allow me to rollback my drivers. I had to physically disconnect the CD-ROM drive as well as the DVD drive to determine the faulty drive. Once Windows booted successfully all the way through I connected each drive seperately and found that the DVD drive was either broken or damaged. (After a week of trying everything software related that I could think of, I was relieved to find that this was the only problem). I had no idea that it would cause Windows to freeze like that. I hope this helps.


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## Dayzed (Apr 6, 2005)

I don't know much about computers, but I do know that when my husbands computer starts getting weird things happening and scandisk, checking files and other routine diagnostics bring nothing up, it's usually the battery on his motherboard. After changing the battery, all the mysteries are solved and he can use his computer for another 6 months to a year with no problems.


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## Malaikah (Jul 14, 2003)

I recently had a very similar problem (on a batch of PCs I was ghosting that were identical to a previous batch which had ghosted fine [using the same image]!).

It is not mentioned here, but in my case, attempting to boot into safe mode revealed that all the drivers were loaded up until mup.sys (which is the last driver loaded in this process) after which, the system just hung. There is a lot in forums around the place about this or similar problems. Most of these threads point to hardware problems and tail off unresolved.

On one I found, though, someone pointed out that at this point in the boot process Windows attempts to load the system resource settings from the BIOS, a process which is complicated by ACPI settings. I disabled the APIC ACPI settings (to do with hyper threading as well as power management functions, I believe) and the PCs booted fine, though with some rather basic display settings. This was on HP Compaq dx2000s, using (if I remember rightly) an American Megatrends BIOS. I have avoided being too precise in the details for the setting I diabled as they will appeaer differently in different BIOSs. There should be a similar setting in most, though, that might be worth playing with here.

Hope that helps!


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