Windows XP Question...

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itsbenjibrand

itsbenjibrand

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I am not a computer expert so forgive me for this. I have a Lenovo Thinkpad laptop that I use to do my school work on. Recently I will be working on homework when a blue screen with writing will display for like one second then the computer will restart and run as usual. This happens once or twice a day. So what I'd like to know is, why does the blue screen show up, what the purpose of it is, why it only displays for a few seconds, and if my computer is being damaged? Any responses would be greatly appreciated. The laptop runs on XP Proffesional
 
That my friend, is the famed Blue Screen of Death.

BSODs usually happen when there the OS runs into either a major software or hardware error, at least one major enough to crash the OS and force a restart. All BSODs have at least some generic codes on it that give you a clue as to what's causing the crash. Of course, the key is to be able to get the code and what it says, and Google it.

It sounds like your computer is set to automatically restart after the BSOD. You will want to turn it off. There are a couple of ways to do it. First, next time it crashes and show up the blue screen, press F8 continuously to go into Boot Options menu, then choose the "Disable Automatic Restart." Second method, follow these instructions:

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/tipstricks/ht/disautorestart.htm
 
The laptop is programmed to run on the schools network as well as a standalone, would I need administrative privileges? Or should I just tell the IT guy?
 
Is it your laptop or the school's laptop? If it's theirs, don't even worry about it, report the problem and have them fix it.

As for the F8 menu, you don't need privilege for that, because that happens before Windows starts. Pick the option to disable automatic restart, then when the BSOD appears, the system freezes with the BSOD displayed. Then you'll have time to read the messages and plan a course of action. Without admin privilege you may not be able to do anything about it by yourself, though.

I would like to meet (and imprison, torture, maim, seriously injure, kill, and introduce to my dead mother) the person who decided it was a good idea to default to a reboot when the BSOD occurs.
 
It's the schools laptop technically. I'm going to report the problem at lunch. The BSOD hasn't happened yet today though :scary:.
 
I believe that there is a fixed temperature on each computer that sometimes you can adjust. But the BSOD is usually occurs when some important went wrong. Say like a system file. Though that has happened in all my experience.
 
Yes, BSODs can be caused by driver errors. I would say that in many cases, that's the cause of the BSOD.

Next time is happens, you can write down what the error message and code is, then look it up online. Good luck.
 
Check the event viewer logs. Search for Event Viewer and you'll see logs for Application, System, Security and a couple of other things iirc.
 
salanos
Just a thought, but could the thing be overheating?
Click to expand...

That's what I'd put my money on because it's so frequent. If it was a windows file of sorts, it would typically happen once you run Word, or open a browser, plug in a usb drive, etc. However, it could also be defective memory or corrupted sectors on your hard drive. If you can, try getting different RAM of hte same specs and maybe it's a good time to increase that anyway?

I'd first suggest cooling the room as much as you can and get a laptop stand to let some heat dissipate. If it's still twice a day, then look for other commonalities. Write down what you were doing when it happened and when it restarts, try and to that exact same thing again.

A good windows update cycle as well as looking for the latest drivers on the manufacturers website (laptop, printer, mouse, usb drive all that stuff) for everything else you use will help a ton since XP has been out for a long time. HTH.


Jerome
 
It seems that after I created this thread, the laptop decided to run perfectly. I haven't changed the way I do stuff on it, still use it on my wooden desk and all. Edit: I did move some stuff away from it, and now have a little electric fan to cool the air around the laptop, and it's apparent that the anti-virus software on it finally decided to update itself today (Nod 32 antivirus doesn't allow users without admin priviliges to update). It updated for the first time in 6 years :scared:. 💡 Maybe it had a virus and the update eliminated it. The good news is no bsod's as of yet today. :)
 
If it were me, I would of got AVG or Avast for a antivirus and Spybot plus Malware.
 
nk4e
If it were me, I would of got AVG or Avast for a antivirus and Spybot plus Malware.
Click to expand...

I use Nod32 on all my PCs and haven't had any issues with it. I occasionally run a Malwarebytes scan if something is fishy, but I haven't had to in over a year.

At work we used to use AVG free or Avast on all customer PCs, but recently moved to Microsoft Security Essentials. I find M.S.E. to be a perfectly good program for what it is (FREE).

Another free tool that many people are not aware of is the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool. You can run this program by finding the RUN... command in your start menu, type MRT and click ok. When it starts up, take note of the date at the top of the window. It should be your current Month and Year.

The last thing to keep in mind is your Windows Updates. To make sure you have the latest security patches and fixes, open Internet Explorer, find the tools button on the top, and then find windows update.
 
Tried to install some updates today, with no luck. I got the 'you need administrative priviliges to install updates.
 

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