Member Avatar for supermom120

Hi! I am hoping someone can help me.
I've encountered a strange problem this week with my laptop. if i leave it idle for a few minutes the whole thing freezes. i can't close anything i am doing...browser, docs, etc. i cant even restart the laptop. the only way i managed to get out of this, is by unplugging the machine. i know i must not do this. CNTRL, ALT, Delete doesnt work either. I am worried it is a virus. I ran the program eset but the scan took so long that the laptop froze in the middle too. Had to unplug it again.

Any ideas?
thanks in advance!
supermom

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by angel6969

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Good summary of the problem from and useful starting suggestions from and . Before doing more scans, make a quick backup of any irreplaceable files — freezes that require hard power removal can be a sign of imminent hardware failure.

Short diagnostic checklist (safe order, one step at a time)

  1. Capture the context: note exact time, whether on battery or AC, networking state, and what apps were open when the freeze happens.
  2. Check Event Viewer after a reboot: Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Event Viewer -> Windows Logs -> System and Application. Copy any Error or Critical entries whose timestamp matches the freeze.
  3. Test memory: run a bootable memory tester (Memtest86+) for several passes. Faulty RAM often causes random hangs.
  4. Test disk health: schedule chkdsk /f /r and inspect SMART data (use any SMART utility). If SMART shows reallocated/pending sectors, back up immediately and replace the drive.
  5. Run offline malware checks (booted Safe Mode or rescue media) if you can — but don’t rely on one long-running scan when the system freezes.
  6. Power/driver checks: try a clean boot (disable non-Microsoft startup items), set advanced power options to avoid aggressive drive/USB sleep, and update chipset/video drivers and the BIOS only from Toshiba if available.
  7. Temperature/vent cleaning: monitor CPU/GPU temps while idling; clean vents and fans if the laptop runs hot.

What to post here for faster help

  • Relevant Event Viewer lines with timestamps and Event IDs, the DDS.txt/Attach.txt if you run DDS, Memtest results (pass count/failures), and SMART attributes (reallocated sectors, pending sectors). Also say whether freezes occur on battery or AC.

If tests point to hardware (bad RAM or failing disk), replace that component before reinstalling Windows. If unsure, stop and share the logs — they tell the story.

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Member Avatar for jholland1964

Can we have more info on the computer itself? Operating system, how many programs do you have running when this happens? What is your anti-virus program? Have you done a general clean up...emptied temp files, etc.? Have you tried running your anti-virus program in safe mode? Are you online when this happens? How much RAM is installed?

Member Avatar for supermom120

Can we have more info on the computer itself? Operating system, how many programs do you have running when this happens? What is your anti-virus program? Have you done a general clean up...emptied temp files, etc.? Have you tried running your anti-virus program in safe mode? Are you online when this happens? How much RAM is installed?

Thanks for the information. This is a Toshiba Laptop L305, vista is the operating system, and i have 3.00 RAM.
i use these programs for anti-virus: Avira, Spybot, Spyware and Malware. I run these usually weekly. never tried running the anitvirus in safe mode. will try next. I never tried to empty my temp files, but when i went to check, there was nothing there.
As for whether this happens offline or not, I cant be sure. i mostly am on the net when my laptop is open, while i may pull up docs from Word or Excel, etc at the same time. Will pay attention though.
Problem has occurred when there are few or many programs running at the same time.
What else does a 'general clean up' consist of??
Thanks again for your help.
Supermom

Member Avatar for jholland1964

General clean up would be emptying temp files, internet temp files, recycle bin, anti-virus and anti-malware scans. Sounds as if you have done all of the above however on a regular basis.
Download DDS by sUBs and save it to your Desktop.
Be sure follow the instructions below carefully!

• If your AV has a script blocker, please disable it
• DoubleClick on dds.scr to run the tool

* A command box will open, displaying added information for your reading pleasure while DDS completes its scan.
* Upon completion, a Dialog Box should open instructing you to save and post the TWO resulting logs (DDS.txt & Attach.txt).

• Copy&Paste the DDS.txt into your post for assistance.
• Please post Attach.txt as an attachment to your post - there is no need to Zip it. If you don’t know how to post an attachment, please Copy&Paste it along with the DDS.txt scanlog.

Member Avatar for angel6969

you should also consider performing a disk cleanup and defragmenting as part of your system maintenance.... also have you made any recent changes to your system ... hardware or software upgrades.. if so what ones a=have you changed or modified

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