Computer freeze-ups

[maverickr 0]

Hello all,I have a Dell Dimension 8300, P4, 1 gig DDR SDRAM memory, 128mb DDR GeForce FX5200 video card, 120gb hard drive, running XP home edition.FS9 was out 2 years give or take before FSX. The first year of FS9 I had no problems with it or the computer. The second year the computer started freezing up whenever I used FS9. I just spent a considerable amount of money having the computer "fixed"?? to prevent these freeze-ups. My computer is absolutley empty except for the usual anti- virus/ spyware programs just so I could use it for FSX. Now it freezes up with FSX. I've yet to complete one flight.I was just wondering if anyone else was having a similar problem. My computer doesn't freeze up while I'm surfing the web or reading e-mail, etc., just when I try to use FSX.Any suggestions would sure be helpful.Thanks,Mike

[irocx 292]

I would look at heat as possibly being an issue. You said you had some repairs done? I would assume your case and video card received a good cleaning? How long ago was that? Find some software to monitor your case environment, MB and card temps and see what they are. You might consider picking up a different card as prices have been falling. You also may have to re-seat some heat sinks on CPU and/or card and use some Artic Silver. Try flying with your case open or take the side off and blow a fan into it to see if it makes a difference.Otherwise, begin by trying to rule out other componant failures ie: HD, ram etc. JMHO, Good Luck Regards, KendallDell 8400 3.2 GHZ H.T.800 FSB/2MB L22 GB 533 DDR2X800XT 256MB/Catalyst driver - 6.12's6x EATM AA/16x HQ A/FDiamond Xtreme/Logitech X-530'sDual Monitor: Dell 2405/1905CH Yoke/Pedals

[maverickr 0]

Kendall,Thanks for answering. I'll try your suggestions and hope for the best.Mike

[Guest firehawk44]

I doubt you have a heat issue but it's good to check it out in any case just to be sure. You would more than likely receive the "Blue Screen of Death" (BSOD) if your system was overheating. Did you do a complete defrag of your harddrive after installation of FSX? FSX really scatters the files around on the harddrive. I defragged my harddrive just before installation and did a defrag immediately afterwards and I was totally amazed at all the red lines indicating fragmentation. FSX files were scattered all over the hard drive. Defragging your harddrive dramatically increases FPS and response times when running programs such as FSX/FS9. Now I defrag everytime I install an addon and FSX runs great. In addition to defragging, do some system maintenance periodically such as deleting cleaning your harddrive of temporary files no longer needed by your system. Goto the Help and Support Center in Windows XP and under "Pick a Task", select "Use Tools to view your computer information and diagnose problems". One tool is defragging and another is disk cleanup. You'll be amazed at how much running these tools will help you keep your system running efficiently. I'm sure you are already aware of these tools and may have used them already but many forget to use them on a regular basis, including me. I am usually reminded when FSX or FS9 begins to act strangely.I assume you are not receiving any error msg when FSX/FS9 freezes up. Have you checked Windows XP Application Events for an error msg on the date and time you were running the sim? Sometimes these error messages provide information to pinpoint the problem especially if it references a video card or sound card driver. You should also run a DirectX diagnosis (Start>Run>type in dxdiag then hit Enter). Check each tab to see if there's a problem with your sound card or video card.Hope this helps fix your problem.Best regards,Jim