This is another problem with my own PC… seems like I’m having a few problems lately.
Anyway, Mandy tells me the main PC suddenly reset the other day, and since then, it hasn’t been “right”.
Most of the hardware was recently updated, so I start looking for a software problem.
The PC starts and operates in safe mode.
The PC starts in normal mode, and sits at the login prompt without a problem.
About a minute after I login, it freezes, and I need to hit the reset button to restart it.
From safe mode, I disable all the startup apps, but it still freezes. Sometimes, I can press the start button and start doing some work before the freeze.
I start thinking a corrupt windows driver, or a corrupt system dll / registry.
So I do a repair install of XP.
Afterwards, I login without a problem… but as soon as I change my screen resolution to 1280 X 1024, the PC freezes.
A few more tests, and I’m homing in on a display problem.
I decide to pull out theĀ soltek geforce fx5200, and run with the onboardĀ VIA S3 video.
After pulling the soltek card, I see it has a “bulging capacitor”. There is my problem… a hardware problem, on a 5 month old card. Grumble, grumble
I replace the capacitor (can’t be bothered seeing if its still under warranty), and my system is finally back to normal.
Its funny how wrong assumptions can end up wasting many hours!
In this case, assuming it couldn’t be a hardware problem wasn’t the right thing to do.