computer crash please help

My first thoughts are to check the quality of the power in the house.
If you can run the system for days with no problem, and they get it to fail within a couple hours, it sounds like noisey power lines.
Set them up with a comercial grade power line filter. Not just a surge supressor.
Consider loaning them a UPS as a test.

Make sure that the DSL line has proper spike and noise filters to.

Do they shut the system down properly?

Electromagnetic fields? Do they have a vacuum cleaner with bad brushes? You would be amased at how strong a magnetic field these motors can generate.

Other ideas:
Static shocks to the system;

Install a keystroke monitor to see if they are doing anything that disrupts the system.

Years ago, we had several computers set up on a production line. The computers would regularly lock up and need to be re-booted. I stood out of view and watched the line for several hours. Turned out the operators were setting things on the keyboard. Once the buffer filled, the machine locked up. It had been a problem for months, but was only resolved through direct observation.

Vibration; how stable is the stand that the PC is on?
Does the floor shake when you walk by, or bounce near the PC?

Beyond the above, it may just take dogged blood-hounding to find out what is hapening.

Download the Windows IDE Hard Drive Cache Package using Windows Update.
the article
ScanDisk Runs Even Though Windows Shut Down Correctly (Q273017)

you can search for the q number with google to get the page

Connect to the Internet.

From the Start menu, click Windows Update.
Note: If Windows Update is not found on the Start menu, from the Start menu, click Run. In the Run dialog box, type: Wupdmgr.exe, and then click OK.

After the Web browser page has completely loaded, click Product Updates.

In the Recommended Updates section, click Windows IDE Hard Drive Cache Package, and then click Download

good luck

Did you install new SW? Remember something akin happened on a Win95 system. Problem was some freeware that clashed on memory with win95. The regular warning were disregarded by the user and he ended up having a crashed system...

checklist:

[ ] Make sure the voltages are the same
[ ] Make sure the power in the house (the PC has
problems in) is 100% perfect
[ ] Make sure that there isnt a super strong
magnetic field nearby as it can damage at
least the hard drive.

Is this machine being used on a power generator?
power surge or spike from using this will destroy your internal power box. I have run into this twice. You must have a constant steady stream of electricity. it is very bad for the power supply if you do not.

I tend to agree with most of the above answers on the power supply. There is one thing that seems to make me curious: What's the possibility that an uninformed user is deleting system files unawares? Don't be surprised if that's not the case. Also some viruses and worms can go about deleting files. Next time around, update the virus signatures and give the user a little education on system files and their importance. It would also be a good idea to use the hide system files attribute.

Godspeed,

electrojolt

Well i have been trying different things to trouble shoot this problem i had them get a new surge protector since their other one was flickering i had them to change rooms with the computer .then i loaned them one of my computers to see what happen while i work on their computer again it lasted about 24 hours then it became un bootable. so i am gonna try to buy a ups to plug their computer into and try that. they got like 4 big power lines running in the back yard right next to where the computer rooms was and also got a cable station right behind their house to that feeds their whole neighborhood.

A UPS w/ EMI and RFI filtering would be excellent. Also Cat5 lines are a good idea.One last thing,Are any of their lines running = to any of those sources?

HAVE YOU GUYS EVER SEEN A SET OF COMPUTER SPEAKERS AND SUB CREATE THESE PROBLEMS. AS SOON AS I HOOKED THEIR SPEAKERS UP I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS !SO I REMOVED THEM AND HOOKED UP SOME MORE THEIR SET HAD ABOUT 4 SPEAKERS AND A SUB BUT SOME WAS SPLICED INTO THE OTHER SPEAKERS. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS HAS FIXED IT YET BUT IT HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR ABOUT 10 DAYS WITH NO PROBLEMS .

I have seen this problem caused by speakers or other external devices. Not sure of all the wheres and whys, but appears that sometimes external devices will put voltage back into the computer through the connectors (had this with speakers, parr port scanner and a scsi device over the years). When the computer is back feed voltage, many things get strange. Due to the power lines behind the house, the speakers may be picking up rf from the lines and generating back feed voltage, try changing the amount of wire that connects the speakers (to de-resignate the circuit) or put some rf chokes, such as a ferrite bead in the wiring. Hope this helps,

Vickie

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