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computer freezes every few seconds

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Just started having this problem: my Sony Vaio laptop just started freezing every few seconds...the mouse freezes, sound stops, can't type, etc. This lasts about 3 seconds and then the computer resumes working for 8 to 10 seconds and then freezes again, and so on and so on. Reboot usually cures it. Problem does not always occur. When it does, it happens after the computer has been on for about an hour or more.

This is a major headache and searching via Google etc., is unproductive because all articles found have to do with terminal freezes, not three second freezes.

Any help would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks,

Win

7 replies

by sowmyantala

>Just started having this problem: my Sony Vaio laptop just started freezing every few seconds...the mouse freezes, sound stops, can't type, etc. This lasts about 3 seconds and then the computer resumes working for 8 to 10 seconds and then freezes again, and so on and so on. Reboot usually cures it. Problem does not always occur. When it does, it happens after the computer has been on for about an hour or more.

This is a major headache and searching via Google etc., is unproductive because all articles found have to do with terminal freezes, not three second freezes.

Any help would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks,

Win >>>>>>>>

Sorry... dint c the next post... ignore this one plz

by gejepe

I found this topic after Googling exactly that: my computer freezes every few seconds.

It took me a day or two to figure it out, and all threads I've seen on the matter seem to have Norton AV in common.

My trouble started when I uninstalled Norton 360 to replace it with Kaspersky.
As it turns out - quite widely documented if you know where to look for it - a Norton (and some other AV programs too) uninstall may well corrupt TCP/IP and/or network connections with user set privileges.

To confirm this is the problem you need to to open the Event Viewer (administrative tools) and check if you get a lot of DCOM errors. If you do, you want to open one of these events and see what the text says (mostly cryptonic, of course).

In my case I found this: "Unable to start a DCOM Server: {73E709EA-5D93-4B2E-BBB0-99B7938DA9E4}", in this case the registry key was really the key to solving the problem.

Previously I had uninstalled LiveUpdate and some other Norton Services through the Control Panel, but soon found out they had not gone and kept running - obviously also generating warnings in the Event Viewer / Application window.
I thought I had the fix: downloaded the Norton removal tool from the Symantec website and cleaned out remaining Norton hooks, but... the problem was still there.

After copying the DCOM key into Google I found a whole bunch of references to corrupted WMI files, apps for which I had also seen warnings in Event Viewer.

I ended up doing a system restore, repaired the WMI Repository with these instructions (you need admin privileges...):
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/repairwmi.htm

and finally did a another uninstall of the remaining Norton files, put back in place by the roll back...

http://service1.symantec.com/Support/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039?Open&docid=2006032009205413&nsf=sharedtech.nsf&view=docid&pid=2006032009205413&pkb=sharedtech

I just finished this, so, no guarantees but so far it works for me.

My suggestion is to NOT uninstall Norton from the control panel, but get the uninstall instructions/tools from Norton.
Given the number of pages dedicated to the topic, it must be quite a common little DRAMA.

Hope this helps someone.

Gerard

Edited to add:
As expected, my troubles were not quite over: you'd probably want to uninstall Norton com suis BEFORE repairing the WMI files.
In the end I restored the WMI's from a "slipstreamed" winstall directory on my C drive. You may of course also burn a slipstreamed CD if you prefer. See the instructions at the end of this web page:
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/repairwmi.htm

by 1bn0

This is the kind of post that keeps my coming back to TR and trying to do my part by contributing when I can.

Of course the moral of this story is DON"T INSTALL NORTON!

by gejepe

I think the moral of the story is: if you hate MS, you may end up hating Symantec even more...

GRTZ.
Gerard

by older mycroft

But upon closer inspection, typing the registry key into Google - it appears the most likely culprit is the Nvidia ActiveArmor firewall on my ASUS motherboard.

I'll post back when I know more... ;)

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