Fatal error: The
system has become unstable or is busy," it says. "Enter to return to
Windows or press Control-Alt-Delete to restart your computer. If you do
this you will lose any unsaved information in all open applications."
You have just been struck by
the Blue Screen of Death. Anyone who uses Microsoft Windows OS will be
familiar with this. What can you do? More importantly, how can you
prevent it happening?
1. Hardware conflict :
The number one reason why
Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates
to other devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are
supposed to be unique for each device.
For example, a printer
usually connects internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1
and the floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a single
IRQ for itself.
If there are a lot of
devices, or if they are not installed properly, two of them may end up
sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at
the same time, a crash can happen. The way to check if your computer has
a hardware conflict is through the following route:
* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager.
Often if a device has a problem a yellow '!'
appears next to its description in the Device Manager (see Image 2).
Highlight Computer (in the Device Manager) and press Properties to see
the IRQ numbers used by your computer. If the IRQ number appears twice,
two devices may be using it.
image2
Sometimes a device might
share an IRQ with something described as 'IRQ holder for PCI steering'.
This can be ignored. The best way to fix this problem is to remove the
problem device and reinstall it.
Sometimes you may have to find more recent drivers on the internet to make the device function properly. A good resource is www.driverguide.com.
If
the device is a soundcard, or a modem, it can often be fixed by moving
it to a different slot on the motherboard (be careful about opening your
computer, as you may void the warranty).
When working inside a
computer you should switch it off, unplug the mains lead and touch an
unpainted metal surface to discharge any static electricity.
2. Bad RAM :
RAM (random-access memory)
problems might bring on the blue screen of death with a message saying
Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware
problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need
replacing.
But a fatal error caused by
RAM might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing
70-nanosecond (70ns) RAM with 60ns RAM will usually force the computer
to run all the RAM at the slower speed. This will often crash the
machine if the RAM is overworked.
One way around this problem
is to enter the BIOS settings and increase the wait state of the RAM.
This can make it more stable. Another way to troubleshoot a suspected
RAM problem is to rearrange the RAM chips on the motherboard, or take
some of them out. Then try to repeat the circumstances that caused the
crash. When handling RAM try not to touch the gold connections, as they
can be easily damaged.
Parity error messages also
refer to RAM. Modern RAM chips are either parity (ECC) or non parity
(non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can be a cause
of trouble.
EMM386 error messages refer
to memory problems but may not be connected to bad Ram. This may be due
to free memory problems often linked to old Dos-based programs.
3. BIOS settings :
Every motherboard is
supplied with a range of chipset settings that are decided in the
factory. A common way to access these settings is to press the F2 or
delete button during the first few seconds of a boot-up.
Once inside the BIOS, great
care should be taken. It is a good idea to write down on a piece of
paper all the settings that appear on the screen. That way, if you
change something and the computer becomes more unstable, you will know
what settings to revert to.
Microsoft Windows is better
at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set the IRQ numbers
to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the IRQ
numbers (make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is switched to
'yes' to allow Windows to do this.).
4. Hard disk drives :
After a few weeks, the
information on a hard disk drive starts to become piecemeal or
fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or
so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. Go to
* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Disk Defragmenter.
This will start the
procedure. You will be unable to write data to the hard drive (to save
it) while the disk is defragmenting, so it is a good idea to schedule
the procedure for a period of inactivity using the Task Scheduler.
Hard disks will slow down
and crash if they are too full. Do some housekeeping on your hard drive
every few months and free some space on it. Open the Windows folder on
the C drive and find the Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting the
contents (not the folder) can free a lot of space.
Empty the Recycle Bin every
week to free more space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week
for errors or bad sectors. Go to
* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-ScanDisk
5 .Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errors :
Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video card problems.
These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of the video display. Go to
* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Display-Settings
Another useful way to resolve video problems is to go to
* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Performance-Graphics
Here you should move the
Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. As ever, the most common cause
of problems relating to graphics cards is old or faulty drivers (a
driver is a small piece of software used by a computer to communicate
with a device).
Look up your video card's manufacturer on the internet and search for the most recent drivers for it.
6 .Viruses :
Often the first sign of a
virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase the boot sector of a
hard drive, making it impossible to start. This is why it is a good idea
to create a Windows start-up disk. Go to
* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Add/Remove Programs
Here, look for the Start Up Disk tab. Virus protection requires constant vigilance.
A virus scanner requires a
list of virus signatures in order to be able to identify viruses. These
signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files should be updated daily
from the website of your antivirus software .
7 . Printers :
The action of sending a document to print creates a bigger file, often called a postscript file.
Printers have only a small
amount of memory, called a buffer. This can be easily overloaded.
Printing a document also uses a considerable amount of CPU power. This
will also slow down the computer's performance.
If the printer is trying to print unusual characters, these might not be recognised, and can crash the computer.
Sometimes printers will not
recover from a crash because of confusion in the buffer. A good way to
clear the buffer is to unplug the printer for ten seconds. Booting up
from a powerless state, also called a cold boot, will restore the
printer's default settings and you may be able to carry on.
8. Software :
A common cause of computer
crash is faulty or badly-installed software. Often the problem can be
cured by uninstalling the software and then reinstalling it. Use Norton
Uninstall or Uninstall Shield to remove an application from your system
properly. This will also remove references to the programme in the
System Registry and leaves the way clear for a completely fresh copy.
The System Registry can be corrupted by old references to obsolete software that you thought was uninstalled. Use CCleaner
clean up the System Registry and remove obsolete entries.
Often a Windows problem can
be resolved by entering Safe Mode. This can be done during start-up.
When you see the message "Starting Windows" press F8. This should take
you into Safe Mode.
Safe Mode loads a minimum of drivers. It allows you to find and fix problems that prevent Windows from loading properly.
9 . Overheating :
Central processing units
(CPUs) are usually equipped with fans to keep them cool. If the fan
fails or if the CPU gets old it may start to overheat and generate a
particular kind of error called a kernel error. This is a common problem
in chips that have been overclocked to operate at higher speeds than
they are supposed to.
One remedy is to get a bigger better fan and install it on top of the CPU
10. Power supply problems :
A power surge or spike can crash a computer as easily as a power cut.
If this has become a nuisance for you then consider buying a uninterrupted power supply (UPS
).
This
will give you a clean power supply when there is surge, and it will
give you a few minutes to perform a controlled shutdown in case of a
power cut.
It is a good investment if your data are critical, because a power cut will cause any unsaved data to be lost.
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