computer crash

[tamiya]

hi guys my old computer keeps crashing ,about 10 times a day any ideas why and how i can stop it. windows xp pentium 2 or possibly a 3.................please help cheers lee

[BillySugger]

Old age ? You'll need to give more info . What are you doing when it crashes ?

[ACtheTROLL]

get your duster ready .... sounds possible overheating ... fans and heatsink clogged with fluff

open the box have a look inside

[romko]

download and install ad-aware, and run it to see if there is any malware.
if it still crashes disconnect ALL peripherals , switch on and see if it still does it. then you can see if it is a hardware conflict.

perhaps the qucikest is to back up your documents etc and reformat the hard drive, if the OS is corrupt.

[ACtheTROLL]

while you are at it .... ignore romko

a bit severe for a first option

[kira000]

I'm with AC. Check the fan. It easily gets clogged with dust, and as soon as that happens, it over heats and shuts off.

It happened to me, and as soon as i cleaned it out, it worked fine.
Note: Dont use water or liquid. Best thing is a soft brush to brush it out, Like a blusher brush, or smaller.

[DanAB]

we need more info about the crashes.

what do you do to cause a crash?
how long does it take to crash once you have switched it on?
recently installed anything (over the past week?)
are there any beeps when you power on?

[DanAB]

and yes, a quick dusting usually helps.

although before you start touching stuff inside, touch the case and then the power supply. this grounds you with the computer and can prevent static harming it.

[tamiya]

guys.... sometimes we just turn in the pc and it crashes or my kids are using it and it will happen no set time when it crashes..