Help ! PC Problem

[derekpara]

If I leave my PC on for more than fifteen minutes or so the screensaver disappears and is replaced by a close weaved tartan pattern on which there is a message saying that there is a problem and the physical memory has been dumped. I am then advised to contact my 'system administrator' for assistance.  The technical information with the message consists of a load of zeros and a few Xs (0X00000050).  Everything returns to normal when I reboot it but the same thing happens again.

Does this sound expensive or can any of you whizz-kids out there come to the help of a fairly switched-on wrinkly !  By the way, I have all the usual firewall and anti-virus whatnots installed.  Thanks.

[Elf]

Hi Derek

Can't promise to solve it, but I can try a couple of ideas :)

First, let's figure out whether there's a problem with the screensaver program itself: What screensaver are you using?  Have you tried switching to another screensaver, and if so does the problem occur with every screensaver, or just with this one?

If it's happening with every screensaver, let's find out whether you've got some spyware or suchlike eating up your resources.  Do you have AdAware and/or Spybot installed, with up-to-date reference files, and have you run them recently and let them delete anything suspect they find?

There's more we can try if we can't solve the problem after we've looked at those questions, but let's start there.

[derekpara]

Hello, Elf

I think you may have got it in one !  I have changed my background and non-standard screen saver, both of which I have been using for at least eighteen months without trouble, and the problem seems to have gone.

Very grateful. Can I call you again if need be ?!

Best wishes.  Derek

[Elf]

Glad the problem seems to have gone away, and yes, I'll be happy to help if you have any more trouble.  I check in here just about every day, so I'll keep an eye out for your name.  Enjoy the rest of the weekend!