Windows 7 briefly & Randomly Freezes Up.

Here is a brief follow up to the immediately above post (my post, even though it displays ‘Fix_825’ instead of me, ’Tweakit’).  On one of the three computers with the described freeze problem, I uninstalled MSE and installed Avast Free AV.  I could not repeat the problem with Avast Free AV installed.  This further supports the conclusion that MSE or the combination of MSE with Windows 7 is responsible for the Freeze described in the opening post.  Hopefully someone else will find this information useful.

I believe I’ve determined the issue to be caused by MSE or some interaction of MSE with Windows 7.  Here are the key debug steps I did which I think are sufficient to draw the above conclusion:

·         I did not boot in Safe Mode but did a clean boot to find the problem still existed.

·         I did the Microsoft safety scan which showed no malware or virus.

·         Note, even though WER service starts at the conclusion of every freeze event, no errors are generated and consequently no error reports can be found.

·         I bypassed the router and connected the computer directly to the modem.  I was able to repeat the problem.  While this test was sufficient to rule out the router, I still tried another router and was able to repeat the problem with the different router. 

·         In a gallant and risky maneuver, I uninstalled MSE to find that I could NOT repeat the problem.  I Re-installed MSE and the freeze problem returned.

Here are a few other notes that also tend to support the above conclusion:

·         I also tried a windows 7 computer on the network that uses Norton rather than MSE.  I could not repeat the problem on this computer.

·         There is also a windows 2000 computer on the network that uses AVG Free.  This computer does not have the problem.

·         To repeat what I mentioned earlier there are three computers on the network that use either Windows 7 64 or Windows 7 32.  These computers have vastly different hardware and software environments though all three use MSE and all three have the freeze problem.  One of the computers is a recent clean install of Windows 7-32 and showed the problem before any applications were installed.  These are the only computers on the network that use MSE and these are the only computers that have the problem.

While I think the above makes clear that the freeze problem is caused by MSE or the combination of MSE and Windows 7, I would like to know if anyone has a differing view.  If not, is there some way of having Microsoft review this thread and address this apparent problem?  

PS:  I do not know why this post is showing as posted by "Fix_825."  In fact I posted it and I am tweakit, the originator of the thread. I will try logging out and back in to see if the problem is resolved.

Hi,

Refer to the article to know about Windows Error Reporting:

Use Windows Error Reporting to help solve computer problems

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-IN/windows7/Use-Windows-Error-Reporting-to-help-solve-computer-problems

Let us know the results once you are done with all the troubleshooting steps.

Thanks for your very thorough response!  I am plowing thru the various tests and will respond back with results.  In the meantime I have a question.  As I noted in my original post, whenever the Freeze occurs, an information event is always logged showing that Windows Error Reporting service has started.  I assume this is happening as a direct consequence of the problem which is apparently detected by WER.  However no errors or warnings occur in the Event Viewer or in the Action Center.  Is there any way to find out what exactly triggered the WER service or what it did or why it started?  Did it generate a report?  Could the report be found?  If so, it may provide helpful information or clues. 

Let me know what you can and thanks again!

Hi,

Method 1:

Step 1:

Try to restart your computer in Safe mode where in the computer will start with minimal set of drivers and programs:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Start-your-computer-in-safe-mode

If it works fine in safe mode try performing a clean boot to find the root cause.

Step 2:

Refer to the article for steps on how to start your computer in a clean boot state to check if any third party application is causing the issue, as clean boot helps in eliminating software conflicts:

How to troubleshoot a problem by performing a clean boot in Windows Vista or in Windows 7

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

Note: After troubleshooting, refer to the section “How to reset the computer to start as usual after troubleshooting with clean boot” to return the computer to a Normal startup mode.

Method 2:

I would suggest you to refer to the article and try to troubleshoot the issue:

Windows 7 hangs or freezes

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2681286

Note: The Microsoft Safety Scanner expires 10 days after being downloaded. To rerun a scan with the latest anti-malware definitions, download and run the Microsoft Safety Scanner again. Any data files that are infected may only be cleaned by deleting the file entirely, which means there is a potential for data loss.

Method 3:

I would suggest you to disable the anti-virus software temporarily and check if you are still facing the issue:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Disable-antivirus-software

Note: Running the computer without firewall or the anti-virus software is a potential threat to the computer; make sure to enable the security software after completing the troubleshooting steps and after identifying the issue.

Let us know the results.