OT, Need Solution for Windows 10 Crashing

[Rpoole8537]

There is a problem with Windows 10 when I leave it plugged in and running. It crashes, and it takes at least 10 minutes to get it up and running again. If I unplug it and place it in Sleep mode, it usually does fine. There are switches that one can change that essentially solves the issue until there is an update, and then it starts all over again. I've read that when idle, the system starts to defrag, and when it encounters a bad file, it crashes. Has anyone else had this issue? Anyone have a solution?
Thanks for your help.

[Gummee]

Linux

/problem

M

[deechee]

There are a lot of variables here, but if you're suspecting the defrag and your hard drive doesn't have at least 10% free, I'd replace the hard drive. All consumer hard drives have bad sectors, you have to be unlucky. Windows has a way of mitigating this by copying bad data to another area, but my experience is once Windows starts writing system files to a bad sector, you get screwed like this. Either way it sounds like this has been going on a while, I'd replace the HD.

If your computer takes 10 minutes to boot, I think a SSD might be a nice upgrade.

There are physical failures too, from hard drives physically getting scratched/not spinning/damage to your computer overheating etc. Ask a friend (or use another computer) to create a windows boot disk on a usb key you probably have lying around the house. If your computer works fine with the boot usb key, get a new HD and enjoy one less problem with your computer :P

[toby]

As much as people like to crap on Windows, it's been very solid since the 32-bit core (2000/ XP/ 8/ 10). What crashes it is bad drivers and hardware, which will take down any machine.

For example, the last time Windows (7 in that case) became a basket case for me, it started with periodic crashes. After a few times I reinstalled, and that kept it at bay for a day or two and it started crashing again. I reinstalled again and it wouldn't even get through the install. After a minor panic attack, I yanked out one of the DIMMs and the issue still occurred. I swapped DIMMs... and it was flawless. One went bad in under a year (G.Skill) and was causing more and more corruption issues that popped up faster and faster. Without the bad DIMM, it was rock solid for more years until I gave it to a friend.

A bad hard drive can cause similar issues.

[unterhausen]

You have a hardware problem. Do the system logs give you any information?

Crashes as in blue screens or just goes dark?

It could be bad caps, either on the motherboard or in the power supply.

[tbike4]

Originally Posted by unterhausen

You have a hardware problem. Do the system logs give you any information?

Crashes as in blue screens or just goes dark?

It could be bad caps, either on the motherboard or in the power supply.

I was about to type the same thing. I installed Windows 10 on an older PC which got a SSD drive. Blue screen problems. Looked at the event logs- bad power supply is the culprit. I won't buy a new one since the PC is 9 years old, Spend that $$ on a new computer.

[unterhausen]

I have fixed bad caps on motherboards. You gotta love software that's tied to a given piece of hardware.

[9tubes]

One of the reasons I love using a MacBook is that it's possible to run Windows on a Mac in a virtual machine. The virtual machine is a self-contained single file under the Parallels software (it's a 30Gb file). That way you can set up a perfect fresh unused new copy of Windows 10 and then keep a backup of that pristine Windows install.

If anything ever goes wrong with Windows (which it will) you just delete that particular virtual machine file and and pull a new one from the backup in about a minute. This puts you back to having a perfect pristine fresh copy of Windows again. If Microsoft has issued updates to Windows, the latest updates run and the updated virtual machine file becomes the new pristine file for the backup. All the data files (Word, Excel, Slack, email, browser bookmarks, etc.) are stored outside the virtual machine so they are not affected. In the long run it saves an enormous amount of time compared to trying to diagnose and fix Windows problems. I got to the point where I won't spend over ten minutes trying to diagnose Windows problems. I just delete the bad virtual machine file and grab a copy of the good backup.

I've done this for a decade on three MacBooks. I would never choose to run Windows outside of a virtual machine. It's just too expensive.

[unterhausen]

Originally Posted by 9tubes

One of the reasons I love using a MacBook is that it's possible to run Windows on a Mac in a virtual machine.

You can run windows in a virtual machine on windows too. Or linux, which might be a better idea.

It is really nice to be able to just copy a file and have the whole thing backed up.

[ojingoh]

Originally Posted by unterhausen

You have a hardware problem.

When I worked on Windows bugs, 99% of the time startup bugs were caused by either failing memory or bad drivers. Sometimes, the computer has new malware causing issues with startup.

Zeroth step: if you've moved the computer recently, shut the computer down, open it up and look for loose parts. Do take precautions with static electricity here, and if you're uncomfortable doing this find someone who can do this. I would in particular look at the memory modules. If the computer was improperly assembled the memory sticks might have come ajar. Restart.

First step, run a full virus/malware scan.

Next, make sure you're up to date with Windows patches and your device drivers. Restart.

Then, I'm going to suggest you unplug your peripherals one by one, especially ones you've added recently or have updated drivers for recently.Shut down your system, remove one piece. Even keyboards and mice. Restart. Keep doing this until you run out of peripherals to deattach and reattach.

Fourth: go to your hardware maker's website and look up the the model, see if there are any firmware updates - these are also called BIOS updates. Apply those patches.

Finally, run a memory tester. This used to be a lot harder, but most recent versions of Windows 10 have one built in: http://hs.windows.microsoft.com/hhwe...-116d49fb9872/

[Rpoole8537]

Originally Posted by unterhausen

You have a hardware problem. Do the system logs give you any information?

Crashes as in blue screens or just goes dark?

It could be bad caps, either on the motherboard or in the power supply.

It will not awaken from it's sleep state. I must shut it down, and restart. It takes about ten minutes to get going again. If I unplug the laptop, and then put it to sleep, all is well. There is tons of space on the hard drive. I only use this to work on a project about three or four times a year. My daily "driver" is a MacBook, old but reliable. There is much discussion about this on one of the Windows forums. There is a fix, but it appears temporary. Someone has recommended an update blocker. That might work, but some updates might be critical to security, I'm not sure.

[OtayBW]

Originally Posted by Gummee

Linux

/problem

M

/good grief

[flying]

Originally Posted by Rpoole8537

There is a problem with Windows 10 when I leave it plugged in and running. It crashes, and it takes at least 10 minutes to get it up and running again. If I unplug it and place it in Sleep mode, it usually does fine. There are switches that one can change that essentially solves the issue until there is an update, and then it starts all over again. I've read that when idle, the system starts to defrag, and when it encounters a bad file, it crashes. Has anyone else had this issue? Anyone have a solution?
Thanks for your help.

Windows Update Blocker works for me
Switched on 7/2020 & never a crash since

https://www.sordum.org/9470/windows-...-blocker-v1-6/

[beech333]

Originally Posted by Rpoole8537

There is a problem with Windows 10 when I leave it plugged in and running. It crashes, and it takes at least 10 minutes to get it up and running again. If I unplug it and place it in Sleep mode, it usually does fine. There are switches that one can change that essentially solves the issue until there is an update, and then it starts all over again. I've read that when idle, the system starts to defrag, and when it encounters a bad file, it crashes. Has anyone else had this issue? Anyone have a solution?
Thanks for your help.

Have you gone to the manufacturer's website to check for driver updates? I've done some work that borders on IT, and fixed quite a few by looking for driver updates.

My workplace did a lot of business with Dell, but switched to Lenovo, due to some blue screen issues. I did a bit of research on my own and found some notes about the Bios, I think, but the directions to fix the problem would have voided the warranty, so I was not allowed to do it...even though descriptions I found online matched what I was seeing. It's been a few years, so I don't remember it too clearly anymore. I remember it also had something to do with disc drive drivers and where to look when there were errors.

[paredown]

IMO, they have made reinstalling the whole operating system very easy, so long as you don't have too many self-installed programs and you are using their cloud storage.

I was a network admin/certified tech and cut my teeth doing thousands of repairs and installs with Windows, and I honestly think that it is now harder to diagnose specific problems (between the way MS presents information and the sheer volume of specific issues) so that's a negative--than to do a complete reinstall.

OTOH, they have made the reinstall (or install process) amazingly close to bug-free. It's a big hammer, but it is the final check to see if what you are dealing with is hardware or software.

I would check the hard drive first (On one of my last jobs, it turned out it was a failing hard drive, that only showed up when I installed software that let me view the SMART codes), remove or move around the memory (if you have more than one SIMM/DIMM). Barring that I would try a full reinstall.

Then try a reinstall of the full O/S--in the old days we would assume that this would be a once-a-year preventative measure--it's better now, but the complexity of Windows has also increased--and with it the chances of weird incompatibilities. Other than video drivers, a common problem is just the debris left by installing/uninstalling software, where the manufacturer's routines do not restore/clean up after themselves--and the worst are often companies that should do better (like HP) or so-called "protection" software like Norton which should never be installed on a computer...