My Windows XP HP Pavilion has been freezing a lot in the past 3 or 4 months. I have run diagnostic utilities and registry cleaners and nothing seems to have help. Whenever I run McAfee antivirus, it freezes before it gets half way. I have only completed 3 or 4 full scans in the last 2 or 3 months. It also freezes when my kids are on Webkinz after a while. When it occurs in Webkinz, the speakers are stuck with noise coming from them until I get the PC turned off. They do turn up the volume when they are playing Webkinz. It also freezes every so often in other places. One utility I used to evaluate the registry indicated two missing files: SystemIndex.Hash.gthr & SystemIndex.Idm.gthr under a directory in "Documents and Settings/All Users" . Could these missing files be causing an issue?

Firstly i would make sure all your drivers are the latest versions and you have all the latest updates to windows installed.If not it possible McAfee is causing the problem. It maybe worth reinstalling it.When you say you have run diagnostics have you run any hardware checks ? Such as checking the memory or harddisk ?MyPcHealth

So, since you did not mention SystemIndex.Hash.gthr & SystemIndex.Idm.gthr, I make the assumption these are not an issue.Yes, I have run HP diagnostics and also with Fix-It Utilities. I have run CHKDSK as well. Fix-It Utilities has checked just about everything: memory, harddisk, video, audio, etc. I had piece of software that checked for the latest versions of drivers and it did find a couple. I used it middle of last year and then got rid of it. It was not doing anything for me further. I have internet protection software that uses a McAfee engine to scan for viruses. So I cannot uninstall it without uninstalling the whole package. But I have had this package for 2 or 3 years and installed the most recent upgrade last November.I just found a log file today that had some errors in it. I am not sure if they are related to the freezing or not. It is under HP_Administrator/Application Data/OfficeRecovery/fru/logs and is called log_fru.log. It has a couple errors related to ntfsparser.cpp. Here is a snapshot of a couple of sections the errors are listed: INFO | --> read MFT record 33 INFO | Mft read mode is FAST INFO | Try to apply Sector Fixups INFO | End of apply Sector Fixups ASSERT | A.F. Exp [!((pattr->flags & ATTR_IS_COMPRESSED) && pattr->compression_unit && pattr->compression_unit != 4)] File [D:\SVN_Source\fslib\ntfsparser.cpp] Line [344] ERROR | $DATA fail!----- INFO | --> read MFT record 38 INFO | Mft read mode is FAST INFO | Try to apply Sector Fixups INFO | End of apply Sector FixupsASSERT | A.F. Exp [!((pattr->flags & ATTR_IS_COMPRESSED) && pattr->compression_unit && pattr->compression_unit != 4)] File [D:\SVN_Source\fslib\ntfsparser.cpp] Line [344] ERROR | $DATA fail!-----I looked on my D drive and "\SVN_Source\fslib\ntfsparser.cpp" does not exist. I have run searches for it on my C and D drive and looked for it within files too.

Hi, As you said you are facing this problem, Did you try booting your pc in safe mode -use a Safe Boot option, follow these steps:Restart your computer and start pressing the F8 key on your keyboard. On a computer that is configured for booting to multiple operating systems, you can press the F8 key when the Boot Menu appears.Select an option when the Windows Advanced Options menu appears, and then press ENTER.When the Boot menu appears again, and the words "Safe Mode" appear in blue at the bottom, select the installation that you want to start, and then press ENTER.let us know the result.

I ran in safe mode last night and started the McAfee antivirus engine and ran a full scan of my C drive. I really did not think it would freeze up but it did and on a file in the recycle bin (c:/recycler) of all places. It does not always freeze in the same spot.

I ran in safe mode last night and started the McAfee antivirus engine and ran a full scan of my C drive. I really did not think it would freeze up but it did and on a file in the recycle bin (c:/recycler) of all places. It does not always freeze in the same spot.Try running check disk: Click on start -> run -> cmd then at command prompt type:chkdsk /f , It should check your hdd for errors also you can run Scan disk from My computer -> Right click c drive -> select properties -> Select tools -> Click check now, Remember to select "Automatically fix file system errors". This will most probably ask you to schedule the scan so select yes and restart your pc.

I would be interested in seeing a Disk Defragmenter report. Open Disk Defragmenter and click on Analyse. Select View Report and click on Save As and Save. Now find VolumeC.txt in your My Documents Folder. Open the file, and place the cursor anywhere in the file, select Edit, Select All to highlight all text and copy and paste into the body of your message. Do this before running Disk Defragmenter as it is more informative.Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk CleanUp to empty your Recycle Bin, remove Temporary Internet Files and other selected options. I also recommend you click on the More Options tab, System Restore and remove all but the latest System Restore point. Run Disk Defragmenter.Using the System restore option is most appropriate when your system is running slow and you need to increase free disk space on your C partition. If you have errors which might be resolved using System Restore to put your system settings back to before the error first occurred do not use this option.If more than one person uses the computer and they have their own user Log on you need to run Disk CleanUp in each user profile to remove all unwanted files.A better programme than Disk CleanUp is cCleaner but note that cCleaner will not handle System Restore points. Removing older restore points can be important if you have limited free disk space. cCleaner comes with a Registry tool. Do not use this tool as like any registry cleaner it can lead to the creation of very difficult to resolve system errors.http://www.ccleaner.com/downloadHope this helps, Gerry Cornell

I have run chkdsk and I have been running the disk defrag every Sunday when we don't use the PC much. I have also run a clean-up utility. I have not done a disk defrag in a while after cleaning out the restore points. So I will have done that by the time you see this message. I have copied in the disk defrag report below. Also someone suggested I download Microsoft essentials and use it in safe mode. I took 3 days to finish the whole scan because the system even locked up in safe mode doing a full scan so I was doing it directory by directory. It did find 2 things in the administrator area with Java which I cleaned out. The whole time essentials was on though, the system was acting squirrely while it was on - maybe conflicting with McAfee though I had the real-time turned off. Anyway, essentials is uninstalled at this point and the system still locked. After the defrag is done, I will try a full McAfee scan again.Volume HP_PAVILION (C:) Volume size = 141 GB Cluster size = 4 KB Used space = 48.76 GB Free space = 92.27 GB Percent free space = 65 %Volume fragmentation Total fragmentation = 7 % File fragmentation = 15 % Free space fragmentation = 0 %File fragmentation Total files = 152,406 Average file size = 478 KB Total fragmented files = 2,066 Total excess fragments = 20,149 Average fragments per file = 1.13Pagefile fragmentation Pagefile size = 3.50 GB Total fragments = 2Folder fragmentation Total folders = 19,379 Fragmented folders = 60 Excess folder fragments = 360Master File Table (MFT) fragmentation Total MFT size = 197 MB MFT record count = 172,958 Percent MFT in use = 85 % Total MFT fragments = 161--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Fragments File Size Most fragmented files992 15 MB \Program Files\Bsecure\AV\Volume{2c0df6ef-6eb9-11da-9f35-806d6172696f}911 64 MB \RECYCLER\S-1-5-21-999941773-3559174628-4220938546-1007\Dc946379 25 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{B9823275-D858-498B-A4DC-C4EEDA322F67}\RP1884\A0480265.rbf379 25 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{B9823275-D858-498B-A4DC-C4EEDA322F67}\RP1884\A0480253.rbf287 1 MB \WINDOWS\ntbtlog.txt178 13 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{B9823275-D858-498B-A4DC-C4EEDA322F67}\RP1898\A0487269.dll178 13 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{B9823275-D858-498B-A4DC-C4EEDA322F67}\RP1879\A0466552.dll178 13 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{B9823275-D858-498B-A4DC-C4EEDA322F67}\RP1898\A0487406.dll178 13 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{B9823275-D858-498B-A4DC-C4EEDA322F67}\RP1879\A0466773.dll178 13 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{B9823275-D858-498B-A4DC-C4EEDA322F67}\RP1879\A0466855.dll157 10 MB \Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\Search\Data\Applications\Windows\Projects\SystemIndex\Indexer\CiFiles\00010005.ci145 21 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{B9823275-D858-498B-A4DC-C4EEDA322F67}\RP1896\snapshot\Repository\FS\OBJECTS.DATA142 9 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{B9823275-D858-498B-A4DC-C4EEDA322F67}\RP1887\A0485389.mst141 9 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{B9823275-D858-498B-A4DC-C4EEDA322F67}\RP1887\A0485396.MST138 41 MB \Documents and Settings\HP_Administrator\My Documents\Downloads\5.05.54.00_ntune_winxp_international.exe136 69 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{B9823275-D858-498B-A4DC-C4EEDA322F67}\RP1897\A0485518.exe134 8 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{B9823275-D858-498B-A4DC-C4EEDA322F67}\RP1898\A0487268.dll134 8 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{B9823275-D858-498B-A4DC-C4EEDA322F67}\RP1879\A0466869.dll134 8 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{B9823275-D858-498B-A4DC-C4EEDA322F67}\RP1898\A0487416.dll134 8 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{B9823275-D858-498B-A4DC-C4EEDA322F67}\RP1879\A0466783.dll134 8 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{B9823275-D858-498B-A4DC-C4EEDA322F67}\RP1879\A0466551.dll129 126 MB \RECYCLER\S-1-5-21-999941773-3559174628-4220938546-1007\Dc944110 11 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{B9823275-D858-498B-A4DC-C4EEDA322F67}\RP1883\snapshot\_REGISTRY_USER_NTUSER_S-1-5-21-999941773-3559174628-4220938546-1007108 12 MB \Documents and Settings\HP_Administrator\Application Data\OfficeRecovery\fru\Logs\log_fru.log105 8 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{B9823275-D858-498B-A4DC-C4EEDA322F67}\RP1879\A0466881.dll104 6 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{B9823275-D858-498B-A4DC-C4EEDA322F67}\RP1879\A0466818.sys104 6 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{B9823275-D858-498B-A4DC-C4EEDA322F67}\RP1879\A0466887.sys104 6 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{B9823275-D858-498B-A4DC-C4EEDA322F67}\RP1879\A0466806.sys103 416 KB \Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\Microsoft Security Client\Support\MSSecurityClient_Setup_dw20shared_Install.log101 6 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{B9823275-D858-498B-A4DC-C4EEDA322F67}\RP1879\A0466905.dll

Two things stand out from your report. 1. You have an excessive number System Restore points. 2. A multi-fragmented MFT table. With regard to restore points I have two suggestions to make.Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk CleanUp to empty your Recycle Bin, remove Temporary Internet Files and other selected options. I also recommend you click on the More Options tab, System Restore and remove all but the latest System Restore point. Run Disk Defragmenter.Using the System restore option is most appropriate when your system is running slow and you need to increase free disk space on your C partition. If you have errors which might be resolved using System Restore to put your system settings back to before the error first occurred do not use this option.If more than one person uses the computer and they have their own user Log on you need to run Disk CleanUp in each user profile to remove all unwanted files.A better programme than Disk CleanUp is cCleaner but note that cCleaner will not handle System Restore points. Removing older restore points can be important if you have limited free disk space. cCleaner comes with a Registry tool. Do not use this tool as like any registry cleaner it can lead to the creation of very difficult to resolve system errors.http://www.ccleaner.com/downloadThe default allocation to System Restore is 12% on your C partition, which is over generous. In most situations I would reduce it to 700 mb. Right click your My Computer icon on the Desktop and select System Restore. Place the cursor on your C drive and select Settings. Find the slider and drag it to the left until it reads 700 mb and exit. When you return to the Settings screen click on Apply and OK and exit. Restart your computer to enable the change.The MFT problem is more difficult. I suggest you download and run Defraggler. For years I used the Microsoft Disk Defragmenter but more recently I have preferred Defraggler.The freeware version is available by clicking on Download from piriform.com link under the version number currently available.http://www.piriform.com/defraggler/downloadI have some more questions but I will put them in a further post.Hope this helps, Gerry Cornell

No one has so far queried the amount of RAM installed on your computer. McAfee is very demanding on resources and insufficient RAM could be an issue. What version of McAfee do you have? What is the CPU and how much RAM does your computer have? Right click on the My Computer icon on your Desktop and select Properties to get this information. Try Ctrl+Alt+Delete to select Task Manager and click the Performance Tab. Under Commit Charge what is the Total, the Limit and the Peak?Hope this helps, Gerry Cornell

I am having similar problems with a Gateway notebook computer with a T2250 Intel CPU running XP with service pack 3. In addition to random lockups, which seem to happen more frequently with IE8 versus Firefox, every time I reboot, I get consistently get two dialogue boxes. One says,"One of the files containing the system's Registry data had to be recovered by use of a log or alternative copy. The recovery was successful". The other one says, "The computer must be restarted before updating can continue. Would you like to restart now?"I also considered reformatting my hard drive but wheb I go Control panel -> Administrative tools -> Computer management -> Disk management, and then right click on the hard drive, the "format" selection is grayed out?

You could have two problems. Neither are being considered in this thread. Can you please start a new thread and include copies of relevant Event Viewer reports.Have a look in the System and Application logs in Event Viewer for Errors and Warnings and post copies here. Don't post any from than more than 48 hours ago. You can access Event Viewer by selecting Start, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, and Event Viewer. When researching the meaning of the error, information regarding Event ID, Source and Description are important. A tip for posting copies of Error Reports! Run Event Viewer and double click on the error you want to copy. You will see a button resembling two pages. Click the button and close Event Viewer. This places a copy of the report into your Clipboard. Paste into the body your message. Make sure that this is the first paste after exiting from Event Viewer. Hope this helps, Gerry Cornell