I've been experiencing random freezes on my PC and there seems to be no pattern to it. I could be playing a game, or simply browsing the internet or (once) when I was on email (Thunderbird).
Most of the times I have to do a hard reboot. Sometimes (with games) it is a CTD.
Occasionally I get a BSOD that days a clock interrupt wasn't received on time (whatever that means).
Any idea what I could do to try to figure out what's going on?

Did you try overclocking or update drivers recently?
I would still check your RAM with the Windows memory diagnostics tool. Really it could be many things; but usually random CTD's with no pattern leads to RAM problems

No overclocking of either CPU or gfx card.
Is there a memory diagnostics that comes with Win 7 (Home ed)?
If not, where can I get one (preferably free to use).
Thx.

Edit - sorry, forgot to add that I've let Windows update automatically. But apart from them I've not installed new hardware or other drivers.

home premium should have the Mem diagnostic, press F8 at start up then TAB at the "Select O/S" Screen to go from teh "Safe Mode" etc options to the menu that says Memory Diagnostic.

Memtest 86 runs from USB drives, I'd run that too.

I've had a similar problem. Left me stumped for ages until I ran CPUID - my CPU was running a slight overclock, even though the BIOS was set to the default CPU settings. With a 1% underclock, the true CPU speed is now nearly at stock speed and reliability is much improved.

Some windows Programs can load custom settings into the bios once they load up in windows.

however, with the way CPUs are binned, a CPU should be able to do a 10% Overclock no problem.

CPU's speeds arent perfect, my CPU ran at 2.9999GHz running the stock FSB and Multiplier, but its rated at 3.0GHz due to the %+/- window.

Do you have a good power supply and has the delivery of electricity to your home been stable as far as you know?

I'd get a hardware temp monitor program and watch the temps on the CPU and mobo. A good UPS to keep your power good is nice as well. You might have dust build up on the fans that causes overheating.

You have to be careful though because there's nothing worse than being in the middle of someth

Windows memory diagnostics says nothing's wrong.
Never had any issues with power supply.

I also had a similar problem. I found out I didn't have enough power. I upgraded my power supply from a 600 to a 900 watt and it fixed my problem. I forgot what site I went to but I plugged in all of my peripherals and it recommended a power wattage power supply. I was 200 watt under supplied. No problems now and I am even overclocking without any issues.

Hello Zero,

Is this the error you are seeing, "A clock interrupt was not received on a secondary processor within the allocated time interval"? It usually appears to be processor related from what I am seeing.

You should make sure your processor is stable. Download the appropriate copy of prime95 for your computer from here:
http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft/. Start by running a small FTT test for a couple hours. If it locks up the computer or crashes it, repeat the test a few times to see if you can reproduce the crash consistently. If it does not produce these results, start a blend test to see if it achieves the same. Please note these tests will heat up your processor considerably, so you should have good cooling and watch the temps while they work. Post back on your results.

Also, include your system configuration as well (OS, Processor mfg & model, board mfg & model, and memory configuration).

Cheers

Thanks Phoenix, will do so time permitting. That is exactly the error message I get when the blue screen shows up.
Is there any way to check temperatures using Win7, or do I need to get some special hardware?
PS - should I d/l the 64 0r 32 bit version for Win 7? I'm using the Home Premium Ed.

Can try "Coretemp". Free, don't know exactly how precise it is, but it will at least give a "close enough to see if there's something seriously wrong" ballpark figure. You can also set it to log to a spreadsheet so you can check results after running programs.


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