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My trip to Windows hell...and back

David Coursey AnchorDesk

Published: 12 Aug 2003 14:50 BST

One of the projects I have so far managed to put off this summer is writing a book about troubleshooting Microsoft Windows. I have a publisher and a contract and if I'd turn in a first chapter they'd even send me a cheque. Finish the book and I'd collect royalties.

So why haven't I started the book? Probably because of the futility I sometimes feel when troubleshooting my own Windows systems. I've always been able to make things better, but often I can't say for sure what fixed the problem or even what the exact trouble was in the first place.

For most Windows users, fixing their computer's brain is a lot like human psychopharmacology: We know things that can help, but darn if we know how and why they work. Take two paracetamol or a copy of Norton SystemWorks, and call us in the morning.

One example of this is the computer I am working on right now. Recently it started freezing up, for no particular reason, at least no reason I've been able to figure out. I'd be working in an application and the machine would just seize up. I couldn't use the mouse and keyboard. The only way to get control of the computer was to hold down the power button until the machine restarted.

It even froze in the diagnostic Safe Mode, which is supposed to be so safe that in it nothing can bomb the operating system.

Sounds like a hardware problem, doesn't it? Maybe even bad memory.

So how would I recommend readers of my would-be book solve such a problem? Well, since the machine froze sort of randomly, regardless of what I was doing, I doubt the Windows XP help system would have done much good.

I tried the System Restore feature, but for me that didn't help. I rolled the machine back a whole month, just in case any recent software installations were causing the problem, but it kept freezing up.

New in XP, System Restore is supposed to remove all the changes that have been made to your OS and configurations back to a day and time you specify. If your computer is working and immediately after you install something it stops working, System Restore will generally fix the problem. You can find the System Restore option by going to Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools.