Computer freezes for about 15 sec and then a short beep

[ForMyThunder]

I don't know what's wrong with it. My antivirus doesn't detect anything and I built the think in February. It's Windows 7. It just started about a month ago but it does it occasionally and it has me worried. What could it be? When it freezes, I can still move the mouse around but it won't interact with anything. Help, please?

 

[Borg]

I don't know what's wrong with it. My antivirus doesn't detect anything and I built the think in February. It's Windows 7. It just started about a month ago but it does it occasionally and it has me worried. What could it be? When it freezes, I can still move the mouse around but it won't interact with anything. Help, please?

It sounds like some piece of software is hanging until Windows 7 kills the process. Did you load any software before this started happening? I would start the Task Manager and watch the processes to see what is eating up the CPU when this happens. Of course, you will have to start it in advance and leave it up until the hang occurs since you can't click anything.

 

[Routaran]

if your mouse is moving but you are not able to interact with anything, it means that explorer.exe has hung. Its the program that allows the user to communicate with the operating system.
Usually this is indicative of a 3rd party program (some extra program) that is interfering with explorer's normal operation. the solution is to turn off everything that starts automatically when the computer is turned on. as a side effect it will also speed up the operation of the computer. (Essentially, this is what computer repair stores will charge you $50 bucks an hour to do)

here is what you should try

1. Restart the computer in safe mode (if you don't know how, go http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Start-your-computer-in-safe-mode")
2. log in using an administrator account
3. open msconfig (if you don't know how, go http://netsquirrel.com/msconfig/msconfig_win7.html" )
4. navigate to the startup tab
5. un-check everything except for your anti-virus/anti-spyware software. you don't really need anything else running all the time other than security software.
6. apply, reboot and test system.

hopefully that resolves your problem.
if you don't know what the item in the list is, then i suggest you simply Google the name of the program and try to find out what it is, then based on that you can decide if you want it running ALL the time (checked) or you will run the program manually when you need it (unchecked)

to recover from a hang try to open the task manager using the keyboard shortcut CTRL+Shift+ESC (hold down in that order)
if the task manager opens, then switch to the process tab
find explorer.exe and kill it
then click File>New task
in the window type in explorer.exe and click ok

if my initial assumption of the issue being a rogue 3rd party program causing the issue, this should resolve it.

 

[rhody]

I don't know what's wrong with it. My antivirus doesn't detect anything and I built the think in February. It's Windows 7. It just started about a month ago but it does it occasionally and it has me worried. What could it be? When it freezes, I can still move the mouse around but it won't interact with anything. Help, please?

Thunder,

I had a similar problem, if it happens intermittently, it may be your mouse, mine was 6 years old and I could move it around the screen, but when I left or right clicked nothing, and cpu utlilization went through the roof. I took mouse upstairs and repeated the same thing on a laptop. I knew it was the mouse, replaced it and haven't had the problem since. Hard to diagnose at first because it didn't happen all the time. I am 100% sure it was the mouse because it hasn't happened since.

Rhody...

 

[ForMyThunder]

It sounds like some piece of software is hanging until Windows 7 kills the process. Did you load any software before this started happening? I would start the Task Manager and watch the processes to see what is eating up the CPU when this happens. Of course, you will have to start it in advance and leave it up until the hang occurs since you can't click anything.

This makes sense. When I go to log off, there's usually a popup that says something like "you need to kill this process" or "this process is still running" or whatever. I've just never paid any attention to it. I'll check up on it and ask any other questions if it doesn't work.