I can haz help?

[puppy-fae]

Alright, I have a 2 year old Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop running Vista Home I believe. My problem is that about 10-15 mins after I start it up all my open windows will freeze and become not responsive, then my tool bar will do the same and shortly afterwards the whole computer freezes and all I can do is move the mouse around and I am forced to shut it down manually. I also think that the more windows I open the faster it slips into this not responsive state. I'd appreciate any available info.

[Kesarra]

A Dell? Well that explains everything.

Actually, my first best guess is you have a cooling problem. Your CPU is likely overheating. That would be caused by dust and/or a dying fan.

For dust you'll need to figure out a way to keep the fan blade from moving before using something like canned air. Moving a motor past its spec'd RPM's will only kill it quicker.

[Nexus]

^^^ Agreed. The word Dell just spells a whole world of problems.

I think your motherboard is dying. It could be an overheat of some sort as suggested above, but i don't think 10 - 15 minutes of doing nothing/web browsing is enough to overheat a cpu.

[Kesarra]

Dell laptops are famous for overheating.

Google search: 168,000 for dell laptop overheat

The only company with more hits is Compaq.

[Tonk]

The first step would going to start>run then type "msconfig". Under the general tab select Diagnostic startup and apply. Then reboot and see if the problem is fixed. I would be helpful if you could tell us what about any recent changes to the system like new programs ect.

I would also recommend blowing the dust out with a can of compressed air. Even if that's not the problem it should be done every few months. You wan't to blow the air through the vent were most of the air is exhausted, if done correctly you should see allot of dust come out the fan hole.

edit: Also please list your system specs like cpu, ram ect.

[Kesarra]

Code:

Inspiron 1520/1521

Released on Dell's website on June 26, 2007, the Inspiron 1520/1521 was 15.4" mainstream laptop that weighed 6.40 lb and was based on the Intel Santa Rosa platform. It was replaced on January 11, 2008 by the Inspiron 1525 laptop, which was lighter, thinner, and featured a HDMI port, but didn't have a discrete graphics option.

    * Processors (1520): Intel Pentium Dual-Core T2310 or Intel Core 2 Duo T5250, T5450, or T7250, T7500, T7300, T8100, T8300, T9300 or T9500.
    * Processors (1521): AMD Athlon 64 X2 TK-55, or AMD Turion X2 TL-58, TL-60 or TL64.
    * Memory: 1 GB, 2 GB, 3 GB or 4 GB of shared dual channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 667 MHz.
    * Chipset (1520): Intel GM965 or PM965 Express Chipset.
    * Graphics Processor (1520): integrated Intel GMA X3100 graphics or nVidia GeForce 8400M GS or 8600M GT (DDR2).
    * Graphics Processor (1521): integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 1270.
    * LCD Display: 15.4" matte widescreen with 1280 × 800 resolution, 15.4" glossy widescreen with 1280 × 800 resolution and TrueLife, 15.4" glossy widescreen with 1440 × 900 resolution and TrueLife, 15.4" glossy widescreen with 1680 × 1050.
    * Hard Drive: 160 GB SATA at 5400 or 7200 RPM.
    * Optical Drive: 8X tray-load DVD+/-RW drive, 8X tray-load dual-layer DVD+/-RW, or 2X tray-load Blu-ray Disc Combo drive.
    * Battery: 6-cell (56 Whr), or 9-cell (85 Whr) Lithium Ion battery.
    * Camera: 2 MP webcam with optional facial recognition software
    * Wi-Fi Card: Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g, 1490 802.11a/g mini-card, or 1505 802.11n mini-card or Intel 3945 802.11a/g mini-card or Next-Gen 4965 802.11a/g/n mini-card.
    * Bluetooth: Dell Wireless Bluetooth Internal 355 (2.0).
    * I/O ports: 4 USB ports, 1 FireWire port, 1 Fast Ethernet port, 1 56K modem, 1 8-in-1 memory card reader, 1 Express Card slot, 1 VGA output, 1 S-Video output, 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack, and 1 power adapter port.

[edit] Inspiron 1525

The Inspiron 1525 is a mid-sized (5.9 lb, 14.05" x 10.08" x 1.00"-1.48"), low-end replacement for the 1520. Has a 15.4" screen. Features an HDMI connector. Was replaced on February 26, 2009 by the Inspiron 1545. It is also thinner and comes in a wider range of cover colors.

[puppy-fae]

OS Name:   Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Version:   6.0.6002 Service Pack 2 Build 6002
Other OS Desrcription: N/A
OS Manufacturer: Microsoft Corp.
Sytem Model:   Inspiron 1525
System Type:   X86-based PC
Processor:   Intel(R) Pentium(R) Duel  CPU  T2370  @ 1.73GHz, 1733 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 2 Logical Processor(s)
BIOS Version/Date:   Dell Inc. A11, 10/03/2008
SMBIOS Version:   2.4
Hardware Abstraction Layer:   Version = "6.0.6002.18005"
Installed Physical Memory (RAM):   2.00 GB
Total Physical Memory:   1.99 GB
Available Physical Memory:   1.04 GB
Total Virtual Memory:   4.21 GB
Available Virtual Memory:   3.23 GB
Page File Space:   2.28 GB

I know I put a bunch of useless info in here but I don't know what you need to know and I figure better safe than sorry, I'm probably missing some stuff too which contradicts my better safe than sorry ideal. I hope that helps.

[alleycat009]

Oddly, I've owned many dell computers, without a problem.  I have 6 dell servers that have only had fan failures, and they email you to tell you that they are having fan failures.  They're perfectly fine computers if you keep their air channels clean.

People who smoke around their computers, or live in dusty environments are the ones that have the cooling problems, and it is just as common in any other computer out there.  I've actually seen more HP's than anything on my repair bench.

But anyhow, here's an easy fix:  Get a can of air, and blow all the dust bunnies out of the air vents.  If you can see the fans, make sure they spin.  If all else fails...  I'm in the BC lower mainland, and I have the tools to repair cooling problems on any laptop.

Here's a test you can also do: Download Ultimate Boot CD, perhaps on another computer that has a burner, and burn yourself a CD out of the ISO.  I can provide those instructions as well if needed, but they're also on the site.  Do a memory test, and see if that shuts down your laptop too.  If it does, it's definitely cooling.

[Tonk]

My main issue with dell systems is the random crap they pull. For example changing the pin config on memory so you have to buy it from them at 3x the cost.

[alleycat009]

They only did that once, with RDRAM, back in the 1st generation Pentium 4 era, and there were some IBM and Compaq desktops that took it too.  It was the standard that was to be, before DDR became the standard.

I have one of those machines, it's actually faster than the SDRAM equivalent.

[Tonk]

Sadly a good number of the systems i have had to work on have been from that time. They do a few other things which rage me which i won't go into since it's not on topic. But to be honest i don't hate dell much more than any other oem.

[KapitanVonWolf]

Um... i just go out on a limb and say maybe a virus? Because i have (only Have) 1 computer left and that is my still running 2 1/2years old Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop with vista, that has survived many drops and has never been cleaned. and it works fine, even with playing games like Red Alert 3, and a Super Ness, and Nitendo 64 emulator with 500+games. So my best bet is a Virus, especially if your only Running Windows Defender, DCS! "Dosnt Catch S***"
And if all you have is Defender or Shaw secure or Norton, then your boned! in my opinion Avast ist the Best http://www.avast.com/en-ca/free-antivirus-download

[alleycat009]

One way to weed out the possibility of a virus is to do tests that don't involve your hard drive.

ultimatebootcd.com

if it shuts down doing one of those, it's hardware.

[manervic]

well...its runing a microsoft program...what else is their to say?

[Wyrd-Hotd]

well...its runing a microsoft program...what else is their to say?

Ha ha thats totally playing with fire there LOL

[puppy-fae]

k, so it's definitly overheating, today I noticed the fan didn't go on at all and the bottom heated up very quickly. When I said it took 15-20 mins to become unresponsive I hadn't timed it, it was just an assumption, but recently I did and it stays on for approx. 35 mins. Is it a general belief that a can of air is the most likely solution for this, ir is there anything else I should do? Aside from replace the fan of course, maybe also a way of preventing the fan from getting clogged with dust, besides keeping it in it's carrying case when not in use.

[Disel]

keep it clane and there is a trae for them with three fines that your labtop sites on that might work bot i'm not good with computers so don't hold me to it

[Kesarra]

k, so it's definitly overheating, today I noticed the fan didn't go on at all and the bottom heated up very quickly. When I said it took 15-20 mins to become unresponsive I hadn't timed it, it was just an assumption, but recently I did and it stays on for approx. 35 mins. Is it a general belief that a can of air is the most likely solution for this, ir is there anything else I should do? Aside from replace the fan of course, maybe also a way of preventing the fan from getting clogged with dust, besides keeping it in it's carrying case when not in use.

By and large the cooling has been a design flaw with Dell's. If the fan isn't already dead, cleaning every 2-3 months is probably in order.

[alleycat009]

All laptop blowers die.  It's not just dells.  You have a grudge with dells, and I'm going to make fun of you every time you use said grudge.

On the bright side, Dell blowers are separate units, and can easily be replaced cheaply.

On IBM Thinkpads for example, the blower is an non-removable piece of the entire cooling channel, which consists of the blower, the heat fins, the heat pipes, and the metal plate that sits on the CPU.  You can not disassemble it without breaking it, thus making a simple fan replacement a good $100 investment.

[Kesarra]

All laptop blowers die.  It's not just dells.  You have a grudge with dells, and I'm going to make fun of you every time you use said grudge.

On the bright side, Dell blowers are separate units, and can easily be replaced cheaply.

On IBM Thinkpads for example, the blower is an non-removable piece of the entire cooling channel, which consists of the blower, the heat fins, the heat pipes, and the metal plate that sits on the CPU.  You can not disassemble it without breaking it, thus making a simple fan replacement a good $100 investment.

I have a grudge with Dell, Compaq, HP (for the last decade), eMachines, Gateway, and I'm sure there's at least one other. They're all built to fail the day after the warranty is up. I'm picking on Dell right now because that's the laptop that's having a problem in this thread.

Yes, the ThinkPad blowers are integrated, but tended to last a lot longer. I had a ThinkPad that was on 24/7 for a good 2-3 years and had been on at least 6 hours a day for the 2-3 years prior and its fan was still going. No dusting required other than wiping my finger across the exhaust holes to get the excess dust that collected there.