Computer freezing

[edvans]

Hello I'm new etc..

So my computer has been freezing when doing stuff it should easily be able to handle. For example, I try running Photoshop CS3 and Firefox at the same time and it will act slow and sluggish. Not just photoshop, lots of other applications are slow. Basically, my performance is terrible. I just got my computer so I doubt it's a virus or anything (I'm very careful anyway and I've ran a virus scan). I've downloaded Speedfan and this is my results:
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/7281/wat2gf6.png

So apparently two of my fans aren't running which can't be good. And that fire symbol I assume means the temperature is too hot.

Any idea how to cool my computer/get the fans running?

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System Information
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Time of this report: 10/3/2008, 08:03:35
Machine name: IAN-B0A895F3472
Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp.080413-2111)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: System manufacturer
System Model: System Product Name
BIOS: BIOS Date: 03/20/08 Ver: 08.00.14
Processor: AMD Phenom(tm) 9850 Quad-Core Processor, MMX, 3DNow (4 CPUs), ~2.5GHz
Memory: 3328MB RAM
Page File: 615MB used, 4596MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.5512 32bit Unicode
Card name: ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series

[Coolio10]

I think its normal to have some fans at 0 because they aren't really fans but the program thinks they are. I have 3 fans listed and 1 of them is always at 0. I have a intel q6700 and i have 4 cores listed instead of the single one you have? Maybe you accidentally turned off 3 other cores?

[JRViejo]

edvans, first, welcome to Wilders!
If a fan does not contain a speed sensor, it will show up as zero. Try HWMonitor (http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php) for a second opinion.
Also, check out CPU-Z (http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php) for even more info of your PC's CPU, Mainboard, Memory & System.

[farmerlee]

63 degrees is getting fairly hot, however not dangerously hot where it would start to impact performance imo.
I'd check out your processes tab in windows task manager and see if anything is using a lot of your cpu.

[edvans]

Hi,
HWMonitor crashes after it's loaded.
-{ Quote: "I think its normal to have some fans at 0 because they aren't really fans but the program thinks they are. I have 3 fans listed and 1 of them is always at 0. I have a intel q6700 and i have 4 cores listed instead of the single one you have? Maybe you accidentally turned off 3 other cores?" }-
Yes, however in the BIOS there are 3 fans and two are running fine, the other is running around 750rpm and is displayed in red. How do I adjust the speed of the fan? I think it's affecting the CPU temperature and causing my computer to slow down.

-{ Quote: "63 degrees is getting fairly hot, however not dangerously hot where it would start to impact performance imo.
I'd check out your processes tab in windows task manager and see if anything is using a lot of your cpu." }-
Even when my computer is freezing or slow, CPU usage is rarely above 5%.

[Franklin]

The pc will shutdown without warning if heat related.

Worked on a pc a while back with a very similar prob and after trying different, ram, cpu, cables it turned out to be the psu.

And of course the psu was the last bit of hardware I changed.>:(

Would always restart ok and run for a bit then freeze and only a hard reboot would be the only thing that would work.

[JRViejo]

-{ Quote: "Hi,
HWMonitor crashes after it's loaded.
How do I adjust the speed of the fan? I think it's affecting the CPU temperature and causing my computer to slow down." }-
Sorry to hear that HWMonitor crashed. :-\

Since you still have SpeedFan, perhaps this article How To: Quiet Your PC Using Free Software (http://www.maximumpc.com/article/speedfan) will help you tweak the speeds but as the article says "Speedfan is definitely a power user’s app—it will do whatever you tell it to, even if that might potentially damage your hardware. Be careful!" Heed the warning!

[edvans]

-{ Quote: "Sorry to hear that HWMonitor crashed. :-\

Since you still have SpeedFan, perhaps this article How To: Quiet Your PC Using Free Software (http://www.maximumpc.com/article/speedfan) will help you tweak the speeds but as the article says "Speedfan is definitely a power user’s app—it will do whatever you tell it to, even if that might potentially damage your hardware. Be careful!" Heed the warning!" }-
I tried that but the temperature isn't changing.

It's getting progressively worse. I was playing a game and I checked the temperature: 90C. Also the computer was beeping. What should I do?

[JRViejo]

edvans, although you did not state the PC's Make and Model in the original post, your BIOS is recent (BIOS Date: 03/20/08 Ver: 08.00.14) which leads me to believe that you have a computer that's still under warranty, normally a year. If that's correct, I would contact the PC's manufacturer and get Tech support from them ASAP.

If not under warranty, try farmerlee's suggestion (post #4 - Windows Task Manager (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/323527)) and see what process is consuming the most CPU %. Also, Franklin's (post #6 - Power Supply Unit) comes into play but you might need a repair shop for that, if you can't replace it yourself.