I have a Compaq model # 6000 I think, 120 gig HD, 512mb RAM, O/S win XP home. this is the problem. after I boot up everything is fine then the system will freeze on me.or the screen will go black and you can't do anything. then it will restart and boot normally. sometime it will do it in just a minute other times it will take 5 or 10 minutes. but it will do one of the things I just said. I've tried updating the drivers on the the display adapters. nothing changed. If I boot in safe mode everything is fine and none of what i said will happen. but I don't want to have to use it in safe mode all the time. as you know you can't do a lot of stuff in safe mode. also this is what I'm afraid of. the Computer is six years old and it is now ready for the Old computer home. aka(Also Known As)the junk yard. is that what it is? it is just wore out and nothing can be done. BTW I have type this on my laptop the computer I'm having problems with is a desktop. thank you for any help.

Dusty

It sounds like it could be bad RAM. You should be able to check out the mini dump files that are left by the system (normally) during a crash then google the codes. Personally, it sounds like the RAM may be having some issues, the dump files will confirm or point to something else. Based on you system specs, I would just start saving for a new PC and only put in a minimum investment into your current one, just enough to let you get the data off of it and into a new one. Good Luck!!

Dusty,

Your machine shipped with 512MB of memory and XP so I assume it ran well when newly purchased.
Suggest you (Clean Install the Operating System From Scratch) AND then do as (mpc104) suggested to inexpensively upgrade your computer.
The age of the your computer has (nothing) to do at all with with your issues as you have described.
Regards,
Rick P.

I done what ScottW said and it still freezes. so that would mean that it is a hardware problem right?

@ raphoenix Thank you. I already had a monitor when I bought the computer. and it tore up and I replaced it with a flat screen one about three years ago. but I have never had any problems from it. BTW it is a 17' HP monitor. I will not have time to check and tighten everything till after Christmas. BTW Merry Christmas. and I'll not be able to do anything in the BIOS as I gave it a password and now I have forgot it. I have tried to figger it out for over six months now.
Dusty

Now I have a new problem after the splash screen. (compaq in my case) Win XP starts it's splash screen and then the screen goes black before it it done loading and then restarts. I was going to do what raphoenix said and I thought that I would try it one more time before I did and now this screen. is it still because of what you said? or is this a new problem? also the 2032 battery has my password to BIOS in it and replacing it will fix that right?

I tell you this machine is crazy I went to device manager clicked on display adapters then click on drivers and changed my driver from Radeon 9000 to Radeon 9000 family (Microsoft Corporation) and now everything works it has gone past the 10 minute restart thing I think it is fixed. if it is it sure is odd. I don't know what happen. do ya'll have any ideas?