[Beeeater]

I am wondering whether anybody else has experinced this strange behaviour: I will be working with several apps, try to open a new tab in IE7, and it will seem slow to respond. I will get the 'revolving circle' waiting cursor... If I click on the page, I will get (not responding) in the title bar. I can minimise the whole of IE, but then if I click on another running application I just get the waiting cursor... Suddenly nothing responds. If I do manage to restore another running app, it goes 'white' (the image goes pale and also will not respond.) All the time I can move my 'waiting' cursor. There are no error messages at all. Ctrl-Alt-Del produces no response at all. I can leave the PC in this state for ten or twenty minutes and it doesn't recover. Eventually all I can do is press the reset button. Once the system restarts there are no mentions in Event Viewer at all.

So much for Vista stability! The worst part is that if my Quickbooks app is running at the time this happens it corrupts the data file and I have to restore from a backup. But it also happens when QB is not running. I cannot find any common event to explain why this is happening, it seems random.

Have checked for spyware and viruses, am running Vista Ultimate 32 with 4Gb of RAM.

[Cecebee]

I have had a very similar problem with a Vista Home Premium and another Vista Ultimate computer. I use similar because I have had the problem while simply using several instances of Windows Explorer from the desktop. I get the very same result you described and a hardware reset is the only thing that will fix it.

I have tried running Process Explorer in the background to see if it would capture any helpful information and of course I have examined all of Vista's error logs. Process Explorer hasn't helped me so far and the hangs do not create an error event in the logs (pressing the reset button does create and "improper shutdown" error log entry). I also ran diagnostic checks on my memory modules just to be sure it wasn't a corrupt RAM issue. The checks returned good results.

I asked Microsoft about this problem and the answers I got were equal to what you would read in any text on troubleshooting problems. Totally worthless!

[Beeeater]

Thanks for your input - I have had to revert to a previously saved disk image. The problem got so bad that it was immediately present after a reboot.
I have a resource meter on my dektop which shows me that while this 'hang' is occurring there is very little CPU usage, and my hard drive light is barely active. I think I prefer blue screens - at least they give you some indication of what the problem might be!

[Cecebee]

Hope the return to an earlier system state helps. I also noticed the same things about the lack of hard drive and memory usage during my hangs. Thankfully, I haven't had one for a couple of days.

[Beeeater]

Still having the problem - Completely random as far as I can see. Yesterday I wasn't even using the machine. I returned to it after a few hours, to find it in the state mentioned above. Had to reset the system.

I had thought it might be an IE7 issue, but it has happened now without IE running. Outlook 2007 is still a possible suspect.

It's disturbing because all Vista's fancy 'new and improved' error reporting and diagnostics don't make any mention of it, or report any problems whatsoever! And yet there are several distinct stages before total 'hang' - Surely Windows should detect this?

[DaveA]

You have not told us what AV and other security programs you are running?
Also list ALL programs that are running most of the time.

[Beeeater]

I think I may have a resolution for this issue - I suspect it was caused by a networked laptop trying to print to a shared printer on the Vista machine. I noticed that whenever the laptop user tried to print, the Vista computer 'hung' strangely and eventually required a reset. The laptop was connecting to the network both with a wireless and a wired connection - I disabled the wireless, which was weak. I also uninstalled the Realtek network card on the Vista PC, reinstalled it, and updated the drivers. Now the laptop can print without any problems, and so far I haven't had a repetition of the strange 'hanging' problem on the Vista PC.

Still irks me that Vista couldn't give a clue to this in its system logs - but there you are!

[ArThor]

I am having the same problems with the 'hangs'. I have had Vista for a year now and I am not happy with it. This week I am going to downgrade to XP.

Vista Premium with 1 GB of RAM.

[Beeeater]

Can't say I blame you. The issue is far from resolved and reappeared shortly sfter my last post. I have now definitely narrowed it down to a networking issue - As soon as another computer on the network attempts to access the Vista machine, it goes into the downward spiral of death. Not a word about it in the system logs, and necessitates a reboot as the only means of recovery. Great OS, hey? REALLY stable !! And that's after SP1!

[Dunko9]

its same here.......i hate it! ....its happen nearly twice everyday...it must be problems with SP1...thats i download SP1 with Vista....before its fine....Microsoft should repair SP1 AGAIN.

anyway have problem solved yet?

[DaveA]

Been running 2 Vista laptops on a 6 computer network since it was released.
Have had NONE of these issues that you are having.
I do NOT believe it to be a Vista issue.

I have yet to see any of your AV or protection programs listed. They have been one of the biggest issue source while using Vista.

[Beeeater]

Running NOD32 as my AV program - done various scans with SS&D, etc - System clean. This problem is repeatable: An XP system on the network shows shared printers on the Vista PC as status: 'Opening" instead of 'Ready' - As soon as the XP machine tries to print, or to access any shared folderson the Vista PC, the Vista machine hangs in the way described at the beginning of this thread. I have since realised that all other XP systems do the same thing when they try to access the Vista PC. My network used to work perfectly - something fairly recent is causing this. Perhaps SP1?

[DaveA]

Check the firewall settings on the Vista machine with the printer. Make sure that the IP addresses of the XP machines are set to have access to the Vista machine.

What firewall are you using?

[Cecebee]

I supose DaveA can believe whatever he chooses. I have been trying to run Vista on 3 desktop computers since it was released, before that I tried to use the Betas. I have seen more problems on these computers than I can remember. Yes they are all on a network that also has an XP Pro laptop and a Windows 2000 Pro desktop on it. The XP and the Win 2K machines are rock solid, they never lock up.

I have seen that damned spinning circle on my screen so many times I am starting to feel like a reincarnated Michelin Man.

I have all new hardware on the Vista machines and it is Vista certified. All the computers have good hardware ratings (the one I'm using now has 5.6 out of a possible 5.9). About the only thing I could improve on the Vista computers is to install more epensive top of the line video adapters but I do not do a lot with multimedia apps and I don't play any games other than Solitaire and Sudoku so I don't need better video.

I'm using good hardware, I'm using good applications so when the OS fails to operate as advertised what is a person to logically think? I have owned just about every Microsoft OS ever produced and I can only say that Vista is a full fledged, barking dog!

[TechOutsider]

AMD processor? Nvidia graphics?