Why is it stalling?

[Boots]

Yet another issue with my 2730p. Several tabs up in Internet, Youtube playing, then everything stalls. Can't do anything. I can bring up the start menu and other programs so far, but not Firefox tabs.

Started task manager, hit end task, and it started running again, but then it stalled up another time. This time task manager didn't get it going. Just closed it.

Any suggestions? Internet was all I was doing, nothing nearly hard enough that the computer wouldn't be able to handle it.

Also, when I use task manager to close it, I can't bring it back up without restarting the computer. It says Firefox is still in use, or something similar.

It only happens sometimes (or as "sometimes" as there can be when I've only used it a few times). I went through several videos before it froze this time. But it shouldn't happen at all; I know it shouldn't because all my sister does on hers is several Internet tabs and music, and hers is just dandy.

Another update: I just used it for nearly an hour with a playlist going on YT and drawing; no stalling. I still would like to know if this is something fixable, but it's not as bad as it was before restoring.

[Boots]

Also, when I try to set up HP ProtectTools Security Manager, it gives me this message:

"Error 0xB: An HP ProtectTools Application Error has occured.

HP ProtectTools is unable to establish a secure communication path with the Pre-Boot Security subsystem. Please reboot and enable "Allow reset of HP ProtectTools security keys" from the Security menu of F10 BIOS Setup or contact your system administrator."

So I tried the F10 thing at the Boot Manager screen, but I never found a security menu. Maybe I'm misunderstanding.

There are apparently 37 incredibly important updates that Windows Updates wants me to install, but I'm afraid one of them will upset the very, very delicate sensibilities of this computer. On the other hand, I'm wondering if some of them may actually help, if only for this issue, and not the freezing one. (Before I restored this computer, I had installed all of the updates and the security program worked, but the freezing was even worse.)

[Hattori Hanzo]

Run the performance monitor that's accessible from the performance tab in the task manager. It not only shows you CPU load, but also disk IO and disk queue length (blue line in the disk diagram).
Is there anything suspicious during the times when Firefox stalls?

[Agent 9]

Did you get firefox from their official site -here Mozilla Firefox Web Browser ? Free Download ? mozilla.org -or did you get it from that soft 32 site (I saw someone do this just in the week)?

Other than that I can only think of it being a driver issue [or lack of drivers]; what drivers have you installed yourself?


for HP Protect Tools I think you may have to update the BIOS for it to work properly with Windows 7, I'd suggest the modded BIOS because it will give you the option to overclock or undervolt later down the road but not cause any issues now (and it also removes the white listing so you could upgrade the Wi-Fi or other things without issue) you can get it here dual-IDA/quad-IDA BIOS for HDX9000/87x0/85x0/6x10/27x0p/25x0p


At this point if it were me I'd simply do a clean install of Windows 7 things up from there

[Boots]

Again? Or is that different from restoring it?

I thought I got it from their site, but I'll try reinstalling it.

Now though, I played one song this morning, it played all the way through, but stopped right at the end (not quite a stall) and it disabled my touchpad click/scroll sections and the physical click buttons. I can click with the pen. After rebooting they still don't work. I didn't have the program running that you mentioned, Hattori, but I will start it up.

Drivers should only be, in order of installing: Wacom driver, HP touchpad driver, then the Wacom one again because I thought the HP one disabled sensitivity, but it turns out it needs a few minutes to work.

[Boots]

Hattori, I wouldn't know what to look for as far as suspicious goes so I'll just tell you what I see. While the video was playing the first time (while watching the manager) CPU Usage hovered around 40-50 percent, and Maximum Frequency just a little higher at 45-60 percent. Once the video ended CPU usage dropped to 6 percent or so, and now that I hit play again it hovers around 20-35 percent. Third play CPU jumped back to hovering around 40-50 percent, and Frequency got up to 99 percent for a few seconds before going back.

Now, I don't even know if that's what you wanted me to look at, so maybe none of that means anything. Click and scroll still don't work without the pen.

This is probably normal though, since it's not stalling, really, it's pretty much working as normal it just won't let me click anything unless I use the pen.

[Agent 9]

Try installing this graphics driver http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Deta...adType=Drivers (uninstall the old one if there is one presently installed), then maybe the HP Quick Launch and Sound driver if they aren't installed; though you may want to install HP SoftPaq and have it get drivers for you (but don't let it get Wacom or Intel Video drivers)... Also, before trying a clean install or recovery again, please try installing the modded BIOS I linked in my previous post, it doesn't have any incompatibilities with Windows 7 from what I've seen, and it will leave you options in the future... for the touchpad, is there a little orange light on above the 'F5' key? If so then you need to press the Function 'Fn' key and 'F5' at the same time to re-enable the touchpad, if that isn't the issue, does the touchpad work when in the BIOS (press 'esc' on start up, then 'F10' I think)? is the pointing stick working? Also, what are the WEI scores currently (a decent indication of how things are preforming and if there is a issue with drivers/ hardware)

A clean install is different than the recovery; basically you use a Windows 7 install disc (you can use one you purchased or downloaded, or you can make your own by following the ISO method here LEGAL Windows 7 Download Links (Just like Vista before!!!) and while you are at it you can use Vlite to pair the disk down so the install is further streamlined and takes up less space) then you install the version of the OS that the COA key is for, activate using the COA key (I'm not sure how that would work with the Refurbished Win 7 COA key, though it should work fine) then you simply install drivers and programs... basically a clean install is just the OS and no extra crap that may be causing problems, not only should it run and start up better, but its a heck of a lot easier to diagnose problems because if such and such happens after installing a certain driver or package ten you know there is something up with it.

[Boots]

Edit: Got BIOS to get going. Downloading now.

To answer your questions:
I can move the cursor with the touchpad and the stick, they just won't click or scroll. Haven't tried in the F10 menu yet. I'll try it when one of the drivers tells me to restart.

WEI:
Processor: 5.3
RAM: 5.7
Graphics: 3.9
Gaming Graphics: 3.4 (Base score)
Primary hard disc: 4.3

How do you uninstall drivers? I've looked online with no luck. They don't show up in the Programs and Features window.

Trying the drivers and everything else you mentioned now.

Edit: I think the BIOS worked. I don't know how to tell though. I went through downloading and restarted the computer, so I think it worked... Doing the drivers now.

[Hattori Hanzo]

Hattori, I wouldn't know what to look for as far as suspicious goes so I'll just tell you what I see.

Well, anything that would be unexpected. E.g. CPU load staying at 100% during the stalling, or dropping to near zero. I was more thinking about the harddisk, though.

Just look what levels of load are typical when everything's fine and if something's suspiciously different once you see the stalling. If you don't find anything on this level this is still a useful information.

[Boots]

The HP Softpaq thing completely screwed it up. One of the installed drivers I guess. The mouse is clicking things without me touching it, I can almost kind of use the buttons to click now, but it just goes crazy.

I'm about 2 minutes away from just restoring again.

I don't want to send it back, I'd rather fix it myself and spare the time, but this is ridiculous.

Going back to a restore point.

Edit: Looking in to the clean install of windows. At least if that doesn't fix anything I'll know it's the hardware and can send it back.

Question first: If I mess it up somehow, or if there's an error somewhere, will I still be able to recover what they put on it? Or will the computer just be useless?