The computer is a Powerspec G160 tower (Intel i5 — spec are here: http://powerspec.com/systems/system_specs.phtml?selection=G160
I start the computer and it gets as far as the Windows startup screen with the pulsating graphic — then after 10 seconds or so disk activity ceases and the screen freezes.
I push the on/off button for 4 seconds to turn off the computer, then turn it on again. It boots on the 2nd, 3rd or 4th try, every time. Well, sometimes it boots on the first try too, but not often
I thought this might have had to do with the c: drive’s being on the wrong port, but I’ve resolved that. It is on Port 0.
Evidently there is something in the startup sequence which hangs the computer, but which Windows knows enough to bypass after the problem has happened one or more times. I suspect that it has something to do with a device driver, though Control Panel reports that all devices are working properly
How do I diagnose this and how do I get rid of it, preferably without having to reinstall from scratch? I have reinstalled from scratch a couple of times, and the problem recurs after a while.
The last time it recurred was after I installed Windows Mouse and Keyboard Center. Uninstalling that didn’t make the problem go away.
I’m a paid newsletter subscriber and I seem to recall an issue which described how to reinstall Windows without having to reinstall applications, but the best thing woudl be to trace the problem to its source and zap it.
