Basically, at home my laptop does not crash but at university it does. The screen freezes and does not respond to any keyboard or mouse commands and the computer needs to be restarted by holding the power button down for 5 seconds or so. The computer crashes on most days and regularly crashes on more than one occasion per day (depending on how long i have it turned on). 3 times when it crashed I have had a bluescreen message telling me that some hardware or software has failed. I will post below what windows says once it 'checks for solutions' after it bluescreens:

 

 

 

 

 

 

My computer's spec:

 

 

 

Laptop running vista

 

2gb RAM

 

2GHz pentium core duo 2 processor

 

 

 

As I said above, this problem only occurs at university. It kept crashing before christmas and then when I went home for the holidays it stopped (I thought it had fixed itself somehow). Now I'm back at uni it keeps crashing again. Furthermore, my computer was left on for most of the time when I was at home so there is no chance that it was just coincidental that it only seems to crash at uni.

 

 

 

If you need any more info just ask, please help :)

 

 

 

EDIT:

 

 

 

I managed to write down the stop code (I know it's been a long time since I first made this post). It's:

 

 

 

STOP: 0x00000124 (0x00000000, 0x85B45698, 0xB2000040, 0x00000800)

Write down what the bluescreen stop code error you get. It'll look something like STOP X00000000( 00000000; 000000000; 00000000; 00000000) where the 0's and stuff will be numbers. It's difficult for us to pinpoint a reason without this.

How do I find out the code? The bluescreen message only comes up for about 5 seconds and there's no way I can write all that down in so little time. Is there any other way of finding the code?

Were you using the computer any differently while you were at home than how you use it at the uni? For example you use the computer on your lap at the uni but it's always on a table while your at home.

 

 

 

Do this:

 

right click my computer > click properties > click advanced settings on the left hand side > click settings in startup and recovery > uncheck automatically restart.

 

 

 

This will disable the computer from automatically restarting after a blue screen so you have time to write down the error message. Write down the error of the blue screen next time one happens.

 

 

 

What devices do you have plugged in while your at the uni that you do not have plugged in at home? Any device you can think of, from ethernet cables to usb devices.

At home I used my laptop on my lap, bed, table etc and I do the same at university. The only device that I have plugged in at uni and not at home is an ethernet cable in order to connect to the internet (have wifi at home). Also, I've turned off automatic restart so I can write down the code. Is the ethernet cable likely to cause the laptop to keep crashing like this?

At home I used my laptop on my lap, bed, table etc and I do the same at university. The only device that I have plugged in at uni and not at home is an ethernet cable in order to connect to the internet (have wifi at home). Also, I've turned off automatic restart so I can write down the code. Is the ethernet cable likely to cause the laptop to keep crashing like this?

 

 

 

An ethernet cable, most likely not. It's possible (I have seen it before) but it's unlikely. Just write down the code when it happens again, this will tell us for sure whats causing it.

You could use windows debugger and put the result here. There is a guide here if you need help.

It could be your NIC driver...

It could be your NIC driver...

 

 

 

Let's wait until he posts back with the error code from the clue screen before we start troubleshooting. It's taking a shot in the dark without the exact code.

That's true, but drivers are by far the #1 cause of bluescreens (The only 3 unintentional bluescreens I've gotten on vista were drivers, twice NVIDIA), and if the only thing he's doing different is using ethernet..

 

 

 

Not that network cards usually have driver issues, it was just a thought.

I wrote this again in the first post but I found the stop code to be:

 

 

 

STOP: 0x00000124 (0x00000000, 0x85B45698, 0xB2000040, 0x00000800)

 

 

 

Anyone know what that means?

Can anyone help now I have the specific code?

There should also be a file or reason it crashed listed, did you happen to write this down?