Troubleshooting a Windows XP Crash
- 1). Click "Start" and then "Control Panel." The Control Panel program window appears.
- 2). Click "Performance and Maintenance" on the right side of the program window and then click "Administrative Tools." Click "Event Viewer" to open the Event Viewer program window.
- 3). Click "System" on the left side of the program window. A list of notices and errors generated by Windows XP populates on the right side of the program window.
- 4). Scroll through the list looking for any items marked with a red "X" and labeled "Error" beneath "Type." Items labeled "Warning" or "Information" usually do not represent crashes.
- 5). Click an error listing to see the details of the problem. While not all crashes leave identifiable details behind, these notes may help identify the problem.
- 6). Read the description of the error, looking for any names of files, particularly files with a ".sys" file extension. The ".sys" file type contains drivers for your computer's hardware, so identifying the file at fault can help in preventing your computer from crashing again.
- 7). Match the file name with the hardware device's drivers. If you can't tell from the name what device it belongs to, a quick Web search for the name of the file will reveal which driver it represents. Once you know the source of the driver, you can try reinstalling or updating the driver. Ultimately, you may have to replace the hardware because it's not compatible with Windows XP.
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