Mysterious Windows errors?

[Itisnotlogical]

Inevitably, after my computer's been active for a while (a few days or so) I start getting odd error messages, like "Windows Host Process has stopped working", etc. which invariably lead to "Windows Explorer has stopped working", requiring a hard reset.

Time has not been kind to this computer; it's had to be restored from a system-created restore point several times, often due to viruses. I can't access the D:\ drive, which is apparently because it requires formatting. I have no idea if this is the way it's supposed to be, because it never occurred to me until these errors started popping up to poke around a bit.

It's a Dell Studio Hybrid, with most of it's innards from Intel I believe. It has Windows Vista Home Premium, 64-bit. Is my compy just junk now? I've been looking for a reason to upgrade to HP

 

[sojourner]

It has Windows Vista Home Premium.

^Found your problem.

 

[PurpleBuddha]

It's a Dell Studio Hybrid, with most of it's innards from Intel I believe. It has Windows Vista Home Premium, 64-bit. Is my compy just junk now? I've been looking for a reason to upgrade to HP

I think you will find that HP and Dell use the same hardware. The reliability of your machine comes down to a few factors

1.) How good your selection was for your needs
2.) How well you maintain it
3.) Some random bad luck with a component

That said, the Studio Hybrid was an odd system for its time. It is built from laptop parts and crammed in a box much smaller than the average laptop at that time. Your Hybrid has the same power as a low end laptop from 2007. And it can over heat easily as it is so small, so you might not want to leave it running for long periods.

Really you would be better either getting a laptop or a desktop. Chances are the Hybrid stays put in one place anyway.

I am not saying don't go with HP or Dell or someone else. I am saying to spend a bit of time when making your selection. Look at what several companies are offering to find a better deal. If you are uncertain, get advice.

 

[Itisnotlogical]

^^ I've been looking for a relatively decent gaming machine, but certainly not a several-thousand-dollar powerhouse. I mostly use my Dell for low-end gaming (the original Dawn of War is the highest-end game I play regularly).

HP laptops are the only ones I've heard praise of other than Macbooks, and I bloody hate Macbooks. On one of HP's mid-range laptops (the dv6...t? z?) I projected that a mid-range processor and a high-end graphics card, with no other customization, would only be around $800.

ETA: I inherited this piece of junk from a family friend when they upgraded. I certainly wouldn't have bought one of them knowing what I know now

 

[Deks]

Hm...
If you want 'decent' gpu power in a laptop, then it's gonna cost you over $800.
Keep in mind that laptops are more expensive only due to the premise that they are 'mobile' - and manufacturers milk the customers on those ground for all it's worth... along with the brand name, etc...

That said... HP laptops can be ok, but in certain cases can be problematic in terms of cooling.

This Sager laptop offers decent performance (comes with a dual core i5 though and GTX 560M, 8GB RAM - $1180):
http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_customed&model_name=NP8131

If you want cheaper, you need to look into mid-range mobile graphics (such as 555m), or an alternative that has an upper range AMD gpu inside - seeing how such products are usually cheaper.

 

[USS KG5]

If the original Dawn Of War is the highest end game our friend is playing, modern integrated graphics will run it just fine. I'd go for the HD3000 instead of HD2000 with Intel but the latter would probably also be just fine.

I rebuilt an old gaming pc earlier this year, but seeing all the games I play are four years old, I've found they all run on just a core i3-2125 with integrated graphics. I even run some games in a VM.

 

[EnterpriseF]

I had the same problem on my HP machine(desk top) and I was also using Vista Home version (32 bit). I had this error occur at least twice daily. Once I upgraded to Win 7 everything was ok. If your machine can pass the Windows 7 requirements I would look at upgrading the os.

 

[Ian Keldon]

You can try maintenance programs like PC Tools' Registry Mechanic (have to subscribe) or IOBit's Advanced System Care (has a good free version and a better subscription version) to fix the mess of registry errors you probably have if you're getting lockups, dropped hardware, etc.

Or your processor may be going bad.