Re: Vista Ultimate 64X SP2 - random freezes - for months

Sorry to post this tired, continual issue - here's the event:
After uneventful computing for several hours this AM - I began to play Vista
Spider Solitaire for some relaxation & the entire game/cursor - everything
froze as I was about to win. Typical!

Please note the time discrepancy below from the event log - indicating the
correct date/time (7/21) from the log as opposed to the 'description' that
indicates the wrong time and date from the previous day (7/20).

In the past, after such freezes, the initial re-start booting message often
as not would post an option to go to setup (that option would not routinely
post if the boot proved to proceed normally - but I soon learned that
whenever the system displayed that message - it was because the setup had
either lost its date/time completely - or had lost the correct time - going
back sometimes by days, months, and years - & attempting to restart normally
without correcting the setup time would always fail at some point.

OK - so I changed the CMOS battery - twice - twice because I suspected the
1st replaced battery had had too long a shelf time (how does one check that
battery anyway?) I generally check the Vista desktop date/time right after
the desktop loads because of this history. I did this AM upon first boot &
it was correct. I do not know for this event time if the desktop time had
lost its accuracy at the time of the freeze. I did not notice & was too
busy cursing.



So is there a technical explanation here that will lead to a solution?
Internet discussions of PC time losses sometimes suggest that the time kept
by the CMOS can differ from the time kept by the OS & that there is a way to
test that will tell the user which one is at fault.

Can anyone suggest what I am dealing with? Please advise.

Blithe

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Log Name: System
Source: EventLog
Date: 7/21/2009 12:01:06 PM
Event ID: 6008
Task Category: None
Level: Error
Keywords: Classic
User: N/A
Computer: QuietOne
Description:
The previous system shutdown at 3:34:38 PM on 7/20/2009 was unexpected.

"Blithe" <invalid@xxxxxx> wrote:

>So is there a technical explanation here that will lead to a solution?
>Internet discussions of PC time losses sometimes suggest that the time kept
>by the CMOS can differ from the time kept by the OS & that there is a way to
>test that will tell the user which one is at fault.

When Windows is running, the CMOS time has no effect.

On Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:52:53 -0500, Blithe wrote:

> OK - so I changed the CMOS battery - twice - twice because I suspected the
> 1st replaced battery had had too long a shelf time (how does one check that
> battery anyway?)

This is all I know anything about in your post :-)

1. Usually the CMOS battery is a Lithium battery. They have shelf lives on
the order of five years, or often even more.

2. Since the load on the battery is small, you could just measure its
voltage with a digital voltmeter. It should be about 3 volts.

3. Battery testers are cheap (cheap ones are, at least). They would apply a
bigger load than the voltmeter, and are therefore useful for batteries
meant to handle a bigger load. Nice to have one in the house...

BTW, there are digital voltmeters available for under $10. Not great, but
they work well enough.

--
Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom

Hi, Blithe.

Where (in the World) are you?

The timestamp on your post says you sent it at:
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:52:53 -0500

The -0500 indicates that you are in the Eastern Time Zone if you are in the
USA, or in the Bogota, Lima, Quito zone if your are in South America. OR
that you are in Indiana (East), which, ( have heard, has undergone some
recent adjustments of its own. (I don't live in Indiana, so I don't know
the details of this; please ask your neighbors.)

Your post - supposedly at 12:52:53 PM EDT - arrived here in Texas at 12:52
PM CDT, which would be 1:52 PM EDT - an hour late by Usenet standards.

Please click the clock icon in the lower right corner of your desktop and
follow the wizard to set your Time Zone properly. If you need further
instructions, please post back.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
rc@xxxxxx
Microsoft Windows MVP
Windows Live Mail 2009 (14.0.8064.0206) in Win7 Ultimate x64 RC 7100

"Blithe" <invalid@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:#9zaLwiCKHA.4792@xxxxxx

> Re: Vista Ultimate 64X SP2 - random freezes - for months
>
> Sorry to post this tired, continual issue - here's the event:
> After uneventful computing for several hours this AM - I began to play
> Vista Spider Solitaire for some relaxation & the entire game/cursor -
> everything froze as I was about to win. Typical!
>
> Please note the time discrepancy below from the event log - indicating the
> correct date/time (7/21) from the log as opposed to the 'description' that
> indicates the wrong time and date from the previous day (7/20).
>
> In the past, after such freezes, the initial re-start booting message
> often as not would post an option to go to setup (that option would not
> routinely post if the boot proved to proceed normally - but I soon learned
> that whenever the system displayed that message - it was because the setup
> had either lost its date/time completely - or had lost the correct time -
> going back sometimes by days, months, and years - & attempting to restart
> normally without correcting the setup time would always fail at some
> point.
>
> OK - so I changed the CMOS battery - twice - twice because I suspected the
> 1st replaced battery had had too long a shelf time (how does one check
> that battery anyway?) I generally check the Vista desktop date/time right
> after the desktop loads because of this history. I did this AM upon first
> boot & it was correct. I do not know for this event time if the desktop
> time had lost its accuracy at the time of the freeze. I did not notice &
> was too busy cursing.
>
> So is there a technical explanation here that will lead to a solution?
> Internet discussions of PC time losses sometimes suggest that the time
> kept by the CMOS can differ from the time kept by the OS & that there is a
> way to test that will tell the user which one is at fault.
>
> Can anyone suggest what I am dealing with? Please advise.
>
> Blithe
>
> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
> Log Name: System
> Source: EventLog
> Date: 7/21/2009 12:01:06 PM
> Event ID: 6008
> Task Category: None
> Level: Error
> Keywords: Classic
> User: N/A
> Computer: QuietOne
> Description:
> The previous system shutdown at 3:34:38 PM on 7/20/2009 was unexpected.

"R. C. White" <rc@xxxxxx> wrote:

>Hi, Blithe.
>
>Where (in the World) are you?
>
>The timestamp on your post says you sent it at:
>Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:52:53 -0500

The IP address is 68.103.156.118

McPherson, Kansas

Thanks Gene - that's helpful & I ought to have had the answer. In an
earlier life I did know but have since forgotten a lot of what I knew. I
have a misplaced dusty VOM somewhere that just needs a new battery to check
out the suspect CMOS battery to see if its still viable.

Blithe


"Gene E. Bloch" <not-me@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:hkgnvq4pxxxx.xsi2fjerar5e.dlg@xxxxxx

> On Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:52:53 -0500, Blithe wrote:
>

>> OK - so I changed the CMOS battery - twice - twice because I suspected
>> the
>> 1st replaced battery had had too long a shelf time (how does one check
>> that
>> battery anyway?)

>
> This is all I know anything about in your post :-)
>
> 1. Usually the CMOS battery is a Lithium battery. They have shelf lives on
> the order of five years, or often even more.
>
> 2. Since the load on the battery is small, you could just measure its
> voltage with a digital voltmeter. It should be about 3 volts.
>
> 3. Battery testers are cheap (cheap ones are, at least). They would apply
> a
> bigger load than the voltmeter, and are therefore useful for batteries
> meant to handle a bigger load. Nice to have one in the house...
>
> BTW, there are digital voltmeters available for under $10. Not great, but
> they work well enough.
>
> --
> Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom

Gosh R.C. - I thought I was smack in Central Zone - Wichita, KS.
I don't understand. I checked my Vista time immediately upon reading your
reply. I verified my setting for Central time & it was the same as my
digital Vista desktop time - currently displaying 2:15 PM - & the same as my
atomic wall clock is displaying.

I'll post this & check properties - thanks

Blithe

"R. C. White" <rc@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:%230lnMCjCKHA.3368@xxxxxx

> Hi, Blithe.
>
> Where (in the World) are you?
>
> The timestamp on your post says you sent it at:
> Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:52:53 -0500
>
> The -0500 indicates that you are in the Eastern Time Zone if you are in
> the USA, or in the Bogota, Lima, Quito zone if your are in South America.
> OR that you are in Indiana (East), which, ( have heard, has undergone some
> recent adjustments of its own. (I don't live in Indiana, so I don't know
> the details of this; please ask your neighbors.)
>
> Your post - supposedly at 12:52:53 PM EDT - arrived here in Texas at 12:52
> PM CDT, which would be 1:52 PM EDT - an hour late by Usenet standards.
>
> Please click the clock icon in the lower right corner of your desktop and
> follow the wizard to set your Time Zone properly. If you need further
> instructions, please post back.
>
> RC
> --
> R. C. White, CPA
> San Marcos, TX
> rc@xxxxxx
> Microsoft Windows MVP
> Windows Live Mail 2009 (14.0.8064.0206) in Win7 Ultimate x64 RC 7100
>
> "Blithe" <invalid@xxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:#9zaLwiCKHA.4792@xxxxxx

>> Re: Vista Ultimate 64X SP2 - random freezes - for months
>>
>> Sorry to post this tired, continual issue - here's the event:
>> After uneventful computing for several hours this AM - I began to play
>> Vista Spider Solitaire for some relaxation & the entire game/cursor -
>> everything froze as I was about to win. Typical!
>>
>> Please note the time discrepancy below from the event log - indicating
>> the correct date/time (7/21) from the log as opposed to the 'description'
>> that indicates the wrong time and date from the previous day (7/20).
>>
>> In the past, after such freezes, the initial re-start booting message
>> often as not would post an option to go to setup (that option would not
>> routinely post if the boot proved to proceed normally - but I soon
>> learned that whenever the system displayed that message - it was because
>> the setup had either lost its date/time completely - or had lost the
>> correct time - going back sometimes by days, months, and years - &
>> attempting to restart normally without correcting the setup time would
>> always fail at some point.
>>
>> OK - so I changed the CMOS battery - twice - twice because I suspected
>> the 1st replaced battery had had too long a shelf time (how does one
>> check that battery anyway?) I generally check the Vista desktop date/time
>> right after the desktop loads because of this history. I did this AM
>> upon first boot & it was correct. I do not know for this event time if
>> the desktop time had lost its accuracy at the time of the freeze. I did
>> not notice & was too busy cursing.
>>
>> So is there a technical explanation here that will lead to a solution?
>> Internet discussions of PC time losses sometimes suggest that the time
>> kept by the CMOS can differ from the time kept by the OS & that there is
>> a way to test that will tell the user which one is at fault.
>>
>> Can anyone suggest what I am dealing with? Please advise.
>>
>> Blithe
>>
>> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
>> Log Name: System
>> Source: EventLog
>> Date: 7/21/2009 12:01:06 PM
>> Event ID: 6008
>> Task Category: None
>> Level: Error
>> Keywords: Classic
>> User: N/A
>> Computer: QuietOne
>> Description:
>> The previous system shutdown at 3:34:38 PM on 7/20/2009 was unexpected.

>

Update -
My last post still indicated the '0500' timestamp - but my Central Time Zone
was displaying correctly.

I checked what Internet Time server I was using for synchronization - did
not recognize the name & changed it - to
time-a.nist.gov

All seems OK- at least for now - thanks again

Blithe

"Blithe" <invalid@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:ufJxegjCKHA.5092@xxxxxx

> Gosh R.C. - I thought I was smack in Central Zone - Wichita, KS.
> I don't understand. I checked my Vista time immediately upon reading your
> reply. I verified my setting for Central time & it was the same as my
> digital Vista desktop time - currently displaying 2:15 PM - & the same as
> my atomic wall clock is displaying.
>
> I'll post this & check properties - thanks
>
> Blithe
>
> "R. C. White" <rc@xxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:%230lnMCjCKHA.3368@xxxxxx

>> Hi, Blithe.
>>
>> Where (in the World) are you?
>>
>> The timestamp on your post says you sent it at:
>> Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:52:53 -0500
>>
>> The -0500 indicates that you are in the Eastern Time Zone if you are in
>> the USA, or in the Bogota, Lima, Quito zone if your are in South America.
>> OR that you are in Indiana (East), which, ( have heard, has undergone
>> some recent adjustments of its own. (I don't live in Indiana, so I don't
>> know the details of this; please ask your neighbors.)
>>
>> Your post - supposedly at 12:52:53 PM EDT - arrived here in Texas at
>> 12:52 PM CDT, which would be 1:52 PM EDT - an hour late by Usenet
>> standards.
>>
>> Please click the clock icon in the lower right corner of your desktop and
>> follow the wizard to set your Time Zone properly. If you need further
>> instructions, please post back.
>>
>> RC
>> --
>> R. C. White, CPA
>> San Marcos, TX
>> rc@xxxxxx
>> Microsoft Windows MVP
>> Windows Live Mail 2009 (14.0.8064.0206) in Win7 Ultimate x64 RC 7100
>>
>> "Blithe" <invalid@xxxxxx> wrote in message
>> news:#9zaLwiCKHA.4792@xxxxxx

>>> Re: Vista Ultimate 64X SP2 - random freezes - for months
>>>
>>> Sorry to post this tired, continual issue - here's the event:
>>> After uneventful computing for several hours this AM - I began to play
>>> Vista Spider Solitaire for some relaxation & the entire game/cursor -
>>> everything froze as I was about to win. Typical!
>>>
>>> Please note the time discrepancy below from the event log - indicating
>>> the correct date/time (7/21) from the log as opposed to the
>>> 'description' that indicates the wrong time and date from the previous
>>> day (7/20).
>>>
>>> In the past, after such freezes, the initial re-start booting message
>>> often as not would post an option to go to setup (that option would not
>>> routinely post if the boot proved to proceed normally - but I soon
>>> learned that whenever the system displayed that message - it was because
>>> the setup had either lost its date/time completely - or had lost the
>>> correct time - going back sometimes by days, months, and years - &
>>> attempting to restart normally without correcting the setup time would
>>> always fail at some point.
>>>
>>> OK - so I changed the CMOS battery - twice - twice because I suspected
>>> the 1st replaced battery had had too long a shelf time (how does one
>>> check that battery anyway?) I generally check the Vista desktop
>>> date/time right after the desktop loads because of this history. I did
>>> this AM upon first boot & it was correct. I do not know for this event
>>> time if the desktop time had lost its accuracy at the time of the
>>> freeze. I did not notice & was too busy cursing.
>>>
>>> So is there a technical explanation here that will lead to a solution?
>>> Internet discussions of PC time losses sometimes suggest that the time
>>> kept by the CMOS can differ from the time kept by the OS & that there is
>>> a way to test that will tell the user which one is at fault.
>>>
>>> Can anyone suggest what I am dealing with? Please advise.
>>>
>>> Blithe
>>>
>>> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
>>> Log Name: System
>>> Source: EventLog
>>> Date: 7/21/2009 12:01:06 PM
>>> Event ID: 6008
>>> Task Category: None
>>> Level: Error
>>> Keywords: Classic
>>> User: N/A
>>> Computer: QuietOne
>>> Description:
>>> The previous system shutdown at 3:34:38 PM on 7/20/2009 was unexpected.

>>

>

I have this mental picture of trying to use the old VOM to test the battery
in the old VOM to see if the old VOM needs a new battery.

The mind can be made too reel...

Hmm. I mistyped (and didn't change) "to reel"; now I wish I'd said "too
real" :-)

On Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:10:18 -0500, Blithe wrote:

> Thanks Gene - that's helpful & I ought to have had the answer. In an
> earlier life I did know but have since forgotten a lot of what I knew. I
> have a misplaced dusty VOM somewhere that just needs a new battery to check
> out the suspect CMOS battery to see if its still viable.
>
> Blithe
>
>
> "Gene E. Bloch" <not-me@xxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:hkgnvq4pxxxx.xsi2fjerar5e.dlg@xxxxxx

>> On Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:52:53 -0500, Blithe wrote:
>>

>>> OK - so I changed the CMOS battery - twice - twice because I suspected
>>> the
>>> 1st replaced battery had had too long a shelf time (how does one check
>>> that
>>> battery anyway?)

>>
>> This is all I know anything about in your post :-)
>>
>> 1. Usually the CMOS battery is a Lithium battery. They have shelf lives on
>> the order of five years, or often even more.
>>
>> 2. Since the load on the battery is small, you could just measure its
>> voltage with a digital voltmeter. It should be about 3 volts.
>>
>> 3. Battery testers are cheap (cheap ones are, at least). They would apply
>> a
>> bigger load than the voltmeter, and are therefore useful for batteries
>> meant to handle a bigger load. Nice to have one in the house...
>>
>> BTW, there are digital voltmeters available for under $10. Not great, but
>> they work well enough.
>>
>> --
>> Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom

--
Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom