When you say that it crashed, what specifically happened? Did you get a blue screen of death (BSOD)? Did the system just power off or reboot? Did you hear any strange noises from inside the system before the crash?
 
When you are in safe mode, which version are you using (e.g., Safe Mode with Networking)? Have you run the diagnostics tests outside of Windows?
 
Also, when you reinstalled Windows, did you perform a full format or a quick format? Any new hardware recently installed before the crashing started to happen?

Myke thanks for your reply,
 
No I dont get a BSOD it just freezes soon after loading the desktop with the `hour glass` suspended, and stops responding.
 
I took it to a shop for them to have a look but they reinstalled windows ( charged me of course) and returned the laptop with exactly the same problem. I will ask them if it was full format.
 
I can use Safe Mode with networking, I have run chkdsk and initially it too would get stuck, but after the reinstall I was able to complete chkdsk.
 
What other diagnosrtics do you suggest? No there are no strange noises, except that it was heating up a lot. i cleaned the grill in front of the fan and it seems to be running ok now.
 
Is the prob with the flux capacitor a hardware fault? can it be fixed?
 
Thank you
 
Farid

Let me think of a few things, but I had to respond to the last question. The flux capacitor comment is my signature; it is put at the end of my postings and has nothing to do with the posting. My apologies if this led you astray.
 
The flux capacitor is actually the Y-shaped gadget used for time-travel in the Back to the Future movies. I put it as my signature because someone I know actually responded to a tech. call with this so that he didn't have to explain to the user that it was was a very very stupid fault on the user's part. Again, sorry to mislead you with the signature. I just think that the quote is priceless and in no way reflects anything about questions or users on this site.

If you still have the diagnostics disc(s) that came with the computer, I recommend using it(them). The discs contain other useful tools to help you figure out what is wrong with your system.
 
Also, when your system first boots up (the keyboard lights should flash and then come on), hit F12 to bring you to the boot select menu. There you go boot to the utility partition or perform an IDE drive diagnostics. Run all of the tests (which could take a while) and see if they find any errors with your system.

Hi everyone
 
I have a 2 year old sony vaio running XP pro. it crashed one day and when i restarted using the on/off button it would start initially, and then hang immediately. I tried system restore but it would not work as it would hang at `logging off`, and i had to `kill` the m/c using the on off button.
Works ok in safe mode and shuts down as well, but system restore does not seem to work. I reinstalled xp, but the problem persists...
 
can some one please help?
 
thanks

 
This is because you have problems in Windows Registry. It is a common cause of Windows crashes and error messages. Registry problems can occur for many reasons, including references left behind after uninstalling, incorrect removal of software, missing or corrupt hardware drivers or orphaned start-up programs. This will significantly increase the Registry size and slow down your computer, because Windows will need more time to load, search, and read data from the Registry. Scan your system for errors with Digeus Registry Cleaner http://www.digeus.com/products/regcleaner/registry-cleaner.html

You can check out this link to recover your laptop " http://en.kioskea.net/forum/affich-22215-how-to-install-xp-sp2-on-vista-laptop"
did your laptop worked properly in these 2 years? or else you can ask for replacement.