Hi Tim,

Random System Lockups
Here are some possible causes for system Freeze/Lockups
Overheating do to: Dirty of faulty cooling fans. Check the
fan(s) to make sure they are clean and operating.
Faulty or mis-matched memory modules (RAM).
Test the RAM using MemTest.
Memtest86 - Memory Diagnostic Page: http://www.memtest86.com/#download1
Download link for - Pre-Compiled Memtest86 v3.1 installable from Windows and
DOS:
http://www.memtest86.com/memt31.zip

Computer virus. Perform a virus scan with up to date virus software
Spyware should also be a concern.
Try switching RAM sticks if there is more than one
Use one stick, then another. Only one at a time, of course.
If both sticks work alone but will not work when combined, that almost
certainly indicates an incompatibility between the two sticks.
If one stick works but the other does not, then that would indicate the one
that doesn't work is either faulty, will not get along with the other stick,
or is not the correct type for your system.

Other less common causes:
A faulty power supply.
A Faulty or un-grounded household outlet.
Athlon based computer with less than a 300W power supply
Outdated video drive. Download the latest driver from the
manufactures web sit, and install it as per manufactures instructions
Over clocking of the CPU
Incorrect voltage setting on the motherboard
Improperly configured BIOS setting
Loose power connectors or cables

Regards,
Bert Kinney [MS-MVP DTS]
http://dts-l.org/

"Tim" wrote
I am confused and need help. My 98 SE seems to just freeze and nothing is
operational. The power on switch doesn't work Cntrl + ALT + Delete
doesn't
work, the mouse doesn't work and the key board doesn't work. I have to
unplug
the power supply and and wait a few minutes to plug back in. I have
installed new fans thinking it was a heating issue not. I have new
harddrives installed. Once it is turned back on all is well for a while.
I
have ran every possible program and all results are normal. Sometimes I
will
also get the message CAN NOT WRITE TO THE C DRIVE. Can anyone help