My VGN-SZ3xwp/c Hangs often... help

[aceaysar]

Hello Sony Gurus

I just got my brand new VGN-SZ3XWP/C machine 2 days ago, and unfortunately it seems to be extremely slow.

I have not installed any additional software on it, nor have I removed any of the pre-loaded software.

When I click the task bar or the start button, the whole taskbar freezes. I can still use my desktop and scroll through pages but the task bar and the start menu freeze (some times the start menu freezes in the open position) the freeze lasts for 40-50 seconds, where it then proceeds to execute all the clicks that I tried at once. this occurs usually when I have a 3 or 4 IE sessions open.

Please help!

[Blencogo]

Hi aceaysar and welcome to Club Vaio.

I was hoping one of the others would pick this topic up and come up with a brilliant solution!

Task Bar freezes are quite common in XP but can be caused by many things. I'm not sure there is an easy answer.

The most popular causes are (in descending order): -

1. Spyware/Malware on your system - download Spybot Search and Destroy and give your system a full scan. It is also worth doing a full scan with your Anti-Virus program.

2. A hardware conflict - have you installed any USB hardware? Are you using the latest drivers. You could check the Event Viewer for errors and Device Manager for IRQ conflicts.

3. Does it only happen when you are online? Incorrect TCP/IP configuration - check your Network settings, MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) settings, Wireless settings.

4. Low system resources - this should not apply to your Vaio but make sure all the memory is being recognised. Right-click My Computer -> Properties -> General. How much memory does the system think it has? You may just have too much open at the same time!!

5. Corrupt System Files - you could run (Start -> Run) and type in sfc /scannow. This will check all your protected Windows System files and replace any that are corrupt. It could take 30 minutes to run!!

6. Incorrect/Corrupt Registry Entries - download the free (for 30 days) version of Tune-Up Utilities and run the Registry Cleaner and the System Optimisers.

You really should not have to do all this with a new Vaio. If everything fails, you may have to take your Vaio back to the shop for a replacement.