Windows 7 hanging/locking up, requires hard reset

[CraigD89]

Hello there.

I've been having an issue with my Windows 7 desktop system since replacing the HDD a couple of months ago. At random occasions my system seems to locks up, with programs becoming unresponsive and though I can still move the cursor and click buttons on the taskbar, nothing loads up. The HDD access light stops flashing when this happens, and stays off until I perform a hard reset, which is the only way of resolving the problem that I can find. If the system is left unresponsive, it eventually drops to this: http://i41.tinypic.com/2ns1kzn.jpg.

The issue sometimes reoccurs straight after a hard reset, forcing a second hard reset, which tends to get the system back working normally.

I've tried reinstalling Windows once, but the issue has persisted since then. I've also tried checking in event viewer, though it doesn't seem to identify any issues, as the only error ever displayed around the time of the problem is the Kernel warning from the hard reset.

Any help or advice on this problem would be appreciated.

Specs:
Gigabyte 880GA UD3H motherboard
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 3.3ghz
AMD Radeon 6870 1GB GPU
8GB Ram
Western Digital 1TB HDD

 

[aatje92]

Sounds like a HDD error, what kind of WD do you have? Green?

 

[CraigD89]

Sounds like a HDD error, what kind of WD do you have? Green?

It's a WD Caviar Blue. Only bought it 2 months ago, so would be annoyed if it is that that's causing the problem!

 

[aatje92]

What kind of PSU are you using?

Could you run memtest86+ for a couple of passes?

 

[CraigD89]

What kind of PSU are you using?

Could you run memtest86+ for a couple of passes?

My PSU is a 750W Powercool High Effeciency.

I'll give memtest a run once I get home from work.

 

[aatje92]

Looks like that PSU is iffy, you should replace that

 

[CraigD89]

Looks like that PSU is iffy, you should replace that

Thanks for the advice. Memtest has run clear on 3 of my 4 sticks so far, so I'll definitely look to replace the PSU. Given my spec, would another 750W PSU be the right way to go, or should I be looking for a more powerful one?

 

[aatje92]

750w is way overpowered for your setup, look for a Corsair CX500m, those are nice and not too expensive