Windows 8 x64 Pro occassionly freezing

Hi,
recently I've installed a genuine Windows 8 x64 Pro(upgraded from Windows 7 x64 Ult).
It worked fine for around 5-6 weeks, and after that I've installed several features like framenetwork, directx, and a few video games. Then the windows started freezing after around 2-3 minutes, and when I'm restarting the comp it asks for a boot CD(even that that option is disabled in the bios), and I have to totally shut it down in order to turn the comp on again. I didn't install a motherboard driver(I've got a gigabyte ep43-ds3l and on their website they've got only windows 7 drivers) but the comp works like it's got all the drivers, the only drivers I've installed is the video card driver AMD Radeon HD4870 1GB - the latest version for windows 8. I've tried to use your guide for posting but the windows freezes too fast and it doesn't finish the proccess(I'm posting from my laptop), maybe I can try it from safe mode or something, I just don't know how to use safe mode on Windows 8.

If anyone can help me I'll appreciate it, I can format the comp but I fear the same problem reoccur, so perhaps there's another solution.

Hi, welcome to Windows 8 Forums.

If the system is asking for a Boot CD, it may be having trouble reading the system drive. This can happen if the system had a blue screen or major lockup at some time, and you had to do a forced reboot.

So you should check the status of your hard drive. It's different for SSD drives and Mechanical hard drives, so I'll give you the solution for Mechanical Disks I use:


From the link below, download "Hiren's Boot CD" and burn it. Stick it in your drive and boot to it. Look for "Dos Programs" - Go into there, and look for "Hard Drive Tools"- There are about 3 pages of programs, OEM programs and other tools. Look for a program called GWscan. It can also be downloaded from the net, but you would still have to make a bootable CD with it, Hiren's already has it.

Select your system hard drive in GWscan and run the first 2 tests, see if it finds "Read Element Failure"

If it does, then run the full disk scan, the errors will be fixed. In some cases, it will say there are too many errors, don't worry about that unless it actually tells you this, because there is another program called ViVard in there that can fix a lot of read errors.

If it finds errors like this and repairs them, then reboot the system again to Hiren's and then go into "Mini-XP" and scan your hard disk with the CHKDSK which is in Mini-XP- Or, you can use a Windows 8 Install disk and do it from a command prompt. This is just to find any file system errors.

If the drive does not return and read element errors, then you should still run CHKDSK, I always do it from outside of Windows 8. Don't run a full CHKDSK, just to the regular 3-part CHKDSK. But check your Motherboard BIOS and make sure the drive is detecting. Sometimes things like a bad SATA data or power cable can cause the same thing.

See if that helps any, post back any results.

I've tried to use the disk but the GwScan doesn't work correctly. After I'm trying to do an extended test it just asks me to press R and then any key and then it points to the drive R:/ and isn't doing anything.Anyway I've tried to refresh the windows and it stopped freezing however a message box with a hard disk error shows up and asks me to backup the computer, is there any way to fix this?

You may have a bad spot on the drive. If GWscan will not work, you can use the program made for the HD OEM, Toshiba and Hitachi drives may not work with GWscan, but there are Toshiba and Hitachi tools in there, try those. There are also Seagate and WD tools in there as well.

If none of them detect your drive, then try using ViVard, and try a "Smart Remap" - Warning, you cannot stop it once it starts, and it may take up to 4 hours to run. But it will block off all sectors that are problematic.

I've got a WD drive that worked fine when I had Windows 7, all those problems begun when I've upgraded to Windows 8.
I've tried to use ViVard It went on for like 3 days so I stopped it.
Any other solutions perhaps??

Good Lord, it should not have run for 3 days. Is the drive still Viable?

Actually, the drive listed as bad in that error message of yours, is a SEAGATE. So you wold have to use the Seagate Seatools to check it.

If the drive is still viable, scan it with Sea-Tools, run the full scan. ViVard should not have taken so long, was it finding errors?

If it says something like NTFD it means it is not detecting the drive. Was it showing stream after stream of the same error code?

Try this: Take it out, stick it in a good waterproof plastic bag, two of them, and freeze it for about 2 days.

After that, take it out and plug it in, see if it reads, if it does, move anything important off of it, and run the Sea-Tools. from the Hiren's disk.

I'm worried, the drive may have been beyond repair, because ViVard will fix bad sectors. If it was running for 3 days, it means that it fell off the bus and the program was just sitting there doing nothing.

Well right now I'm using the computer and it works, just that that error pops up every 10 minutes, I'll check it with sea tools right now.

I've done the check and it has found no errors, how to procced?

Maybe ViVard actually found something and fixed it...?

But no, your system would not be showing you that message unless the drive were in IMMINENT danger of failing.

You used Sea-Tools and it detected Seagate Drive? Usually drives with IDs starting with ST = Seagate drives. You know, even if it did not find any errors, I would run it again and run the full disk scan anyway. But not after I had copied the partition to a new drive! We may be able to save the drive, but dont take chances with your Data.

I'd buy a new HD asap and back up the whole drive- In the meantimes don't use it very much, if at all.