BleepingComputer.com: Computer Completely Freezes When Viewing Myspace

My friend gave me his computer claiming it just "randomly froze not allowing him to do anything". I left it on for a couple days surfed the net and used some applications... nothing. He later told me it usually happened when he was viewing myspace. So i started randomly opening myspace pages. Sure enough, when i open some random myspace pages, his computer will completely freezes. I am unable to move the mouse or use the keyboard. I've tried waiting hours and days for it to unfreeze but it won't. The only thing that works is a hard reset by holding the power button down for a good 5 seconds and then turning it back on. Also, this may be important. Whenever the computer completely freezes up, the lights on my USB drive and USB mouse go out. If i try to plug in any new USB device, it doesn't light up, seemingly not receiving power but the computer is still on.

At first I thought it was just a browser issue. Probably a firefox bug or something it seemed. However, i also eventually got this to happen in IE as well.

I've eliminated the following as the source of the problem:
Specific browser (it does it in firefox and ie)
Java
Flash
Shockwave
Malware

I've uninstalled completely everyone of those and the problem still occurs in both firefox and IE. Also, nothing is ever logged in event viewer when this happens. It just completely freezes up, i'm unable to do anything and when i reboot, event viewer has nothing for me. Doesn't have any malware or any signs of malware at all. Have tried disabling/uninstalling all possible protection software. Does this in safe mode with networking as well. Also, not a temporary file or registry issue as i've cleared and cleaned both of those multiple times with different programs. Also the computer is completely up to date with microsoft. It doesn't seem like it could be a hardware issue because ive tried tons of things and nothing seems to crash the computer except for myspace in my experience. And it completely freezes up the whole computer, not just the application or a simple crash. The whole computer freezes and i can't do anything until i do a hard restart.

Any thought, ideas, or where I should go next?

Thankssssss

This post has been edited by im_not_1337: 25 September 2008 - 04:09 PM

Cookies?

Louis

Nope. All cookies and temp files are cleaned before i begin to surf again. I've used CCleaner and ATF as well as manually checking and deleting all temp/cookies/etc files and folders.

Could be overheating. Open the case and clean out any dust, especially in the heatsinks over the processors.

If the computer has a video card and on-board graphics, try pulling out the card and running on the on-board graphics and see if the problem persists.

I'll try that out just to be sure. Any idea why it doesn't crash under anything else though? Myspace sites seems to be the trigger. I've left it on for days, played intense computer games, surfed multiple sites up with dozens of tabs on intense sites and never had an issue besides when i visit some myspace pages...

Well... if you played intense computer games with no problem then overheating shouldn't be an issue. In that case I'm not sure. But it won't hurt to clean inside the case.

I haven't been playing games like Crysis etc, but i've played Unreal and some others that should be intense enough to rule out overheating as the issue. Never the less, i'll clean it out and try what you suggest just to be sure.

Are you sure it IS MY Space you have ended up on and not a rogue place? I recall reading that MY Space itself had been infected
this may help too

http://malwaredatabase.net/blog/index.php/...tributing-zlob/

and appart from that ,you say you have definitly eliminated a computer infection as a possible cause of your problem?

I'm really good with malware removal and am actually a helper on other boards for it. Theres no malware and no traces of malware. Relatively clean install, just the usual xp home edition with 2 gigs of ram, clean setup with nero + office as pretty much the only things on here. And yes, im at the real myspace. Comp is completely clean. All browsers are up to date as well as windows and driver updates.

I've just taken a nosey round here
http://uk.myspace.com/ whcih I guess is your problematic site? how far IN it do you get before you get problems?

Im in the US, so just myspace.com. And its random profiles that i visit. They're not malicious or infected profiles and i can view them fine on other pc's. They just seem to completely freeze this pc.

I may be onto something here with the monitor. Since nothing was being recorded in event viewer, i figured i would try the long shot of trying a different monitor/mouse/keyboard. The only thing different in this setup both hardware and setup wise is the monitor now. I've been surfing myspace for a while now and opened many many pages and it hasn't frozen at all. Many more and much more time than it takes it to freeze on his monitor. Only thing different in the setup software or hardware wise is the monitor. I'll keep playing with it to make sure im not just getting incredibly lucky but it looks like this may be the issue? Probably a monitor/graphics/video card not liking his monitor with myspace? or a driver not liking his monitor with myspace? weird...

Could BE the monitor is not up to it? I notice when I go to My Space things are 'sizing up''so-to-speak'

just maybe you have the solution?

Are you running Jetico firewall?

I had this exact problem .... running Jetico 1.0 free. Disabling did not fix it ...... I had to uninstall the entire program. In general you might want to watch out for anything that tweaks the TCP stack, and maybe try running this:

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4372.html

I have the exact problem with a brand new thinkpad. The computer completely freezes from random Myspace pages. There is no mouse or keyboard operation and the only way out is to force a shutdown by holding the power button.

I have also tried all software and hardware configurations to no avail. It happens with any web browser, with any software or hardware configuration. Even more disturbing it happens regardless of operating system. I have recreated the freeze, on the same myspace page, using Windows XP, Vista, 7, Debian, Ubuntu, Red Hat, and openSUSE.

I have long since given up using myspace, as the only solution. All it takes is an accidental click on a link to myspace however and it freezes and everything I'm doing is lost. It's extremely frustrating.