PC locking up

[Dave_W]

Here's what I would do. I would use the Dell partition to reinstall the OS (restart and hold down f8) and then see if the problem goes away. If it does then you might as well upgrade to Windows 8 since you'll have to load all your programs on anyway. If it doesn't fix the problem then at least you'll know it's something in your hardware that is mucking up.

 

[vindex1963]

So power settings can cause a computer to freeze then start working then freeze minutes to hours later?

 

[§am]

Not in the least.
What can happen though is power settings can turn off devices which when woken up need a few seconds to kick in - certainly not freeze your PC up to the point where you can't use it.

You need to go through troubleshooting this step by step, otherwise a mish mash of advice will only complicate the matter