Please Help

Sounds like a failing Video Card.
or possibly failing Power Supply being unable to supply the Video Card.

Do you have (2) two video adapter cards or are you using a card with two connectors to supply both monitors, or is this a laptop with an external monitor attached?
Tell us more, please.
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Check in your Device Manager to see if there are any yellow or red Warnings for your Display Adapter.
If yes, then Remove and reinstall the Video Card Driver.
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Consider "physically disconnecting" one of the Monitors to see if the remaining one functions correctly.
Switch Monitors and try the other one separately.
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Do you have a spare Video Card that you could swap in.
If you do and it runs well, this could be telling you that the other Video Card is dying.
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To get a good overview of your machines present functioning ( to begin investigating other possible sources of the problem) consider running the Full Tests, at http://www.pcpitstop.com.

Post your Full Test Results TechExpress link back into this Forum thread if you want assistance reviewing the Results.

Best Regards

thanks for the very fast response i bought my video card less than 6 months ago, it is a BFG GeForce 7600 gs oc AGP 512mb. it requires a minimum 350W power supply, my power supply unit is 350W. this is the only video card i use, its has a DVI port and a VGA port. there are no red or yellow warnings under device manager. and this happened before i even bought my second monitor, and also way back before when i had my old video card ATI Radeon 9200 with only one VGA port. and is there any info on why my folders keep closing? thanks

PS. my Full Test Results TechExpress link is : http://www.pcpitstop.com/techexpress.asp?id=C89CHWG1Y3VS1Q6V

Hi random_hero-9

First let me observe……. Congratulations on getting your Operating System validated and updated to SP2.. and patched!
(If this is the same system that you posted with previously)

There may be additional Microsoft Updates and Patches that could benefit your machines performance and security…. keep it updated.
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You state that your machine has a 350W Power Supply.
You mention you had this same/similar problems before upgrading your Video Card and adding an additional monitor.
OK.
But that 350W power supply could still be the primary culprit!
And now that you have added an upgraded Video Card and a second monitor, the Power demands have increased.
Consider installing a good 450-550W Power Supply.
Quality in a Power Supply is important. Don't scrimp.
examples:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx…N82E16817103937
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx…N82E16817194004
(I don't own, and haven't run either of these, and they are only meant as "possible" examples.)
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You seem to have removed the Roxio utility that may have been creating problems for you previously?
(Probably a good thing)
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Presently, you have quite a load of "unnecessary" applications and processes loading at StartUp, which could be contributing to your machine's performance problems.

Use the Pit Test Results - Windows Results page to begin paring down the excess baggage.
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You also have some "resource hog" applications running.
Zune
Adobe
QuickTime
iTunes
Nero
MSN Messenger
ctfmon (advanced text services)
MS Office
Lexmark ABBYY Fine Reader

None of the above applications are "bad" (with the arguable exception of the Zune interface)
But any/all of them "could" be conflicting with various of your preferred computer use functions.
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You appear to have your machine set up for:
video viewing
music playing
gaming

None of the above are "bad", but all are resource intensive and some "may" be causing interface conflicts.
Zune is widely argued to be a culprit with user-interface conflicts, and the Zune player has an added hazard of automatically sharing media with other Zune capable equipment in the close surroundings.
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Using Peer-To-Peer software is also a possible red-flag.
Fortunately, you do not appear to have any malware infections at this time.
But peer-to-peer can place demands on your machine when you are online, that you might not intend.
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So what to do?

Seriously consider upgrading your Power Supply.
Disable the "unnecessary" applications and processes (from the Pit Test Windows Results page)
Turn-off the list of "resource hogs" except when using them one at a time.
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Do any of the above recommendations specifically relate to the problem of Windows Explorer opening for only a few seconds and then suddenly closing?
Maybe – Probably.

Please complete the above recommendations and then post back with your progress, a description of how your machine is running, and a fresh Pit Test link.

Best Regards

well i got rid of as many useless start ups and i could (but nothing changed, still have problems), but i do not know if i wanna buy a new power supply unit. my last video card didnt even need to be connected to the power supply and i still had this problem(the problem suddenly happened, i thought my video card wass dieing so thats why I bought the new one). i was recently thinking that the problem might have been with my motherboard. if the problem is with the motherboard, then my plan was to get a new computer in a little over a year so i dont really want to upgrade this computer. but if you can somehow find out if the power supply is 100% the problem and that the motherboard can live for a lot of years, i would greatly appreciate it.



thanks

new results: http://www.pcpitstop.com/techexpress.asp?id=C89CHWG1Y3VS8A6V

Reviewing test information and problem description provided by the owner/user does not come equiped with a Crystal Ball. The above recommendations are based on the information provided, and best practices for managing and running a machine represented by that information. As always, the Member must make the final decision about whether to use or not use the recommendations provided, and how to manage their machine and software according to their own individual use and preferences. Best Regards

ok… i just want to know how sure are you that my power supply unit in the problem before i go out and buy a $100 power supply unit? and is it possible that it might be my motherboard causing the problem? i would really appreciate it if you answered those 2 questions thanks

Power Supply is a "possible".
Most local PC shops will take a Power Supply back on return (within 14 or 30 days) if you don't like it or it doesn't suit your needs. No questions asked.
Ask about store policy, before you complete the purchase.

Yes, it could be a problem with your motherboard, but that possibility is not supported by the otherwise good performance of your machine. (for instance, on the Pit Test) For it to be a Motherboard problem, it would have to be a very "intermittent" problem that just coincidentally did not occur at the time of the Pit Test.

If you continue to complete the rest of the prior recommendations and the recommendations from the Pit Test, you will have a better chance of isolating the problem.

Best Regards

These items can and should be disabled:
Office speech Microsoft Corporation C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
NVIDIA driver helper NVIDIA Corporation C:\WINDOWS\system32\nvsvc32.exe
SoundMax features Analog Devices, Inc. C:\Program Files\Analog Devices\SoundMAX\SMAgent.exe
Apple Mobile Device Service Apple, Inc. C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile De … \AppleMobileDeviceService.exe
Debugger Microsoft Corporation C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\VS7Debug\mdm.exe
Button Monitor Lexmark International, Inc. C:\Program Files\Lexmark X1100 Series\lxbkbmon.exe
livecall Microsoft Corporation C:\Program Files\MSN Messenger\livecall.exe
MSN Messenger Microsoft Corporation C:\Program Files\MSN Messenger\msnmsgr.exe
Windows Live Messenger Microsoft Corporation C:\Program Files\MSN Messenger\usnsvc.exe
WgaTray Microsoft Corporation C:\WINDOWS\system32\WgaTray.exe

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"Something Else" was running active on your machine at the time that you ran that most recent Pit Test.
The "something else" factor is why your Test Results show a 100% CPU load, when it should be 0%.

The Something Else, could have been IE, MSN messenger, Ad-Aware, McAfee, or even some bit of Malware phoning home.
Whatever it was, it was BIG.
I'd suspect that McAfee or Ad-Aware was running a background Scan.

If you are in the middle of a game and one of those Scans kicks in automatically you may experience a crash such as you have described.

Best Regards