Windows 7 – Tips for approaching a hanging computer?

 

Possible Duplicate:
 How do I troubleshoot hardware issues related to a computer freeze/crash?  

I built a gaming computer last summer and it has been working just great until now.It has started hanging for about half a second at a time every few seconds, like a video that won’t buffer fast enough.

Needless to say it’s annoying.  

What are things I should look for?  Anyone who has had this problem, what did you find to be the cause?  Any other suggestions on possible solutions?
Here’s some more details about my system that might be helpful:

Windows 7 64-bit (RC, this might be part of the problem but it worked fine at first and I want to see if I can fix it before I install the full version)(if it’s a known issue with the RC, please link it)  

4 GB ram, 640 GB HD  

Intel Core 2 Duo, 3.0GHz

Gigabyte brand motherboard

Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 512MB PCIe w/Dual Link DVI

Solution:

These type of problems are usually hard to diagnose. You should approach them in small steps.

  1. Start by launching Windows in SafeMode.
  2. Unninstal the lastapplication/driver you installed.
  3. Check for stability.
  4. Repeat 2 and 3until you find the culprit.

Alternatively,

  1. Recover last Restore Point
  2. Check for stability.
  3. Reapeat 1 and 2, starting with the previous restore point.

Alternatively,

Boot/Startup problems can usually be traced to a driver. Recent applications you install that install device drivers are top candidates.

  1. Try disabling these drivers under safe mode and then boot normally.
  2. Check for stability.
  3. Repeat with another driver until you find the culprit.

I’d give iTunes special attention. Meaning, it’s most probably the cause of your troubles.