Hi,

If you have the money, get the Dell "My Tech Team" you'll get North American Dell Tech support(it costs $99-$179) from what I've read.

I bought it with my Studio 1737 for $99 per year.

 http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/services/services_tech_team?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

Unfortunately it wasn't available when you bought your Dell...

(It covers all my Dell notebooks under warranty including my XPS M1710, Mini 9,  Studio 1737)

 

If you have done a clean install of Vista, and all the DIAG pass, then there must be something else causing this issue.

Try Defragmenting the Hard drive First, just to see if it needs it.

 

(98% of software downloaded via bearshare, or other P2P apps have VIRUSES, Trojans etc.. Nothing free is ever good)

 If you are not doing this, then it's possible you are just running across websites that load a trojan onto your PC.

(Norton and Mcafee are not good AV solutions. While Trendmicro is better, Bit-defender, Avast and AVG are best...)

If this is happening right from a clean install, then get Dell on it, as there must be something that isn't right!

 

Maybe your Firewall isn't so good( Vista's built in is better[then XP's], but ZA "free" or ZA pro is a much better solution.

 

It sounds like you have maybe a Trojan, or other Malware, and even a hard drive, with bad sectors.(If it's not a fragmented Hard drive)

 

Lets try to get your PC working, so, you can stop turning it off by holding the power button in, as it willl ruin other parts!

If you have another working PC and a USB mem stick download all of these:

AVG free: http://www.avg.com/product-avg-anti-virus-free-edition

ZA Free: http://www.zonealarm.com/security/en-us/zonealarm-pc-security-free-firewall.htm

Spybot S & D: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html

Superantispyware Free: http://www.superantispyware.com/downloadfile.html?productid=SUPERANTISPYWAREFREE

 

Install AVG free, (reboot if need be) and update it fully(Remove the AV program you have if need be), then install Spybot S & D, update that, then run the immunize part of the application. Then install  SuperAntispyware Free, and update that.  Now remove your Inspiron 530 from any internet connection.

If you've had any problems getting these programs installed, remove your PC from internet access(you don't want it connected if there is a Trojan anyway)

(if you ran disk defragment) then you should  first try running CHKDSK,

 (Do you have a Disk defragment program? Not the built-in Vista one)

 

Start> CMD(you can type it in the search programs & files box to find it easy)

Once  you find CMD right-click on it and run it as ADMIN it will open and at the > prompt (type)

CHKDSK /R

it will tell you you need to restart the PC as the drive is in use. Restart. It should start checking your HDD right away upon restarting.

It will take some time, but Hopefully you will see

0 Bad Sectors

when the program is finished

 If it starts fixing things just let it.

Next, run the built-in defragger. Right-click on your C: drive or whichever your OS is on.>left-click properties>click on Tools tab>Defragmentation

click the defragment now.

It may take awhile depending on how long it's been since you have defragmented.

(I suggest Diskeeper. while it isn't free it is the best defragger on the market, and will prevent defragmentation which can freeze up any PC!)

Even if you did a restore of Vista, from the restore partition!

 

Now try installing all those programs and  updating them. then remove your PC from the internet.

Next after they are all installed, restart & boot your PC into Safe-Mode by hitting F-8 and choosing safe-Mode only! (no networking)

Once you are up run AVG and scan your entire PC. Quarantine anyting found.

Run Spybot S & D scan for spyware, delete anything it finds

the same with Superantispyware free.

Hopefully you are clean, and your PC will boot into normal mode without any problems. If it does, then install ZA free

it will turn off Vista's built in firewall.

you should be good.

 

Do you have a Dell XP CD, from a previous Dell you owned?

If yes you could use that CD to remove Vista, and do a clean install of XP.

Just don't delete the DIAG partition nor the Restore partition just in case you want Vista back.

 

PG