N82JQ- Serious issues since hard drive swap. Looking for pro help.

Okay! So I purchased this which I believe to be the A-1 model from Xoticpc.com. It is the quad core version of the model.

I purchased it with a swap of RAM and Hard drive, which I chose a Seagate Momentus XT, which has some SSD space on it.

Now here are the problems I have experienced since I first got it.

1) Sometimes the computer randomly crashes after Nvidia error. Essentially the screen gets vertical lines of distortion and freezes entirely. Artifacts appear and usually my mouse is still able to move but the computer is unresponsive otherwise. 1/10 times, the computer instantly recovers and says "Nvidia recovered from an error", then half the time it just freezes and needs manual restart, the other half it shuts down shortly after the error.

2) This one is the worsening one which I think is caused by the hard drive and needs to be fixed;
The computer "freezes" during average use at random. I'd say once every 2-3 minutes the computer just locks in its position for about .5 seconds, more of a hiccup. When gaming this freeze increases to up to 1-2 seconds, and are sometimes accompanied by increased fan activity. If the computer is under low load (pandora) the sound works fluidly during the freeze. If the computer is under high stress (skyrim) the sound will rapidly cut back and replay during the freeze.

Please help me! I have no idea where to begin.
1) What diagnostics can I run to help identify a problem?
2) What information can I provide you with to help me?


I don't even know where to begin, thank you so much in advance for any help you can provide!

Additional possibly important notes:

After high stress or gaming the freezes become more frequent. This effect stays until the laptop is restarted.
The Nvidia Issue has actually never happened to me DURING a game. It is only when browsing the internet or doing something minor.
I have my start up programs tweaked to be minimal, my entire computer is optimized for speed. Low processes running etc, so it isn't the CPU or ram or bloatware. After start up there are only 5 icons in my tray, (8 with sound/bat/wifi).

 

1) Uninstall your current video drivers and install the latest video drivers for your video card.

2) Update your momentus XT to the latest firmware, this should fix the stuttering issues.

 

Thanks so much! I am now installing the seagate firmware update, *CROSSES FINGERS*

I have uninstalled and installed the driver for my video card multiple times.

I have installed the seagate firmware... It seems to be helping slightly, it's hard to determine without playing any games. I'm at the library now, but Dota 2 will determine later...


PS

http://www.official-drivers.com/installer/?seed=Nvidia&gclid=CPHhwrPZ36wCFSWCtgodQzmeoQ

I just went to that site as it is first in the https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1...x=w&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=nvidia+drivers search.

Getting the nvidia driver downloaded "setup.exe", which I ran like an idiot and then it vanished. Not cool... What did I just get =_=

 

Go directly to nVidia's website, safer that way and you're certain to get the right one . If you still crash, try the driver from Asus' website. It won't be the latest, but it may be more stable.