USB Install will temporarily freeze

[Paul Di Biase <pad178.junk@gmail.com>]

I have debian installed onto a 4gb usb stick (my laptops HD crashed and i'm using this as a temporary solution till i get it fixed). All works great. The only issue is that periodically, the whole system will freeze for 1-3 seconds and then come back. It doesn't matter if I'm just doing some CLI stuff or using opera for web browsing. Happens sporadically and seemingly at random.

What/where would I need to look on my system to possibly diagnose this issue?

If you need more information about my system, let me know what stats/versions/programs you need and i'll post them asap.