Tech 101: What to do when your pc freezes
Pop quiz: How usually do it’s essential to restart your pc for greatest efficiency?
Right here’s a touch. Should you solely do it when your machine crashes or must replace, that’s not sufficient. Faucet or click on for my suggestion for maintaining your pc blissful.
It’s irritating to take care of a gradual, lagging pc day in and day trip. Faucet or click on for six simple ways to hurry up an outdated PC.
Generally the problems are extra acute. In case your pc is unresponsive, decelerate and comply with these steps.
Restart first
OK, this step is clear, however there may be usually confusion right here. Some individuals suppose they’ve to tug the pc’s energy plug or flip the change on the facility strip. As an alternative, maintain the pc’s energy button for five to 10 seconds to energy it off.
A couple of issues can occur subsequent when your pc comes again on.
1. Pc begins tremendous
If the pc begins up tremendous, do not simply transfer on with out second thought. This is a wonderful reminder to again up your vital data if a significant issue is on the way in which. In any other case, you can end up scrambling via extra sophisticated methods to get recordsdata off a useless pc.
Need assistance? Right here’s what it’s essential to find out about backing up like a professional.
In case your pc does freeze once more, hold studying.

File photograph of laptop computer computer systems.
((AP Photograph/Diane Bondareff))
2. Pc asks you boot
Whereas restarting, the pc would possibly point out an error with Home windows and ask if you wish to begin usually or in Secure Mode. Select to start out Home windows usually. Then again up your information and see if it freezes once more.
If Home windows fails in addition usually 3 times in a row, it would enter Automated Restore Mode. Right here you may boot into Secure Mode. To take action, interrupt the boot-up course of. Earlier than Home windows finishes loading, press down on the facility button for 4 seconds to interrupt the method.
If that is the second time your pc has frozen, select in addition in “Secure Mode with Networking.” Attempt utilizing the pc like this and see if it freezes once more.
If it doesn’t freeze in Secure Mode, it’s probably a software program downside.
GET SMART: Home windows 10 tips the professionals use on a regular basis
3. Pc freezes once more instantly
If the pc freezes once more instantly after booting, whether or not in regular mode or Secure Mode, you can have a severe software program or {hardware} downside. It’s most definitely a {hardware} downside, although.
4. Your pc is checking the disk
There might be corrupt information in your laborious drive, and the pc is attempting to restore that information. If that’s the case, it would begin with a verify disk. You should not interrupt this course of, otherwise you threat additional information loss.
The method can take wherever from 5 minutes to half a day, relying on how far gone the drive is, and you will see a proportion counter in your display. In case your drive has failed utterly, you may must do a clear set up of Home windows and change the disk.

Girl burning the midnight oil – staying up late do get some work carried out on her pc. File photograph.
Fundamental troubleshooting steps
An occasional or constant pc freeze might outcome from a program performing up. Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + ESC to open Home windows Activity Supervisor. Choose the “Efficiency” tab. You would possibly must click on the “Extra Particulars” hyperlink on the backside of the Activity Supervisor to see every thing operating and if a program makes use of extreme sources.
Begin utilizing your pc as common, however keep watch over the CPU, reminiscence, and disk classes. If the pc freezes and one in all these is admittedly excessive, that might be your reply. Make a remark of which space was excessive, then restart the pc and open Activity Supervisor once more.
This time, select the “Processes” tab. Type the listing by CPU, reminiscence, or disk, whichever was excessive the final time the pc froze, and see what course of pops as much as the highest of the listing as the pc freezes. This could let you know what software program is giving up bother so you may uninstall or replace it.
You may additionally have hidden software program, corresponding to a virus, inflicting issues. Run a scan along with your safety software program to uncover one thing that shouldn’t be there. Faucet or click on free of charge instruments to verify in case your machine is contaminated with a virus.
In circumstances the place your pc freezes throughout startup in regular mode however boots OK in Secure Mode, the issue might be a program that’s loading throughout the boot sequence. Faucet or click on right here to make your startup course of cleaner.
In case your pc is freezing throughout startup it doesn’t matter what, and it’s on the similar level, the issue might be corruption in Home windows or a {hardware} downside. Faucet or click on for steps to revive a clear model of Home windows in your PC.

File photograph of a a businesswoman on a laptop computer pc throughout a video name within the workplace
(iStock)
What if it’s the {hardware}
On the {hardware} facet, begin along with your peripherals. Unplug every thing however your monitor and keyboard and see if the pc begins up. One after the other, you may add your equipment again in to see if any triggers a difficulty.
The issue may be along with your laborious drive, an overheating CPU, dangerous reminiscence, or a failing energy provide. It may additionally be your motherboard, though that’s uncommon.
Often, with a {hardware} downside, freezing will begin sporadic however enhance in frequency as time goes on. Or it would set off when the pc is working laborious, however not while you’re doing extra basic items.
There are free websites that may inform you probably have a failing laborious drive. Faucet or click on for six methods to verify for a failing laborious drive.
You also needs to verify the temperature of your machine. A program like SpeedFan can let you know in case your pc processor is overheating or fluctuating voltages, which is perhaps a problematic energy provide.
If these DIY fixes don’t assist and your machine remains to be failing, it is perhaps time to start out purchasing. In case your pc is newer, it’d nonetheless be underneath guarantee. Contact the producer or vendor to verify.
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