By Wolfdave
Part One. Overheating.
A computer that keeps freezing can be very annoying especially if you are trying to do something important; unfortunately there is no ‘magic button’ to fix this problem as there are many reasons that can cause this to happen. It can be a corrupt or damaged system file, a program that has become unstable, a corrupt software installation, malicious software or a virus, failing hardware or overheating.
If you are not comfortable working with system tools, or indeed any of these procedures, then you should contact a Qualified Computer Engineer.
Overheating is a common cause of freezing and many other errors in Laptops. If your Laptop keeps freezing, first look and listen to check that your fan is working. If your fan is working then take your Laptop to a cool room or even outdoors and see if it performs any better in a cooler location. If it does work better in a cooler location, then you should consider buying a cooler pad for your Laptop. A cooler pad sits under your Laptop to help prevent the unit from overheating.
In 25% of cases of Freezing with a desktop PC, overheating is also the cause. If the CPU or other internal components overheat, they will lock up, to prevent permanent damage. Again, the first step is to make sure all the internal fans are working. You will have to open up your computer case to check this. If you are not confident doing this, then ask a friend who is competent working with computers, or seek advice from a qualified computer engineer.
With your case open, turn on your computer and check if all the fans are spinning. If they are working, then power down your computer and remove the lead from the mains socket. Look for build up of dust and fluff on your cooling fans blades. It is best if you can remove the fan from your computer to clean it, if this is not possible, then use a soft clean paint brush to brush the dust and fluff from the fan. I would recommend wearing a dust mask whilst you are performing this task. Repeat this procedure with all of your computer case’s air vents. Cans of compressed air can be purchased to blow the dust away, but please do use suitable protection to prevent breathing in all the dust particles.
The CPU really should be removed for cleaning, use a soft clean paint brush or similar to gently remove any dust from the CPU and its Heat sink and fan. Then wipe away any old thermal grease and sparingly apply new grease. Once again, if you don’t want to remove your CPU, then at least brush or blow the dust from its heat sink and fan and from around its base. Whilst you have your case open, it is a good idea to remove all of your Memory Modules and re-seat them. Studies have shown that this simple procedure can cure many cases of freezing or slow computers. This has worked for me many times.
Before performing this operation, and indeed any internal task, you need to take precautions against static electricity. Ground yourself by touching anything metal or wear an anti-static wrist band. If you have more than one memory module, please take note which slot they are in and make sure they go back in exactly the same slot, even if the modules both look alike. Next, flip back the plastic locking levers and gently remove them from your motherboard. Use your soft brush to wipe over the contacts of the modules, try not to touch the metal contacts with your fingers, and also brush the module slots on the motherboard. Then, reseat the modules and close the locking levers. Brush or blow off any other dust from your motherboard and check that all cables are firmly connected.
Part two of this article will attempt to deal with freezing caused by software.
Part Two. Software.
Freezing caused by unstable files, software or programs can be quite difficult to cure, mainly because you simply do not have time to run Anti-virus or Anti spy ware or diagnostics, before the system freezes again. Sometimes your computer may freeze during start up. If this is the case with you, then you most probably have one or more damaged or missing system files. To overcome this problem, you will need your original operating system CD. There is usually no need to do a complete fresh install, you can most times, repair or replace the damaged files by running a ‘Repair Install’ from your CD.- I explain how to do this in one of my free articles.
If you suspect that you have a virus or malicious software, then the only way to scan your hard drive is to hook it up to another hard drive (internal or external) with the same or a later operating system. You must configure your hard drive to be the ‘slave’ and the other good hard drive to be ‘Master’.- Another of my free articles explains this procedure in more detail.- You then use the anti-virus suite on the ‘master’ drive to scan your hard drive. You can also use this procedure to save your precious files. Just copy them over onto the other hard drive.
If, on the other hand, your computer starts and runs ok but always freezes after 5 minutes or so, then you do have a chance to identify the program or software causing the problem. As soon as your computer has loaded, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete together. This will bring up Windows Task Manager. Quickly familiarise yourself with the operation of the Task Manager. Click on the ‘Processes’ tab at the top (This is usually the default display) look at the column below CPU. Scroll down to the very last one System Idle Process, this will have a reading somewhere between 95 and 99, this is normal. Most other lines will display a reading of 00. Scroll slowly back to the top and look for any other processes with a high number. If you have not opened any other programs then there should be no more high readings. There may be one or two processes, such as your security suite, showing low value readings between 05 and possibly up to 35 or 40.
Any other processes with a reading of over 90%, for more than a few moments should be stopped. You do this by clicking the process to highlight it, and then click End Process, bottom right. If everything looks normal and you know your computer always freezes after 5 minutes or so, keep the Task Manager in view and watch for any processes which suddenly show a high reading. There may be more than one. If you have time, make a note of the offending process then click to highlight it and hit the End Process button. If you were a little slow in ending the process, you will have to restart your computer and try again. Quite recently, I had a computer in for repair for Freezing, by using this procedure I was surprised to see a well-known music & media program with a CPU reading of 95% and it wasn’t even in use, it was just running amok in the background, what it was doing or trying to do, I have no idea.
Once you have successfully stopped the rogue software, and your computer has not frozen, keep watching for a little while longer in case there is another one. When you are confident that your computer is running ok without freezing, then you need to find the program or software responsible for the high CPU usage. When you have identified the culprit, even if it turns out to be your security suite, temporarily disable the program and see if your PC will now run without freezing. Once you have confirmed that everything is fine, your only option is to uninstall the software. Please use the Add/Remove programs utility in Control Panel to make sure everything is removed properly. Do not simply ‘Delete’ it. Doing so will leave files and fragments of the program behind in your Registry.
Software and programs that cause most problems are downloaded versions, particularly from third party vendors. Always try, were possible, to obtain Genuine software on a CD. If you have to download software, including updates, use the vendors own web-site, where you can also check for any known issues or alternative versions.
Freezing caused by damaged or corrupt system files is the most difficult one to fix. Mainly because the Tools available to find and fix problem files, can take some considerable time to run. So how can you use these if your computer keeps freezing? If your computer loads normally, the first one to try is the System File Checker. Click Start, go to All Programs, Accessories and right click on Command Prompt. Select Run as Administrator if asked, in the command prompt window type, SFC/SCANNOW and press enter on your keyboard. If your computer freezes during this operation, you will at least be able to see which file the computer stopped at, make an exact note of this file.
The second option is to run Check Disk with the ‘F’ fix option. Click Start and then Run, in the box type CHKDSK/F and press Enter. This Tool will probably not run immediately, but will ask if you want to schedule the check the next time you start Windows. This is good, as the check will occur before anything else has loaded, look for a button to Automatically Fix Errors and click YES! Restart your computer and keep everything crossed until the check has completed. In the unlikely event that this also fails to stop your computer freezing, then your last option is to contact Microsoft with the details of the damaged file obtained from the System File Checker.
Some computers only Freeze, when they are connected to the Internet. This is usually caused by Browser Add-Ons, particularly ActiveX controls. Connect to the Internet and open your Browser. If you are using Internet Explorer look along the top for Tools. Click the little down arrow on the right hand side and choose Manage Add Ons from the drop down menu. Any from Microsoft should be fine, of the others, look for any that are, Not Verified and disable those first. Don’t worry about disabling anything here, they will return next time you restart Windows. If that fails to stop Freezing, then you will have to go through them all one-by-one until the freezing stops occurring. Uninstall the corrupt add on, if you need to re-install it, download a fresh version from the vendors own web site.
It may also be a good idea to have the Windows Task Manager visible whilst you are on the Internet. Then you can keep an eye open for any sudden excessive CPU usage. This could of course be quite harmless; perhaps Windows or Your Anti-virus is checking for updates, on the other hand, it could be Spyware or other Malicious Software, trying to call home!
If you are uncomfortable using system tools, or need more help, click HERE