|
TROUBLESHOOT
COMPUTER FREEZE PROBLEMS
How familiar does the following
sound? Your computer was working fine,
but then suddenly started locking up
(aka hanging or freezing), rebooting
itself (crashing) or shutting down
spontaneously? If you know only too well
what I am talking about, then read on!
Performing the simple steps below can
fix the majority of lockup cases.
1. Check for recently
installed software or hardware.
If the lockups started to happen after
you installed a new peace of hardware,
new software program, or new drivers,
uninstall it and see if the problem goes
away.
2. Run your antivirus
program.
One of the first things to do in the
case of sudden lockups is to run your
antivirus program. Check your antivirus
manufacturer's website for updates and
latest virus definition files. (This is
absolutely necessary, outdated antivirus
is not going to be of any use!) If you
don't have antivirus software installed
- or if updates are unavailable - run
one of the web-based antivirus scans
that some major antivirus vendors like
Trend Micro are offering for free. You
can find a comprehensive list of
available web-based scans and free
antivirus programs on
http://www.free-antivirus.info.
3. Run some good spyware
removal tool.
If your machine is not infected with any
viruses, it is still possible that it
has some harmful adware or spyware is
present. Download and run some good
spyware removal tool such as AdAware or
Microsoft AntiSpyware. Check
http://www.free-antivirus.info for a
list of free spyware removal
applications.
4. Check for free hard drive
space.
When no viruses are found, check out
free hard drive space on drive C:. Make
sure there is more than 20% of free
space available; low disk space can lead
to random lockups.
5. Check for overheating.
Overheating is another known cause of
lockups. It can be caused by problems
with fans inside the case, dust buildup,
or other cooling problems. Make sure the
power supply fan and CPU fan are running
and free of dust buildup. You can check
the temperatures inside the case by
running Motherboard monitor
http://mbm.livewiredev.com - make sure
the temperatures are within the preset
limits. Be very careful while cleaning
inside the computer case (use plastic
vacuum crevice tool) and NEVER OPEN THE
POWER SUPPLY CASE as it contains high
voltage.
6. Check the hard disk.
Check the hard disk - it is possible
that its logical structure is corrupted.
To check the disk for errors,
right-click on the disk C: icon in "My
Computer", select the "Tools" tab, check
all check boxes in the "Check disk
options" field, and press the "Check
now" button. It should ask whether you
want to schedule the check next time you
restart your computer - answer "Yes" and
restart your PC. The check will be
performed automatically after startup;
it can take a while, so be patient. The
program will attempt to fix some
problems automatically – however, if the
hard disk is failing physically, it will
need to be replaced. It is also a good
idea to run Disk Defragmenter (located
in Start Menu > Programs > Accessories >
System Tools) to optimize data placement
on the hard disk for increased
performance and reliability.
7. Check the memory.
Sometimes random lockups can be
attributed to the computer memory (RAM)
starting to fail. You can test the
memory by running Windows Memory
Diagnostic that can be downloaded from
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp.
If memory problems are found, try
re-seating the RAM (pull it out and plug
it back in). If it doesn't work, replace
the defective RAM.
8. Check for other hardware
problems (advanced users).
More hardware-related problems can be
diagnosed by running hardware tests from
the Ultimate Boot CD that can be
downloaded from http://www.ultimatebootcd.com.
However, you should only use it if you
know what are you doing - some programs
on that CD can be dangerous when used
inappropriately (for example, some of
them can wipe the contents of your hard
disk).
9. Update Windows and
drivers.
Some lockups can be caused by outdated
software components - update your
windows and drives by running a windows
update:
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com (it's
good idea to run it regularly).
The above steps will help diagnose
and eliminate the most common causes of
lockups. Hundreds more of other possible
scenarios need to be dealt with on a
case-by-case basis, as it all goes down
to your particular computer
configuration. Asking on PC
troubleshooting forums/newsgroups should
help you figure out solutions to
not-so-obvious lockup cases.
Michael Woodford is a computer expert
from a team that runs
HowToFixcomputers.com and CertFAQ.com.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Woodford
http://www.justvb.net/it/
|