Does Your Computer Keeps Freezing? Try These Steps

Computer Freezing can be very annoying, especially if you are in the middle of doing something important. If your computer Freezes, but was working ok yesterday, try a System Restore. Choose a point a few days back when you know it was working properly. If your computer is frozen up try hitting the Escape (Esc) key a few times. If your Mouse is still working, restart your computer. If nothing is moving, you will have to hit the Off button. You may have to hold it in for up to 5 seconds. Once you have turned it off, it is important to wait at least 20 seconds before turning it back on again.

If it continues to freeze - Have you installed any new software recently, including updates to Video Drivers or programs such as Flash Player? If so, uninstall these and restart your computer. If you still have Keyboard and Mouse control when your computer stops responding, this usually indicates a software issue. Start you PC in 'Safe Mode' by repeatedly pressing F8 as your system boots. Then run a full scan with your Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware programs. If everything is frozen up solid, then it is most likely a hardware problem. Have you installed any new hardware, including Memory Modules or a USB device? Remove any new internal hardware and remove all external devices apart from Monitor, Keyboard and Mouse.

If it now works fine, plug them back in, one at a time. Did you change any settings, including your Screen saver? If you did, reverse these settings or use System Restore, picking a point before you altered things. Heat, is another common reason for your Computer to Freeze. Open your case and make sure all the fans are working, particularly the CPU fan. With your Computer powered down and unplugged, blow off any dust from the fan blades and Case air vents. Clean off and apply a new smear of thermal grease between your CPU and Heat sink. Another common reason for Computer Freezing, is your system Registry. Over time this can become extremely cluttered with old and unused files. Run a reputable Registry Clean-Up utility.

My Computer Keeps Restarting

Your Computer keeps restarting without warning which is very annoying! What could be wrong? Most often it's caused by either corrupt software or heat. One of the most common reasons for a computer to shut down suddenly and re-start is recently installed software. This could be device drivers or updates to programs and utilities. Even updates to your Firewall, for example. Or perhaps your Flash Player. To check for recently installed software, open Control Panel and click on Add or Remove.

Tick the box at the top 'Show Updates' and in the 'Sort By' box to the right of this, choose-Date Last Used. Run through the list and look for 'Installed On'. Apart from Microsoft Updates and Hot Fixes, do not remove these, look for any others on or near the date your Computer first started to restart by itself. Make a note of the Program this update was for, and then uninstall it. If this fixes your problem you can then attempt to re-install the update. Always go to the Software makers own site to download updates, rather than a third party site.

So for Flash Player, for instance, get your update direct from their site. The second most common cause for a Computer to suddenly shut down and re-start, is overheating. Does your PC have plenty of ventilation? Are all the internal fans working? Do you need to add an extra Case fan? Also, blow off any dust from the fan blades and case vents. Fit a bigger CPU fan, if you can. You could also try cleaning the CPU and Heat sink and apply a fresh smear of Thermal Grease. Viruses and Malicious Spyware can also sometimes cause similar symptoms. Make sure your Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware programs are up to date and run a Full System Scan, with both.