It’s quite annoying when your computer freezes randomly. Even if you’re only using your computer for fun and games, a crash might throw off your schedule and force you to waste time resetting it and relaunching your apps. Freezing up your computer, however, need not be as frustrating as it seems. You can return to doing what you like on your computer with our assistance.
When all of a sudden the volume drops and nothing happens on the screen, it’s likely that your PC has frozen. Although freezes are not always irreversible, they may result in the loss of information and the inability to continue working in any already active programs.
While a single blue screen or freeze is not caused for alarm, repeated occurrences might point to an issue that needs fixing on your computer.
Randomly searching the internet for “computer freezes” will provide hundreds of complaints from users like you. If users don’t discover a solution in time, severe consequences such as the black or blue screen of death, random computer freeze, system crash, or boot disc failure may occur. In light of this, we have compiled some of the most valuable techniques reported by previous clients.
Some customers note that Windows 10 freezes at startup, and they speculate that this is because of damaged system files, insufficient free space, external hard drives, defective sectors, or out-of-date drivers. Reading the article may help you discover answers if you’re experiencing the same difficulties.
Why Does Your Computer Freezes Randomly?
Many different things may cause a computer to freeze.
- When temperatures become too high, computers may shut down to prevent damage.
- A blue screen of death might be the result of programmatic errors that cause incompatibilities.
- The system’s instability, including freezes, is typically the result of driver conflicts.
- Your computer may crash or freeze if one of its components stops working correctly.
The underlying cause(s) of the blue screen of death may not always be obvious, and the codes themselves may refer to more than one issue. However, using a checklist of possible reasons and trying to rectify the flaws might lead you to the correct answer.
How To Find Out Why Your Computer Is Frozen?
There are a lot of possible causes for your computer to freeze. Constant freezing might be due to several different factors, including overheating, buggy software, broken hardware, or memory problems. If this is the first time your computer has frozen, it’s probably OK. But if your PC often freezes at inopportune times (such as when you first turn it on or launch a certain program), this might be a sign of a more serious issue.
To prevent further freezing, you must first unfreeze your computer. You may expect an automated restart if you see a blue error screen. Using the restart menu is the safest choice if your computer freezes but you can still access it. If you are unable to do so, you may securely reboot your computer by using the CTRL+ALT+DEL keys.
If none of these methods unfreezes your computer, a hard reboot may be necessary. You’ll need to find the power button on your computer and hold it down for a few seconds. When you press this button, your computer will switch off and remain off until you manually restart it.
If your PC starts up, boots properly, and doesn’t randomly freeze, you’re probably good to go. However, something is wrong with your PC if it routinely freezes and requires a hard reboot.
How To Find Out What Crashed?
If you want to find out why your computer froze in the first place, once you’ve unfrozen it, you need to look in a few specific areas. It’s important to double-check a few things.
First, go to the Start menu and type “Reliability Monitor” into the search bar. Finding out what brought on the crash or freeze might be as simple as using the Reliability Monitor tool. Upon initial launch, the program will display a log of all crashes, both hardware and software related. A red circle indicates them. You may get additional details by double-clicking on this whenever you see it.
In rare cases, the Reliability Monitor has instantaneous solutions to your problems. The source of an event may have been a faulty hard drive, faulty RAM, or the crashing of a program, all of which might be shown by the monitor. While the dependability monitor may not always help you pinpoint the source of the issue, it does provide some useful context.
If you’re still at a loss, you may also go through your computer’s dump files. When your computer freezes or crashes, displaying the blue screen of death, a dump file is created that contains details about the issue and what went wrong. Discovering this data on your own might be challenging, but there are software solutions out there that can assist you.
What To Do When Your Computer Freezes Randomly?
If your computer ever stops, you should see a blue screen and write down the information it gives you. Additionally, it would help if you recall the names of any active programs and the events taking place inside them.
Knowing what programs or operations trigger the freeze is essential to fixing the problem. With that piece of information in hand, you may go on in your quest to identify and permanently resolve the source of the issue.
You may improve your chances of successfully correcting any issues by doing one or more of many actions.
Disable Automatic Restart
Due to the computer powering down before anybody can take a photo or jot down the blue screen error code, many people fail to notice it. You may prevent automatic restarts if you need more time to read the information on a Windows blue screen.
- To open a new window, use the Windows key + X.
- Pick the Second Option, Running.
- Just type “SystemPropertiesAdvanced” without quotation marks and hit OK.
- Select the “Advanced” menu.
- In the Startup and Recovery section, choose Settings.
- In the debugging data section, choose Automatic Memory Dump from the menu.
- You may proceed by selecting OK.
The computer will remain on the blue screen until you power it off and restart it. Even if you don’t intend to immediately fix it when a computer freezes, you should nonetheless jot down the blue screen error number.
Use Temperature Monitor
Keeping an eye on the temperatures of your computer’s processor and graphics processing unit might alert you to hardware failures before they need a restart. Once you’ve got them set up, you should always have them visible on your secondary screen or as an overlay.
Minimizing a resource-intensive application, such as a video game, may have an immediate influence on your temps, so it’s not always a good idea to check the screen while everything else is shut down.
Update Windows & Your PC Drivers
A frozen computer is often the result of a conflict between outdated drivers and uninstalled Windows upgrades.
- Just type “Windows Update” into the search box in the Windows start menu and choose the appropriate program.
- Choose to Look at Updates.
- The updates will be installed automatically after the procedure is complete.
- Protecting Windows again.
- Select Show further updates.
- Browse the Windows Update and Driver Update lists. Choose those that solve the problems you’re having with your PC.
- Select Get and set up.
The Device Manager is another place to look for driver updates.
- Get rid of the duplicates by using the Windows Key + X.
- It’s Device Manager that you need to access.
- To make changes to an element, right-click it.
- Choose to Replace Drivers.
If you want to find newer drivers or update the ones you already have, just follow the on-screen instructions.
Please restart your computer after the update process is complete. Try restarting your computer and then doing the task that caused it to freeze up again to check whether it’s functioning normally.
Check Temperatures
Check the temperature using your computer screen. The program’s requirements may be too high for the machine if they’re rising. If they continue to become too hot to touch no matter what you do, you may need to make some adjustments.
Clearing Out Your PC
Compared to a spotless machine, a dirty one will hold in much more heat. Whether you want to check if cleaning yours makes a difference in the temperature, try using a can of compressed air and a soft, lint-free cloth.
- Your computer tower has to be opened and relocated to a dust-free area.
- Get rid of any filters that can be taken out.
- Proceed from the highest point to the lowest.
- Break open the can of compressed air and direct it towards the heat sinks and other surfaces within the case.
- Don’t go any closer than 6 inches to the nozzle. To get rid of dust, spray in rapid, brief bursts.
- If you want to clean the interior of your computer tower, use cloth on broad, flat surfaces. Such maintenance tasks as wiping down the case floor and fan blades are examples.
- Re-engage the use of compressed air.
- Clean up the last of the dust.
The filters should be washed and dried before being put back into the tower.
The PC should be replaced after it has been cleaned. Make sure it isn’t sitting on the carpet, too close to a heater, or anywhere else the heat it emits might cause problems. Test it out to see whether it lowers your temps as intended.
Trouble Shooting Software That Freezes Your PC
If the software is malfunctioning on your computer, it might cause the machine to freeze. Whether or whether your computer’s freezing is the result of software may be determined in several ways.
Consider the most recent time you added software to your computer as the starting point. If the computer began freezing after a certain program was installed, you may roll back the system’s state using a system restore. If this works, then the faulty program was causing the machine to freeze.
To figure out what program is causing your PC to freeze, have a look at the background tasks.
The task manager may be accessed by using CTRL+SHIFT+ESC; once opened, it should be kept visible even while you continue to work on your computer. If your computer freezes, check the tabs for processing power, storage, and memory to see where the problem lies. The one with the largest sums could provide some insight into the issue.
When you start your computer up again, this time focus on the processes by opening the task manager. A software program that uses a lot of resources (as shown in the task manager) may be the root cause of a frozen computer. You might try to delete the program or update it to see if it helps.
There might be a software problem causing your computer to freeze, and the task manager can help you find it.
Thermal Paste
If it has been a while since you installed your CPU and graphics card, you should also double-check the thermal paste on those components. A high-temperature component’s heat may be transferred to the surfaces meant to dissipate it with the aid of thermal paste. There is a gradual decline in performance over time. Whenever your CPU cooler needs replacing or every few years at the very least, you should do it.
My graphics card’s temps dropped significantly when I applied fresh thermal paste, but this is an advanced mod that should only be attempted by someone who is familiar with taking apart PC hardware and isn’t concerned about voiding the warranty.
Cleanup Your Files To Fix Computer Freezes Randomly Issue
Though hard drives have a finite amount of storage space, it doesn’t guarantee optimal performance until all of that space has been used up. Inadequate free space on a disc negatively impacts performance and may even trigger system errors. Start by erasing any unnecessary files, emphasizing the recycle bin, and then launching cleaning to check if any other files can be removed.
- Select the “Settings” tab, then “Control Panel,” “Disk Cleanup,” and finally “Enter” to launch the utility.
- Select the hard disc you want to wipe from the list and then click OK.
- Choose the files you wish to remove by checking their corresponding boxes.
- Just hit “OK” and wait for the rest of the procedure to complete.
You may do this for every single trip you take.
Check Your System Files
To check whether there are any issues with your system files, you may use System File Checker. Even seemingly little problems might have serious consequences for your computer.
- To open a new window, use the Windows key plus X.
- Go using PowerShell (Admin).
- To do a system file check, just type “sfc /scannow” without quotation marks and hit Enter.
- Once the procedure is finished, you should restart your computer.
Your computer should be repaired automatically by the SFC, but you may get an error message saying it was unable to fix a certain file. So, if that’s the case, it’s time to repair the SFC.
- Simply hit the Windows key and enter “cmd” to launch the command prompt.
- A right-click on the Command Prompt shortcut and then selecting Run as Administrator will bring up the program.
- A yes button should be clicked.
- Just enter “DISM /online /cleanup-image /check health” without the quotations and hit Enter.
- To run DISM online, type “DISM /online /cleanup-image /scan health” (without the quotes) and hit Enter.
- Instead of putting the quotations around “DISM /online /cleanup-image /restore health,” just hit Enter.
- Once the procedure is finished, you should restart your computer.
- You may have fewer computer troubles, such as freezing after these mistakes have been corrected.
Check Your Memory To Fix Computer Freezes Randomly Issue
Memory Sticks (RAM) may get corrupted and cause many problems, including the freezing of your computer. Check for necessary maintenance using the in-built utility.
- Enter “Windows Key + R”
- Simply enter “mdsched.exe” without the quotations and hit the Enter key to proceed.
- If issues persist, try a restart and see if that helps.
- Hold tight until the procedure completes.
Following completion of the evaluation, you will be informed as to whether or not your memory contains any inaccuracies. If you’re having problems with your RAM, try reseating it first. It could be time to get a new one if it doesn’t work.
Graphics Card, RAM, and CPU Issues
When a computer freezes, the issue may lie in the hardware itself. When parts aren’t installed properly, it might lead to malfunctions and decreased efficiency.
If you suspect loose hardware is causing your computer to freeze, disassembling it and reinstalling it shouldn’t take too long. For instance, if you get a blue screen related to memory management, it means that your RAM is malfunctioning.
Even though a faulty component should be checked for, sometimes fixing it is as easy as taking it apart and reassembling it. It’s certainly less expensive than constantly replacing potentially dangerous components.
System Restore
You may use System Restore to go back to a previous working state of your computer if the freezing started recently, such as after installing a new driver or operating system update. You may use it to restore your PC to a previous state and fix any problems.
- Do a Windows key press.
- Select the appropriate program after typing “Create a Restore Point” without quotation marks.
- To use System Restore, press the button.
- To restore your computer to a certain point in time, choose it from the list and then follow the on-screen instructions.
If you have already tried System Restore and other troubleshooting steps without success, you may need to reinstall Windows from scratch.
How To Unfreeze A Computer?
When a computer freezes, it’s not always possible to repair it. If a computer freezes up, stepping away from the keyboard and waiting seems to work best. Occasionally, your computer may resume normal operation once the frozen process that was causing the problem has finished or died.
If the computer is mostly frozen but you can still access menus, you should try opening the Task Manager and closing the app which seems to be the cause of the issue.
- Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+Delete.
- Start up, Task Manager.
- Select the Processes menu and search for any programs that are not responding by clicking on the Not Responding label.
- You may force close a frozen program by right-clicking it and selecting End Task.
- To sort the programs by their CPU use, click the column’s header.
- Any time you see a program taking up a lot of CPU time, just right-click it and choose End Task from the menu.
- Apps may be sorted by their memory use by clicking the Memory column.
- Right-click on the software utilizing an abnormally large amount of memory, and choose End Task from the menu.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a computer freezing while playing a game or being idle can be caused by a number of factors such as extreme temperatures, software or hardware conflicts, or depleted resources. To fix these issues, one can try restarting the game, upgrading, verifying, or reinstalling the game, turning down the graphics settings, dusting down the inside of the computer, or checking for a RAM or hard drive issue.
If the computer is freezing in BIOS, it is recommended to check if the machine boots up properly from a different disc and replace the RAM with a test set. It is important to troubleshoot and identify the root cause of the freezing issue in order to take the appropriate action to fix it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if My Computer Freezes While Playing a Game?
Restarting the game is usually all it takes to get back in the swing of things. Sometimes the computer may freeze because of extreme temperatures or because of a conflict between software or hardware. If the weather is nice, you might try upgrading, verifying, or reinstalling the game. If the heat is too much, try turning down the graphics settings, dusting down the inside of the computer, or thinking about anything else.
How to Fix a Computer Freezing While Idle?
You may have a software or hardware issue if your computer freezes while you’re not using it. My computer froze while sitting idle, so I disassembled it, reseated the RAM, cleaned everything, and applied a new thermal paste. I suspected a RAM issue, and following these instructions resolved it.
My Computer Freeze and Then Fix Itself?
When your computer’s resources are depleted, it becomes unable to carry out any more tasks until the issue is fixed. For instance, if an application’s request uses up all available RAM, the second program will not be able to run. It may seem as if everything is back to normal when the computer processes and finishes that request.
What Causes My Computer to Freeze in BIOS?
A RAM or hard drive issue might cause a computer to freeze upon booting. Check whether your machine boots up properly by attempting to do so from a different disc. If it doesn’t work, you might try replacing your RAM with a test set.
