COMPUTER FREEZING (COMMON CAUSES)

Usual Stories:

“Suddenly locks up or has hung up”

“PC keeps rebooting”

“My computer is frozen”

“Shuts down on its own”

“Blue Screen of Death”

"Illegal operation"

"Is no longer responding"

Causes

Myriad

If no power: external diagnosis usually obvious e.g. power cord, power supply switch, wall outlet, fuses, etc. internal problem e.g. MOBO, power supplies, etc.

Probably most common: overload of memory

Trying to do more than the PC is capable of so crashes

Conflicts of programs e.g. virus programs conflicting with other programs/utilities

Outdated or damaged video or mouse drivers, or outdated video cards

(Boot may begin then stop then produce an error message which often may indicate the problem or may boot up to the OS then freeze)

Suggested Approach:

1. Do not panic. In medical school we were taught to develop “equanimitas” or self control i.e. to keep “cool” and not push the panic button! How easy it is become alarmed trying to correct the uncertainty and ending up compounding the dilemma.

2. Think of the obvious first e.g. loose connection, your PC is performing a necessary function, try Esc key

3. Do a history i.e. what was I doing at the time?

Did it occur after recently installed software or hardware? If so, un-install to check if problem disappears.
Were too many programs running at once?

4. Try “triple salute” i.e. Windows Task Manager> Application tab then close application

Task Manager in Vista improved; tutorial available: http://tinyurl.com/yr45ul

At times this also “freezes” so reboot (you may lose changes made in a document that you are working on; use AutoSave feature and save often yourself e.g. Ctrl + S).

Reboot (may have to hold power button in for over 10 seconds)

After reboot:

5. Run your antivirus program (hopefully updated) if you have it or Virus scan e.g. Trend Micro
6. Run Spyware removal tool

7. Check free hard drive space (less than 20% may create a freeze)

8. Rule out overheating caused by problem with fans, dust etc.

May require “exploratory” surgery

9. Scan hard drive

Scan disk (check disk); open My Computer; right-click C:; select the "Tools" tab, check all check boxes in the "Check disk options" field; click the "Check now" button; click Yes when asked to schedule check with next boot up; restart PC. Some problem is fixed automatically. May have to replace hard drive

10. Defragmentation: Click Start Menu; click Programs; click Accessories then System Tools

11. Check memory

Windows Memory Diagnostic: http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp.

If necessary try re-seating or replace RAM

12. Rule out hardware problems with Ultimate Boot CD available at (http://www.ultimatebootcd.com)

Advanced users only!

13. Update http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com

Should be a regular maintenance procedure

14. Get a consultation PRN e.g.

PC troubleshooting forums/newsgroups to figure out solutions to not-so-obvious situations. http://www.eio.com/public/harddrv/.

15. CPR (last resort) e.g. ice the HD then try back up of “important” files

Back up, back up, back up i.e. often!

The following is meant for more advanced users:

Error Messages After Windows Starts Fix Your Own PC February 2007 • Vol.11 Issue 1
(Copied)
When Windows launches but won’t go any further without locking up or spewing forth error messages, check out the following options.

Windows utilities. Repeatedly press F8 (check your PC’s documentation for another option if this key doesn’t work) during startup to launch the Windows Advanced Options menu. Select Enable Boot Logging. When Windows starts, go to C:\WINDOWS, open Ntbtlog.txt, and browse for error messages. Work from Safe Mode to repair any errors you find.

Safe Mode. Select Safe Mode from the Windows Advanced Options menu. Safe Mode loads Windows with a minimal set of drives and processes for more effective troubleshooting. Perform some basic system maintenance, such as an antivirus scan and Chkdsk. Reboot your computer. If this fails to solve the problem, go back to Safe Mode and use Add/Remove Programs to un-install anything you recently added to your system. Also try a System Restore, which will roll the OS (operating system) back to its state at an earlier date. Go to Start, All Programs, and Accessories. Select System Restore from the System tools submenu and follow the prompts.

Last Known Good Configuration. If you can't perform a System Restore from Safe Mode, select Last Known Good Configuration from the Advanced Options menu. Last Known Good Configuration rolls back your Registry and device drivers to the last setting under which your computer shut down successfully.

Windows CD. Use your Windows installation disc or system recovery CD. Insert the disc and boot up. You need to press any key in order to boot from the disc. If not, you’ll have to enter the BIOS and set your optical drive as the primary boot option. After setting the optical drive as the primary boot drive, restart your system and try booting into Windows. There’s a difference between a true Windows OS disc and the image restoration discs many manufacturers ship with PCs. If you only have the latter,
the following tips may not work.

Windows’ repair option attempts to re-create the Registry and restore settings without removing or altering user data. When a repair is available and works as planned, it’s a great way to get a troubled system running again without starting from scratch. Boot into your Windows installation disc or system recovery CD. When prompted to choose between setting up Windows, accessing the Recovery Console, or quitting Setup, press ENTER to enter Windows Setup. Press F8 to accept Microsoft’s license agreements and then press R to Repair the selected Windows installation when prompted.

Recovery console. If you have any way to back up your data, do so. Boot from your Windows installation CD (a manufacturer’s restoration CD won’t work). Press R from the Welcome screen. Select your Windows installation if prompted and enter your administrator password. At the command line, delete your existing Registry files by typing delete c:\windows\system32\config\system. Repeat four times, substituting software, sam, security, and default for system, each in turn. Now copy pristine versions of those files by entering copy c:\windows\repair\system c:\windows\system 32\config\system. Repeat four times replacing system in both portions of the command with the words software, sam, security, and default. Type exit, press ENTER, and reboot.