It is very frustrating to have your computer just freeze up on you for no apparent reason. It is more frustrating when you are approaching a deadline or doing something very important, let’s not even get started on freezing computers when you are trying to watch the market trends for stock brokers. Let us know more detail about ‘Why Does My PC Freeze Randomly?’.
Why Does My PC Freeze Randomly?
It is safe to say that, for whatever reason, a freezing computer is not desirable. What we have found out is that, ranging from faulty RAM to old softwares, there could be a lot of things wrong with your PC of which you were unaware.
What we have done is make a compilation of reasons why your computer could be freezing up and possible solutions to them. We hope you find the solution to the problem with at least one of the instances listed in this article.
Reasons for random computer freezes and their solutions
A high temperature of the CPU
Problem
A computer, like any other machine, converts electrical energy to sound and visual which you see and hear from the VDU. The byproduct of that is that the CPU becomes heated. This is why every CPU of computers, from desktops to laptops, comes with an inbuilt cooling system, the fan.
If the blades of the fan get worn or the fan becomes faulty, it stops working and the system starts to overheat. In such cases, the system automatically shuts down before the hardware fries.
Solution
First, check to see that the CPU is overheating. This can be done by simply touching the CPU with your palm; with a laptop, simply touch the bottom part of the keyboard. Normally, the CPU should not be hotter than your palm.
Second, check if the cooling fan is working well. How do you find this out without opening up the system? When the system comes on, the rolling sound you hear is usually from the fan and the hard disk.
If you are using a desktop, the fan of the CPU is visible through an opening at the back of the CPU somewhere around where the cables from keyboards, VDU, mouse, speaker, etc. go. A laptop also has an opening for the fan which could be on any side of the area where the keyboard is, depending on the model of the laptop.
Once you have checked and found that your system is overheating, you should consult a computer engineer to help you replace the cooling unit as soon as possible. If it would not possible to get it to the repairer immediately, make sure you are working in a well-ventilated room, preferably a room with an air conditioning unit installed and working.
For a laptop, you should make sure the bottom of the system is not sitting directly on your lap or the table. Find something to raise it up, even in a cool room. That should help cool down the CPU till you can take it for repairs.
Lastly, on this issue, another option you can try before visiting an engineer is to blow out the cooling unit for dust. Usually, dust build-up may cause the fan to slow down its rotation. Just find a way to blow high-velocity air at the opened space on the CPU. If the problem was with dust, you will literarily see the clouds of dust come out once the air is blown.
Faulty RAM or too small RAM space
Problem
We are going to deal with these two together because they go hand in hand. If your system has two slots for RAM and both have RAM installed, one could be faulty, making the other work overtime. Or, you could have a single RAM that is malfunctioning. The other option is that the RAM memory is just too small to run the softwares you have on your system.
Solution
If this is the case, unfortunately, you cannot check this out by yourself. You need to visit an engineer who would diagnose the real problem.
Once the engineer has determined that the problem is RAM related, he either changes the faulty RAM or upgrades the RAM to one with higher memory capacity. Now, upgrading the RAM is only possible if the computer’s motherboard has the capacity for it. Otherwise, you should just think of getting a new computer altogether.
Software problem
Problem
Sometimes, the problem is with the software you have installed on your computer. Older softwares may not have the capacity to run well with the operating system you have on your computer. The problem crops up when the OS is trying to run the software in a certain way that the software was not built to run. The hard drive may shut down to prevent further damage. Sometimes, the software or program just stops working altogether.
Solution
If you have diagnosed that this is the problem, simply update the software to the most recent version. Most software providers frequently release updates for their softwares to match the requirements of OS updates.
Alternatively, simply reboot the system. This works most of the time.
Faulty hard drive
Problem
When a hard drive is nearing the end of its life, one of the signs it gives is randomly freezing the PC. Other signs that could tell you that your hard drive is gradually crashing are a blue screen, unusual grating or high-pitched sounds coming from the CPU, or you sometimes experience bad sectors.
If your computer has or is experiencing any or all of the above-listed signs, then your hard drive is the culprit
Solution
Before the hard drive crashes altogether and you are unable to recover your data, consider replacing the hard drive. Simply visit a computer engineer and request a hard drive change. Before they do that though, have the engineer properly diagnose the computer, especially if you are unsure of your diagnosis.
Alternatively, if you have the wherewithal to fix and replace the hard drive on your own, you need to check the health of the hard drive first. Follow the steps below:
- Run the command prompt on your windows. You can simply type it in the search box. Type wmic diskdrive get status in the command prompt window and press enter. If the hard drive is fine, you get ‘okay’ as a reply, if not, you get ‘pred fail’.
- You can double-check this result by running another test. Type in CHKDSK C: x/r/ in the command prompt window (run it as an administrator), then press enter. Windows should automatically find and fix the problems with your hard drive. If it doesn’t, consider backing up and replacing the hard drive pronto.
- Another option, this is a preventive measure, is to constantly monitor the defragmentation of the hard drive. This can be done by opening file explorer and clicking on Drive C or D, depending on the name of your hard drive. On the top of the file explorer is an icon to manage the drive. Click on it and then click on optimize in the drop-down menu. Click on optimize in the dialogue box that pops up and allow the computer to repair itself. You should also set this to run in the background automatically by changing the settings using the change settings button. A weekly check is preferable.
Also, just like the old CD and VCD players, the hard drive is subject to wear and tear too. It can wear out. This is why companies producing them are working on composite hard drives that do not have to spin. Those are called solid-state drives. They might be a tad bit more expensive than the common spinning hard drives but they are well worth the money. Consider changing to an SSD.
Outdated drivers
Problem
Outdated drivers can also cause your system to malfunction and freeze up while you are working with it.
Solution
First, go through windows update in the computer settings to update windows OS and drivers. Some may come as optional. Make sure you update them all. If the problem persists, try the next option.
Third-party softwares are available to use for this. Research and find the best driver update software online and download it. Just make sure it is from a trusted vendor.
Too many temp files
Problem
Temp files, as small as each of them might be, can become just too many for your computer’s memory. Temp files are created by apps, softwares, and sometimes websites you visited. When you delete those apps, the temp files may still remain. Too many of them take up memory space in your computer.
Solution
You can clean up temp files in two ways.
- Windows has a built-in straightforward way in the file explorer. Go to file explorer and click on your hard disk. Click on the manage option at the top of the file explorer dialogue box and select clean up from the drop-down menu. The system will run and bring out a list of files that may be taking up space on the system. Always click on temp files. You can go through the list and see if there are files you want permanently deleted. Select those and click on okay.
- If you want to be techier, press the ctrl + windows keys together and type in temp in the dialogue box that comes up. Go through the temp files that come up and either delete them all or choose. Then press ctrl + D to delete the files you have selected.
Conclusion
Now We’ve learnt about ‘Why Does My PC Freeze Randomly?’, The probable faults listed in this article are by the far the most common causes of freezing computers. There are still a few others like malware and viruses, missing or corrupt system files, faulty operating systems, etc. There is a wide range of things that could cause your system to freeze up. If you cannot self-diagnose, visit a computer engineer for proper diagnosis and fixing.
FAQ
- Why does the gaming system randomly freeze?
The common problem is that the RAM space is too low; video games tend to be quite heavy and RAM size of 8 gigabytes may not even be enough. Other causes could be graphic card malfunction, internet speed, or instability.
- What can I do if my system is freezing at minute intervals?
You could try closing some apps. Too many open apps could cause the RAM memory to be overloaded and your computer to freeze. Also, if the hard disk space is low, it could cause freezing. This is because after apps have been installed, they still need additional hard disk space to run. You can delete apps that are not useful.
