Fix Computer Freezing

It isn't always easy to fix computer freezing problems. The main difficulty is usually discovering what has gone wrong. Often it is merely the system that has become overloaded and jammed.

Your computer handles many hundreds of different bits of information every second. Sometimes it gets too much for the system. The only answer then is to fix computer freezing by rebooting the system.

Sometimes it becomes necessary to fix computer freezing problems when a program stops responding. There doesn't have to be a real underlying problem for this to happen. It can just be a one-off situation.

Using the three-key combination of Control, Alt and Delete all at the same time will bring up the Windows Task Manager. Under the Applications tab you can see all the programs that are running. If any program has become frozen, it will say Not Responding in the Task column. Highlight that program and click, End Task to close the program.

It may take several attempts of repeating this procedure to actually close the program as sometimes they can become very confused and refuse to close. Persistence will eventually close the program.

You will lose any unsaved work, of course, but often there is no other way to fix computer freezing. If that happens to you, let it be a timely reminder to save your work at regular intervals so that if something like this happens you don't lose out too badly.

Unexpected actions by your usually well-behaved computer can be a sign that all is not well and that you need to check the system thoroughly. It could be a virus or a spyware program, or even a Trojan that has invaded the system. The first thing to do is not to panic.

All too often people panic as soon as they suspect a virus attack. They do silly things and only make a bad situation worse. It's not unusual to hear of people yanking out power cables in the forlorn hope of minimizing the damage, assuming that the longer the computer stays switched on the worse things will become.

It's true that a computer freezing for no apparent reason is a possible sign of computer infection, but you don't fix computer freezing by panicking. Stay calm and try to assess the situation. If you have the right spyware and virus programs installed (you should), then you can reboot the system. This should stop the system freezing and allow you to boot up in safe mode.

Once in safe mode you can run a thorough scan of all the drives on the system. If any nasty program or file is found, you can get rid of it safely. This may not completely fix computer freezing, but by systematically checking everything you may be able to rectify the problem.

There is no one way to fix computer freezing, because there is no one reason why it happens in the first place. Every situation is different. Sometimes it is nothing more than an overloaded system. At other times it can be more sinister and require stronger measures. But whatever the situation, it's always worthwhile trying to fix computer freezing yourself before bringing in the experts.

Slow Computer Problems Tip #1

Check your internet cache. Not only does every single page you look at on the internet get stored into a history folder in the depths of your computer, but every single part of those pages gets saved as a separate file in what is known as the cache folder. Yes, every single tiny graphic gets stored in its own file. That green dot that repeats twelve times as an illustration of bullet points? Twelve separate gif files in your cache. Make sure you clean out the cache often.

Slow Computer Problems Tip #2

Ad ware is the devil. Ad ware can be attached to your computer by any number of sites (though it is most famously used by sites of an "adult" nature). This ad ware keeps track of where you go online like a cookie does, but ad ware is typically a covert program that slows down the computer to make it easier to track where you go. Run a spy ware or ad aware program on a regular basis to keep these programs and files at bay.

Slow Computer Problems Tip #3

Defragment your hard drive regularly. Sometimes parts of your files get corrupted. The more files that are corrupted or "fragmented," the more slowly your computer will run. A defragmentation of your hard drive should be done on a regular basis. It is a long process, so the defragmenting program is best run overnight.