Nothing can induce more panic than if your laptop suddenly freezes on you! Relax, fixing a freeze can be simple, though it takes a bit of know-how. That's where we come in.
Like all modern technology, laptops are
great when they work, but lousy when they don't. The frustration of a frozen
laptop is one of those headache-inducing, teeth-gnashing,
pulling-out-your-own-hair sort of things that we have to deal with from time to
time. But what causes a laptop to freeze, and what do you do when it happens?
More importantly, what steps can be taken to prevent freezing in the future?
Sit back, relax, and let us explain how get through it.
What Causes the Common
Freeze?
While there are numerous potential issues that can cause your laptop to freeze, there are three that are both most common, and also account for the vast majority of stalls and stutters. The good news is that these are also the easiest for the average user to address.
While there are numerous potential issues that can cause your laptop to freeze, there are three that are both most common, and also account for the vast majority of stalls and stutters. The good news is that these are also the easiest for the average user to address.
The first cause is physical—laptops
will often (somewhat paradoxically) freeze when overheated. Whether it's dust
built up in the chassis and vents or a blanket preventing airflow, rising
temperatures can put the kibosh on your late night project or marathon Netflix
session faster than you can say toasted leg syndrome.
The second frequent freezer is insufficient
memory. A laptop's RAM is much like the working memory of the brain, used
to hold data short term while it's accessed for a variety of programs and
functions. Run out of RAM and you'll find yourself running into issues,
including slowdowns in performance, stuttering during processor-intensive
tasks, and even full blown lockups and blue screens.
The third and final cause of
laptop catatonia can be loosely labelled "software problems."
This is a big umbrella that encompasses everything from BIOS changes to
software bugs to malware and viruses.
Immediate Actions
Whatever the root cause may be, when you're staring down a paralytic PC, the initial steps to take are the same. First, try to close the offending program. If only one program is having issues, closing it will often temporarily solve the problem. But closing the program may be more difficult than just clicking the X in the corner.
Whatever the root cause may be, when you're staring down a paralytic PC, the initial steps to take are the same. First, try to close the offending program. If only one program is having issues, closing it will often temporarily solve the problem. But closing the program may be more difficult than just clicking the X in the corner.
If a program is unresponsive, try
closing it through the Task Manager. You probably already know that you can
access this tool by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del, but for a quicker route, you can
also use Ctrl+Shift+Esc.
If your laptop won't even let you
do that, then it's time for a hard reset. On most laptops, you can do this by
pressing and holding the power button for a few seconds longer than usual—just
hold the button until the device powers off. If this doesn't work, you may need
to do it the hard way—by disconnecting the AC connection and removing the
battery.
The next thing to do is check is
the temperature of the laptop. While most people don't have a Fluke IR
thermometer handy, the touch test is usually sufficient. Feel the laptop chassis,
but be careful, because it may be hot to the touch or even hot enough to burn.
Hotspots are common around the vents and hinge, and on the underside of the
system. Also do a visual inspection of the vents. If there is anything
obstructing airflow, the heat buildup may be causing the problem.
Fixing and Avoiding Problems
Heat problems can often be addressed simply by cleaning out any dust with a can of compressed air and keeping the vents unobstructed. In other instances, however, you may have a bigger problem, such as a broken cooling fan, or a heat sink that needs re-seating. These fixes can sometimes be tackled at home with the right tools and some Googling for tutorials, but if you don't know what you're doing, you might want to take your PC to a professional before trying to open up the chassis yourself.
Heat problems can often be addressed simply by cleaning out any dust with a can of compressed air and keeping the vents unobstructed. In other instances, however, you may have a bigger problem, such as a broken cooling fan, or a heat sink that needs re-seating. These fixes can sometimes be tackled at home with the right tools and some Googling for tutorials, but if you don't know what you're doing, you might want to take your PC to a professional before trying to open up the chassis yourself.
To ferret out memory problems,
start by finding out where memory is being used. In the task manager, select
the "Processes" tab. You'll then see a list of all the various
processes running on the machine at any given moment. Without opening any
programs, take a look at the percentage of physical memory being used. If a
large percentage is already in use with no programs running, you've likely
found your problem. If your physical memory is mostly free, try opening the
last program used, and then open one program at a time to see if any of your
frequently used apps are hogging all the memory.
You can also run a memory test
using the Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool, found by opening the Start Menu and
searching "memory." Run the diagnostic, which will involve an
automatic reboot.
If your memory is mostly full,
you'll want to free up some space. While freeing up RAM could easily be its own
series of articles, the essence of it is this: Unnecessary files, programs, and
background processes will eat up your available RAM, leaving you prone to
slowdowns and freezes. To fix this, shift files to the hard drive, uninstall
programs that aren't needed or used, and turn off any programs running in the
background. Unsure of how to do this? Take a look at our guide, How to Remove Bloatware.
To prevent future problems, make the most of your memory by cleaning up and
defragging your hard drive, and consider upgrading with more RAM.
If the problem has its roots in
software, be it a malicious program, a buggy software update, or corrupted
driver, there are two simple steps to take. First, revert your PC to a previous
state using System Restore, also found in the System Tools folder. If you can
pinpoint the date that your performance issues began, you can simply roll back
your system to a prior date.
Once you've reverted to a more
stable version of your system, head off future problems by updating your
drivers and running a virus scan.
If these simple steps aren't enough
to alleviate your frozen laptop woes, you have two options. Often solutions to
specific problems can be found with a bit of Google-Fu—you can diagnose a lot
of problems just by knowing the symptoms and the make and model of your laptop.
Don't hesitate to contact the manufacturer's tech support, either. Many
problems will pop up due to system specific issues, such as a known software
bug or flawed component, and they will be able to not only help you determine
what the problem is, they will also be equipped to help you fix it (assuming of
course that the laptop is still under warranty).
The second option is to approach a
local repair shop or technician. There are literally hundreds (if not
thousands) of potential freeze-inducing problems that can arise in one laptop,
and a bit of knowledge will go a long way toward figuring out what that problem
is and how to fix it.
Source : http://www.pcmag.com/
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