What should I do if the computer freezes and slows down? Reasons and solution of the problem

It happens that the PC starts to work very unstable. Almost any user encountered this kind of trouble. Understand what to do if the computer slows down and hangs, not even technically savvy people can always. Beginners often do not get by without the help of professionals. However, anyone can diagnose and correct some of the causes of a malfunction. The article provides a detailed guide that will help solve most common problems.

Main reasons

To determine what measures you need to take to improve the performance of your PC, you should first find the root cause of the problems. What can slow down and hang up the computer?

• Small amount of RAM.
• There is not enough free space on the system partition.
• A lot of unnecessary entries in the registry.
• Superfluous programs in autoload.
• Overheating of the hardware.
• Viruses.

Insufficient RAM

Year after year, software requirements are only growing. The computer may become obsolete in a few years. If the PC has less than two gigabytes of RAM, you must add one or more additional slats. Today, even for browsers, about 1 GB is required, and in fact usually several processes and several dozens of OS services are running in the system, which also require a lot of hardware resources.

To find out exactly how much RAM is used by the system, you need to right-click on the "My Computer" icon and select "Properties" in the context menu. Here you will find all the main characteristics of the hardware.

What should I do if the computer slows down and hangs up Windows XP because of the small amount of RAM? In this case, only upgrade will help. Remember that there are different generations of RAM (DDR 1, 2, 3), and the motherboard can only work with one of them. To avoid mistakes, before going to the store should write a model of "mom." Knowing it, the seller will be able to offer suitable equipment.

There is not enough free space on the system disk

There is enough RAM, but still the computer slows down and hangs, what should I do in this case? Check how much free space on the partition with the letter C. Open the Explorer window and right click on the hard disk icon. Then select the "Properties" line.

It is recommended that the figure in the "Free" column is not less than 15% of the total volume of the volume, but sometimes enough for comfortable work and 3-5 GB.

Cleaning the HDD

To safely free up space on drive C, open the control panel. You can do this by expanding the Start menu. In it, select the line "Programs and components".

Delete unnecessary applications with this utility. If there are no unused programs, you should delete the most voluminous ones, then install them on a different volume. Typically, each installation package prompts the user to choose where to unpack all files.

To continue solving the problem, if the computer slows and hangs due to insufficient free space on the C drive, open the "Explorer". Right-click on the system partition, and then click on the "Properties" line. Click the "Clean Disk" button . For a while, the utility will calculate the amount that can be freed. After this procedure, the user should check all items in the main application window. Now it remains to press "OK" to start the process of deleting all temporary files.

Viruses

There is enough free space on the system partition, what if the computer slows down and hangs? There is a high probability that viruses are to blame for unstable PC work.

To correct the problem, you should use an antivirus scanner. Professionals recommend using tools Dr. Web Cureit and Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool. Both utilities can be distributed free of charge, they can be said from official websites.

If you decide to use Cureit, after launching the program, click on the line "Select objects to scan" and tick off each available checkbox. Also click on "Click to select files" and check the box next to "My Computer". After that, you can start scanning by clicking on the "Run scan" button.

Overheat

What if the computer slows down and freezes in games and other "heavy" applications? Most likely the cooling system is to blame. To check this fact, you should use programs that allow you to monitor the temperature of the main components of the PC. The best tool for such studies is AIDA 64.

What should I do if the computer slows down and freezes Windows XP, how can I check if the PC elements are overheating? Install the AIDA 64 utility and run it. Find the icon in the top line that shows the diagram. After clicking on it, a window with the name "Stress Test" will open. It displays the temperature graphs of those devices in the system that have built-in sensors. On the left, tick all the items except "Stress Local Disk" and click on the Start button. See how the diagrams change under load. When critical values are reached, the test should be completed by clicking on the "Stop" line.

For different devices, the normal temperature differs. To find out what is considered acceptable for devices installed in the system, it is worth to visit the manufacturer's website.

FurMark

AIDA 64 allows you to check the temperature of many components, but the video system with it can not be checked. The computer brakes and hangs, what should I do if there is a suspicion of overheating of the graphics adapter? The best utility for testing a video card is FurMark.

After starting the program, the settings window appears on the screen. In it, check the box next to "Fullscreen" and select the maximum resolution supported by the monitor. After completing these steps, click the "Stress Test" button.

A three-dimensional image will appear on the screen, but it should not be considered. The main attention should be paid to the schedule, which will be displayed below. It clearly shows how the temperature of the graphics adapter varies. If it reaches a critical level, press the "Esc" button to complete the test.

Cleaning

Because of overheating, the computer slows down, hangs, what should I do to restore stable operation? First of all, you should clean all radiators of the cooling system with a brush and a vacuum cleaner.

Turn off the PC and remove the side cover. Be careful not to bring the nozzle closer to the boards at a distance of less than 7-10 cm. That's why you should use a brush. It can sweep the dust that has been collected, which can not be removed with a vacuum cleaner.

After cleaning all the software tests need to be repeated. If the temperatures do not return to normal, it's worthwhile to consider replacing thermal paste or coolers.

Auto Backup

What should I do if my computer slows down and hangs when I turn it on? To solve the problem, you should try to remove most of the applications from startup. To do this, restart the PC. Before starting the OS, press the F8 key to bring up the menu. In it, select "Safe Mode".

After displaying on the desktop screen, click on the keyboard combination "Win + R". The "Run" window will open. In the input line write "msconfig" and click on the "OK" button. Go to the "Startup" tab and uncheck all applications that you do not need permanently. If you are at a loss with the choice, leave the checkboxes only in front of those programs that have "Microsoft" in the "Manufacturer" column.

After execution, click "OK" to save the changes.

Fragmentation

What should I do if the computer freezes and slows down while opening applications and files? Perhaps, it is necessary to perform the defragmentation procedure. The fact is that the hard drive is divided into sectors. At the same time, one recorded file can occupy several thousand sectors on the hard drive. Not always all parts of a separate document are located next to each other. Consequently, the speed of reading decreases .

To order the information placed on the HDD, you should regularly perform defragmentation. To start the built-in Windows utility open the "Explorer". Right-click on any section and select Properties. Go to the "Tools" tab, and then click the "Run Defragmentation" button.

In the window that opens, select the disk and click on the inscription "Defragmentation". It is advisable to carry out this procedure for all volumes in turn.

Hardware problems with RAM

Without any apparent reason, the computer began to slow down and hang, what if none of the above tips helped? Often the unstable work of a PC is associated with corrupted RAM. You can check the RAM slots with the built-in OS utility. Open the control panel. Its icon is located on the right side of the Start menu. Click on "Administration". In the window that opens, locate the item "Memory checker" and run it like any other program.

The user will be asked whether to run the test after the next switch on or to restart the computer now. There is no particular difference in them. The first option will save all the documents, if necessary.

After restarting the PC, the testing process will begin. The time of its operation can differ on different systems. If during the scan, messages appear in red on the screen, it means that the main memory is faulted.

What should I do if the computer hangs up and slows down due to a "bat" of RAM?

First of all, to solve the problem, it is necessary to clean the contacts of dust and oxide. Remove the cover of the system unit. Remove the RAM straps by pushing the levers that hold the device and pulling it toward you. Take the cotton swabs, dab them into alcohol or cologne and wipe the pins. After drying, put the RAM in place and test it again.

What if the computer freezes and slows down after this procedure? Often several RAM slots are installed in the system unit. Run the scan utility for each of them separately. So it turns out to identify which device destabilizes the PC. Damaged equipment should be replaced or simply not installed.

Conclusion

The answer to the question "What to do if the computer freezes and brakes?" Is fully disclosed. I must say that first of all, it is necessary to carry out measures aimed at optimizing the software part, and then move on to checking hardware. In addition, rarely the unstable work of the PC is connected only with one single factor. Usually serious problems begin only when several reasons come into force at once. Therefore, it is worth approaching the issue of computer repair in a comprehensive manner.