It used to be the Blue Screen of Death that pushes an inexperienced computer user to anxiety attacks. Now, it’s the locking down or crashing of a computer’s system that besiege even the experienced ones. Crashing or locking down are not part of the Windows recovery setting.
Instead of automatically shutting down and immediately rebooting, the computer just freezes up – the applications won’t close, the mouse cursor won’t move, and the keyboard keys won’t respond even when you start banging on them. What’s worse is that instead of an error message you get nothing but a black void in your monitor. And, as a user, all you could think of is: WTF??? This situation could lead many frustrated dudes to throw some precious hardware right out of the window.
Hold on to the keyboard! It’s not yet a hopeless situation though. Just because your computer took upon itself to hide and curl up into a ball doesn’t mean you can’t get it to function the way it used to be. One thing you need to do is find out the cause of the crash. From there, we can move on to finding the solution.
The First One To Be Blamed At
One probable cause of a computer crashing is a virus. As technology becomes more and more sophisticated, so does viruses and other malware. Some people still do it as a practical joke, but many virus makers have gone on to more sinister plans such as stealing and destroying company data, and crippling the flow of information in government agencies.
As a simple citizen, you generally wouldn’t have to worry about this. However, it is inevitable that in any war – either physical or virtual – there will always be collateral damage. Viruses that may be aimed initially at certain sectors of society will eventually find their way into people’s homes. When that happens, the strongest brands in anti-virus software are ready to save the day.
Stock up on antivirus, anti-spyware, anti-rootkit, anti-malware, and other trustworthy diagnostic tools to protect your PC from unwanted invaders. This is especially important when your computer is connected to the web.
The Second Probable Cause
If you have already checked and rechecked, and found no suspicious files or programs running around in your PC’s system, then the next probable cause of the crash may be overclocking. For old mother boards with old processors, this is very, very possible. However, the recent models of motherboards and processors are already covered with thermal sensors, which will slow down or shut off the PC. This prevents your processor from overheating, of course, and preserves its life another hundred years or so.
Crowded Memory?
Since the second cause isn’t anywhere near possible, the reason for your computer crashing down suddenly may be because it has low memory. Too many applications being run at the same time, while demanding too much from your PC’s resources – video, sound, and speed of processor – may cause a glitch in your computer’s system. Once this glitch is recognized by the OS, it goes into self-preservation mode and may crash your computer to save its own ass.
At this point, using the system restore and unloading unused programs are very good actions to take. After that, you are strongly advised to start upgrading your gear if you still want to enjoy playing World of Warcraft or SimulatorX in your PC.
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