Why does my computer occasionally freeze
To be able to change advanced power settings continue on to the next step. In the next window, click on High performance and click Change Plan Settings to access the power plan. One of these solutions should fix your Windows 10 freezing issue. If none of them works for you, the chances are good that Microsoft is aware of the problem and working on a solution for it. You can check on their forum for information about future update fixes.
Usually, this is due to a Windows Update rendering your graphics card device drivers incompatible. More than likely you have corrupted data or bad sectors on your external hard drive. If the issue happens when transferring over WiFi it could be something else. To check for and repair the bad sectors on your external hard drive. Follow the directions below:. Step 1. Plug the external hard drive into your computer. Step 2. Step 3. Click Run as an Administrator to open the Command Prompt with administrative privileges.
Step 4. Reboot your computer after the scan is completed. Fix 6: Running a System File Check. Most of the time, random freezes on idle are caused by corrupted files on your hard drive.
However, it can also be a sign that your hard drive is failing and needs to be replaced. If iTunes freezes when you connect your iPod, it may be due to several factors like outdated iTunes, missing iTunes media files, or the version of your iPod maybe incompatible with the version of iTunes installed on your computer. Windows 10 freezing when plugging in a USB is quite common. PC Problems? Submit form below to Contact Us.
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If your computer freezes up randomly, it is also useful to check your registry for any faults. Third-party software is the most common cause of a system freeze. The functions of some applications may attempt to perform actions or access resources that Windows cannot understand. The best way to troubleshoot this possible cause is to update all third-party software that is installed on your computer. Sometimes computer freezing is a sign of your system being infected with the virus.
Check our Top 10 Computer Virus Symptoms Checklist to see if any of the symptoms for poor computer performance look familiar:. Make sure your antivirus software is up-to-date. Computer software, including antivirus programs, comes in such various shapes and forms, and are created to fit different needs in terms of size and budget; you can find some free anti-virus, or the one priced to fit our budget.
So, you tried everything you can think of, but your computer keeps freezing? You might also have hidden software, such as a virus, causing problems. Be sure to run a scan with your security software to uncover something that shouldn't be there.
In cases where your computer freezes during startup in normal mode, but boots OK in Safe Mode, the problem could be a program that's loading during the boot sequence. Use a program like Autoruns to selectively disable the programs that begin at startup and see which one is causing the problem. If your computer is freezing during startup no matter what, and it's at the same point, then the problem could be corruption in Windows, or a hardware problem. A quick way to tell is to grab a Live CD for another operating system, such as Linux Mint or Tails , and boot with that.
If the other operating system boots OK, then you're probably looking at a problem with Windows and might need to reinstall. If Windows is having trouble starting, it should pop up a Recovery option during boot that includes this, or you might have to use a disc.
A computer that freezes both in normal mode and Safe Mode, or with another operating system, can often indicate a problem with your computer's hardware. It could be your hard drive, an overheating CPU, bad memory or a failing power supply.
In some cases, it might also be your motherboard, although that's a rare occurrence. Usually with hardware problem, the freezing will start out sporadic, but increase in frequency as time goes on. Or it will trigger when the computer is working hard, but not when you're doing more basic things. Fortunately, you can run some checks and see if that's the case.
Use a program like CrystalDiskInfo to check your hard drive's S.