Computer not responding? What to do if your laptop crashes (2023)

There are many problems that your computer may encounter. Your laptop may have itloading problemsthe screen canstop showing the pictureotherwise it might emptydon't turn on. But it seems like your computer only freezes when you're in the middle of doing the most important tasks, right? If your computer has slowed down or stopped responding completely, here's how to fix the problem and prevent it from happening again.

1. Wait: Give him a minute to catch up.

When you're doing a CPU-intensive task, sometimes something freezes and you think your laptop is permanently frozen when it's not. If your computer appears to be completely frozen, give it a few minutes to catch up and finish.

You'd be surprised how often this actually works, especially if it's a random event (rather than a chronic problem). Sometimes a specific action can eat up all of your computer's available RAM, and it takes a second for the machine to clear these tasks. Unless it happens often, after a few minutes you should be fine.

2. Check your peripherals

Are you sure the computer is really frozen? Make sure that the connected peripherals are actually working properly. Perhaps something is disconnected or the batteries are dead. This gives the illusion that the computer is crashing, but the input is not going as expected.

Check everything connected to the computer and make suremouse,keyboard, WTouchpadeverything works correctly. You may even want to exploreUSB port health.if you think everything else is fine.

3. Remove the malicious program

(Source: Whitson Gordon)

If Windows fails to recover (or starts crashing again after a restore), it's time to break with the old fidelity:Ctrl+Alt+Delete. Play this combination on the keyboard and choosetask managementoption on the screen that appears to see a list of running programs. Mac users can useCommand + Option + Escapeto open a similar menu.

If one of them does not match, select it and click the buttonlast taskCommand. If it's an isolated incident, that should be enough. Once the program is closed, the operating system should be operational again and you can restart it to continue working.

However, if your computer always crashes when running this program, you may need to uninstall it and find an alternative. If the program is so intensive that it is running out of resources, you may even need to upgrade your hardware.

4. Check your browser's Task Manager.

(Source: PCMag)

Sometimes your computer is working fine but your browser is stuck on a certain page. And when so much of what we do on computers is limited to the browser, it seems like the whole computer crashes, though it may just be the page you're on. In these situations, Windows Task Manager may tell you that your browser is not responding, but if you want to know more about the cause, you'll have to dig deeper.

In Chrome and Edge, tapShift+Escto display the browser's task manager. In Firefox, you can click the menu button and go toMore Tools > Task Manager. This shows the various processes running in your browser, which can give you insight into which page or extension may be crashing or using a lot of CPU and memory.

It may also happen that you have a daily conflict with an extension. For example, I once had problems with the so-calledGrammaticallyThe extension crashes Google Docs all the time, so try disabling it.browser extensionsto see if that solves the problem. Hopefully the developers will release a fix as Grammarly seems to have.

5. Reboot and try again.

If you can't even open Task Manager, then your PC is really locked up and the only way to get it back up and running is to perform a hard reset. Press and hold the power button until the computer turns off, then press the power button again to completely restart it.

If you were working on something important at the time of the suspension, you may be able to recover it, depending on the program and how it handles unsaved documents. For example, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint automatically save backups as you work and can often be restored the next time you open the program. You can also go toFile > Info > Manage Documents > Recover Unsaved Document.

This may not work every time, but it's worth a try. Try searching for the crashed program to see if it has a similar function. Otherwise, you may have to redo some of this work.

6. Check the reliability monitor

(Source: Whitson Gordon)

If you are still unable to determine the cause of the failure, perform additional troubleshooting steps. In these situations, I recommend checking the Windows Reliability Monitor; This is a lesser-known error reporting tool hidden in Windows settings. Open the start menu, search for "reliability" and clickView reliability historyoption displayed.

You'll see a graph of your computer's reliability over time, showing crash logs and other issues, as well as newly installed apps and updates. If you find an error at the same time as the freezing problem occurs, Reliability Monitor allows you to view technical details or query the Microsoft database to find a solution to the problem. These details may include error codes so you can search for more information. Meanwhile, Microsoft's database rarely works, but it's worth trying.

If that doesn't help, you can also use the graph to find out what apps or updates were installed before the crash started. If a new program or update is the cause, try restoring your computer to its pre-installation state. You can do it viauninstall the latest updateone firstrestore pointpl Windows, deA time machineon your Mac.

7. Find out about your blue screen of death

(Source: Theerakit/Getty Images)

If your computer crashes and a sad blue screen of death occurs after your computer freezes, you may be able to find out more about the source of your problems. HeQR codeand the "Stop Code" on the blue screen is a good starting point for your investigation, but it rarely tells you everything.

So I recommend checking it out as well.blue screen view, a free utility that reads the "dump file" created by your computer during a crash and presents it in a slightly more user-friendly way. (Download links are at the bottom of the page - a bit hard to find.) This is still quite a technical question, but you can scroll horizontally to see which driver or device failed, and other codes you can search to find the culprit.

The creators of BlueScreenView also have other tools for diagnosing crashes and crashes, such aswhat hangsWAppCrashViewmight be worth a try. Again, System Restore can be helpful in trying to fix the problem.

8. Reinstall the latest drivers.

Display Driver Uninstaller (Source: Guru 3D)

While System Restore should be able to fix many problems, I've found that it isn't always able to fix certain quirks that are harder to identify. For example, recently my computer started to freeze after an update.Graphics Card. It turned out that this was probably due to a conflict of some other components of the old driver that were still working.Display driver uninstaller(DDU) oneSecurity Modewas enough to solve the problem.

If you recently installed new hardware, try uninstalling its drivers (or uninstalling the drivers for the old hardware you just replaced) and see if that resolves the issue. In particular, DDU is a great tool for graphics and audio drivers that interfere with each other.

9. Run a malware scan

As with all computer problems, it never hurts to have onemalicious softwarescan and check if something malicious is causing the problems, especially if it hasn't been there for a while. Get a free scanner, e.gMalwarebytes, let me check your hard drive and see if anything shows up. If you run into trouble, check this out.our guideto remove malware from your computer.

10. Check your hard drive

A faulty hard drive can crash and cause other similar problems so when scanningcheck the status of your hard drive, W. You can do it by runningwmic disk fetches model and statuson the command line, but for more detailed health information, I recommend running the programAbout CrystalDiskfor Windows (free) oUnitDxfor macOS ($20 with free trial).

If this tool shows a drive other than "OK", then it may be causing problems. If you have a Windows PC, you will definitely want to do this.replace this driveafter the rush In modern MacBooks, the drive cannot be replaced and must be sent for repair.

11. Beware of overheating

Central temperature (Source: Whitson Gordon)

Excessive heat can often (ironically) cause your computer to freeze up, so if the problem occurs again and again, cooling may be the cause. install onemonitor temperaturyascentral temperature, set the temperature display options in the notification area, and then drag this icon from the pop-up to the taskbar so that it is always visible. Mac users can do something similar usingKitty.

The next time your computer crashes, review the program to see if overheating may be the cause of the problem. If the temperature is 90 degrees Celsius/194 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, your computer is almost certainly overheating.

watch out for one thingloud fanwhich may indicate overheating of the computer. Remove dust from your computer withhigh pressure vacuum cleaner. Make sure your fans are really working. If any of them fail to rotate, the bearing may have failed and the fan may need to be replaced.

12. Test your RAM

(Source: Whitson Gordon)

Bad memory can also cause your computer to crash, so if you suspect you have corrupted RAM, it's time to run some tests. Open the Start menu and search for "Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool". It will restart your computer, test its memory and notify you if it finds any problems. you can also tryMemtest86+, an open-source boot drive that performs more thorough testing.

If all tests pass, you may not have enough RAM. PressCtrl+Shift+Escto open Task Manager at the next problem and clickEfficiencyeyelash. This may be the case if your memory is exhausted.time to update.

You can search easilyhow much ram do you havebut you should also check your PC model to know what to buy and how to replace it. (If your RAM is soldered to the motherboard as is the case with Apple laptops and many other new thin andlightweight laptops- You may have to buy a brand new laptop).

13. When all else fails, call in the professionals.

If nothing else fixes the problem, you may have a hardware problem that you can't easily fix on your own. If your laptop is still under warranty, contact the manufacturer for service assistance. If your motherboard (or any other part) is really faulty, they will probably replace it free of charge.

If your warranty has long since expired, find a good repair shop near you and see if they can diagnose the problem in more detail. You may have to pay for this repair or (if too expensive) a complete laptop replacement. Too bad, but at least you can get back to work.