Are you fed up of frequent system crashes of your computer system of laptops? If yes then find out the reason first and then a solution to it.
Some of the common reasons behind computer system crash are listed below:
5 reasons why PCs and laptops crash U must know:
1. Hardware conflicts
One of the most prominent reasons to why Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices through a unique interrupt request channel (IRQ).
For example, some usual connections are:
A printer - connects internally on IRQ 7.
Keyboard - usually uses IRQ 1
Floppy disk drive - uses IRQ 6.
Each device will try to hog a single IRQ for itself.
With a lot of devices connected to your system, not installed properly, any two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. Now when the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen. In order to check if your system is suffering from a hardware conflict you need to follow the steps given below:
àGo to Start menu à Settings àControl Panel à System àDevice Manager
If the device is suffering from a problem a yellow '!' appears next to its description in the Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in the Device Manager) and press Properties to see the IRQ numbers used by your computer. If the IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be using it.
Sometimes a device might share an IRQ with something described as 'IRQ holder for PCI steering'. This can be ignored. The best way to fix this problem is to remove the problem device and reinstall it.
Sometimes you may have to find more recent drivers on the internet to make the device function properly. A good resource is www.driverguide.com. If the device is a soundcard, or a modem, it can be fixed by moving it to a different slot on the motherboard (be careful about opening your computer, as you may void the warranty).
Use proper precaution before doing it yourself.
Initially, the computers come with only eight IRQs. Today, the systems come with just double the no. i.e. 16 IRQs.
2. Bad Ram
Ram (random-access memory) problems might bring you to the blue screen with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. This error message indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes, it may mean a part is damaged and needs replacement.
But the reason behind a fatal error caused by RAM might be a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) RAM with 60ns RAM will usually force the computer to run all RAM’S at the slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the RAM is overworked.
A possible solution to this problem is to enter the BIOS settings and increase the wait state of the RAM. This can make it more stable. Another way to troubleshoot a suspected RAM problem is to rearrange the RAM chips on the motherboard, or take some of them out and put across a single high capacity RAM or RAM’s with same speed. While handling RAM’s to take care of the golden connections, as they are quite fragile.
Parity error messages also refer to RAM. Modern RAM chips are either parity (ECC) or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can be one of the reasons to your trouble.
3. Hard disk drives
After a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. Go to
Start àPrograms àAccessories àSystem Tools àDisk Defragmenter
This will start the procedure. You will be unable to write data to the hard drive (to save it) while the disk is defragmenting, so it is a good idea to schedule the procedure for a period of inactivity using the Task Scheduler.
Some lockups and screen freezes caused by hard disk problems can be solved by reducing the read-ahead optimization. This can be adjusted by going to
Go to Start àSettings àControl Panel àSystem Icon àPerformance àFile System àHard Disk.
Hard disks will slow down and crash if they are too full. Do some housekeeping on your hard drive every few months and free some space on it. Open the Windows folder on the C drive and find the Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting the contents (not the folder) can free a lot of space.
Shortcut to temp folder: go to run à type %temp% àpress enter àselect all and delete.
Empty the Recycle Bin every week to free more space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week for errors or bad sectors.
Otherwise you can also make use of task scheduler and assign the Task Scheduler to perform this operation at night when the computer is not in use.
4. Viruses
Virus attacks can be a most possible reason for your system crash if your system is not protected by some good antivirus software.
Often the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible to start. This is why it is a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk.
A virus scanner requires a list of virus signatures in order to be able to identify viruses. These signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files should be updated weekly from the website of your antivirus software manufacturer. However now antivirus comes with auto update features. Many a times, we do switch off auto update options to prevent use of internet by applications to avoid our internet connection going slow. But antivirus updates are an important requirement to avoid system attack by viruses.
Keep updating your virus definition file regularly.
Some good antivirus programs are available such as:
a) McAfee VirusScan by Network Associates
b) Norton AntiVirus 2000, made by Symantec
c) Avast antivirus and many more….
5. Overheating
Central processing units (CPUs) are usually equipped with fans to keep them cool. If the fan fails to work properly or if the CPU gets old it may start to overheat and may generate a particular kind of error called a “kernel error”. This is a common problem in chips that have been overclocked to operate at higher speeds than they are supposed to.
Also it has been seen as a normal behavior that we do put our laptops on beds while working leaving no space between its base and bed and hence the laptop get heated up. And this overheating leads to frequent system crash.
External cooling fans are available in the market to make your work easy and comfortable do purchase them and enjoy….
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