Here we can see, “How to Fix a Frozen Windows PC”
For a variety of reasons, Windows PCs will freeze. It could be a one-time occurrence, but repeated freezes indicate a problem that needs to be addressed. Here’s how to unfreeze and recover a frozen computer, as well as prevent it from freezing again.
How to Unfreeze a Frozen Windows PC
Depending on what caused the problem, you can recover your frozen PC in a variety of ways. Sometimes all you have to do is wait a few seconds—the computer may become hung up while doing work and then unfreeze itself.
- Press Alt+F4 if a full-screen application, such as a game, freezes and won’t let you leave it. If the game is only having graphical issues, this will close the application; however, this will not work if the game has completely frozen.
- Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to see if the computer is still responding. You can open the Task Manager (and close any running applications) from this screen, as well as log out or restart your computer. If this screen does not appear, your PC may not be recoverable without a reboot.
- You might be able to recover from the freeze if you can open the Task Manager. (You can also open the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Esc.)
- If you don’t see the “Processes” tab, click “More Details.” Next, locate any processes using a lot of CPU—you can sort by CPU usage by clicking the “CPU” column header, and the most demanding processes will be at the top of the list.
- Select a process by clicking on it, then click “End Task” to end the programme forcibly. Of course, you’ll lose any unsaved work in the programme, but if it’s crashed and uses a lot of CPU, there’s a good chance you won’t be able to recover it.
- Your Windows desktop, including the taskbar and Start menu, may occasionally freeze. You may be able to resolve these issues by restarting Windows Explorer.
- To do so, look for “Windows Explorer” in the Processes list, select it with a click, and then click the “Restart” button.
- If you don’t have any unsaved work, select “Restart” from the power button in the bottom-right corner of the Ctrl+Alt+Delete screen. Hopefully, your computer will resume regular operation after rebooting, as this resolves many system issues.
- You can also lock your screen and return to the sign-in screen by pressing Windows+L. You can also restart your computer from there. If Ctrl+Alt+Delete didn’t work, this method isn’t likely to work either.
- If none of the previous steps works, use the keyboard shortcut Windows+Ctrl+Shift+B. This is a secret hotkey combination that restarts the graphics drivers on your computer. This may unfreeze your system if they are the source of the problem.
If none of these methods work and your computer refuses to respond, there’s only one way to get it back on track: a hard shutdown.
Locate the power button on your computer and press and hold it for 10 seconds. Your computer will be shut down forcibly. Wait a few seconds before pressing the power button to restart the computer.
This isn’t the most sanitary or secure method of shutting down your computer. If possible, you should use onscreen shutdown methods, but if it isn’t responding, there isn’t much you can do.
This is the only way to fix your computer if it has blue-screened. Automatic reboots are enabled by default on Windows PCs, but if you see a blue screen of death (BSOD) and your PC doesn’t reboot, you’ve probably disabled automatic reboots. Note the error message, then perform a hard shutdown or reboot by holding down the power button for a long time.
How to Stop Your PC From Freezing in the Future
The suggestions above can assist your PC in recovering from a freeze and returning to regular operation.
- If it’s just a one-time freeze, don’t be too concerned. These types of issues do occur on occasion in computers. Your computer’s hardware drivers or other software may contain a bug.
- However, if your computer freezes frequently, something is wrong with it. It could be a problem with the software or the hardware. BlueScreenView and the Reliability Monitor may be able to point you in the right direction.
- If the freezing began recently and you’ve recently updated or installed new software, try using System Restore. This restores the software on your computer to a known-good state.
- On Windows 10, go to Control Panel > System and Security > System > System Protection > System Restore to find this option.
We recommend running an anti-malware scan to ensure that malware isn’t causing issues with your system. On Windows 10, you can run a free Malwarebytes scan or use the built-in Defender antivirus. To get a second (or third) opinion, try using other anti-malware tools.
It’s much more challenging to pinpoint hardware issues. A lot of things could be going wrong. Your computer could be overheating or have faulty RAM, for example. If your laptop frequently freezes while playing PC games, this could indicate a problem with the graphics processing unit (GPU) on your computer (or, again, overheating.) However, there is a slew of other components in your PC that could be at fault.
Make sure your PC is clean and well-cooled before testing its RAM. It’s challenging to diagnose hardware issues. To accurately test, you must frequently swap out one component for another and see if this resolves the problem. Also, consider letting the manufacturer handle the situation if your PC is still under warranty.
After all, that’s why you paid (or continue to pay) them.
It’s a good idea to reinstall Windows to eliminate the risk of software bugs. Using the ” Reset ” feature, you can restore your PC to a like-new state in Windows 10 by using the “Reset” feature. However, keep in mind that this will uninstall all programmes. You can also try a “fresh start,” which gives you a clean Windows 10 installation without the preinstalled utilities from the PC manufacturer.
You can also roll back your system if you installed a major Windows update within the last ten days.
If your PC freezes during the Reset process, try installing Windows 10 on a different computer. Please insert it into the frozen PC, boot from the installation media, and reinstall Windows from there. If your computer freezes during (or after) the installation of Windows, you almost certainly have a hardware problem.
Conclusion
I hope you found this information helpful. Please fill out the form below if you have any questions or comments.
User Questions:
- Why is my computer completely frozen?
It could be a failing power supply, an overheating CPU, impaired memory, or a failing hard drive. It could also be your motherboard in some cases, though this is a rare occurrence. The freezing will usually start sporadically with a hardware issue but will become more frequent as time goes on 2. Is Restoro a safe place to visit?
2. Is Restoro safe?
Restoro is entirely risk-free. It is a wholly legal programme that bears no resemblance to a virus in any way. Microsoft Security and other well-known antivirus programmes have deemed the PC Repair tool safe and secure.
- Is Malwarebytes a safe programme?
Is Malwarebytes a safe programme? Malwarebytes is entirely secure. It has a good antivirus scanner and real-time protection that offers multiple layers against malware, system vulnerabilities, and online threats. It also has a browser extension that protects against phishing and malicious websites.
- How do you deal with hard freezes?
- Pc freezes after 2-20 mins. I’ve tried everything I know.
Pc freezes after 2-20 mins. I’ve tried everything I know.. from buildapc
