One of the most frustrating things in the world today is getting up in the morning to turn on the computer but it immediately stops at power on, refuses to start or continues to restart. This is especially irritating especially if that PC was still working fine the day or night before, and you really have no idea why it stopped working right now.
In other cases, however, the symptoms that something is not turning in the right way are noticeable because the computer starts to lock up more and more frequently forcing us to restart and therefore making the computer unusable and any work unsalvable.
In this quick guide we see why a computer can have these problems, why it stops at startup and why it crashes often, also trying to understand how to solve the situation, even when it seems very critical.
The two cases, that of locking the PC while it is on and that of not starting up, seem different, but they can have the same type of origin.
Let's say immediately that, assuming to use Windows as an operating system, sudden freezes and reboots can occur occasionally with a certain normalcy.
This is because Windows is a non-perfect program on which other programs run, therefore, since no software is perfect and has its unknown bugs, random errors and blockages can occur.
If this happens once a year or even once a month, then it does nothing, but if it is every day thing then better understand what is going on.
The causes of a computer breakdown can be summarized in 10 key points:
1) Memory is damaged
This is the most frequent case of computer breakdown and, above all, of sudden freezes.
The easiest way to understand if RAM is actually the cause of the problem is to change the memory scehda with a spare or a new one (see guide to change the RAM inside the computer)
If you do not have a RAM card available, you can run the Memtest program, to be copied to a CD or a USB stick which must be started when the computer is turned on by changing the boot order in the BIOS or in the initial menu.
The only way to solve a memory problem is to replace it with a new memory that costs little and is easy to assemble and disassemble.
2) Changed the boot order
When the computer stops at startup, the problem may be more trivial than you think.
It may be, and it is therefore worth checking immediately, that the boot order has been changed and that the computer then searches for the operating system on the inserted USB stick or on the CD-ROM.
In practice, the system cannot find the partition to bootloader and start loading Windows.
This can happen because the boot order had been changed manually to do some operations or also by chance when the CMOS buffer battery (a small round battery on the motherboard) runs out (SEE ALSO: Reset the BIOS by clearing the CMOS memory and removing the buffer battery).
This is one of the most frequent causes of the black screen error with cursor when the Windows PC starts up and generally a message appears warning the user of the lack of an operating system.
SEE HERE How to reconfigure the boot or boot order of the computer.
3) Corrupt bootloader
If the more trivial solution of step 2 does not work and the PC still hangs at startup, the problem may be due to a damaged bootloader.
The solution may be to use the Super Grub Disk utility to repair the boot loader.
READ ALSO: Fix MBR on Windows to restore boot loader and computer startup
4) Problems on the registry in Windows
The Windows registry contains information that is vital for running the operating system and programs and can often cause problems if it is edited incorrectly, manually or because of viruses or other programs.
The solution to solve problems on the registry, if Windows worked yesterday and today not, is the restore of configuration.
Instead, avoid automatic registry repair and optimization programs; if anything you can use the utility included in Ccleaner which is the most reliable tool.
5) Hardware problems, blue screen, continuous restart
In computers with Windows XP or earlier versions it happened very often, in Windows Vista and 7 a little less, in Windows 8 it is rarer, but the blue screen can always appear and it means a hardware problem.
The word Hardware indicates the set of physical pieces of the computer that may have been damaged or that are recognized by Windows incorrectly.
In another article there are some solutions for blue screen problems , if the computer shuts down by itself or suddenly restarts .
You can deepen the discussion with the 10 main reasons for Windows and PC crashes
In general it is good to check that the drivers are updated and installed correctly and you must try to turn on the computer by disconnecting all external devices, to see if the fault lies with one of these.
READ ALSO: Stop the Windows 10 automatic recovery loop
6) Corrupt Hard Disk Clusters
Clusters are the memory sectors of the hard disk.
If one of these is corrupt or ruined, when the head tries to read what's on it, it goes into error and the PC freezes or restarts.
As already seen, Scandisk can be used to correct disk errors or, to make a more thorough check, use tools to check the health and performance of the hard disk.
In case of problems, SEE HERE What to do if the computer hard drive is broken or damaged
7) Overheating, dust and aeration and cooling system
It might seem trivial, but PCs can really shut down or freeze due to overheating problems, especially in summer.
This happens if the air flow is instructed by dust or other impediments that prevent the fan from cooling the inside of the computer, graphics card or CPU.
The solution is obviously to check the fans and clean the vents of dust.
To help us, read the two guides:
- Clean the fans and inside the computer
- 8 ways to cool your pc in hot weather
8) A Malware or Virus
Never underestimate the ability of viruses to infect a computer even if it is protected with an antivirus.
Even the most experienced can become victims of malware that don't stand out, it doesn't seem to do anything special, except for the fact that the PC goes slower or freezes often.
In other articles we wrote:
- How to know if your PC is infected with a virus
- What to do if your computer is affected by a virus
- What to do when you discover a virus on your computer in 10 steps
9) Wrong or badly installed programs
Someone like me, who writes on a computer blog and is always looking for new programs, can sometimes run into corrupt or busted software, which cause errors on the PC or that malfunction.
It may also be that a program does not perform well due to an installation that went wrong or corrupted by a second subsequent software with similar functions.
The ideal is to always use programs updated to the latest version, as long as they are compatible with the operating system used.
For example, if Office 2013 does not work well, or freezes, it is better to switch to the older version of 2007.
If a program locks your computer, see here how to unlock windows if your pc freezes or if your computer goes slow.
10) In other articles we have seen, to deepen:
- If the PC does not connect to the internet, how to restore the network and web browsing
- If the PC does not connect to the internet, restore the network and web browsing
- If the PC does not start, resolve with Hiren boot CDs and emergency rescue disks
- Data and file recovery from a computer that does not start
- If Windows doesn't start and won't start, how to save everything and reinstall
- Find out what's wrong with your computer when it doesn't work well
For any problem, however, whenever possible, it is worth printing the Guide to repair your computer without going to the technician
