A quick checklist to solve PC freezes and crashes

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Does you PC freeze from time to time and you don't know what to do?

The following is a quick checklist to narrow down the possible reasons and solve the problem.

 

Possible reasons:

1. OVERHEATING: Check the CPU temperature from the BIOS and compare it to the manufacturer's recommendations. If it's higher, you have a problem.
2. INSUFFICIENT RAM: If you have less than 4 GB RAM and use a modern OS (Windows 7, 8.1) you need more RAM.
3. BROWSER ISSUES: If your browser hangs or crashes constantly, try using a different browser and check whether you notice any difference.
4. MALWARE: If you experience frequent crashes and hangs but you don't have many programs installed or didn't do anything that could reasonably cause these problems, check for malware because it can dramatically clog up your PC.
5. OUTDATED SYSTEM: Start Windows Update and apply any patches and updates available for your computer. System updates may sometimes fix bugs causing the problems you were experiencing.
6. INSUFFICIENT DISK SPACE: Windows needs at least 15% of available disk space for system maintenance, otherwise it acts up.  Check your disk usage and clean up as more junk files as you can.
7. TOO MANY AUTO-STARTING PROGRAMS: This issue is strictly related to RAM freezes. If you have too many programs running automatically, they end up utilizing most of your RAM and you may run out of it with consequent freezes and crashes. You can check on it by using System Configuration (Start/Search/msconfig.exe). Once you open it, select the "Startup" tab to view your auto-starting programs and deselect any not necessary or suspicious entries. Google any entry you're not sure about before deselecting it because you could kill a legit process, necessary for Windows to work correctly.