Computer Freeze Ups - The Top 3 Things That Cause Them

It's a harrowing experience at best. You're using your computer and suddenly the mouse doesn't move the cursor anymore. The cursor doesn't even blink and you have no way to shut the computer down without pressing the startup switch for 5 seconds. This is what is known as a freeze up.

Many people refer to computer stoppages with computer error messages or illegal operation messages as freeze ups but they are not. There is not much difference between a freeze up and a computer error since they both shut down operations. However, just plain freeze ups seem so much more mysterious. In any event, in this article, we will reveal what the most likely causes of freeze ups and computer errors are.

Several years ago most freezes were caused by hardware that was installed and as it turns out, the hardware was not compatible with the system it is installed on. For instance, a sound card designed for Windows 3.11 installed on Windows 3.1 could create all kinds of problems including freeze ups.

Today's Version of Hardware Incompatibility

These types of problems aren't prevalent anymore, but mismatched device drivers are common. Sometimes a mismatched driver will cause a freeze up every two weeks or so. Sometimes they will be a lot more frequent. Drivers are installed when any new hardware is installed on a computer system. Sometimes they will be perfect when they are first installed, but because Windows updates will make changes in the operating system and not the drivers, a mismatch will occur sometime down the road. In any event, Mismatched drivers cause more true freeze ups than any other computer problem.

Repairing driver problems was once extremely difficult. Now however, thanks to a great new device called a driver scanner, it is simple. Not only will a reliable driver scanner track down the problem. It will upgrade the driver too. Great!

Viruses and Spyware

The second thing that needs to be mentioned is viruses and spyware. Most people do have at least a virus scanner installed on their computer. Most virus scanners will scan for and find most spyware but not all of it. So, if you suspect spyware get a free spyware scan to make sure you are spyware free because this stuff can cause computer problems while it is stealing your identity.

When spyware or viruses are causing freeze ups they usually are not sporadic like freeze ups driver mismatches cause. These freeze ups will make your computer difficult to use at all.

Registry Corruption Causes Registry Errors

Last but not least when it comes to freezing a computer is corruption in the registry. An operating system's registry is basically what makes it go. All the information about users, programs, hardware and even the operating system itself are contained in the registry. When the registry becomes corrupt it may not have the information it should and so the OS will be unable to complete what it was doing. Without knowing what to do next, the computer will just freeze, or as is more often the case, stop and throw an error message up on the screen.

Easier than even running a virus, spyware or driver scanner is running a registry cleaner. A registry cleaner is a tool necessary for keeping our operating systems, especially Windows XP and Vista registries running fast, error free and without freezing.

As time goes on, it is becoming necessary to have a registry cleaner, virus cleaner, spyware cleaner and a driver scanner installed on your computer. With these tools installed, you can take care of just about any problem a computer could throw at you. Take heart though, even if you need all the tools mentioned in this article, it isn't so bad. The makers of these software programs have package deals where you can purchase them all at the same time for probably a lot less than you would think!

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About the Author:
You've learned a lot about freeze ups and what to do about them. Now find out how to keep your computer running at top speed at Why is My Computer So Slow. Also, find out how all the top registry cleaners rated when put to a very stringent test at: Registry Cleaner Review.