"How can I help my computer stop freezing up?" is a question you don't want to ask yourself, believe me! On the other hand, even experts get to this point once in a while, so you shouldn't become desperate when random freezes occur. Usually, things that seem to be random are far from being this way, so first thing to do is to notice when this unfortunate event occurs, then think about stopping it. Before moving on, let me tell you only one thing - did you try turning on the heat? Just look at the frozen computer below!



The easy solution to the problem described here is to grab a specialist and ask him to solve it for you, or call your geek friends, if you got any. The interesting part is that you can take it step by step, and solve the problem by yourself, without any risks of becoming a computer geek yourself. Here's a quick walkthrough...

1. Check all cables and power connectors - for the start, you don't want to get inside your computer, so just check external cables to be in place

2. Ensure your computer is properly ventilated - if you stuck the poor machine in a corner, with less than at least 8-10 inches to the nearest wall, it may not be able to get fresh air for cooling, and freezes could happen due to - how ironically - overheating.

3. Scan for viruses - if you don't have any antivirus software installed, you could try one of the many online scanners available, like those from Kaspersky, BitDefender, or Trend Micro.

4. Sometimes, faulty drivers may cause system freezes. Spare a few minutes to update to the latest drivers for your video card, <-250x250 Square - right->mainboard, and other devices you may have, and then look for problems with them online(the official forums for each manufacturer of those devices should be great places to start with).

5. If the virus scan proves to come up with good results, don't be glad that your computer is clean. Try to spare a few minutes and check our computer safety tips. They may not help you avoid computer freezes, but will surely lower the risks of getting infected with some virus...

6. Defragment your hard drive and clean your Windows OS(if you have Linux or Mac OS X, you don't need to do such things)! The Windows cleaning tips we talked about some months ago will surely get come in handy here!

7. While speed tweaks are exactly what the name says, sometimes they can fix issues, although this doesn't make any sense. When it comes to Windows, sometimes you just do it, and thank your lucky star in the end - I know how does that feel, I've been there. I was trying to do one thing, I ended up fixing it in a completely different manner, and I couldn't explain exactly what happen. In the end, it's the result that really matters - just be sure to check the speed tweaks for XP article, it may help you a lot!

This would be all the important stuff you should think about when talking about computers freezing over - at least that's what comes to me when I think about it now. "How can I help my computer stop freezing up?" is not just a question, it's a nightmare. If you have some story to share with us, please go ahead and do it, we're all listening, but before I go, let me tell you a very short story of mine...

...a few years ago, I had a computer that started to reboot about two times when I tried to start Windows. No hardware or software changes happened in the last few days, so I almost went crazy. I managed to torn apart the computer, then bring all the pieces together, but reboots continued. After the initial reboots, computer was rock solid, and I had no reliability problems. What do you think helped me stop the strange problem? Patience, and nothing more! The same way it started, the same way it ended - without any special event to make it happen. That's my story; for now, good bye and see you soon!