Freezing up problem......

[lelania777]

Hi there,
I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on why my laptop (Dell Inspiron 9300) sometimes freezes up so bad that the mouse cursor won't move & the end task manager won't even come on.......Have any ideas? Thanks in advance!!

[Hootmon]

If you havent made any changes that could result in that behavior, my first thought is Heat. Possibly caused by dust buildup.

Get some canned air and give it (while its turned off and unplugged) a thorough blasting.

Take out the battery and remove any easily accessable covers to give you more access to the internals.

[Mitsy]

It's been a while since I've been in the IT industry but freezing up often means it's doing something big and running out of RAM or there is a program conflict or unauthorised access to your computer.

What can be using up your RAM? Your System Registry could be full of Spyware, you could have some malware or there might be unauthorised access to your CPU or who knows?

You need to have someone take a look at your computer to identify what is causing the freezing.

I have no experience with Dell and not sure how recent your computer model is and I don't know it's configuration and what kind of software you are running etc. I can't help you solve it easily through posting here.

If you are computer savvy get yourself some Computer System tools software and that will help weed out what may be running on your computer without your knowledge and causing the freezing. If you are not too computer savvy then I would go to a Computer Shop.

I've had freezing problems a while back and solved it through buying some computer tools software. It found a whole lot of junk in my system from all the software we have loaded onto our PC and then decided removed (through the proper software removal programs). So much junk from all this activity was left behind. Most of it in the System Register that is not removed even when you properly uninstall the software with it's own uninstall programs.

I hope you can get it sorted out.

[lelania777]

Thank you both very much!! I know my sister did try and remove some things I don't really need, but I'm too scared to remove anything myself especially if I don't know what it is, or what it does......It seems to do it more when it's charging and hot, & it gets really hot, so I don't know......

[chrisb01]

You can also go to programs and try 'Disk Cleanup' and or 'Disk Defragmenter'.

[Mitsy]

Thank you both very much!! I know my sister did try and remove some things I don't really need, but I'm too scared to remove anything myself especially if I don't know what it is, or what it does......It seems to do it more when it's charging and hot, & it gets really hot, so I don't know......

If it is a laptop you can buy a cooling stand. This allows cool air to circulate underneath and helps in keeping your laptop from getting too hot.

If it is a tower computer and it is getting hot you may need to have your fan looked at and cleaned out (often there can be a build up of dust inside). If you buy the can of spray to clean out your computer yourself, remember the spray is toxic so do it quickly and with windows open nearby.

[lelania777]

Thanks and yes it's a lap top, & usually just gets super hot when charging.....Thanks for all the advice, I appreciate it!!

[lelania777]

You can also go to programs and try 'Disk Cleanup' and or 'Disk Defragmenter'.

Yeah I think it has a problem defragging because I don't understand it, but it seems like it never totally analyzes, and never fully defrags.....Then again, it could be working fine and I just don't know it, haha!!

[tbrian40]

When was the last time you defragged your computer? Do you have an anti-virus program installed? Just curious.

[tbrian40]

Yeah I think it has a problem defragging because I don't understand it, but it seems like it never totally analyzes, and never fully defrags.....Then again, it could be working fine and I just don't know it, haha!!

Defrag before you go to bed...it is a lengthy process and set your PC for shutdown mode after this. Should do the trick.

[lelania777]

Is it safe to defrag while surfing?

[chrisb01]

No, I agree with tbrian40, don't do anything while the computer is defragging, do it before you go to bed and let it run during the night. It does take a long time.

[lelania777]

K, thanks!!

[lelania777]

No, I agree with tbrian40, don't do anything while the computer is defragging, do it before you go to bed and let it run during the night. It does take a long time.

I have it set to defrag at 1 am tomorrow morning, hope that helps.....