On older Windows XP and earlier versions, the “blue screen” was a bad habit, which actually slowed down all sorts of PC work at the time. Today it is certainly less frequent but that does not mean that Windows 10 does not crash anyway. There are several reasons why your PC crashes or freezes: Sudden blue screen, continuous restart or interrupted startup, screen frozen (freeze) with the mouse not moving anymore, normal sudden restart without any indication. Unfortunately, Windows is a complex operating system that is designed to work in the best way on any computer in which it is installed (while the Mac OSX system is installed only on Macs) so it can happen that, under particular circumstances, it works badly.In this guide, we will show you what they are the main reasons for Windows 10 crashes, so as to better understand what happens when the “blue screen with the sad smile” appears (the new version of the BSOD, prettier but equally depressing), when it reboots by itself or when everything crashes.READ ALSO: Scan for Windows “blue screen” crashes and look for the cause of the error
Errors that cause crashes on Windows 10
Windows 10 is an operating system that has to run on billions of different hardware configurations and surely there are more stable computers on the market than the other, even if apparently identical. In the following chapters, we will show you what are the main reasons why Windows crashes or freezes, so that you can avoid them as much as possible.
Wanting to analyze the common errors on PCs with Windows 10 operating system, we can summarize them in the chapters present below; if we find ourselves in one of the errors shown, we avoid running them or try other methods to bypass the problem (especially if the problem concerns system updates).
READ ALSO: Ways to Repair Windows 10 and Create Recovery Disk
Fatal memory or motherboard error
A common reason for a blue screen (also called a BSOD or Blue Screen of Death) is a RAM or motherboard problem; in practice, the data that must be saved in the memory cannot be recovered by the processor, and inconsistency is created that the computer cannot manage.
It’s possible to check if the memory is intact with a program like Memtest86 or, in some cases, using the motherboard diagnostic tool if it was provided.
Another way to check that the RAM is not broken is obvious to replace it with a new one and see if the problem goes away. On the other hand, it is very difficult to understand if the problem is with the motherboard of the PC since problems with such an important component usually result in the complete blocking of the computer (which does not even start). If all the reasons for this article can be ruled out, then it is the motherboard to be ruined and all that remains is to change computers.
BIOS / UEFI settings
Most motherboards leave the factory with configuration settings compatible with any hardware; these settings can be changed by the seller of the PC or by the user himself and problems could arise. Another common problem, especially in case the computer starts very slowly, is the boot order that puts the USB port or CD as the first choice. Therefore, if you leave a USB stick connected to the PC, and boot from USB is set as the first option in the BIOS, the PC looks for an operating system on the key and, finding nothing, stops.
Enter the BIOS e change the computer boot order putting back the hard disk, called HDD, as the first choice.
In another article, we also showed you how to do a BIOS reset by clearing the CMOS memory.
Corrupted registry
The Windows Registry has become much more difficult to “crack”, but it can still be ruined by some programs or old viruses. A corrupt registry is primarily responsible for crashes computer or startup correctly and quickly, and it can be very difficult to get it back to working properly without formatting the entire computer.
To solve the simplest problems we start the pc in safe mode e we clean the registry with CCleaner or other programs.
Damaged, incorrect, or outdated drivers
The most frequent reason for Windows crashes or computer freezes is definitely related to drivers. The hardware drivers tell the operating system what it must do with the components from which the pc is formed: audio, video, printer, mouse, keyboard, etc; if they don’t work properly, the computer doesn’t understand what to do with a device and crashes.
Crashes of this type are usually associated with an error message indicating the name of the offending hardware; if not, try to Google the message to see if this is found to be the culprit. If possible, try using the computer with all external devices disconnected and selectively see if one of them is to blame.
Update the PC drivers, and if the problem persists, try completely uninstalling the drivers and reinstalling them from scratch.
Problemi dell ‘Hard disk and all’ SSD
The mechanical disk or SSD is the part of the computer that gets damaged the fastest. A hard disk failure or even a small sector of it is a major cause of Windows startup or crash problems. In severe cases, when the computer loses its ability to find the boot drive and therefore the main disk where Windows is installed, after verifying that the BIOS is configured correctly (see point 2), then it is a problem for the hard disk to be changed or repaired.
If you can still start your computer, try using it through ScanDisk for finding disk errors and then do a hard disk integrity check. If the disk does not boot at all, you have to reinstall Windows to a new hard disk. After everything works, you can connect the old hard drive as a secondary to recover the files and bring them back to the new one.
General operating problems
Windows sometimes crash if you receive contradictory information from various pieces of hardware. This is a generally random type of blockage that you shouldn’t worry too much about unless it is frequent. If there is a hardware conflict, open the Device management and check if there are icons with the yellow exclamation mark. You can then update the driver or disable that component to bring the situation back to normal.
In another article, we have seen how to use Windows troubleshooters, for various types of generic errors.
Virus or a Trojan
Even today, advanced malware (such as trojans or ransomware) can cause serious damage to your PC and cause malfunctions. Malicious software could damage or remove drivers, delete important system files, or change administrative settings.
There are those who think that it is not worth fighting against viruses when they have already ruined everything, but you must never lose heart and, before formatting everything, you can try some ways. To clean your PC we can also read our guide How to remove viruses and malware.
Power problems
A computer freezes and crashes suddenly restarting in case there is a power overload or a sudden power failure. A problem with the internal power supply reduces the power it can deliver, or causes an uneven flow of power, which can cause crashes (replace the power supply).
In another article, we looked at what symptoms if the PC power supply has failed or is about to break. If, on the other hand, there is a power problem at home, the advice is to have aUPS unit that acts as a battery for the computer. Obviously check that the power socket, the power cable, or the power strip are intact.
Poorly designed software
Most program errors do not cause Windows to crash unless the program is heavily leveraging a hardware component. For example, heavy software such as video games that take full advantage of computer graphics cards can cause crashes due to this heavy use of hardware capabilities. In rare cases, your PC may freeze at startup due to software starting automatically.
This type of problem can be solved by booting into safe mode and using MSConfig to disable programs that start automatically or, even better, use the Windows 10 task manager to identify active processes.
Overheating
In computers, there are sensors to detect the temperature. If too high a temperature is detected, especially in portable computers, the computer will shut down to protect the integrity of the hardware before permanent damage. Overheating occurs mainly in summer when it is very hot. In rare cases, it can understand that the sensors break and that the computer turns itself off after a short time after it is turned on. A beep at the time of the crash could be a signal indicating the processor overheating.
If there is a problem with insufficient ventilation, in another article they are described 8 ways to cool your pc in hot weather.
System updates
On Windows 10, updates are automatic and allow you to introduce new functions, as well as fix security bugs that can be exploited by malware or hackers to take control of the PC. Updates on Windows are therefore essential, but on some computers, they may also lead to sudden freezes or crashes, perhaps due to an incompatibility with the drivers or other programs on the PC.
Obviously in this case we can not give up the updates, but nothing prevents us from removing a faulty update and wait for the next one so that we can keep the latest stable version and bypass the problem. To learn more we can read our guide How to uninstall Windows updates if they cause errors.
Conclusions
In this guide, we have seen a nice summary of the most common causes of Windows crashes and serious errors on computers. There are times that solving is difficult and requires the intervention of the technician, while other times it is absolutely possible to repair your computer without going to the technician.
To learn more we can also read our guides DIY computer repairs: change RAM, power supply, and hard drive e ways to fix blue screen problems, sudden computer shutdown or restart.