It happens to us all - you're working on something on the computer and suddenly it either stops responding ("freezes") or it shows the "blue screen of death".

While freezes and crashes are inevitable, there are some things you can do about them.

How do I know if I'm frozen?

There are several indications that let you know your computer may be frozen. The most common is the "unresponsive" program. The program will simply not do what you tell it to do. It may also appear "stuck" in the task bar at the bottom of the screen (it will appear to be eternally minimized, never to be brought back to the front).

You may also see a message pop up, telling you that a program has performed an "illegal operation" or "is no longer responding"; these are ways in which Windows tells you that a program has frozen.

You will most likely be given the option in this window to close the program, or to cancel and let the computer attempt to reopen the program. A major indication that your computer may be frozen is that the mouse "freezes" in its place, and cannot be moved about the screen any more.

The "blue screen of death" is probably the most obvious indication; your computer will flash to a blue-background with white text, listing a small amount of computer code alongside an error message.

What Causes a Crash?

There are many reasons why a computer may freeze or completely crash. The most common reason is an overload in the memory. Computers have a set amount of memory to work with (this is their RAM, or "Random Access Memory"). If you attempt to do more with the computer than it's capable of handling at one time, it may "crash" in an attempt to save itself. Generally, the cause of this is generally that
too many programs are running at once for the computer to handle. If you are not using a program, close it.

Conflicts between programs are other well-known reasons for crashes. Programs such as virus detectors are notorious for conflicting with other applications and utilities. If you notice that crashes are occurring while the same two programs are running, try to avoid running these two programs at the same time.

It is not common for a new computer to freeze a lot. If that happens it could be a hardware related problem.


More information here.