Anatomy of a PC crash: 7 scenarios, and

how to avoid them

Alex Cocilova@TheBrowncoat88
Jan 22, 2013 3:00 AM
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Alex CocilovaAssistant Editor, PCWorld
Alex covers desktops, everything from fancy to practical. He's also an avid (addicted) gamer and loves
following the industry.
More by Alex Cocilova
First there's a little stutter. Next a program hangs, and a funny noise creeps from your machine.
Then that familiar blue screen slaps you in the face. Your computer just crashed, and all you can do
is sit in the awkward silence of a restart, and hope it wasn't fatal.
There are many possible causes for these hellish episodes, and it's important to be educated on the
whys and hows of PC crashes to prevent them in the future. After all, the next crash could be your
PC's last. Following is a rundown of seven common causes and solutions.
Hardware conflicts
Many blue screens are a result of hardware and installation conflicts. All of your system's
components consume IRQs (interrupt request channels) when installed, and every device requires
its own channel to function properly. When two devices share the same channel and are used
simultaneously, a crash can occur.
Thumb through your Device Manager, and look for any devices marked with a yellow exclamation
point. These are the ones with issues, and can usually be fixed with a driver update. Just search
your device manufacturer's website for the latest driver software, or, in a pinch, reinstall the
offending hardware itself.
The
Device Manager will show you devices with conflicts with a yellow exclamation point.
Bad RAM
Bad memory is to blame for many blue screens and failed boots. Fortunately, however, your RAM
modules are some of the easiest components to check and replace.
First, use the software utility Memtest86+ to ensure your RAM is the problem. If errors arise, you next
need to determine exactly which memory stick is to blame. To do this, remove all the sticks from
your systemsave one inserted in the primary memory slot. If the system boots fine, and no errors
are detected in Memtest86+, continue testing in the same fashionone stick at a time, inserted in
the primary slotuntil the system fails to boot, or Memtest86+ indicates problems.
Eventually, you'll nail down exactly which memory module is causing trouble, and then you can
replace it with a fresh, clean stick (just make it's fully compatible with your motherboard and other
sticks of RAM).
Memtest86+ found some errors with this system.
Heat is thy enemy
Computers get hot. We know this from the loud fans bolted inside our desktops, and the alarming
burning sensation we feel on our legs after using a laptop for too long. Everything inside a PC
generates heat, and heat can cause components to become unstable and crash your PC. Indeed,
computers are designed to crash as a last-ditch effort to protect their own internal components from
permanent heat damage.
If you suspect your PC isn't effectively dispersing enough heat, first check to make sure all your fans
are spinning properly. If one isn't moving, or appears to be spinning abnormally slow, check its
connections to make sure it's properly powered. If all appears fine, but the fan still isn't doing its job,
it's best to replace it.
Next, make sure that all of your PC's vents, grates, and filters are unhindered by dust, pet hair, and
other gross materials that prevent proper airflow. These areas are hotbeds (pun intended) for heat
buildup. If you find any problem areas (see the disgusting example below), use a can of compressed
air to clear the airways.
For laptops, make sure that the machine is on a hard, flat surface that won't "smother" the chassis
around its vents, thus restricting airflow.
Not
only is it gross, it's also killing your computer.
You can monitor the temperature of your CPU with my favorite free monitoring tool, PC Wizard. In
addition to other helpful uses, it will show you the real-time temperature of all your system
components.
If everything looks good with your airflow but the temperatures continue to rise, check your BIOS
settings. If you've messed around with voltage settings during some kind of overclocking escapade,
reset the values to their defaults. The more voltage a component receives, the hotter it becomes.
The
pea method for applying thermal paste.
If you have recently installed a new CPU, the crashing could stem from a poor application of thermal
paste. So remove your heatsink, clean your surfaces with a cotton ball and a little rubbing alcohol,
and try again.
There are competing theories on how to apply thermal paste, but your goal is always the same. The
thermal compound fills the microscopic valleys on the surfaces of the CPU and heatsink to provide
the most even and full contact between the two components. The paste is ineffective when too
littleor too muchis applied. So I use the pea-drop method: I place a small, pea-size drop in the
middle of the CPU, and then place the heatsink directly on top, letting the natural pressure of the
heatsink spread the paste evenly.
Not enough power
It's always fun to cram more powerful components inside your PC, and of course overclocking your
CPU will yield performance dividends. But you can only upgrade so far before you begin running low
on juice. Your PC will become unstable and unexpectedly restart if you put too much strain on your
power supply.
There's no easy way to determine which components are drawing the most power, but your
component manufacturers' websites might list power consumption specs online. From there, you can
calculate your approximate total power consumption, and compare it to the output of your power
supply.
CORSAIRA 650-watt power supply should be adequate for most systems.
If you determine your PSU can't handle the load of all your components, you have to make some
difficult decisions. If you overclocked your CPU, you can return the processor to its original state.
Otherwise, you can replace your power-hungry components for less needy ones, or follow the most
sensible path and simply upgrade your power supply. A 500- to 650-watt power supply should be
able to properly power an average performance PC.
Fragmented hard drive
Your hard drive can become a bit more fragmentedand unstableevery time you save a file,
install a program, or delete something. Not only does this slow down the hard drive, it can also give
your OS trouble when trying to find necessary files to function. So your system will eventually give
up and try againwith a crash.
Defragmenting your PC is as easy as pushing a button.
Run the Disk Defragmenter in your System Tools every week or so to keep your files straightened
out. The process is a pain in the butt while using the PC (you can't save data to the disk while it
defragments), and it can take upwards of an entire day to complete. So set it and forget it before
going to bed or work.
One very important note, however: Defragmenting isn't necessary for solid-state drives. SSDs
already store data in a sequential order (as opposed to random order) and can be susceptible to
damage if defragmented.
A cluttered Registry
Your PC's Registry is a vast library of system settingssettings that can sometimes lead to blue
screens and other instabilities. Indeed, even when programs are uninstalled, their Registry settings
can stay behind. The settings are useless to the daily operation of your PC, but can nonetheless
lead to system bloat, conflict and errors. Your computer continues to scan these error-ridden
Registry entries, slowing everything down. Too much of this, and you can kiss stability goodbye.
Fear
the never-ending root folders!
A good Registry cleaner, such as Free Wise, is the perfect tool for clearing away the clutter. Free
Wise will scan your Registry, find the problems, and exterminate them, leaving your Registry
obstruction free.
The dreaded virus
Yes, malware is a significant cause of blue screens. But, luckily, the solution is simple. Start up your
trusted antivirus program, make sure it's up-to-date, and give your system the most robust scan
available.
Starting in safe mode (press F8 while the computer is starting) is an easy way to go behind a virus'
back to destroy it.
If the virus has disabled your ability to start up your antivirus software, mutter angrily to yourself
while you restart in safe mode by pressing F8 before the Windows logo appears. Safe mode will
disable any extraneous programs and drivers from launching, and allows just the core operating
system to load. Once in safe mode, you should be able to run your antivirus program, and complete
a thorough scan from there.
Gather clues to fix the problem
Any information you can pull off a BSOD can provide a problem-solving clue. So when you get a blue
screen like the one below, write down as much as you can, and search online for information on the
error it's throwing at you. Diagnose the problem and get it solved, because ignoring the problem will
make everything worse in the long run.
That's right: Every time the computer crashes and you don't fix it, you make Windows sad.
Windows 8 redesigned the BSOD to be more user friendly.



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8 comments
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berock212
01/22/2013 01:01 PM PST
I like the new bsod, even though I have never had it. It is a lot less terrifying they the old
bsod that looks like your computer just [censored] itself.
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Sourav8y9s
01/22/2013 02:15 PM PST
Very nice article. As a technical support engineer all of these are common to me but not
for the general people. This page will help them a lot.
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Nivek5150
01/22/2013 04:10 PM PST
The thought of my computer being sad is terrifying. Time to apply these great tips
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KLanD
01/22/2013 04:35 PM PST
Some good tips in this article.
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RayoLight
01/22/2013 06:13 PM PST
I just had this same screen about a month ago even with McAfee continously running. It
turned out to be a malicious rootkit that had somehow installed itself. I ran
Malwarebytes (free edition) it identified and removed it. I had to perform this in safe
mode as my system kept shutting itself down after only a few minutes. I uninstalled
McAfee pronto and installed MS Security Essentials.
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RayoLight
01/22/2013 06:15 PM PST
BTW, McAfee NEVER detected it, even with a full scan.
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KLanD
01/23/2013 07:55 AM PST
RayoLight said
BTW, McAfee NEVER detected it, even with a full scan.
McAfee.. well there's your problem.
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Marc49Lewis
01/25/2013 07:13 AM PST
The article said "First, use the software utility Memtest86 to ensure your RAM is the
problem." Memtest86 is a fantastic tool but a little bit more description here would be
helpful: The program usually comes as an .ISO file that has to be burned onto a
CDRom. After creating that CDRom, you boot your computer from it (you may have to
tell the computer to boot from the CD - others will do it automatically. It loads a
specialised version of DOS and runs the Memtest86+ program under 32bit DOS, with
no interference from anything to do with the Windows installation - no matter which
version you're running. You may not understand all the technical data produced, but if
you see ANYTHING in red, it's a solid indication that the memory chip being tested is
BAD. Dump it and get a fresh stick, paying attention to the type it is, otherwise it either
won't work or may foul the machine up badly.