1. Hardware conflict
The number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware
conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices
through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are supposed to
be unique for each device. For example a printer usually connects
internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the
floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a single IRQ
for itself.
2. Bad Ram
Ram (random-access memory) problems might bring on the blue
screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A
fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may
mean a part is damaged and will need replacing.
But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of
chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns
Ram will usually force the computer to run the entire Ram at the
slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is
overworked.
3. BIOS settings
Every motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset settings that
are decided in the factory. A common way to access these settings
is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds of a
boot-up.
Once inside the BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a good idea
to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear on the
screen. That way, if you change something and the computer
becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to.
4 .Hard disk drives
After a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to
become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment
the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a
screen freeze.
5. Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errors
Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by
video card problems.
These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of
the video display.
6. Viruses
Often the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses
erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible t o start.
This is why it is a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk.
7. Printers
The action of sending a document to print creates a bigger file,
often called a postscript file.
Printers have only a small amount of memory, called a buffer. This
can be easily overloaded. Printing a document also uses a
considerable amount of CPU power. This will also slow down the
computer's performance.
8. Software
A common cause of computer crash is faulty or badly-installed
software. Often the problem can be cured by uninstalling the
software and then reinstalling it. Use Norton Uninstall or Uninstall
Shield to remove an application from your system properly. This
will also remove references to the programme in the System
Registry and leaves the way clear for a completely fresh copy.
9. Overheating
Central processing units (CPUs) are usually equipped with fans to
keep them cool. If the fan fails or if the CPU gets old it may start
to overheat and generate a particular kind of error called a kernel
error. This is a common problem in chips that have been
overclocked to operate at higher speeds than they are supposed to.
One remedy is to get a bigger better fan and install it on top of the
CPU. Specialist cooling fans/heatsinks are available
from www.computernerd.com or www.coolit.com
10. Power supply problems
With all the new construction going on around the country the
steady supply of electricity has become disrupted. A power surge
or spike can crash a computer as easily as a power cut.
The number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware
conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices
through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are supposed to
be unique for each device. For example a printer usually connects
internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the
floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a single IRQ
for itself.
2. Bad Ram
Ram (random-access memory) problems might bring on the blue
screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A
fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may
mean a part is damaged and will need replacing.
But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of
chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns
Ram will usually force the computer to run the entire Ram at the
slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is
overworked.
3. BIOS settings
Every motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset settings that
are decided in the factory. A common way to access these settings
is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds of a
boot-up.
Once inside the BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a good idea
to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear on the
screen. That way, if you change something and the computer
becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to.
4 .Hard disk drives
After a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to
become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment
the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a
screen freeze.
5. Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errors
Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by
video card problems.
These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of
the video display.
6. Viruses
Often the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses
erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible t o start.
This is why it is a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk.
7. Printers
The action of sending a document to print creates a bigger file,
often called a postscript file.
Printers have only a small amount of memory, called a buffer. This
can be easily overloaded. Printing a document also uses a
considerable amount of CPU power. This will also slow down the
computer's performance.
8. Software
A common cause of computer crash is faulty or badly-installed
software. Often the problem can be cured by uninstalling the
software and then reinstalling it. Use Norton Uninstall or Uninstall
Shield to remove an application from your system properly. This
will also remove references to the programme in the System
Registry and leaves the way clear for a completely fresh copy.
9. Overheating
Central processing units (CPUs) are usually equipped with fans to
keep them cool. If the fan fails or if the CPU gets old it may start
to overheat and generate a particular kind of error called a kernel
error. This is a common problem in chips that have been
overclocked to operate at higher speeds than they are supposed to.
One remedy is to get a bigger better fan and install it on top of the
CPU. Specialist cooling fans/heatsinks are available
from www.computernerd.com or www.coolit.com
10. Power supply problems
With all the new construction going on around the country the
steady supply of electricity has become disrupted. A power surge
or spike can crash a computer as easily as a power cut.
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