Computer crashes can sincerely be frustrating. One moment your PC seems fine and then next it’s down and takes your files along with it.
However, as suddenly and seemingly unexpected as computer crashes can be, they do give signs beforehand.
Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, reveals six issues your PC is likely to have before it crashes.
- Hardware conflict
Sometimes, two components of a PC will try to consume the same resource or perform the same task. This creates a hardware conflict which manifests itself in unusual behaviour during certain tasks. An example of this is an audio conflict that might disable audio in some programs, but not in others. These conflicts might not initially crash the system, but they tend to cause instability in the system which leads to a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) and/or a reboot.
To fix this, you should open the Windows’ Device Manager (you can find this in the Control Panel or via Windows Search) and check for hardware with a conflict. Hardware with a conflict typically appears with a yellow exclamation point next to it. You can re-install drivers for the malfunctioning hardware, or if you can’t stop the two components from interfering with it each other, try disabling one of them. If that still doesn’t work, then you probably have to physically remove one of the conflicting components (a technician should be able to help with this).
- Random file or program corruption issues
This is one of the classic signs of an imminent computer crash. This is when files that always worked suddenly don’t open, or only work on occasion. It may or may not be accompanied by an error message. To fix this, you should first ensure your anti-virus is running and up to date. Then you should run a full system scan for malware. A virus can sometimes be the cause of this issue. Another cause is a failing hard drive, so you should also check this for problems. If this doesn’t reveal the problem, look for hardware conflicts in the Windows Device Manager. A driver issue might be the cause.
- Slow, unreliable or noisy mechanical hard drive
Though mechanical hard drives have become reliable over time, they still contain mechanical components that eventually wear out over time. So, the failure of these parts is a reality that users should prepare themselves for.
If programs are taking a long time to load, files don’t always open, or the sound of the driver has become louder when it’s working, then it’s likely the hard drive is wearing out. You can check the drive for errors, but please don’t consider yourself problem free if the result shows no errors. It is better to backup data to be safe.
- Noisy system fan
If your PC fan is suddenly louder than normal, it’s because its internals are too warm. This can eventually lead to a crash and even hardware damage. SpeedFan, a PC monitoring tool, can help you investigate the problem and give you information on the temperatures your CPU and GPU are reporting. If the problem persists, you can take your PC to a technician to open up your desktop and clean out its fan, or replace the cooling pad with a new one.
- Random software and/or hardware launches
If software launches without your permission, it is likely that your PC is a victim of malware. Often, the programs that appear are linked to one advertisement or the other, but Trojan can allow this avenue of attack. Also, if certain hardware like the webcam tends to activate without your consent, this is also part of the issue. This tampering eventually leads to problems with your PC as your PC is slammed with unwanted programs or its files are corrupted maliciously.
Solving this problem is not very easy, but you can remove the malwares and properly clean up your PC after an attack. An easier solution would be to make sure your files are backed up and then perform a clean re-install of Windows.
- Occasional boot errors
When your system occasionally shows errors when you are booting your PC, it’s one of the signs to consider. The error message is usually along the lines of “boot device not found”. The Windows might eventually fail to reboot after the message, but might work at a later time or immediately if you press the reset button.
Occasional boot errors are generally a sign that something is wrong with your hard drive, or that your Windows installation has become corrupt. The common and usually the only way to fix this problem is to replace the drive and/ or re-install Windows.
