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Common Causes for Computer Freeze
One common causes for a computer freezing up is that it doesn’t have access to enough RAM of memory. A program being used is requiring more of the computer’s resources than the computer can provide and so it freezes. The easiest way to stop the freezing from happening in this case is to get a RAM upgrade or increase the quantity of RAM that it has. The computer also uses empty hard disk space as virtual RAM so if your hard disk space is limited and you have on minimal RAM then it is problematic. Note a 64bit operating system uses empty hard disk space much more effectively than a 32 bit operating system.

When the computer freezes you can press Ctrl +Alt + Del simultaneously and it will show you Task Manager.
Task Manager allows you to see what it running on your computer and what is “Not Responding” you can select the latter and then select “End Task”, it will ask you to verify you want to end the task, select “Yes”
You many loose your document but it will enable you too keep working, and ideally restart your program and get back to what you were doing.

RAM issue explained:
Each computer needs a certain amount of RAM to just to run and then to maintain the functioning Operating System, then the remaining RAM available is needed to run programs. When a program is opened, that program uses up part of the memory from the RAM. If you start another program it uses a different part of the available RAM. WhenRAM is limited the computer would not be able to resource all of the programs at once, so one of them or the entire screen will simply freeze until it finds some free space to process the programs. Starting too many programs at start up can also cause your computer screen to freeze because it monopolises and depletes the resources. Be advised to remove unnecessary programs from your “Start” group.

Regular PC Maintenance:
Regular PC maintenance is a good way of keeping your computer performing at well and maintaining optimal running speeds.
Doing regular disk clean, scan and defragment -

1. Open “Computer...” (in previous versions “My Computer...”
2. Right click on you “C Drive”
3. Select “Properties...” (See graphic below)
4. Select “Disk Cleanup” select the groups of files from the list to remove from your hard drive, e.g., Temporary Internet Files, Temp files, etc.
5. When asked to verify the respective files choose “Yes” (Removing such files regularly, i.e., monthly is a good practice.

1. Select the “Tools” tab
2. Select the relevant hard drive, i.e., “C” defragment it manually or schedule or adjusted it through “Configure schedule...”
3. Regular deframentation will only enhance the overall performance of your computer.

There are some ways to ensure that your computer keeps running smoothly besides the regular maintenance mentioned above.
Keep your Anti-Virus program updated and run regular virus scans at least weekly
Check your computer regularly for spyware and malware.
Anti Virus and Spyware Protection
Anti-virus, spyware protection and other security programs may be running in the background and slowing your computer down considerably. These programs scan the computer and can decrease its overall performance. They are important but it is better to have them scheduled to scan when you are not working on your computer, this can be scheduled by you in the "Settings" section of the relevant program.
Note: It is really important that you only have 1 anti virus program on your computer, if you have more than one they will compete against each other and slow you system down considerably.

Malware
Spyware and other malware is a big cause of many computer problems including a slow computer. Despite having an anti-virus scanner on your computer a malware scanner may also be helpful on the computer. Microsoft provide Security Essentials free of charge for the removal of this software. All of their free protection software is available for download at the Safety & Security website http://www.microsoft.com/security/default.aspx

Updates
Keep Windows Up to date:

• Update Windows (This links to our Windows Update page of instructions)
• Make sure you have all the latest Windows updates installed in the computer.
• If you are on the Internet when your computer is slow also make sure all browser plugins are up-to-date.

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