Yes, computers do grow old. And just like how in older people, systems and supports are beginning to fail, the same thing happens with older computers that are loaded with too much junk. And when your computer gets older, a lot of strange things happen to it, and it likes to be temperamental. It will take a certain joy in frustrating you, and will tend to freeze up and lock up the mouse and keyboard. So, in your frustration, you will end up doing things you regret.

Nope, not a good idea. When your computer freezes (also known as hanging or crashing), there are some things you can do; however, if you get frustrated with it and immediately restart or turn off the computer, you may end up losing valuable data and possibly damaging the computer. Usually, you might have to press CTRL+ALT+DELETE in order to try to close programs that aren’t responding or taking up too much CPU. Otherwise, you might need to restart, and lose data. But why do computers freeze up in the first place?

Well, there are many reasons. You could have low memory or low disk space; your hard disk may be too fragmented, or you might have so many programs open at the same time that you’re using up all your RAM (random access memory). Your processor speed might be very low, or you could have corrupted files that are adversely affecting the computer, or you may even have a virus. You could be running software that has bugs and will affect your computer, or your computer could be overheating due to the cooling fan not working well. You could possibly have memory chip problems, as well.

With so many possible causes for your computer to freeze, there is a diverse range of possible solutions to stop your computer from freezing up. To start out, you might want to do a disk cleanup to remove over-clogged temporary files, clear out the recycle bin, or get rid of cache files. Avoid running too many applications at the same time, especially if your processing power is not high. Also, if the freezing is related to one application, then uninstall and reinstall it, because some files in the application may have become corrupted. If the freezing has been happening ever since you installed a new program, uninstall it. You can reinstall to see if it still freezes after, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Delete files and uninstall programs that you no longer need so that you can clear out some disk space. Get the latest Windows Update and try to acquire the latest patches for the software you’re using. Use your anti-virus software to scan the computer, and update your drivers for your hardware, because they might be out of date. Also, try running Check Disk (or ScanDisk) and defragment your disk.

These options, while they may not entirely get rid of your freezing problems, should deal with most issues. Try the one that you think may help most after you’ve identified your problem, and go with it. Good luck!