Friday, December 10, 2010

Why Does My Computer Crash at the Worst Times?

By: Travis Van Slooten

If you have ever been the unfortunate victim of a computer failure, you have probably been left wondering, "Why does my computer crash when I need it the most?" Although it may seem like just an extremely unfortunate coincidence that your computer crashed right at hour 10 of that term paper you have been working on, the odds are good that the crash was not a coincidence at all. In fact, when you need your computer the most is often when you put it under a strain that it simply cannot take. Sometimes, it is entirely preventable.

To keep this from happening to you, it's important that you know how to diagnose the cause of failure. This may seem difficult to do in the face of a crashed computer. Keep in mind though that every computer figure has its signals which can help you get to the heart of the matter. Determining the cause of the crash can give you the chance to prevent it from happening.

When a computer is used to the very limits of its capability, it undergoes physical stress, and heat is one of these stresses. When a computer has been working for too long in an area with poor ventilation, the unit can overheat and just shut off. For some fortunate users, a computer may simply shut down as a form of precaution and you just need to give it time to release the heat before turning it back up. Sadly though, overheating can also lead to hardware failure, in which case, you would need to find a hard drive replacement. An overused computer can also be using more power than it usually does, and this could cause the power supply to burn out. You would know if this is the case if the unit does not turn on at all.

But if you're asking, "Why does my computer crash constantly?" then you may not have hardware issues, but software issues. A virus is a common culprit for people who download a lot of files onto their computer or who work on a large network. If you think you are protected from viruses, you may get crashes because of the software that protects you. Believe it or not, anti-virus software is notorious for causing crashes due to software conflicts. Be sure to read up on your anti-virus software for any known issues. Finally, a fragmented hard drive or dirty registry can cause your computer to become sluggish or crash seemingly randomly. Always make sure to run defrag and a registry cleaner at regular intervals.

The early signs of a computer crash are easy to recognize: a hard drive making strange noises could be experiencing mechanical failure, and desktop errors you often encounter may be indicative of software conflict within the system. If you stay on the alert for these signs, you can do preventive measures to avoid a computer crash, or even just do a data backup of all your computer files before it is too late. Most computers are bound to fail sooner or later, but if you have a file backup plan in place, you won't be left so helpless, and asking "Why does my computer crash?"

Why Does My Computer Crash? Hopefully this article has addressed that question! Realize, though, that you won't be able to prevent all crashes. They are unavoidable. The best thing you can do is protect your data by backing it up with online backup services. Visit us to read the Mozy Home review

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About the Author

Travis Van Slooten is an expert author featured on EzineArticles.com. He writes on a variety of topics ranging from diet supplements to electronics to home improvements.

(ArticlesBase SC #1258393)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ - Why Does My Computer Crash at the Worst Times?

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