“My computer keeps freezing and overheating, and I do not know what to do now except throw it away!” Before you decide to throw away your seemingly broken computer, try to find out if it’s a hardware or software problem. If it is a hardware problem, it might cost you a chunk of money to get it repaired, but it might just be a simple software problem that could be fixed with a few simple (and often free) programs. A few of the most common broken PC computer-freezing items are:
- Virus – Not all viruses are obvious. Get a free antivirus trial online if you have no form of virus protection.
- Drivers – Upgrading is not always the best option. If it is working fine, keep it the way it is. Reversely, if a driver is giving you a problem, look for an update.
- Software – No piece of software is bug-free. If your computer is always freezing while a certain program is running, that program may be the cause.
- Missing Important Files – Files get accidentally moved around sometimes. Reinstalling software might fix it.
- Corrupt Data – Over time, hard drives sometimes develop bad sectors. Running the Windows Repair feature at Start-up can sometimes turn those bad sectors into good sectors.
- Hard drive is full – A full, or nearly full, hard drive can be the cause of a computer running slow. Deleting unnecessary files and defragmenting your computer can be your “slow computer fix”.
- Incompatible hardware/software – Hardware, like software, is made specifically for other types hardware and software. In rare cases, a simple compatibility issue can freeze your computer. Broken or malfunctioning hardware can also be a reason why my computer is freezing.
Luckily, the Internet makes available many free registry fix programs, anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and diagnostics tools.
Advice: 
Before trying a program that claims to help you out, research it. See what kind of reviews it is getting. If it claims to do something and it is otherwise unheard of on a simple Google search, I would stay away from it. A small list of programs that work great at helping you computer out are AVG, Ad-aware, and Registry Mechanic. There are plenty of free programs out there, but the benefit of paying for one is added support and free updates. Quality is also often better. Helpful and trusted programs are certainly not limited to those previously mentioned. There are also website-oriented companies out there such as pcpitstop which runs a full check on your system and then lists ways your computer can be improved.
System Restore:
The system restore (SR) feature that comes with the Windows operating system is a great way to go back in time to when your computer was running silky smooth. This, of course, is not a fix all. It will not fix anything that has caused permanent damage to your computer. Throwing your computer off of a building and expecting System Restore to fix it is a little bit far-fetched. Also, some viruses intentionally disable System Restore and wipe the saved points in time SR makes. It is always certainly worth a try because you can always undo a system restore (also called a “pc restore”).
Video Cards and Your Computer Freezing:
This is a common problem with online gaming just because of how often games are updated. Your computer could run the game fine one minute and be a wreck the next. Some nice people on the Internet make workarounds sometimes, but they are usually unofficial so proceed with caution. Most often these game-related computer freezes are a result of the video card not handling the game correctly. Sometimes you just have to wait for the developers of the game to have it fixed. Usually they will update you though, so you can rest easier knowing they are trying to fix the problem.
Before you say, “my computer keeps freezing and is slow!,” or, “Why is my computer so slow?” just take a deep breath and check around online to see if anyone else has the same exact problem. The answer could be sitting right in front of you and could possibly save you a lot of time.