Computer Repair 101: Fixing Bad Sectors on Your Hard Drive

By: John Schofield

Hanging or freezing is a common thing that happens to everyone. One minute you are happily working on your computer, playing a game, writing a document, working hard on a program --- or whatever it is that keeps you glued on to your computer, and next thing you know, it stops working. Freeze locking is something that happens to every PC and when this happens, you get a computer repair technique that will work wonders. It is not exactly amusing to have your computing constantly rebooting on its own. While in the middle of something very important, you need to be able to rely on a system that will deliver as you hoped it would without crashing. Just imagine the amount of work that you risk losing every time that happens; it would really be damaging! Therefore, here are some easy-to-follow techniques on how to deal with freeze locking, in case it happens to you anytime soon:



a. Check your new installations



Retrace your steps. Did the freeze lock start after your installed something new into your system? If so, try to uninstall it and see if the problem persists.



b. Run your antivirus program and see if anything will be detected



As a computer owner, one of the first things you do is to install an antivirus program that will protect your system for any threat that may come. After some occasions of freeze locking, check if your system is updated and then run the virus scan and see if the program will detect anything.



c. Run your spyware removal tool



If after the virus-scan you find nothing wrong with your system, then you might want to consider running your spyware removal tool. If you are not dealing with a virus, there might be an adware or spyware present in your system, so check out for its existence efficiently.



d. Monitor your hard drive space



If no virus of malware has been detected, then you might be running out on hard drive space. Check dive C: and check if you have more than 20% remaining. If you have less than 20%, you may want to consider creating more space by compressing your files and deleting unnecessary files.



e. Check your system for any signs of overheating



Overheating can be caused by the following: dust build-up, malfunctioning fans or other cooling problems. You can make sure than the power supply fan, as well as the CPU fan are running properly. Also check for dust build-up within your system and vacuum to clean it.



f. Check your hard disk



Check your hard disk from time to time. Defrag, clean disk and perform all the other functions that will improve how your system works.



g. Check the memory



Some system failures could be caused by memory failures. You can run a Windows Memory Diagnostic to check for this and should you find any memory discrepancies, you can try to re-seat the RAM or replace the defective RAM altogether.



h. Check your other hardware components



Sometimes you may also be dealing with a malfunction in any of your other hardware components. A computer repair specialist will deal best with this problem, so find one who can help you with this.



i. Update windows and drivers



Also, there are times when you may experience free locks because of outdated operating systems and drivers, so make sure to always update your system so it can keep up with your needs.