Microsoft Windows has evolved several times and with every new version of Windows, we got the most advanced technology and features. There is still scope of improvement and with every update released by Microsoft, they try to fill the gaps to make it more robust.
A lot of users asked “My PC freezes randomly on Windows 10, any possible fixes?” before heading for the fixes, it’s important to understand the root cause of the problem. There can be several reasons for Windows freezing issues on Windows 10. The main reason is Windows 10 was offered as a free upgrade to all windows, 7 / 8 / 8.1 users and almost everyone did that without checking the incompatibility of hardware and drivers. Now, these incompatible and outdated drivers clash to function properly. The next most responsible reason behind Windows freezes randomly is the accumulation of junk files, temporary files, cache and other clutter. Here are the best possible fixes if your PC or laptop freezes randomly on Windows 10.
Install Windows Updates
Step 1. Click on the ‘Start’ button and then click on the ‘Search Bar’ on the bottom left.
Step 2. Type Windows Update and select the ‘Windows Update Settings’ option in search results.
Step 3. On ‘Windows Updates’ window, click on the ‘Check for Updates’ button and let Windows automatically search and install the latest updates drivers, Microsoft updates, patches, bug fixes, and security settings on your PC. Restart the system if prompted to finish the installation.
Check for Corrupt Device Drivers
It is important to keep a regular check on the corrupt device drivers or outdated drivers on the device. These drivers make the device faulty and hamper the performance of the system.
Press (Win + R) for run command window and type devmgmt.msc in the box and hit enter. Device Manager window will open. Look for devices with a yellow exclamation mark that indicates the drivers are outdated or faulty. These drivers need an immediate update to get the device back in sync with the OS. Right-click on the faulty device and click on the ‘Update Driver’ option. Select the option ‘Search automatically for updated driver software’ and windows will automatically find and install the best available drivers for the device from Windows Updates Library. Restart the computer for the changes to take effect.
If you can’t keep a check on all the device drivers manually on a routine basis, it is advisable to install the best Windows Driver Updater on your Windows PC. Smart Driver Care is one of the robust driver updater software that can ensure that all the device drivers are updated and compatible with your version of the operating system.
Restart Graphics Drivers
If Windows 10 freezes randomly while playing games with high graphics or watching an HD movie, you can press (Win + Ctrl + Shift + B) hotkey combination to instantly restart the graphic drivers. A stuck system can come back to life instantly.
Reset Winsock
Press the Windows key and type in CMD in the search bar. Under the ‘Command Prompt’ options, click on the ‘Run as Administrator’ option. A black window will open where you need to type netsh winsock reset and hit Enter. Restart the computer for changes to take effect.
Disable Windows Startup Items
Every newly installed program by default makes its space in the Windows startup program list to load whenever you boot Windows. There are programs that you do not wish to load with every boot as you might not need that every day. Right-click on the taskbar and click on the third-last option ‘Task Manager’ followed by clicking on the Startup tab on the top. Select unwanted item and click on the Disable button to stop loading it with Windows boot.
Run SFC SCANNOW Command
There are unknown and hidden system errors that make your PC run slow or your laptop freezes randomly on Windows 10. System File Checker (SFC) command checks the system for corrupt files and fixes the issues. Press the (Windows + R) key and type CMD in the run command box. Press (Ctrl + Shift + Enter) to open the command prompt in Administrator mode. A black window will open where you need to type sfc/scannow and hit Enter. Restart the computer for changes to take effect.
Run Disk Cleanup Utility
Step 1. Press Windows key and type ‘Disk Cleanup’ in the search box and click on the ‘Disk Cleanup App’ in the search results.
Step 2. ‘Disk Cleanup’ utility window will pop up on the screen.
Step 3. Select the drive that has the Windows operating system on it to scan and remove clutter accumulated in recent past. Select the drive and click on the ’Okay’ button.
Step 4. Disk Cleanup utility will scan and list out temporary files that need to be deleted from the system. Select Temporary Internet Files, Recycle Bin, Thumbnail, Temporary Files and click on the ‘Ok’ button. If you don’t have anything sensitive in the downloads folder and wish to clean it up, you can put a tick on that as well. For advanced cleaning, click on ‘Clean up System Files’ to remove Windows files from your computer.
Step 5. Click on the Okay button and if prompted, click on the ‘Delete Files’ button. This step will delete all the selected files permanently from the computer.
Wrapping Up
There are several other Windows 10 optimization steps that you can perform depending on the severity of the issue. You can also clear Windows temporary files by typing temp / %temp% / prefetch in the run command window and deleting everything from the explorer that opens on every command. If you Windows 10 freezes randomly, you can also make use of Advanced System Optimizer to automatically take care of the Windows performance issues.
Such all-in-one optimization suite ensures everything works just fine with your operating system. Regularly optimizing the operating system manually is not possible on a routine basis. Such tools can optimize the computer, clean your disk, take care of system security & privacy, optimize memory, device drivers, and takes a backup all your important files and system settings. Get the complete protection for your Windows computer and never let your Windows disappoint you.