What to do when you computer crashes, and how to prevent it from happening again

Oh no! You’re computer crashed! How can you bounce back from this upset, and make sure that you’ve still got everything from programs to records to data that your business needs to run. Hitting it, shaking it, or tapping the device won’t fix anything, it’s not a machine where parts can fall out of place, and they definitely can’t be whacked back into alignment, so save yourself a battered computer and take a walk before you try to overcome the issue. It may not be necessary to call your providers computer support, but if your machine continues to have issues.

1. Work out why your computer crashed, and fix the problem.
If you’ve had your computer for a more then a few months, chances are you’ve become attune to the noises that it makes, the whirring, buzzing and clicking that shows it is thinking, starting up, shutting down or struggling. It’s important to stay aware of the mechanical noises your computer makes so that you can gauge when the computer is under stress. Computers can crash for many reasons, but the main ones are overheating, power surges and registry clutters or errors.

Overheating: Have you ever noticed how all professional environments for computers are airconditioned? This is because computers are busily working machines, and can overheat, causing them to shut down to cool the core, and then reboot. See how your computer is positioned, is it in a well ventilated position? Is the surface that it sits on warmed by something else besides contact with the computer? Can you position your computer in such a way that it can stay cooler?

Power Surges: A sudden rush of power can cause your computer to shock, and shut down. There is no way of pre-empting a power surge, but you can check the computers power source, such as a powerpoint to identify if the reading is in a healthy range. If your power level fluctuates, consider attaching your computer to a more stable power point, or investing in a shock absorber.

Use a registry cleaner: Did you know that your computer has a registry database, that is the most used and important part of the windows system? Unless regularly cleaned out with registry cleaning software, the register can become cluttered, and the operations and access of it more cumbersome, causing many reasons why your computer may shut down. Use a registry cleaner to remove obsolete software, and useless files taking up memory.

2. Carefully restart your computer, and utilise auto-recovery functions.
Depending on the machine and software you are using, when you turn your computer back on you’ll find that several items may have been autosaved. Some web browsers, emails, and most of the Microsoft suite of programs will autosave every few minutes so carefully explore the autosaved option, to identify if it is a newer version of your document then you saved copy. Remember a quick save can be the solution to computer disaster, turning it into computer annoyance! If you are working on critical documents, we recommend you back these items up online, and through more convential options like USB sticks, or even burnt onto disc.

If you continue to have issues, you should check for viruses. Make sure you use only official products, and don’t choose anything that you find in a pop-up window as these are often viruses themselves. If you do have significant viruses that you can’t easily and safely remove, call an IT support expert to do the fiddly work for you.

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