Is your computer giving you the error message "stop” for brief or extended periods? If this sounds familiar, don't panic; it probably isn't a sign that your laptop's hardware is on the fritz and needs replacing. The following is a list of possible causes that should be investigated before giving up:
There are too many active programs
When using i7 windows laptop, one of the most common reasons for computer freezing is doing too many things at once. So, what exactly does this entail? It's extremely obvious if you have multiple programs running at once and switch between them without losing any of them: each one is eating into your computer's available resources (CPU time, RAM, disc access, etc.). In this scenario, all running programs compete for limited system resources, with the most resource-intensive ones being given precedence. This can be the result of an application's inherent need for greater resources or Windows setting a particular program above others in terms of priority. Check your CPU, RAM, and virtual memory utilization by using CTRL+ALT+DEL to launch Task Manager. If you see any of these symptoms, your laptop is likely on its last legs. Is the noise level of the system fans higher than normal? Is the disc LED flashing rapidly? You can see, this is also a promising sign. Carry on down this line of reasoning, and you will find solutions quickly and easily.
Errors and registry size in Windows
Many individuals in the 1990s believed that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates slowed down Windows on purpose to encourage frequent hardware upgrades. This is untrue because Windows has changed significantly over the years and is still very complicated. The Windows registry is a database where Windows and nearly all other programs you've ever installed keep their configuration information. The Windows registry can get very large over time due to the accumulation of empty entries left behind by programs that have been removed. Additionally, new entries don't replace the ones that were deleted; rather, they are added to the end of the existing files, which only serves to increase the registry's already excessive size.
To add insult to injury, the Windows registry can get bloated with obsolete items left behind by the many programs that read and write to it. If you keep doing this, the registry files will eventually expand in size and become prone to bugs because of the fragmentation that has developed over time. The end consequence is slower access times and potentially erroneous data being stored, both of which have a knock-on effect on the overall efficiency of the system. Is there a tried and true approach to ensuring that every Windows programmer, including the many who work for companies other than Microsoft, writes more stable code? Unfortunately, there isn't, but luckily there appears to be a solution. Simply select the Registry option after downloading and running an application like CCleaner. Any problems with the register will be found and, if desired, fixed automatically.
Overheating
Your laptop may be overheating for several reasons. This causes the device to slow down as the heat protection features built into almost all semiconductors are triggered. This includes CPUs, graphics processing units, and motherboard chipsets. If for any reason, the processor starts to slow down, the result will likely be noticeably worse performance. One major cause of laptop overheating is the accumulation of dust near the vents that draw in "fresh" air for circulation by the fans and heatsinks inside the device. Thus, a clean paintbrush is recommended for removing these marks. If dirt is visible on the inside of your laptop, you'll need to disassemble it, either by yourself with the help of a service manual or by taking it in to be professionally cleaned.
Overheating can also occur if you use software that places a heavy load on your laptop's hardware. However, keep in mind that laptop companies create their devices to run nearly any software, so if you see greater component temperatures, it is not necessarily a cause for panic. It's also true that heavy multitasking increases the likelihood that your laptop will get hot, but it isn't always an indication that it's overheating. Keep in mind that just because an application is operating in the background as opposed to the foreground does not necessarily mean that it is imposing less strain on system components and that this will normally result in a spike in temperatures while you browse the Internet. Download, install, and launch an application like AIDA64 to monitor your laptop's internal components' temperatures.
System memory constraints
How many times do you have to hear something before it sinks in? You can feel like you're having deja vu. Though the very word may cause your thoughts to wander to more pleasant places, the facts remain unmistakable. If you run resource-intensive software or perform numerous simultaneous tasks, your laptop's performance will halt if it does not have enough physical memory installed. Since RAM is short for Random Access Memory, which is synonymous with memory, you may have heard expressions like "running slow, buy more RAM" rather frequently. The important thing to keep in mind is that whenever you start any programmed on your laptop, pieces of it will be read into system memory, the actual stuff that is hidden away inside the laptop.
When this reaches its limit, the laptop will start to make increasing use of "virtual memory," which is just a piece of the hard disc or solid-state drive. The system memory (remember, this is the physical memory) was the bottleneck; by using the CPU and the GPU, which are much slower, you were able to break through that barrier and keep the system usable. Once more, use CTRL+ALT+DEL to launch Task Manager and examine the amount of RAM being used. Is it at a dangerous level? If you are using more than 80 per cent of the memory on your laptop, you should consider upgrading. First, you need to check your laptop's specifications and then purchase at least one compatible SODIMM (Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Module). Turn your laptop upside down (when switched off, of course) to access the memory compartment; this is where you should begin your installation.
Hard disc failure, TRIM command SSD
You do remember that fragmentation was discussed earlier on in this work, right? Don't worry; this isn't going to be a case of déjà vu all over again. Even though SSDs are becoming increasingly common in laptops, the truth is that most still come with the slower but oh-so-cheaper hard drive(s) (HDDs) installed. Is this by itself sufficient cause for hopelessness? True, but fragmentation is what makes your grin fade a little. Modern SATA 2.5-inch hard drives are pretty fast. As an analogy, consider a hard drive as a massive collection of clusters, each of which is a tiny storage unit similar to the cells in a beehive. All are the same size, say 4096 bytes. In reality, files rarely have such uniform sizes, and they often have wide ranges. When you install software on your computer, for instance, it creates new folders and saves files to your hard drive.
The hard disc controller merely writes to the sectors that are flagged as free, which may or may not be consecutive to one another. This leads to fragmentation, which in turn makes it more difficult for the hard disc head(s) (the arm that moves about over the separate platters) to locate each of the necessary clusters (and hence files) individually during reading. Ultimately, this leads to diminished performance, so the next time you tap your fingers and wonder why software X is taking longer to boot up than it used to, consider whether or not fragmentation is to blame. If such is the case, a defragmenting tool like Auslogics Defragged should be downloaded, installed, and executed. Why isn't this useful? If you suspect that your hard drive is failing, you can find out for sure by downloading, installing, and conducting a health test and a sector scan with an application like HDTune.
But what if you have a solid-state drive (SSD) instead? Things operate a little differently around these parts. SSDs don't suffer from fragmentation because there are no mechanical bits inside of them. Don't get too excited; first and foremost, SSDs store data differently than traditional hard drives, and there's a feature called TRIM. The former, as we've seen above, consists of a hierarchical structure with a multitude of subordinate clusters that are then consolidated into bigger sectors. Meanwhile, solid-state drives don't use clusters but rather pages, each of which can be any size up to 4096 bytes. This data is organized into blocks rather than sectors. Traditional hard drives have the capability of overwriting data inside a cluster once it has been declared as removed. When using an SSD, fresh data can be written to a deleted page only after the page has been physically erased.
Given the nature of the NAND flash memory from which SSDs are constructed, this process not only increases the duration of the overall write operation (leading to decreased performance) but also adds to a shorter lifespan for each page. Is there a way to fix this? The reliability of NAND flash memory continues to increase with each passing year, but you can delay the inevitable decline in your SSD's performance by using the TRIM command. With this command, Windows will notify your SSD of the blocks that are no longer in use and can be erased in preparation for writing to them. To accomplish this, you should either upgrade and instal a new(er) SSD that supports TRIM from the get-go or check whether there is a firmware update for your specific model of SSD. Additionally, Windows 7 must be installed and functioning.