In this article we are going to talk about random computer crashes. In today’s tough economy, many of us are keeping things like cars and computers a lot longer then we did in years past. Not only that, many of us are trying to hold onto the old reliable Windows XP operating system. For the latter, I cannot blame you one bit. It was and still is the very best of all the operating systems that Microsoft ever produced. So, if you have an older machine and the system randomly slows down or crashes, the first thing I would consider is heat. As a system ages, the fans begin the wear out and this in turn allows your computer to run hotter then it did when it was young. This is especially true if you are working with graphics, playing a game or running an intense program. The extra processing power will cause your processor to create more heat and this in turn will slow down your computer if the fan is not doing it’s job as intended. The extra heat can even cause a blue screen which will shutdown or reboot your computer. This is actually a protective mechanism that is designed to keep your hardware from heat damage.
The first thing you need to do in this case is to check your fans for dirt. Dirt is a computers worst enemy. It can create problems with hardware and even create a fire hazard. If your fans appear clean, visually check them for proper rotation. If they are running slow or not at all, replace them. If you have a desktop, replacing a fan is quite easy and the parts are easy to get. If you have a laptop, a fan replacement will be much more difficult.
Once you have checked the fans and fixed all the issues involved with them, the next thing you need to look at is your software. Over time when you continually install and uninstall programs, your computer could suffer from software rot. In this case, hardware will not play a part at all and in most cases it does not mean you need a new computer. In minor cases, a good professional cleaning will get your system up and running almost like new. In more severe cases you might have to do a system reformat. Over the course of several years, this is actually a good thing to do. Every computer should be reformatted fresh at least every few years.
Now once you rule out software, it is time to check the hardware. Try pulling out old cards and reseating them back into position. Check all the power connections to your drives and don’t forget the main power supply to your motherboard.
As you can see, it takes a bit of work to keep your system running in perfect sync but the work is definitely worth it. So before you head out to replace that XP machine with a new one, try some steps to keep that machine running for many more months to come. You have the added bonus of being able to keep using the best operating system of all time, Windows XP.
Author: Joe Zelenak, Staff Writer
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