01 Jun Struggling with laptop crashes? This could be why

When your laptop crashes frequently without explanation, it’s a frustrating issue. Laptops are handy devices we use for work and personal reasons, but when they no longer perform, our typical habits are disrupted. If you’re encountering frequent crashes, it means something needs to be addressed or you risk data loss, hardware failure, or even equipment replacement.

What is a system crash?

Specifically, a system crash occurs when your laptop stops responding and encounters a fatal error. All normal processes will stop and the system will need to be restarted. Normally, you will encounter a system error message – as in the case of Windows, a blue screen with an error report.

It’s important to distinguish a system crash from other possible errors, as it will help you identify possible problems with your laptop.

Potential Causes for a System Crash

Identifying the causes for a laptop system crash will help you locate and resolve the issue. However, given the volume of issues that can occur, it is challenging to find the culprit without research.

But, there are general causes for laptop crashes, and going through a list will help you troubleshoot the issue. It’s important to identify what the issue is rather than what is not to achieve a faster resolution.

Overheating

While convenient, not all laptops are designed the same. Some have limited hardware specifications which can lead to crashes. One common instance of this occurring is poor ventilation and cooling. Laptops may only have a single fan, and when put under excessive load, suffer overheating.

When a PC overheats to dangerous temperatures (see: temperatures that can damage internal components), it will shut down to protect said components. Excessive CPU load is a common occurrence for this. Therefore, if you find your laptop shutting down during excessive use or raised temperatures, your system is overheating.

Resolving this requires trimming processes that cause too much load on a laptop’s CPU and/or memory.

Outdated Drivers, Apps, or Operating System

While not always the culprit, outdated software or apps – especially system critical ones – can cause unexpected laptop crashes. This can be for several reasons: unpatched bugs, incompatibility with other software, or simply older versions of an OS can cause catastrophic computer problems. Old outdated drives are also problematic and can disrupt system processes at random.

Resolving this requires updating any critical software, app, OS function or driver that is out of date. In the case a certain software/app cannot be updated, consider removing it from your laptop.

Limited Memory Capacity

Laptops are designed with mobile convenience in mind. But this convenience comes at a cost of both size and hardware limitations. While higher-end laptops do exist, they’re typically geared for games media or memory intensive development processes vs the casual user.

In other words, your laptop has limited memory capacity, another culprit of unpredictable crashes. Laptops typically have smaller RAM space and memory ranges, with weaker CPUs. This does not mean they’re incapable of performing essential tasks, but when overloaded, limited memory can freeze and crash the system. Additionally, the older a laptop is, the more strained its hardware becomes with new updates and broader software demands.

Overcoming this issue means directly upgrading the system’s memory. You can  (typically) install additional RAM slots to increase performance. As well, inexpensive SSDs (solid state drives) are installable that both expand the laptop’s storage space and greatly increase its boot speed. In rarer cases, you may need to acquire a newer laptop with better specifications. A good rule of thumb is at least 8GB of RAM at minimum, with 16GB to handle intensive tasks.

Viral or Malware Intrusions

In this unfortunate scenario, it’s possible your system crashes are the result of malware. Malware causes numerous problems, compromising data, basic tasks, and the safety of your personal information. How the intrusion occur can vary, either from downloading unsafe software, clicking on suspicious links, or even visiting compromised websites.

In this scenario, removal of malware can fix system crashes, although the success depends on what type of malware your laptop is infected with. If not already, you should have anti-malware installed and run a full deep scan of the system. Ideally, this should target and identify viruses and remove them.

However, if this process does not remove said malware, you may need to boot your system in safe-mode for additional testing. Because of the complexity and range of computer viruses, the best way to protect your data is maintain good security habits and keep anti-virus installed/updated.

Failing Hardware

Older laptops are prone to fail states due to failing hardware, like HDDs. While most modern laptops have SSDs to expand lifetime, legacy hardware is a victim of its age. Eventually, certain components will fail – or begin to – causing random system crashes.

While it’s possible to replace certain components, the nature of laptop’s being an “all-in-one” design means you will likely need to upgrade to a new laptop system.

Why it’s important

Laptop’s carry critical data and information, be it personal or professional. Therefore, when you encounter serious errors like random system crashes, it needs to be addressed. Investing in backup options is critical for this scenario.

For broader scale problems, however, you may need alternative solutions. A business that relies on laptops to manage its task is in danger of losing critical information. Investing in long-term backups can help mitigate the potential of serious data loss.

An MSP is one such solution. If you need third-party assistance for laptop care and backup, consider Bytagig’s services. For more information, contact us today.