A locked up or frozen Windows 10 PC is frustrating, but there are several troubleshooting steps you can try to get it working again. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover the most common causes of Windows 10 lockups and the best solutions to get your PC back up and running.
Quick Overview: How to Fix a Frozen Windows 10 PC
Here’s a quick overview of the main troubleshooting steps covered in this guide:
- Force restart your PC by holding down the power button for 10 seconds
- Boot into Safe Mode and see if the problem persists
- Check for overheating issues
- Update or reinstall graphics card drivers
- Disable startup programs and services
- Run a virus scan
- Check for hard drive errors and failing hardware
- Restore from a system restore point
- Reset or refresh your PC
What Causes Windows 10 to Freeze?
There are several potential culprits when Windows 10 freezes or locks up, including:
- Software conflicts – Incompatible or buggy software can cause system freezes and crashes.
- Driver issues – Outdated, corrupt, or incompatible drivers are a common source of lockups.
- Overheating – Excessive heat can cause freezes, crashes, and physical hardware damage.
- Failing hardware – Bad RAM, hard drive issues, and other hardware faults may result in lockups.
- Power supply problems – An inadequate power supply can cause intermittent freezing.
- Viruses and malware – Malicious software can interfere with system processes and cause freezes.
- Registry errors – Corrupt registry files critical to Windows can freeze the operating system.
- Software conflicts – Poorly optimized or excessive background apps can overload resources.
How to Force Restart a Frozen Windows 10 PC
If your Windows 10 PC is completely frozen and unresponsive, often the quickest solution is to force a restart of the device. Here are the steps:
- Press and hold the power button for at least 10 seconds until the PC turns off.
- Wait a few seconds, then power the PC back on as normal.
This hard reboot bypasses the normal Windows shutdown process and cuts power to immediately restart the device. Any unsaved work will be lost, but it’s necessary if Windows is totally non-responsive.
Boot in Safe Mode to Troubleshoot
Booting in Safe Mode starts Windows with only the bare essential drivers and services. If a problem doesn’t occur in Safe Mode, it helps narrow down the culprit:
- Open the Start menu and click the Power icon.
- Hold down the Shift key while clicking Restart.
- On the Choose an Option screen, select Troubleshoot.
- Go to Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart.
- After your PC restarts, select 4 or press F4 to launch Safe Mode.
If the freeze or crash issue doesn’t happen in Safe Mode, it likely indicates a problem driver or startup program. If the problem persists, it points to a deeper hardware, driver or software issue.
Check for Overheating Issues
Excessive heat can definitely cause Windows 10 lockups, crashes, and other glitches. Make sure your PC case, CPU fans, graphics cards, and other components are kept free of dust buildup. Also ensure your PC case has adequate airflow:
- Open the case and inspect for excessive dust buildup blocking air intakes and exhaust ports.
- Clean dust from fans, heat sinks and other components with compressed air.
- Make sure nothing is obstructing fans inside the case.
- Don’t place your PC in enclosed spaces like cabinets that block airflow.
- Use a CPU and/or graphics card temperature monitor utility to check for overheating components.
Replacing old thermal paste between CPUs and heatsinks can also lower temperatures. Make sure your power supply is sufficient for the hardware you have installed. Upgrading to liquid cooling may be necessary for hot running gear like high end GPUs.
Update or Reinstall Graphics Drivers
Display and graphics drivers are some of the most common causes for Windows 10 lockups and crashes. A corrupt, outdated, or incompatible graphics driver can cause serious system stability issues. Try updating to the latest graphics drivers:
- Open Device Manager (right-click the Start menu and select it).
- Expand the Display adapters section.
- Right-click your graphics card device and select Update driver.
- Select Search automatically for updated driver software.
If updating doesn’t work, try completely uninstalling the graphics drivers and doing a fresh install of the latest version from your manufacturer’s website. For laptops, make sure to get drivers specifically for your model.
Disable Startup Programs
Too many programs starting up when Windows boots can overload system resources resulting in lockups. Disable unnecessary startup programs:
- Type msconfig in the Windows search bar and open the System Configuration utility.
- Go to the Startup tab.
- Uncheck any suspicious or unnecessary startup programs.
- Click OK and restart your PC.
Disable programs one by one to isolate any that may be causing the problem. Common culprits include outdated security software, hardware utilities, remote desktop services, and system monitoring tools.
Check for Viruses and Malware
Viruses, spyware, ransomware, and other malicious software are notorious for causing Windows crashes and freezes. Run a full system scan with updated antivirus software:
- Make sure you have effective antivirus software installed like Avast, AVG, or Malwarebytes.
- Update your antivirus software to the latest virus definitions.
- Run a full system scan and remove any infections found.
- Scan with multiple antivirus tools for best coverage.
- Scan external USB drives that may contain infections.
Reboot your PC after scans to clear out any malware from memory. Also scan with the free version of Malwarebytes to detect more deeply embedded malware.
Check Hard Drives for Errors
Corrupted hard drives and failing hardware can definitely cause Windows 10 lockups. Check for and repair hard drive errors with these steps:
- Open File Explorer and right-click your C drive.
- Select Properties > Tools tab > Check button.
- Check the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors box.
- Click Start scan to check for hard drive errors.
- Schedule regular disk checks to find and repair errors.
You can also use the SFC and DISM tools to scan for system file corruption:
- Open an elevated Command Prompt.
- Run SFC /Scannow to scan system files.
- Run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth to repair files.
Faulty RAM, failing power supplies, overheating CPUs, and buggy motherboards can also cause freezes. Use utilities like Memtest86 and hardware diagnostics to test components.
Restore from a System Restore Point
Reverting your Windows 10 installation to an earlier restore point can resolve instability caused by recent driver and software changes:
- Open the Start menu and search for Create a restore point.
- Click System Restore and Next.
- Choose a restore point before you had issues.
- Confirm the restoration and wait for your PC to restart.
This will uninstall recent updates and software installations without deleting personal files. Restore points are created automatically during updates or you can make custom ones.
Reset or Refresh Your Windows 10 Installation
If you’ve exhausted all other troubleshooting, resetting Windows 10 will reinstall the operating system while retaining your personal files:
- Open the Start menu and click Settings.
- Go to Update & Security > Recovery.
- Under Reset this PC, click Get started.
- Choose Keep my files to refresh Windows while keeping your data.
This will remove all apps and settings, clearing out any corrupted OS files causing stability issues. It’s also possible to fully reinstall Windows 10 using installation media if absolutely needed.
Conclusion
Unresponsive Windows 10 lockups can stem from a variety of causes like software conflicts, driver issues, overheating, and failing hardware. Try forcing a reboot and booting in Safe Mode for diagnostics. Keep Windows and drivers updated, clean out dust buildup, scan for malware, check for faulty hardware, and repair disk errors. Restore points and refreshing your PC may help. In most cases, the problem can be narrowed down through systematic troubleshooting of software and hardware issues.