That’s right, there are tools built right into your PC that will allow you to try to diagnose what might be causing your PC to freeze.
Try these built-in Windows 10 tools:
Step 1: Use Task Manager
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc
- Click the “Performance” tab
- Check CPU – this indicates the amount of usage of your pc’s processing power is being used. Some legitimate programs may use up a lot of CPU. I recommend looking at the next two items as further clues if this seems like a legit situation or not (Memory and Disk Usage). Be sure to review the next 2 bullet points before proceeding to step 2, as this can be further clues of a specific application that is causing issues.
- Memory – this will indicate the amount of Random Access Memory (RAM) being used. High memory usage can contribute to why your PC is freezing or is running slow. Be sure to review the next bullet point, disk usage, as this can be another clue as to whether this is an application causing the issue or not
- Disk usage – this will indicate that the percentage of time that your hard drive is being used for reading or writing data. If there is a high percentage (like close to 100) that is being used, it would be a good time to do a malware and virus scan
Step 2: Close Resource-Hogging Programs
- On the “Processes” tab, right-click apps using high CPU or memory
- Click “End Task”
Step 3: Run System File Checker
- Search “cmd” > right-click > Run as Administrator
- Type:
sfc /scannowand press Enter
Step 4: Check for Windows Updates
- Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update
- Click “Check for updates”