10 Main Reasons of System Crash

1 HARDWARE CONFLICT: The number one reason of Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are supposed to be unique for each device. For example, the keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the floppy disk drive IRQ 6. A printer usually connects internally on IRQ 7. Each device will try to hog a single IRQ for itself. If there are a lot of devices, or if they are not installed properly, two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can occur.

2 BAD RAM: Ram (random-access memory) problems might bring on the blue screen with a message saying “Fatal Exception Error”. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacing. But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips.

3 BIOS SETTINGS: Every motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset settings that are fixed in the factory. A common way to access these settings is to press the Delete button or F2 key during the first few seconds of a boot-up. A common BIOS error concerns the CAS latency. This refers to the Ram. Older EDO (extended data out) Ram has a CAS latency of 3. Newer SD Ram has a CAS latency of 2. Setting the wrong figure can cause the Ram to lock up and freeze the computer's display.

Microsoft Windows is better at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible then set the IRQ numbers to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the IRQ numbers and make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is switched to 'yes' to allow Windows to do this.

4 HARD DISK DRIVE: After a few weeks, the info on a hard disk drive starts to become fragmented. It is a good practice to defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. Go to Start--Programs--Accessories--System Tools--Disk Defragmenter.

5 FATAL OE EXCEPTION AND VXD ERRORS: Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video card problems. These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of the video display. Go to Start--Settings--Control Panel--Display--Settings.

6 VIRUSES: The first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible to start. Therefore it is necessary to install a good antivirus program and download the virus definition update weekly from the website of your antivirus software manufacturer.

7 PRINTER: The action of sending a document to print creates a bigger file, often called a postscript file. Printers have only a small amount of memory, called a buffer. This can be easily overloaded. Printing a document also uses a considerable amount of CPU power. This will also slow down the computer's performance.

If the printer is trying to print unusual characters, these might not be recognized, and can crash the computer. Sometimes printers will not recover from a crash because of confusion in the buffer. A good way to clear the buffer is to unplug the printer for ten seconds. Booting up from a powerless state, also called a cold boot, will restore the printer's default settings and you may be able to carry on.

8 SOFTWARES: A common cause of computer crash is faulty or badly-installed software. Often the problem can be cured by uninstalling the software and then reinstalling it. Use Norton Uninstall or Uninstall Shield to remove an application from your system properly. This will also remove references to the program in the System Registry and leaves the way clear for a completely fresh copy.

9 CPU OVERHEATING: Central processing units (CPUs) are usually equipped with fans to keep them cool. If the fan fails or if the CPU gets old it may start to overheat and generate a particular kind of error called a kernel error. This is a common problem in chips that have been over clocked to operate at higher speeds than they are supposed to.

10 POWER SUPPLY PROBLEM: A power surge or spike can crash a computer as easily as a power cut. If this has become a nuisance for you then consider using a uninterrupted power supply (UPS).