We’ve all been there before. The computer freezes for one reason or another, and its very frustrating. Why the computer freezes is another topic all on its own; it can happen for a variety of reasons. Nontheless, here is a quick strategy that you can use to avoid the dreaded “hard reboot” (physically switching the computer off, and back on again). Instead of pulling the plug, first try the Windows Task Manager.

Do the following to start the Windows Task Manager.

Simultaneously press the CTRL, ALT, and DELETE buttons and then release.

You will now have activated the Windows Task Manager which should look something like this:

The next step is to make sure that you click on the “Applications” tab near the top of the window. The programs that you are currently running on your computer will be listed here. If a program is frozen, it will be displayed in the list followed by “(Not Responding)”. Click on the program you would like to terminate (stop the program) and click the “End Task” button. If you are asked again to “End task,” do so. Repeat this procedure on the programs in the list until your computer “unfreezes.” With a little bit of luck, you should now have regained control of your computer. Taking control of your OWN computer, now thats a concept!

Unfortunately there are many reasons why computers freeze. But when it does happen, it’s nice to know you have an angle of attack to regain control of the system. Although this will not work in all cases, its definitely work a try before you put the boots to it!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008 at 11:51 am and is filed under Operating Systems. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.