What Are the Reasons of Windows Vista Freeze?

The article describes the reasons that cause Windows Vista to freeze during startup, shutdown etc. The information compiled here is simple and reliable. However, it is recommended that any method described here should be followed correctly to avoid facing problems. This will save time and money of users who would otherwise spend these resources looking for Microsoft Windows Vista support or Microsoft product support options

Windows Vista has not been able to create itself a niche like its predecessor Windows XP (still the most widely used desktop operating system in the world) and successor Windows 7, the most stylish and high-performance OS from Microsoft. Windows Vista has far more earned a bad name for its shortcomings and problems than for the good performance and friendly use.

Windows Vista freezes frequently irrespective of the sufficient memory amount, error-free hard disk, and no viruses on the computer among other things. Users often feel deluded about these computer problems and try to search for alternatives to fix them. You must first understand your system and then should rummage around for solutions. Let's understand what can cause your vista to freeze and not respond at all.

Faulty Memory Stick:

A damaged\faulty RAM (memory) stick can prove to be the cause of freezing problem in your Vista computer. You must run a memory diagnostic test to check whether the RAM is working fine or not. If it is faulty, replace it with a new stick. You can run a memory check using an online tool or download and install a free or paid program.

These programs include Microsoft's free Windows Memory Diagnostic, Memtest86 (free), DocMemory Memory Diagnostic (free), and M2K MemScope (free) among others. You can also choose to run the built-in Memory Diagnostic Tool in Windows Vista. This will require you to insert your original Windows Vista installation media into the drive and follow the instructions to reach the tool. If you never did, then you must now do verify that your computer meets the minimum hardware and software requirements for Windows Vista installation.

Hardware Changes:

If you recently added a new device to your computer like a mouse whose software was not installed and configured properly, Vista will obviously throw tantrums. You might not come to know about the behavioral change until a day or two passes. The mouse might work on the very day and time when it was installed, but it might not work after you turn off and on your PC next day.

Mouse was just an example. It could be any device like printer, router, TV, or gaming console among others. If you made any such hardware change, then undo the changes and recheck whether the OS works fine or not. If it does, then reinstall and reconfigure the hardware and its related software applications. You must also ensure that the hardware drivers are updated and are compatible with Vista. If you need help with driver applications, either visit the official website of hardware manufacturer or Microsoft.

Software Changes:

If you installed any new program like anti-virus or video calling (like Skype) software and started experiencing problems afterwards, it indicates that the problem likely occurred due to such change. Try uninstalling and then reinstalling the program from scratch. Use the user manual or online instructions to make sure that it is installed properly. Since installation of any program is a sensitive part, minor mistakes do create havocs and cause discomfort.

Other than these, if you uninstalled any program whose remnants are still in your computer, Vista would not function well. Whenever, any program uninstalled, its registry entries and DLL files remain presented in the system. You must locate and remove these files and entries to fully uninstall the program. The empty registry keys and values cause problems in a computer. You must run a registry cleaner to clean these keys and prevent your computer from being clogged. Take help of an expert if you feel that you won't be able to locate these files by yourself.

Startup Programs:

When Windows Vista starts, it starts with many default and/or third-party startup programs, applications. These make your system perform slow and even freeze in most of the cases. To avoid this problem, disable those programs that were never in use and will never be used. Click on the Start menu and type 'msconfig' (without quotes) in the Start Search box. Hit Enter on the keyboard.

This will prompt open the System Configuration window. Highlight the Startup tab in the window and search through all the programs. Locate those programs that you never use and uncheck the boxes next to them. When done, click on the Apply button and then OK to exit the window. When prompted with a message, click on theRestart button. When the computer has restarted, you will see a message like Windows has blocked some startup programs. Usually, most of the programs can be disabled except anti-virus applications and firewall programs.