Windows 7 system hangs

Viruses and Spyware: Malicious files are the common reasons of a slow computer and may be hiding in your system with your permission and being you aware of its presence. These spyware and malware viruses corrupt your files and hinder your computer's performance causing Windows 7 to eventually hang. To get rid of these how to remove spyware from computer keep your virus definitions updated with latest one available by the provider.

Make sure to also download the latest security patches and updates. Always run a scan on your computer to detect these viruses and spyware then delete them. Too many programs running at once: While working on your computer try to make sure that only the necessary programs are running and the unnecessary applications might consumes more virtual RAM Random Access Memory than your system can handle.

Don't open a lot of applications simultaneously. Limit the number of software and websites currently running to those that are importantly only. If you are a heavy multi-tasking professional, then backup yourself with good hardware specification; upgrade your RAM to at least double what you are using now. Corrupt Windows Registry. The registry is the source of information and settings Windows 7 references during operation.

The registry database eventually becomes stuffed and cluttered with uneven entries because of redundant and obsolete entries leaving it corrupted. It is advised then to clean your Windows registry to delete those unwanted entries.

Cleaning or getting along with the registry details in is a tough job as any misleading information can get your Windows 7 Operating System Corrupted or malfunction on any uneven manner. Diagnosing your system with a registry cleaner is the best solution to solve registry problems. It is difficult for me to pinpoint the source of this problem because sometimes it will hang every 15 minutes, and sometimes it will go days without hanging. One thing I did notice is that it does seem to happen much more frequently just after a reboot and for a few hours thereafter.

I hope someone can help! Besides above suggestions, please restart the machine in Safe Mode to check the result. If everything is working fine in Safe Mode, please restart the machine in Normal Mode and perform a Clean Boot for a test.

Does this happen on external hard drive? Did this start happening after installing any application or did this start immediately after installing Windows 7? I would suggest you to check what happens in safe mode. To boot into safe mode follow the link given below.

Advanced startup options including safe mode. Revert back with what happens when you boot into safe mode so that we may assist you with advanced troubleshooting. About the Service Pack for Windows 7 I can only give you the information that work is going on for the release, but no information as to when it is being released. Task Scheduler - decide when you want to run System Restore.

SR backs up all changed files daily. Your computer has to be idle for it to start, but it will keep running even when your computer stops being idle. You can always click 'display running tasks', but it doesn't automatically refresh.

Some of this stuff runs inside 'dllhost' and is hard to see in task manager. Windows update could be running. Up to you if you want to change it to notify only or download only.

You don't need to restart your PC for it to be usable again. This behavior seems to affect all apps. Single-app Freeze -- Your PC exhibits the same behavior as a Generic Freeze, except that it only occurs when running a specific app, such as when playing a game or browsing websites. Please review the sub-category below that most closely matches when your PC experiences a hang. If the guidance below does not address the issue, please use the guidance under Radom Hang for further recommendations.

If you have external devices connected to the PC, try starting the PC with those devices disconnected. Device connection and driver issues can contribute to hangs. If the PC starts successfully without external devices connected, try repeating with more devices connected to identify the specific device or combination of devices that are contributing to the hang.

More information on a specific issue with USB storage devices is provided in the following Knowledge Base article:. Older PCs may hang during startup when Windows 8. The best first action is to update the PC firmware and drivers available from the PC manufacturer. These updates may resolve the issue. If you are still having a problem after updating all drivers and firmware, you can disable Fast Startup to see if that may be contributing to the issue:. In the Search box, type Power button.

Then, in the search results, tap or click Change what the power buttons do. If the check box in front of Turn on Fast Start up recommended is selected, tap or click on the box to remove the check mark.

You may have recently made a change on the PC that may have caused the hang. If so, you can resolve the problem by returning the PC to a previous configuration using System Restore. To learn how to run System Restore, click on the link for your operating system: Windows 7: What are the system recovery options in Windows? Windows 8. Hangs during shutdown can result from faulty hardware, faulty drivers, or damaged Windows components.

To resolve these issues:. Disconnect non-essential hardware, such as USB devices, to see if there is a change that could indicate a device issue. See if the issue also happens in Safe Mode.

If not, the problem may be related to installed software. Uninstall software that you are no longer using. There are also times when you may see a message that something is preventing Windows from shutting down. For more information, see Turn off a computer: frequently asked questions. Please see the following article for guidance if your computer hangs while installing Windows Updates: Windows Update freezes when you install updates in Windows 8, Windows 7, or Windows Vista.

Random hangs are often due to damage to the Windows configuration, faulty hardware, or malware. However, because this behavior is random, it can be especially difficult to identify the proper cause. Please review the steps below to help identify the cause and determine the next course of action:. If the system is hanging randomly, it could be caused by damaged system files, software compatibility, or damaged registry files. Try each of the following steps to check if the hang is caused by one of these possibilities.

Corrupt system files can cause Windows Explorer to stop responding. Faulty hardware could be the reason that Windows system files were improperly written to disk, or decayed over time. If you have recently installed an app or driver and find that Windows is now hanging randomly, try removing the recently installed software.

If you have a restore point saved before you installed the software, try running System Restore to return the system to a working state: Windows 7: System Restore Windows 8 or Windows 8. Registry cleaning tools can damage the Windows registry and cause a range of symptoms include random system hangs. For more information, please see the following Knowledge Base: Microsoft support policy for the use of registry cleaning utilities If the registry becomes damaged, it is recommended that you restore Windows to a working state using either System Restore, or Refresh.

In the event that these tools do not resolve the issue, you may need to reinstall Windows. Windows 7: System Restore Windows 8 or Windows 8. If Chkdsk runs while starting Windows, it could be a sign of a hard disk failure.