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My laptop has frozen.

Okay, the good news here is that you should be able to get your laptop unfrozen with a few simple strategies. Read through the following suggestions.

Troubleshooting Frozen Computer: Use Last Good Configuration

Since booting up in Safe Mode uses the least amount of resources, drivers, and applications, let’s see if you can boot up using the following directions:

1. Turn on the power button to the laptop and immediately and continually begin to press the “F8″ key on the keyboard until you hear the laptop booting up. (You might need to press the “F2″, “F12,” or “F10″ key depending on the make and model of your laptop.)
2. Once you get into Safe Mode, select the following to boot the computer “Last Known Good Configuration.” This should allow your computer to revert to a condition when it did not freeze.

Troubleshooting Frozen Computer: Installation Disk

If you have the installation disk for your laptop handy, you can use it to boot up. Simply follow these directions:

1. Turn the power to the laptop on. Immediately insert the disk.
2. Immediately press the “ESC” key on the keyboard and the “F1″ key once the “Check System” phrase appears on the screen. This allows you to boot from the disk rather than the hard drive.
3. This should generate a menu choice for you. Select “Repair the Operating System.” You should hear activity as the computer boots up properly. All of your data should also be saved through this option.

Troubleshooting Frozen Computer: Additional Strategies

If you still have a stuck computer, try each of the following strategies to see if you can get it working:

1. Reseat the memory - If it is possible that the memory has been jostled loose, carefully reseat it.
2. Clean - It is possible that the laptop is overheating due to dust build up. Use a can of compressed air to clean around the fan.

If you get the laptop working but have concerns that all isn’t quite right, try these strategies:

1. Scan for Spyware/Virus - Since it is possible that your computer is infected with spyware or a virus, use a reliable, up-to-date anti-spyware/anti-virus scanner to check. If you don’t have such an application, I can recommend that you try Anti-Virus PLUS.
2. Update Drivers - If you haven’t checked in a while to see if you need to update your drivers, you should do so now.

When using Internet Explorer if I click on any link the computer becomes “locked” and I can do nothing except reboot the machine! The machine was working perfectly until recently.

Links Cause Computer to Freeze

The fact that the computer was working fine up until now makes me wonder if you recently updated any applications or drivers, installed new software, hardware, or drivers, or downloaded any new add-ons. Any of these factors could be the problem causing your computer to freeze and crash.

Several different causes can result in a computer that freezes and locks up when trying to use Internet Explorer. Sometimes it’s simply a glitch that can be resolved easily and other times, it takes a lot of troubleshooting to resolve the issue. Follow each of the suggested tips to help find a solution to your problem.

Troubleshooting Links Cause Computer to Freeze: Spyware

Back in the day before I took spyware and viruses super seriously, I noticed that one or the other of them was always responsible for every Internet Explorer error I had that caused my computer to crash. Therefore, the first step I am going to tell you to take is to scan your computer for both spyware and viruses before doing anything else. If you don’t have a reliable anti-spyware/anti-virus application, then I recommend that you try Anti-VirusPLUS. If you do have one, then make sure that you update it before running it so that it has the latest protection on it.

Troubleshooting Links Cause Computer to Freeze: Updates

What version of Internet Explorer do you have? The latest one is currently IE8. If your version is out-of-date, it could be causing your computer to crash when you click on links. Update to the latest version of IE now and see if it resolves the problem. Similarly, if you recently upgraded to IE8, you may have a faulty installation. If so, let us know and we can troubleshoot the faulty installation.

Troubleshooting Links Cause Computer to Freeze: Repair IE

Today it is possible for you to try to repair your Internet Explorer using these directions:

1)      Select “Tools.”

2)      Select “Internet Options.”

3)      Select “Advanced.”

4)      Select “Reset.”

Troubleshooting Links Cause Computer to Freeze: Check Java

Check all of the following issues related to Java:

1)      Make sure that Java is enabled for Internet Explorer.

2)      Check to see if Java is installed properly.

Troubleshooting Links Cause Computer to Freeze: Add-ons

If you have recently added any add-ons to your IE, this could be creating the problem where clicking links causes your computer to freeze. Uninstall whatever add-on you recently included and see if your IE works properly. If this doesn’t do the trick, then try using Internet Explorer without any add-ons at all. You can launch Internet Explorer with No Add-ons by going to Start> Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Internet Explorer (No Add-ons). If Internet Explorer works properly without add-ons, then enable each add-on one at a time until you find the one that causes the problem. To manage add-ons in Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Manage Add-ons.

Troubleshooting Links Cause Computer to Freeze: Clear Temporary Internet Files

Although this strategy probably isn’t going to resolve the problem of your computer crashing on its own, it won’t hurt for you to clear your temporary Internet files. Follow these directions:

1)      Open Internet Explorer.

2)      Click on “Tools” in the top menu.

3)      Select the tab for “Delete Browsing History.”

4)      Click on the section that has the label, “Temporary Internet Files.”

5)      Click the boxes for each of the following pieces of data: history, cookies, and temporary Internet files. Click on “Delete.”

A computer hang is a less serious version of a crash. If the system is overloaded, it might not be able to complete tasks or, if there are problems that affect its ability to execute functions that is it able to respond to and overcome, then the system might momentarily stall, during which time the user loses control of the mouse/touch pad and keyboard and has to wait for the computer to catch up. Normal use of your system, over time, can create unfavorable conditions for your computer and result in hangs and even stalls. If too many programs and applications are in use at the same time, then the demand on the RAM, processor, and other facilities is increased, possibly to a point at which the system is unable to maintain normal operations. When there are too many programs, or too many intensely graphic and sophisticated programs running simultaneously then the available RAM memory might be exceeded. If this is the case, then you might consider increasing your RAM by installing an additional component.

Other ways to keep your computer running well include keeping your system as clean as possible. This is possible by deleting your Internet browsing history by going into your Tools menu, then Internet Options and select Delete Files. Clearing cookies is good too. Begin in the Tools menu, Internet Options and Delete Cookies.

Overheating of your processor, motherboard, or both might result in your computer hanging. When your computer’s internal cooling fan is overworked or faulty, the processor can reach high temperatures that interfere with its ability to work properly. Sometimes this can result in hanging, or even crashing. You should check that your computer doesn’t get too hot and, if you are concerned, check that your fan is clean and working well.

Otherwise, ongoing problems with your hard disk can result in hangs and crashes. In this case, there might be problems with important operating system files. Your first course of action here might be to run a full system disk scan and look for damaged files, if you don’t have luck with this an uninstall and reinstall might be necessary.

As with most other computer related issues, even a small problem might indicate a larger threat looming and so is a good reason to run a security check on your whole system. Make sure that you have a good security program installed on your computer such as ParetoLogic Anti Virus Plus that includes regular updates. These updates are really important for staying on top of the latest virus and malware threats. If your system is equipped with the most recent anti-virus information, then you have the greatest chance of remaining virus-free. While the visible symptoms of a problem might be as slight as computer hangs, if it is a virus, worm or other malware infection, much more damaging and dangerous operations could be at work.