Tips for Dealing with Unresponsive Computers

Few things are more frustrating than watching your computer grind to a halt just when you need it most. Whether it’s a momentary hang or a full system freeze, Windows 11 has several built-in tools that may help you pinpoint what’s going wrong.

Start With the Basics
When your system suddenly stops responding, the first thing to do is to wait a minute. Sometimes, Windows appears to be frozen while it’s busy installing updates or indexing files in the background. Give it 30 to 60 seconds before taking further action.

Reboot
Yes, the old “restart your computer” advice still works wonders. Rebooting clears temporary files, refreshes system memory, and resolves a surprising number of issues, including the completion of an update that was in progress that you may not have been aware of.

Investigate
If the mouse moves but nothing else responds, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. This will show you which apps or background processes are hogging resources. Click “CPU,” “Memory,” or “Disk” at the top of the list to sort by usage. If a particular program is maxing out your resources, you can select it and click End Task to free things up.

If this same program ends up being the problem regularly, it may be corrupted and need to be updated or reinstalled.  If it’s not something you really need, get rid of it.

Check Disk Space
Make sure you have enough free space on your main drive—Windows needs at least 10–15% free to function smoothly, as the empty drive space is used as an important temporary workspace.

Check Startup Clutter
One of the most common causes of sluggishness and random freezes is too many programs launching when Windows starts. In Task Manager, click the Startup Apps tab to see what’s automatically loading each time you sign in.

Disable anything you don’t use every day, especially auto-updaters and third-party utilities. This doesn’t uninstall the program; it simply prevents it from running until you need it.

Run a Health Check
If freezes are happening more often, it’s time to check for malware and file system issues. Start by running a full scan via the security program that you use to rule out malware. If that comes back negative, you can use ‘System File Checker’ by opening a command prompt as an administrator and typing: sfc /scannow, which tells Windows to verify and repair missing or corrupted system files.

Check for Heat
Overheating can make a PC unresponsive. If you notice fans spinning loudly or the computer feeling unusually hot, make sure air vents aren’t blocked by dust or fabric. For laptops, avoid running them directly on soft surfaces like blankets.

Don’t Ignore It
A properly functioning and maintained computer shouldn’t experience erratic freezing, so make sure you don’t just put up with it.  It’s not just the frustration you’ll avoid; it could be the sign of a serious malware infection or a failing hardware component that could result in data loss.

If you’re not comfortable working with Windows ‘under the hood’, get some help, as ignoring it could lead to bigger issues down the road.