# Computer freezes **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 22, 2018, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-freezes/821748 "2018-09-22T21:53:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![race\_to\_the\_bottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c4cdca/32.png) [@race\_to\_the\_bottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/race_to_the_bottom)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-freezes/821748/1 "2018-09-22T21:53:21Z")
My laptop, a Q430 Samsung, Win 7, freezes up. Windows has been reinstalled, BIOS has been upgraded and set to defaults. BIOS clock never loses time. When powered on, sometimes the screen will be blank and the HD doesn’t run. The system will freeze on POST sometimes. Sometimes when entering F2 BIOS settings, changes can be made, other times it is frozen. Sometimes Windows will load normally, but freeze in a short time. When it freezes, the HD keeps running at top speed (led is on steady) I have tried to run CHKDSK, but the system will freeze before it is completed. I have not reset any memory sticks. Early on there was another problem which may be related. The computer would turn off of I pressed hard on the lower right corner of the case. I investigated and found that there was a connector there which I played around with for a bit, so it doesn’t have this problem anymore. Malwarebytes came up clean. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-freezes/821748/2 "2018-09-22T22:30:57Z")
Motherboard and/or power failure? You’ll probably need to take it to a shop unless you have the parts to test those for you. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-freezes/821748/3 "2018-09-22T22:54:21Z")
> [@race\_to\_the\_bottom](#): > > I have not reset any memory sticks. You probably should do so. If you have more than one memory stick, change them, or try to run the machine with only either of those. Bad RAM is often the cause of such erratic behavior. ---
**Author:** ![race\_to\_the\_bottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c4cdca/32.png) [@race\_to\_the\_bottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/race_to_the_bottom)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-freezes/821748/4 "2018-09-22T23:25:07Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > You probably should do so. If you have more than one memory stick, change them, or try to run the machine with only either of those. Bad RAM is often the cause of such erratic behavior. I have two of these machines. Maybe I will try swapping the RAM and see what happens. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-freezes/821748/5 "2018-09-22T23:52:03Z")
> [@race\_to\_the\_bottom](#): > > I have two of these machines. Maybe I will try swapping the RAM and see what happens. Yeah, that sounds like a solid test for RAM failure. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2018, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-freezes/821748/6 "2018-09-23T13:08:51Z")
Random freezes can sometimes be caused by overheating. For a laptop, the airvents cooling the CPU can get clogged. A can of air can sometimes help.