# Having problems with my computer, specifically Edge browser **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 7, 2022, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-problems-with-my-computer-specifically-edge-browser/971110 "2022-09-07T04:54:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2022, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-problems-with-my-computer-specifically-edge-browser/971110/1 "2022-09-07T04:54:41Z")
I’ve been having some terrible computer problems today; I’ve had two Blue Screens of Death, and at one point it wasn’t recognizing my operating system. At the moment, I’m having trouble with Microsoft Edge. Here’s some examples of what’s going on. [![](https://i.imgur.com/gsDEbvN.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/gsDEbvN.jpg) [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/1UFGgBq.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/1UFGgBq) [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/yYSZ8cm.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/yYSZ8cm) I can’t even see these full pictures in my browser. I’ve already tried restarting my computer. Should I try reinstalling Edge? (I can see them in Firefox.) ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2022, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-problems-with-my-computer-specifically-edge-browser/971110/2 "2022-09-07T05:20:25Z")
a) Confirm your OS. Since your browser is Edge, I assume at least Windows 7 and most likely Windows 10, possibly Windows 11 even; more people can help you if you specify, though. Also, 64 bit or 32 bit? (If you don’t know, find “This PC” or “Computer” or “My Computer” or however it’s designated and right-click it and it should tell you there). b) If you restart your computer and _don’t use Edge for anything_ how long does it run problem-free? c) If you download and install (or make use of already-installed) Chrome or Firefox or some other browser, and then reboot and _don’t use Edge for anything_ after that, but go online with a different browser, how long does it run problem-free? d) If you create a new Windows account with the same privileges, and log in as _that_ user, and spend the day browsing the internet in Edge, does it crash just as often and as bad? e) If you double-click “This PC” or “Computer” or “My Computer” (or whatever-the-hell Microsoft is calling it these days), and examine the C: drive, does it have available space or is it running out of empty space? ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2022, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-problems-with-my-computer-specifically-edge-browser/971110/3 "2022-09-07T14:08:22Z")
a) I’m on Windows 10, 64-bit. c) I switched to Firefox and so far, no problems. I’ll keep you posted. e) Plenty of free space left. 708 GB free out of 931. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2022, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-problems-with-my-computer-specifically-edge-browser/971110/4 "2022-09-07T14:34:54Z")
Sounds to me like either the cache or the Preferences/Settings for Edge got messed up. I’m only an incidental Windows user so I don’t know where they hide. Most web browsers have a menu command somewhere for deleting the cache. If you can’t easily ferret out where the user-level settings for Edge hang out, someone more knowledgable than me can point you. Try nuking the cache first, since that’s less intrusive and easier. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2022, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-problems-with-my-computer-specifically-edge-browser/971110/5 "2022-09-07T15:07:00Z")
That sounds like what happened to me when Edge’s hardware acceleration got messed. How to possibly fix this: Exit Edge. (Ideally restart your computer). Then pull up the start menu, and type the following: `msedge.exe --disable-gpu`. This should get you into Edge and bypass the rendering errors. But the changes won’t stick. You’ll need to change settings, then exit Edge completely. Then launch Edge from the icon to see if the changes worked. If not, you can try another setting by repeating the instructions. There are two sets of settings to try, in this order. Try one, see if it works (by exiting per above) and then try the other if it doesn’t. - Go to `edge://flags` in your address bar. Type `angle` in the search box. In the option about changing the Angle backend, try choosing D3D9. You can also try the other options - If that doesn’t work, you can turn off GPU acceleration altogether. Click the `...` menu, then Settings. Type `hardware acceleration` into the bar on top. Then disable the **Use hardware acceleration when available** option.