Windows 7 freezing

Something is wrong with my computer, running windows 7. It seems to boot much more slowly than before. And if I leave it alone for a few hours it will freeze up, and I have to reboot. When I check task manager there are no unusual programs running, and I have no idea how to analyze processes. When it freezed the little blue light showing the hard drive running is invariably on. What kind of things can I check on?

First do a backup of any important files right now. If something is going wrong, you don’t want to loose anything.

Next run a good quality virus and malware detector with fresh virus dictionary files. You might even want to run a second scanner.

Next clean out the insides of the computer with a can of spray air while the computer is off. Pay attention to the vent holes and fans for dust. Start up the PC with the cover off and see if all the various fans are running.

Might want to download a utility to analyze the memory chips. Could have a bad one.

Also run a complete error check of the hard drive on the next reboot.

That it freezes with the disk being used might also indicate problems with the hard disk. I’d do a disk cleanup, delete unused files, defrag, etc.