Why do Windows programs stop responding

A computer, operating system, software program or driver may stop responding or cause other programs to stop responding because of several possible reasons, such as a confliction of software or hardware resources between two programs, lack of system resources, or a bug in the software or drivers.

To recover from a program that has stopped responding, press the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys on his or her keyboards to open the "Close Program" or "Task Manager" window, highlight the program, and click the "End Task" button to terminate the program. If another window opens, click the "End Task" button again to confirm stopping that program.

Note: It is important to realize that when a program stops responding any work that has not been saved will be lost when end tasking a program.

If you continue to experience programs locking the computer or stop responding we recommend you review our General Troubleshooting page for recommendations on steps that can be performed to help stop this issue from occurring.

Regaining computer hard drive space

 

Below is a full listing of steps on how you can regain or free up computer hard drive space on your computer. Click on one of the links below to jump to the steps for the operating system running on your computer.

Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP, Vista, and 7 users
Microsoft Windows 95 users
MS-DOS and Windows 3.x users

Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP, Vista, and 7 users

Run the Disk Cleanup option

1. Open My Computer.
2. Right-click on the hard drive that you want to regain hard drive space. For example, right-click on the C: drive.
3. Click Properties.
4. Within the General tab, click the "Disk Cleanup" button located next to the pie chart.
5. Once in the Disk Cleanup window check each of the boxes (except "compress old files") that are taking disk space and click Ok and then Yes if you want to proceed.

Compress?

When performing a Disk Cleanup you have the option to compress your hard drive. We strongly recommend users do not compress their hard drive or compress their old files.

Uninstall old programs or games no longer used

• Uninstalling Windows software.

Disable System Restore

Windows XP, Vista, and 7 users can also reduce the default space utilized by Windows System Restore and may be able to gain several gigabytes of hard drive space. See the steps below in customizing this feature.

1. Click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and open System Restore.
2. Within the System Restore window, click System Restore Settings.
3. Within the System Restore tab, you can either check the Turn off System Restore on all drives to completely disable this feature, or click the Settings button and decrease the space usage, which is what we would recommend.

Additional suggestion for Windows 2000 and Windows XP users:

Window 2000 and Windows XP keeps all the necessary files needed to uninstall any of the updates ever installed on your computer. This could be dozens of updates that can take up several hundred and sometimes over a gig of space on your hard drive.

• What are the $NtUninstallKBxxxxxx$ folders in Windows?

Move the swap file

If you have more than one hard drive in the computer and the C: drive is the drive running out of space consider moving the swap file to another drive.

Disable hibernation

If you turn your computer off instead of using hibernation mode you can disable this feature to free up lots of space.

• How do I disable hibernation mode in Windows?

Microsoft Windows 95 users

Users can regain computer hard drive space by performing any or all of the steps below.

Clean up temporary files

1. Click Start and then Search or Find
2. In the "File type" text field type: *.tmp and verify the computer is looking at the C: drive or the drive that contains your operating system.
3. Search for files and delete each of the temporary files.

Delete chk files

Perform the same steps above, except search for *.chk and delete all of the found files.

Uninstall old programs or games no longer used

• Uninstalling Windows software.

MS-DOS and Windows 3.x users

Users can regain computer hard drive space by performing any or all of the steps below.

1. From the MS-DOS prompt, type del *.tmp /s and del *.chk /s to delete any temporary files on the hard drive.
2. Delete any software programs or games you are no longer using.

Windows restarts without warning

 

With the introduction of Windows XP Microsoft designed Windows to automatically reboot each time an error occurs such as a BSoD. Although this may be nice for errors that do not occur often, users who have a re-occurring error may want to identify the error to troubleshoot it. Below are the steps on how this feature can be disabled and enabled in Windows XP, Vista, 7, and 8.

1. From the Desktop right-click on My Computer.
2. Click the Properties option.
3. In the System Properties window click the Advanced tab or the Advanced system settings link.
4. In Advanced click the Settings button under Startup and Recovery.
5. In the Startup and Recovery window uncheck the Automatically restart check box.
6. Click Ok.

Now if the computer generates an error it should not automatically restart and should display an error message, most likely a BSoD.

• How do I fix the Windows blue screen errors?

Hardware issue or error

Caution: Some of the steps below require you open your computer. While in the computer, be cautious of ESD.

Any failing hardware component in your computer could cause your computer to unexpectedly generate an error or reboot without warning. If you have recently attempted to add a new hardware device, remove that device to make sure it is not causing your issues.

Make sure you are not encountering any hardware conflicts by viewing Device Manager for errors.

New drivers can also cause this issue, if you have recently performed any hardware driver updates you may want to try an earlier version of the drivers. Additional information and help with computer drivers can be found on our drivers page.

If you have updated drivers and removed any hardware that could be causing this issue and continue to experience random reboots, it's possible that the memory is bad in the computer.

• How can I test my memory to determine if it is bad?

Finally, hardware devices that are not installed properly in the computer can also cause random reboots. Make sure all the cables and expansion cards are connected properly to the computer. The best way to determine this is to disconnect and reconnect all cables and expansion cards.

Computer virus

Computer viruses such as the blaster virus are written to reboot your computer without warning. Usually these viruses make the computer reboot every 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes after the computer has booted.

If you believe your computer may be infected with a virus or are uncertain if your computer is infected with a virus make sure your virus scanner definitions are up to date.

• How do I update my antivirus program?

Heat related issue

Many computer today are designed to turn off or automatically reboot if the computer, processor, or other device in your computer gets to hot. If you have heard any abnormal noises coming from your computer recently such as a high squealing this could indicate a fan may be failing in your computer.

First, verify the fan on the power supply is working by examining the back of the computer and seeing if the fan is moving and moving smoothly. For all other fans in the computer you need to either open the computer and verify all fans are working, e.g. processor fan and case fan.

A temperature gun like that shown in the picture can also be used to help gauge how hot components or integrated circuits are running the computer.

Tip: If your BIOS monitors the RPM of the fans enter CMOS Setup and verify it does not report any errors.

Note: If this is a laptop computer, there is still a fan located on one of the sides of the laptop that can be checked. Make sure this fan is blowing or that you can feel hot air coming from the laptop. You may also consider getting a cooler pad if you find your laptop is getting hot often.

• What temperature should my processor be running at?

Issue with operating system

If after following each of the above recommendations your computer still continues to reboot it is likely that you are experiencing a Microsoft Windows operating system related issue that cannot be explained. To help make sure this is the case try the steps below.

1. Reboot the computer and enter CMOS setup as the computer is booting.
2. After you have loaded the computer in CMOS setup let the computer sit.

If the computer does not reboot while letting the computer sit in CMOS it is likely that you are in fact experiencing an issue with Microsoft Windows and it is recommend that if you have followed all of the above recommendations that you reinstall Microsoft Windows

Computer turns off without warning

 

• Tip: This document is for computers that remain off and not computer's that turn back on (restart) or computer's that turns off almost immediately after they are turned on.

Caution: Some of the steps below require you open your computer. While in the computer, be cautious of ESD.

Heat related issue

A computer that turns off without warning is usually caused by a heat related issue. Many computers today are designed to turn off automatically if the computer, processor, or other device gets too hot.

Start by verifying the fan on the power supply is working by examining the back of the computer and seeing if the fan is moving and moving smoothly. For all other fans in the computer, you need to open the computer and make sure the fan are working. While in the computer example the processor fan (heatsink), video card fans, and case fans. If you have heard any abnormal noises coming from your computer recently such as a high squealing, this is also a common indication of a fan failure.

Tip: While inside the computer it may also be a good idea to clean the inside of the computer. Dust, dirt, hair, and other residue in the vents and on the fans can prevent proper air flow and heat the computer.

Tip: If your BIOS monitors the RPM of the fans, enter BIOS and make sure the BIOS does not report any errors. Software utilities such as SpeedFan can also be used to help monitor fans in your computer.

While inside the computer, it's also a good idea to verify the processor heatsink is properly connected by disconnecting and reconnecting the heatsink. If the processor heatsink is not properly attached or does not have a proper amount of thermal compound, the computer will overheat.

Caution: If you do remove the processor heatsink the thermal compound on the processor and heatsink should be cleaned and new thermal compound should be applied. Not reapplying new thermal compound could make issues worse since the bond between the CPU and heatsink would be broken.

• Is there a way to tell how hot my CPU is running?
• What should be the temperature of my processor?

Hardware issue or error

Any failing hardware component in your computer could cause your computer to unexpectedly turn off without warning. If you have recently added any new hardware remove it from the computer to make sure it is not causing the problem.

Tip: Before attempting to remove any hardware, make sure you are not encountering this issue because of hardware conflicts by checking Device Manager for errors.

If you have not recently installed any new hardware into the computer, the next best solution to determining if this is a hardware issue would be remove any hardware on the computer that is not needed. For example, remove your modem, network card, sound card, and any other expansion cards that are not needed for the computer to operate. Run the computer without these cards to see if they are the cause of your issue.

Problem with UPS or surge protector

Make sure any surge protector or Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) is not the cause of your problem by connecting the computer directly to the power plug outlet on your wall. Also, if you have a UPS that connects a USB cable to the computer to manage power saving features, make sure it is also disconnected from the computer.

If this resolves your problem, you may have a defective surge protector or UPS. In the case of the UPS, there may be other issues such as a UPS overload or UPS drivers reporting bad power situations that cause your computer to shutdown or the UPS to switch off. Make sure there are not too many devices connected to your UPS and if you are using any UPS software that it has all the latest updates installed on your computer.

Computer virus

Although not as likely as the above reasons, your computer to be infected with a virus or other malware that is designed to shut down your computer or turn it off. If your computer seems to be turning off when executing a certain program at specific times in the day, it could be infected.

If you believe your computer may be infected with a virus or are uncertain if your computer is infected with a virus, make sure your virus scanner definitions are up-to-date and it may also be a good idea to scan the computer for any other malware.

Issue with operating system

If after following each of the above recommendations your computer still continues to reboot, it is likely that you are experiencing a Microsoft Windows operating system related issue that cannot be explained. To help make sure this is the case, try the steps below.

1. Reboot the computer and enter CMOS setup as the computer is booting.
2. After you have loaded the computer in CMOS setup, let the computer sit.

If the computer does not turn off while letting the computer sit in CMOS, you are likely experiencing an issue with Microsoft Windows or your operating system and it is recommend you erase everything and reinstall Microsoft Windows.

Other failing hardware

If after reinstalling your operating system, or during the installation of your operating system, your computer turns off abnormally, it is very likely that other hardware is failing in the computer. Often this is RAM, CPU, Motherboard, Power Supply, or Video card (in that order).

• Steps on how to test your computer memory for errors.

If you have extra parts or have a friend or co-worker with a similar configuration that is willing to allow you to test their hardware in your computer, try swapping these parts to determine if they are at fault. Otherwise, you need to have the computer serviced.

How do I fix the Windows blue screen errors?

Before fixing a Microsoft Windows blue screen or blue screen of death error (BSoD), you must first identify what error it is, as there are multiple types of blue screen errors.

 

Note: If you are getting a blue screen and then your computer immediately reboots without being able to read the text in the blue screen, follow the steps below. If you're unable to get into Windows to perform the steps below, boot the computer into Safe Mode.

1. From the Desktop or in the Windows Start menu, right-click on My Computer or Computer.
2. Click the Properties option.
3. In the System Properties window, click the Advanced tab or the Advanced system settings link.
4. On the Advanced tab, click the Settings button in the Startup and Recovery section.
5. In the Startup and Recovery window, uncheck the Automatically restart check box.
6. Click Ok.

Blue screen errors

Windows NT, 2000, XP, Vista, and later versions of Windows have a blue screen error that's similar to the example shown below. These error messages often contain more detailed information, and will contain information that can be searched for and found. If you're not getting a blue screen error that looks like the example below, skip to the next Fatal exception section.

Note: If you are getting a solid blue screen with no white text, you are not encountering a BSoD. It's likely a problem with your video card, monitor, or other hardware. Follow the no display on monitor troubleshooting steps to diagnose this problem.

1. Identify the blue screen by locating a line containing all capital letters with underscores instead of spaces, such as the above example, BAD_POOL_HEADER. Write this information down. If you do not see anything written in all caps with underscores like this, skip this step.
2. Get either the STOP: error message at the top of the error, or in the "Technical Information:" portion of the error. For example, in the above error it's STOP: 0x00000019 ... write the first portion of this error message down.
3. Finally, if technical information is shown, write down the file and the address.

Once you have the above information, you can start troubleshooting the issue. Below are common blue screen errors and links to pages that contain the troubleshooting steps for some of these errors. If your error is not listed in the below section, search for the error you wrote down.

BAD_POOL_HEADER
DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE
INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE
IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM
PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA
STATUS_IMAGE_CHECKSUM_MISMATCH
THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER
UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP
UNKNOWN_HARD_ERROR

Fatal exceptions

Many of the blue screen error messages you'll encounter with earlier versions of Windows will be fatal exception error messages or Fatal 0E messages. If your blue screen message starts out with A fatal exception 0E ... or An exception ..., you are encountering this error. For these blue screen errors, follow the fatal exception error troubleshooting steps.

Missing Microsoft Windows .dll files

 

This document is meant to be a solution for users who are encountering missing .dll errors or other error messages related to .dll files. Before trying the recommended resolutions to resolving these errors, we suggest if you're getting a single missing .dll error, that you search for that .dll file on Computer Hope.

For example, if you're getting an error similar to "Internet Explorer encountered an error in KERNEL32.DLL at 0137:BFF3191C", search for "kernel32.dll" to make sure a specific document has not been created for your issue. In some situations a .dll file error may be caused by a specific situation.

Search for .dll:

If the Computer Hope search does not return any results for your .dll file or you're encountering issues with multiple .dll files, continue reading our recommendations for resolving your issue.

Downloading a .dll file

In some situations, it may be possible to download or copy a .dll file from another computer onto your computer to resolve the issue. However, because .dll error messages are almost always a more serious issue, replacing the missing .dll file is only going to causes additional errors, try the below suggestions before trying to find a .dll file to download.

If you still want to try to download or copy a missing .dll file, unfortunately, Computer Hope does not have a library of downloadable .dll files; however, there are other sites that do offer this service. Click here to open an external search for missing .dll files.

Safe Mode

If you're encountering .dll errors that are preventing you from getting into Windows, to troubleshoot the computer, boot the computer into Safe Mode. Once successfully in Safe Mode, you can continue with the steps below.

If your computer boots normally and can bypass the .dll errors and still operate Windows, you can continue following the steps below.

Microsoft Windows XP and above users

If you're a Microsoft Windows XP or later Microsoft has included some tools that can help resolve .dll file errors; before trying any of the below recommendations you, may want to first try the below suggestions.

Restoring computer back to an earlier date

First, try restoring the computer back to an earlier date, this troubleshooting step is a quick and easy recommendation that can resolve lots of problems with Microsoft Windows computers.

Windows SFC command

Use the Windows XP SFC command to have windows scan and repair files; to run this command, follow the steps below. Additional information about the SFC command can be found on our SFC command page.

1. Click Start
2. Click Run
3. Type "sfc /scannow" and press enter.

Once the above steps have been completed, Windows will verify that all protected windows files are intact.

Issue with .dll files only with a specific program

If you're encountering the missing, corrupt, or other errors relating to .dll files only when you open or run a program, it's likely an issue with that program. Resolving program-specific errors can be much easier than operating system related .dll errors.

If the program you're attempting to run has worked in the past on your computer and has only recently started to get the .dll errors, reinstalling the program generating the errors will almost always resolve your problem.

Additionally, while reinstalling the program, it's also a good idea to check if updates or patches have been made available by the developer of your program. Updates are often found through the developer's website.

Recently uninstalled program

If you have recently uninstalled a program on the computer, that program may have removed a .dll file that is necessary for Windows or a Windows program to work properly.

If you've already tried the above recommendations, you may want to reinstall the program to get whatever file has been deleted back on the computer. If this resolves your .dll error message and you want to uninstall the program again, during the uninstall process, make sure that you click "No" or "No to all" when asked to delete a system file or any file that may be used by another program.

Recently installed program

If you have recently installed a program and after the installation began encountering your .dll error messages, we suggest you first check if updates are available for the program. In some situations, a program may need to be updated for it to work properly on your computer. Updates are often found through the developer's website.

If no updates are available for the program, try uninstalling the program to resolve the issue. If this does correct your issue, we suggest you contact the developer of the program for additional support on getting the program installed on the computer without it causing errors.

Virus, spyware, or other malware installed on the computer causing your .dll error

A virus, spyware, or other malware program to cause .dll errors; and therefore, we suggest users make sure to run a full virus and spyware scan on your computer.

Windows .dll error message or .dll errors when trying to do something within Windows and not a program

Microsoft Windows .dll errors or .dll error messages that occur when starting Windows or trying to do something within Windows, such as opening the Control Panel, can be more serious and unfortunately more difficult to resolve. For these errors we suggest you run through the basic troubleshooting steps for your operating system.

If running through these steps you encounter the same issues to resolve your .dll errors, we suggest you erase everything and reinstall Windows.

If issues continue after windows has been reinstalled or errors occur during the installation of Windows, it's possible that you may have a hardware issue that is the cause of all your problems.

Not a valid Win32 application

File is corrupt, bad, or missing

If the file or program you're attempting to run is corrupt or missing, Windows will be unable to execute the file properly and sometimes generate this error message.

Download files

If you downloaded this file and verified it is complete and compatible with your version of Windows, delete the file and try downloading and running it again. It's possible during the download that the file became corrupted.

Finally, if the second download does not work, try downloading the file from a different webpage. The person or company maintaining the website mistakenly uploaded a corrupt version of the file you are attempting download.

Installing a program from a CD or other disk

If you're attempting to install a program and are getting this error, verify that the CD is clean. If the CD is dirty or bad, you could get this error during the install or after the program has been installed because it was not copied properly onto the computer.

Running a program from the computer

If you're running the program from a shortcut on the computer, verify that the program is still on the computer. In some cases if the program is no longer installed on the computer you may get this error.

If the hard drive is corrupted or bad it can also cause working programs to fail either because not all the data can be read from the hard drive or because the program has become corrupted while on the drive. Run scandisk and defrag on the hard drive to check for any potential errors.

Long file name issue

Make sure the program or file you're attempting to run does not contain the same name as the long file name directory it is contained in. For example, executing a file named "program" in the "program files" directory can cause errors in some versions of Windows.

Additionally, if you're attempting to install a program and after the install the program does not work, you may also want to try installing the program in a different directory.

Bad file

Any file can be changed or renamed to be a .exe file. If you're downloading the file, make sure the file is supposed to be a .exe file and that it's not being changed. If you're attempting to create a .exe, file make sure you're compiling the file for Windows and never just rename a file to a .exe file. For example, renaming a .bat file to a .exe file will not make the file an executable file. For a file to become an executable file it needs to either be compiled or converted through a software program designed to convert the file.

File is not designed for your version of Windows

If you're trying to run a program that is not designed for your version of Windows you may get this error. Although many older programs designed to work in older versions of Windows will work with new versions of Windows, unfortunately, not all programs will work.

• If the program is an older MS-DOS program or early Windows program you may get this error.
• If the program is designed for a 64-bit version of Windows and you're running it in a 32-bit version of Windows, it will not work and generate this error.

Getting old MS-DOS games to run in Windows.

File is a virus, worm, or other malware file

This error can be generated by a file that is a virus, worm, Trojan, or other malware file. Often, this will be caused because the virus scanner installed in the computer will not allow the file to be installed or run. Try scanning the file to verify it is not a virus or infected.

If the file has been checked and is clean, it is still possible that the virus protection program or another program installed on the computer is causing issues during the install or execution of the program. Boot the computer into Safe Mode and try running the program; booting the computer into Safe Mode makes sure nothing is running in the background that could be causing this issue.

Hardware incompatibility

If you're getting this error during the installation of a program it's also possible that the CD-ROM drive or the drive you're installing the program from is not compatible with Windows or has drivers that are not compatible with Windows.