Nothing halts your productivity like a frozen PC. It’s one of the most frustrating problems a PC user will face. But you can easily solve it.

Even the most basic PC will be a complex piece of machinery. Not only are there the electrical and mechanical elements of the hardware, but the software is also at risk of developing problems. Accordingly, a PC can soon run into a major issue. And one of the most common symptoms of this is a frozen PC. No matter how many times you click your mouse or tap at the keyboard, there simply isn’t any response. Your productivity will instantly stop, and you will become highly frustrated. No one wants this, but what’s the answer?

How Can You Unfreeze Your PC?

It’s important to rectify a frozen PC as soon as possible to ensure you can continue being productive. The best ways to successfully solve this are:

  • Access Task Manager: Sometimes, you may find that only one application freezes. This can be particularly frustrating when it’s one that is in constant use. It’s also likely that you won’t be able to hit the close button due to its lack of response. However, by using Task Manager, you should be able to close it. Just hit the Windows button and type in Task Manager in the start box. This will open the Task Manager which displays all the applications currently running. From Task Manager you can right click on any frozen apps and select the End Task command.
  • Manual Reboot: If a PC is completely frozen then it’s unlikely that you will be able to initiate any resolutions due to the lack of available options. In these cases, you will need to carry out a manual reboot. This should only be considered as a final option as manual reboots can result in data loss and file corruption. To complete a manual reboot, hold down the power button on your PC until it turns off – this should usually take around five seconds. Leave the machine turned off for a minute until restarting it.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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Fix Failed Windows 7 Update

Does Windows keep telling you that the computer needs to restart to finish installing updates even after you have already restarted the computer repeatedly?  Here’s how you can fix the problem.

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It is paramount to install these updates correctly because getting the latest updates means getting the latest security fixes that prevent infections from compromising your system.

Before trying anything else, run a System Restore:

In Windows 7, click the Start button, click the Accessories folder, then System Tools, and select System Restore.

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In Windows 8, use the mouse to swipe the right edge of the screen of the cursor, then click the Search Charm.

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In the box that comes up, type restore point and click Create a restore point.

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Choose the last date your computer worked correctly before the failed update. In the System Restore Wizard window, select the restore point that corresponds with that date. If the wizard doesn’t display the date in question, check Show more restore points. 

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After you have found the correctly dated restore point, click Next. Then select Finish to allow Windows to run the wizard and reboot.

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After rebooting, run Windows Update again.

If Windows fails to update again, malware may be the culprit. Malwarebytes anti- malware is a useful tool that can remove these types of infections that block updates. For more information on how to remove malware, please refer to the following article.

If the failed updates are not the result of malware, try the Windows Update Troubleshooter. It is a free Microsoft diagnostic tool that can sort out update problems.

If all of the solutions mentioned above cannot rectify Windows update, try rebooting one more time. Sometimes temporary problems arise that prevent updates from installing. A simple reboot often clears Windows of these problems.

As a last resort, you can reset windows update. This is a very complicated process that involves precisely following the steps described in this Microsoft support article.

For more information on this or other issues with your PC, consult your local IT professionals.

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