Week 7 - Computer Lockups

 Week 7 - Understanding Computer Lockups

A computer can freeze out of nowhere and be very tedious to deal with. You are using your computer and everything is working as intended until suddenly, your computer freezes. You try mashing your computer, moving your mouse, and clicking to see if anything happens but the computer continues to be unresponsive. These moments are known as system lockups.

So what exactly is a system lockup? In a very simple matter, a system lockup is when your computer freezes due to an error in resources on your computer. There are different types of lockups that can occur. A lockup can occur whenever there is a program that is taking up a lot of resources. This can happen on websites when the browser is overloading the computer. Lockups can also happen during sporadic intervals based on a specific subset of issues. Lockups can also during normal use and then suddenly become responsive again. With all of this being said, Lockups are bound to happen while you are using a computer. Now, depending on the issue there might be an underlying cause for some lockups that are a little bit more concerning than others.

At this point, you may be wondering, what exactly can cause a lockup? Well, because lockups are different in each system, operating system, and program there can be various reasons why they occur. Some examples of why lockups occur include but aren't limited to:  

• Hard Drive / Storage Issues
• USB / External Device Issues
• Deficient RAM Issues
• Operating system stability Issues
• Driver Issues
• Excessive applications open 
• Specific applications using a large number of system resources

With system lockups, knowing whether or not your computer is deadlocked can help you take the appropriate steps for getting your computer functioning again. A deadlock lockup occurs when there are multiple processes withholding resources due to waiting for another resource. If this occurs, the only way to get the computer functioning again is to restart it. You can check to see if the computer is deadlocked by pressing the caps lock key. If the light illuminates and the system is semi-responsive, then ending the task can help the system return to normal. Using the windows key binds Ctrl+Alt+Delete or Ctrl+Shift+Esc (simultaneously) should open task manager and from there, you can end the task that is causing the computer to become unresponsive. To end the task, right-click the task that is causing issues and press "End Task." It is important to not delete any other important Windows processes, so be careful if you are doing this.