What to do if Windows installation freezes: five tips. What to do if Windows installation freezes: five tips Windows 10 update installation stuck at 99

Reading time: 42 min

With a certain frequency Windows 10 freezes in the process of updating. The problem first appeared back in 2016, but was somehow fixed in subsequent releases, now a new wave of complaints from users about downloading updates. To date, over 60 million users have already taken advantage of downloading and installing Windows 10, and accordingly, the number of errors also reaches enormous numbers.

Why does my Windows 10 computer freeze when updating?

Windows 10 stuck what to do? - Initially, it is worth finding out about the true problem that provoked the freeze. AT this case you will have to restart the PC by holding the power button for a long time or pressing the restart button. After restarting, the update will be fixed, but the computer will work.

Among the common ailments of Windows 10, the following characteristic manifestations can be distinguished:

• during the update process, a hang occurs, the milestone is at 25%.
• transferring user files fails and progress stops at 84%.
• renewal promotion is not able to cross the 44% mark.
• the appearance of a hang at 32% system load.
• the window "Getting updates" appears and no shifts occur.

Important! Do not rush and claim that the computer is frozen, since weak PCs can simply install any files for a long time that are not displayed on the scale until the component is fully installed.

If Windows 10 still freezes, you will have to fix the problem with improvised means. It indicates the problem of hanging at the specified boundaries, other problems are extremely rare.

When hovering at 25% and 84%

When the Windows 10 update is stuck, you have to look for a solution to the problem in a short time. Here the problem may lie either in the hardware or in the software. Mostly this malfunction is characterized by the appearance of errors with the code 0xC1900101 - 0x20004. You can also determine the problem by stopping the blinking of the diode bulb.

Experts found that the listed problems are directly related to system update conflicts with individual components on the PC. Sometimes incompatibility provokes a peripheral device. When installing more than 1 HDD or SSD in the system, the risk of an error increases several times.

For the reasons described, it is worth offering fairly simple and effective solutions:

• Disconnect all peripherals from the PC, you can leave only the necessary: ​​mouse (if there is no touchpad), keyboard, monitor. To prevent miscommunication with various devices, you just need to turn them off, and at the end of the update, reconnect everything together. If there are problems, you will have to download the appropriate drivers.
• In a stationary device, it is recommended to disable the drives, or at least leave only 1, perform the same procedure with drives and hard drives. The essence of the method is to keep the connection only with the most important elements, and everything else is disconnected. To disable the listed elements, it is enough to get one side of the SATA cable.
• You can download the update at removable drive from the current or another PC, so the risk of error is reduced. The main drawback of the technique is that the system after installation may become unlicensed.

Update stuck at 44%

This issue is specific to Windows 10 build released in November. The update process stops at 44% and stops responding to anything else.

From the representative office of the developers, 2 responses were sent:

• In part, the problem occurs on computers with a connected card reader and a card inserted into it. That is, it is enough to get the card or turn off the card reader.
• it was confirmed that the problem occurs precisely because of the SD drive, but not all users can disconnect the device from the system, since it contains most of the free memory needed to install the system. The solution to the problem is to clear enough space on the hard drive or SSD (3 GB for download and 20 GB for installation) or connect a USB drive to the system.

Failure at 32%

This issue is directly related to Windows software. The occurrence of a malfunction is typical after an attempt to update through the Update Center. In this case, it is possible to maintain the situation throughout the day without any shifts.

To fix the problem, you must first download all previously released system update packages. You also need to install optional updates, for this you should tick the corresponding item. Usually, a full update installs Windows 10 without any issues.

An auxiliary method is the Update Center diagnostics using a special utility built into the system. To run this function, press Win + R together and enter the msdt /id WindowsUpdateDiagnostic command in the window that opens. Then press Enter and select "Advanced" in the window that appears. In the lines that open, you can enter "Automatically fix" to launch with higher rights.

By the end of the procedure, various errors will be eliminated, and the system is ready for further upgrade to the modern version of the system.

Stuck on "Getting Updates"

The situation when the freeze occurs even before the start of the download / installation is also not uncommon. The process of searching for updates does not budge, no matter how much you wait for it.

The easiest way to solve the problem is to eliminate the processes from this service, since it was she who hung. We'll have to postpone the update for a while. To disable the service you need:

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del and go to the "Services" tab;
2. Find the element "Windows Update";
3. RMB on the component and "Stop";
4. If that doesn't work, you can select "Go To Process" and then close it on that tab.

The eternal confrontation between viruses and antiviruses can interfere with the update, in which case you need to try to scan the system. If everything is in order, but the procedure still does not progress, it is worth disabling the antivirus, or you can delete it, since it still will not be transferred to the new system.

Despite the popularity of Windows 10, after the release of new system updates, users began to massively complain that the upgrade was freezing. Usually, the computer stops responding to anything at various stages of the system update. The download is fast, but then the screen freezes - only the update icon continues to spin on the taskbar. Microsoft acknowledged the problem, but there is still no single way to solve it.

Reasons for Windows 10 update to hang at different stages and get out of the situation

It often happens that in preparation for installation, the update stops at certain values: 32, 71, 75, 91, 99%. This usually happens for the following reasons:

• conflict with antivirus software;
• the drivers that are installed on the computer are not updated;
• assembly operating system below 100041;
• not enough free space on the hard drive.

Sometimes the update is so slow that it seems like the computer is frozen. If the HDD activity indicator continues to blink, the update process is most likely going on, just very slowly. Usually it seems to the user that “everything is lost” at the following moments:

• by 32% - as a rule, at the stage of 30–39%, the system loads dynamic updates;
• 96% - at this time, backup copies of data are created;
• on the message that the update will be ready soon.

Ways to solve freezing problems

In any case, if you understand that the system is stuck at the update stage and does not respond to any actions, then there are several options for getting out of this situation:

1. Officially, Microsoft suggests trying to run the PC in safe mode and throw all the data on one device for storing them (one disk).
2. The company also offers to roll back to the previous version of the OS, but this will work if less than 10 days have passed since the update began.
3. Update the OS build if its version is below 100041.
4. An update hang can occur due to disconnections or failures on the Microsoft server. Sometimes there is simply not enough space on the hard drive to install an update, or the computer is infected with a virus that slows down the system upgrade process. If the update freezes, you need to restart the computer through a power outage or the Reset button, then clean up the disk, check the PC for viruses and try installing the update again.
5. Disable all USB devices, additional monitors, and generally any external devices except the keyboard and mouse. Remove third party antivirus programs and empty the $Windows.~BT folder completely. It will not hurt to make sure that all the drivers installed on the computer have received their update.
6. You can try to return the Update Center components to their original state. To do this, you need to either run the automatic diagnostics of the Update Center and follow the instructions, or restore everything yourself. A detailed guide is available on the official Microsoft website.
7. If that doesn't help, you can clean boot Windows. It is also advisable to uninstall programs and applications related to changing the Windows splash screen, themes, and user interface.
8. If all else fails, a BIOS update is likely required. This is not a very simple procedure and is usually described on the motherboard manufacturer's website.

Video: Windows 10 update stuck at 99%

What to do if downloading Windows 10 updates is stuck

If the system freezes at the initial stage of downloading an update for Windows, running the upgrade troubleshooting utility may help. It can be downloaded from the Microsoft website, and once launched, you just need to follow the instructions. Most often, the tool itself fixes errors.

You can also manually clear the update cache. To do this, you need to do the following:

What to do if preparation for installing Windows updates freezes

If the system hangs at the initial stage of preparation, then this happens either due to lack of disk space or due to a damaged distribution kit, or in the case of incorrectly set BIOS parameters. If in the first second case everything is quite simply solved (the distribution kit needs to be downloaded from the official site), then in the latter one should turn off the secure boot mode and, conversely, activate the compatibility mode with other systems.

To do this, you need to enter the BIOS: to enter there immediately after pressing the PC power button, you need to press a key or key combinations depending on the computer model - as a rule, these are Del, F2, F10, Ctrl + Alt + Esc and others (often they are indicated in the very bottom line at the beginning of the launch). In the BIOS, in the top menu, go to the section in the problems that arise in the "Update Center".

In order not to spend a lot of time fixing errors, you can turn it off and thereby fix the problem. Here you need to restart the PC, press the key combination Win + R and enter msc in the window that appears. In the drop-down window, find the "Update Center", open this item by double-clicking the mouse and select "Disable". Usually, when you try again, the download of updates starts without problems.

Unfortunately, there are quite a lot of situations when Windows freezes at different stages of updating. Fixing them takes time. The main thing is to find out the cause of the freeze and eliminate it, if possible. If all else fails, it's easier to roll back the system to a previous version and wait until Microsoft improves the update mechanism.

Windows 10 is an imperfect system and problems are common in it, especially when installing updates.

There are a lot of errors and ways to solve them.

First of all, it all depends on at what stage the problem arose and whether it was accompanied by a code.

We will consider all possible cases.

Computer stuck during update

If the computer freezes while updating Windows 10, you need to find the cause of the problem and fix it. To do this, you need to interrupt the system update.

First you need to make sure that the computer is really frozen. If nothing changes at all for 15 minutes or some actions are repeated cyclically for the third time, the computer can be considered frozen.

How to abort an update

If the update has begun to install, most likely you will not be able to simply restart the computer and return it to normal: each reboot will retry the installation. This problem does not always occur, but very often. If you encounter it, you must first interrupt the system update, and only then eliminate the cause of the problem:

How to eliminate the cause of the freeze

There can be many reasons for getting stuck on receiving updates. In most cases, you will see an error code message after 15 minutes of inactivity. What to do in such cases is described at the end of the article. However, it happens that no message appears, and the computer continues endless attempts. We will consider the most popular cases of these.

Stuck at the stage "Getting updates"

If you've been seeing the "Getting Updates" screen with no progress for about 15 minutes, don't wait any longer. This error is caused by a service conflict. All you have to do is disable Windows Automatic Updates and start checking for updates manually.

Video: How to disable the Windows Update service

Stuck at 30 - 39%

If you are upgrading from Windows 7, 8, or 8.1, this step will download the updates.

Russia is big, and there are almost no Microsot servers in it. In this regard, the download speed of some packages is very slow. You may have to wait up to 24 hours for the entire update to download.

The first step is to run the Update Center diagnostics to exclude an attempt to download packages from a non-working server. To do this, press the key combination Win + R, enter the command msdt / id WindowsUpdateDiagnostic and click OK.

Press the key combination Win + R, enter the command msdt / id WindowsUpdateDiagnostic and click "OK"

Also try updating your current Windows version(without upgrading to Windows 10). When finished, try running the Windows 10 upgrade again.

If that doesn't work, you have 2 options:

• put the update at night and wait until it ends;
• use alternative way updates, for example, download the Windows 10 image (from the official website or torrent) and upgrade from it.

Video: what to do with an endless upgrade to Windows 10

Stuck at 44%

Update 1511 had a similar bug for some time. It is caused by a conflict with the memory card. The bug in this service pack has been fixed for a long time, but if you somehow encountered it, you have 2 options:

• remove the SD card from the computer;
• Update via Windows Update.

If this does not help you, free up 20 GB of free disk space with the system.

Computer freezes after update

As is the case with problems during the upgrade process, most likely you will see one of the code errors, the solution to which is described below. But this does not always happen. In any case, the first thing you need to do is get out of the hung state. You can do this in the same way as when freezing during the update process: press F8 when turning on the computer and select "Safe Mode with Support command line».

If you did not see the error code, try all the following methods in turn.

Getting information about an error

Before fixing the problem, it is worth trying to find out a little information about the error that has occurred:

Video: Event Viewer and Windows Logs

Resolving conflicts

The most common cause of freezing is incorrect transfer of Start menu settings and Windows Search service from a previous version of Windows. The result of such an error is a conflict with key system services, which prevents the system from starting.

1. Open the start menu, type "services" and open the found utility.

   Open the Services utility

2. In the window that opens, find the Windows Search service and open it.

   Open the Windows Search service

3. Select the startup type as "Disabled" and click the "Stop" button if it is active. Then click "OK".

   Disable the Windows Search service

4. Open "Registry Editor". It can be found by searching for "regedit" in the Start menu.

   Open the "Registry Editor" via the "Start" menu

5. Copy to address bar path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\AppXSvc and press Enter.

   Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\AppXSvc

6. On the right side of the window, open the Start or Start option.

   Open the Start option

7. Set the value to "4" and click "OK".

   Set the value to "4" and click "OK"

8. Try restarting your computer in normal mode. Perhaps the steps you have taken will help you.

User change

Start menu settings and Windows Search services are the most common causes of conflicts, but there may be others. There is not enough time or energy to search and fix every possible problem. It would be more intelligent to reset all changes, and the easiest way to do this is by creating a new user.

1. Go to the Options window. This can be done through the key combination Win + I or the gear in the Start menu.

   Go to the "Options" window

2. Open the "Accounts" section.

   Open the "Accounts" section

3. Open the "Family and other people" tab and click on the "Add user..." button.

   Click on the "Add User..." button

4. Click on the "I have no data..." button.

   Click on the button "I have no data..."

5. Click the "Add User..." button.

   Click on the inscription "Add user ..."

6. Enter a name for the new account and confirm its creation.

   Enter a name for the new account and confirm its creation

7. Click on the created account and click the "Change account type" button.

   Click the "Change Account Type" button

8. Select the type "Administrator" and click "OK".

   Select the type "Administrator" and click "OK"

9. Try restarting your computer in normal mode. If all is well, you will see the choice accounts.

Video: How to create an administrator account in Windows 10

Removing an update

If changing the account does not help, you will have to roll back the updates. After that, you can try to update the system again.

Video: How to uninstall an update in Windows 10

System Restore

This is an extreme way to solve the problem. It is equivalent to a complete system reinstall.

Video: how to reset Windows 10 to system settings

Black screen problem

The problem of the black screen is worth highlighting separately. If the display does not show anything, then this does not mean that your computer is frozen. Press Alt + F4 and then Enter. Now there are 2 scenarios:

• if the computer does not turn off, wait half an hour to exclude a protracted update, and proceed with system recovery, as described above;
• if the computer turns off, you have a problem playing the picture. Do all of the following in order.

Switching between monitors

The most common reason for this problem is the incorrect definition of the main monitor. If you have a TV connected, the system can set it as the main one even before it downloads the necessary drivers for it to work. Even if there is only one monitor, try this method. Before downloading all the necessary drivers, errors can be very strange.

1. If you have multiple monitors connected, disable all but the main one and try restarting your computer.
2. Press the key combination Win + P, then the down arrow key and Enter. This is switching between monitors.

Disabling fast startup

Accelerated startup implies the delayed inclusion of some system components and the neglect of preliminary analysis. This can cause an "invisible" monitor.

Video: How to disable fast startup in Windows 10

Resetting an incorrect video card driver

Maybe Windows 10 or you installed the wrong driver. There can be many variations of errors with a video card driver. You need to try several ways to install it: with the removal of the old driver, manually and automatically.

1. Reboot your computer in safe mode (how to do this was described above), open the "Control Panel" and go to the "Hardware and Sound" section.

   Open Control Panel and go to Hardware and Sound

2. Click on the inscription "Device Manager".

   Click on the inscription "Device Manager"

3. Open the "Display adapters" group, right-click on your video card and go to its properties.

   Right click on the video card and go to its properties

4. In the "Diver" tab, click on the "Rollback" button. This is driver removal. Try restarting your computer in normal mode and check the result.

   In the "Diver" tab, click on the "Rollback" button

5. Install the driver again. Open "Device Manager" again, right-click on the video card and select "Update Driver". The graphics card may be in the "Other devices" group.

   Right-click on the graphics card and select "Update Driver"

6. First of all, try the automatic driver update. If the update is not found or the error occurs again, download the driver from the manufacturer's website and use the manual installation.

   Try the automatic driver update first.

7. With manual installation, you just need to specify the path to the folder with the driver. The checkbox for "Include subfolders" should be active.

   With manual installation, you just need to specify the path to the folder with the driver

Video: How to update your graphics card driver in Windows 10

Errors with code, their causes and solutions

Here we list all the errors with the code that are associated with the Windows 10 update. Most of them are solved quite simply and do not need detailed instructions. An extreme method, which is not mentioned in the table, is a complete re Windows installation 10. If all else fails, use it and install the latest version right away to avoid a problematic update.

Instead of "0x" in the error code, "WindowsUpdate_" may be written.

Table: Update related errors

Complex solutions

Some of the methods listed in the table are complex. Let's take a look at those that might be difficult.

Reconnecting a problematic component

To disable, for example, a Wi-Fi module, it is not at all necessary to open the computer. Almost any component can be reconnected through the "Task Manager".

Clearing Scheduled Tasks and Startup Lists

If an unwanted process is included in the startup list, its presence may be equivalent to the presence of a virus on your computer. A scheduled task to start this process can have a similar effect.

Regular Windows 10 tools may be useless. It is better to immediately use the program CCleaner.

Video: How to disable auto-start applications using CCleaner

Disabling the firewall

Windows Firewall - built-in system protection. It is not an antivirus, but it can prevent certain processes from accessing the Internet or restrict access to important files. Sometimes the firewall makes mistakes, as a result of which one of the system processes may be restricted.

Video: How to turn off the firewall in Windows 10

Restart "Update Center"

As a result of the operation of the "Update Center", critical errors may occur that will interfere with the main processes of this service. Restarting the system does not always help to solve a similar problem; restarting the Update Center itself will be more reliable.

defragmentation

During the operation of the hard disk, bad sectors may appear on it. When the system tries to read information from such a sector, the process may drag out and hang.

Defragmentation redistributes disk files to provide a continuous sequence of clusters. It may last an hour or more.

Defragmenting a hard disk includes searching for such sectors and prohibiting their use:

Video: How to Defrag in Windows 10

Registry check

The registry is a hierarchical database that contains all settings, presets, information about all installed programs and system processes. A registry error can have a variety of consequences: from an unremovable shortcut to damage to key services and a complete system crash.

Video: how to clean the registry manually and with CCleaner

Alternative ways to update

Due to various circumstances, updating Windows 10 in the usual way may not be possible. Among the ways that can help in such cases, two can be distinguished:

DNS check

The Internet connection is not always the cause of the Microsoft server connection problem. Sometimes the error lies in the flown DNS settings.

Activation of the "Administrator" account

The "Administrator" account and an account with administrator rights are two different things. There is only one "administrator" on the computer and it has more possibilities than an account with administrator rights. The Administrator account is disabled by default.

Video: How to activate an Administrator account in Windows 10

Windows 10 update stuck is a common event, but this problem is solved quite simply. Not all cases are unambiguous, but in extreme cases, everything can be fixed by simply removing updates.

One day, the computer may freeze, completely losing control. The task of the user is to interrupt this hang with minimal loss of personal data and applications with which he worked.

Causes of a complete freeze of a computer or laptop

A PC or tablet freezes tightly for the following reasons:

• refusal random access memory;
• processor overload or failure;
• drive wear (HDD/SSD-carrier);
• overheating of individual nodes;
• faulty power supply or insufficient power;
• incorrect BIOS / UEFI firmware settings;
• virus attack;
• the consequences of incorrect installation / removal of programs that are incompatible with Windows 10 (or another version of Windows) applications;
• errors in the operation of Windows services, their redundancy (too many services are running at the same time) with a very modest performance of a computer or tablet.

Practical methods to eliminate the cause of a complete freeze

Need to start with software. Here and below, Windows 10 is taken as an example.

Individual applications

Everyday programs, be it Skype or Microsoft Office, can cause problems. In some cases, drivers or even the version of Windows are to blame. The action plan is the following:

1. Check if you are using the latest version of this application, which may be the culprit.
2. Check if this application loads ads, news from its developers, etc. This is easy to check in the settings. The same Skype, for example, in the latest versions loads advertising of profitable offers for calls, shows tips on how to use it. Disable these messages. If the application settings do not control such messages, you may need to "roll back" to earlier versions of the application that are compatible with your version of Windows.
3. Remember how often you installed new programs. Each installed program creates entries in the Windows registry, its own folder in C:\Program Files\ (starting with Windows Vista, it can also write something to C:\Program Data\), and if the application comes with drivers and system libraries, then it "inherits ” and in the system folder C:\Windows\.
4. Update your drivers. To launch Device Manager, press the Win + X key combination and select Device Manager from the drop-down menu. Find the device you are interested in, give the command "Update Drivers" and follow the prompts of the Windows 10 Hardware Update Wizard.

   The wizard allows you to update drivers for devices that are not working properly

5. Get rid of the auto-start of non-essential applications that interfere with your work. The list of autostart programs is edited in the folder C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Main_Menu\Programs\Startup\. Auto-loading of a specific third-party application is disabled in its own settings.

   Clear the startup folder of applications to get rid of autostart applications that interfere with the computer

6. Update the system. In some cases this helps. If you have a new “hardware” with good performance, then feel free to install Windows 10 for yourself, and if you have a weak (old or cheap) PC or laptop, it is better to install the earliest version of Windows, for example, XP or 7, and find drivers compatible with it .

The OS registry is a multi-tasking software environment that needs to be handled with care. When Windows starts, it is loaded all into RAM from the C: drive. If it has grown from the abundance (tens and hundreds) of installed applications, there is less free space in RAM, and all processes and services are running slower than before. Even when you remove an unnecessary program, its “remains” are still in the registry. And then either the registry itself is cleaned with special applications like Auslogics Registry Cleaner / Defrag or RevoUninstaller, or Windows is reinstalled from scratch.

Windows Services

Windows Services is the second tool after the Registry without which the OS itself would not be multitasking and friendly, unlike older systems like MS-DOS.

Dozens of various services work in Windows, without which it is impossible to start work, not a single application would run. But not all of them are needed by most users. For example, if you don't need a printer, you can disable the Print Spooler service.

To disable a service, do the following:

1. Give the command "Start" - "Run", enter and confirm the command services.msc.

   Enter and confirm the command that opens the Services window

2. In the Service Manager window, view and disable services that you think are unnecessary. Select any of the services to disable.

   Select any of the services you want to configure

3. Right-click on this service and select "Properties".
   

   Through the properties of a single Windows service, configure it

4. Select the "Disabled" status in the "General" tab and close the window by clicking "OK".

   The service configuration algorithm has not changed since Windows XP

5. Disable each of the other services in the same way, then restart Windows.

The next time you start Windows, the speed of your computer or tablet will noticeably improve, especially if it is low-powered.

Each service starts its own process with its own parameters. Several different services sometimes start "clones" of the same process - each of them has its own parameter. Such, for example, is the svchost.exe process. It and other processes can be seen by calling the Windows Task Manager with Ctrl + Alt + Del (or Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and going to the Processes tab. Viruses can also clone processes of individual services - this is discussed below.

Video: what services can be disabled in Windows 10

Viruses as the cause of Windows freezing

Viruses in the system are another destabilizing factor. Regardless of type and subspecies, computer virus can launch any resource-intensive process (or several processes at once), whether it is deleting, formatting something, stealing or damaging important data, blocking the bandwidth of your Internet channel, etc. More specifically, virus activity can be attributed :

• cloning the svchost.exe process (dozens of copies) in order to “block up” the performance of a computer or gadget;
• attempts to forcibly close processes vital for the Windows system: winlogon.exe, wininit.exe, driver processes (video cards, network adapters, Windows audio services, etc.). It happens that Windows does not allow to close a process, and malicious code “floods” the system with endless attempts to close it after all;
• blocking "Windows Explorer" (explorer.exe) and "Task Manager" (taskmgr.exe). This is the fault of extortionists and distributors of pornographic materials;
• starts-stops of various Windows services in an arbitrary sequence known only to the developer of this virus. Critical services can be stopped, for example, "Remote Procedure Call", which will lead to a persistent and sometimes irreversible freeze - under normal conditions, these services cannot be stopped, and the user will not have the rights to do so;
• viruses that change the settings of the Windows Task Scheduler. They can also cause resource-intensive system and application processes, the abundance of which will seriously slow down the system.

HDD/SSD instability

Any disk - magneto-optical (HDD) or flash memory (SSD-drive, flash drives and memory cards) is designed in such a way that the storage of digital data on it and the speed of access to them is ensured by division into memory sectors. Over time, they wear out in the process of writing, overwriting and deleting this data, the speed of access to them slows down. When disk sectors fail, they are written to, but the data can no longer be read. Work instability hard drives- the appearance of weakened and "broken" sectors on the disk space of the HDD or SSD drive built into a PC or laptop. You can solve the problem in the following ways:

• software repair - reassignment of weak sectors from the reserve area of ​​the disk;
• replacement of a drive in which the spare sectors are over, and bad sectors continue to appear;
• disk cutting. Before that, they find out where bad sectors have accumulated on the disk, then the disk is “cut off”.

You can “cut” the disk either from one end, or arrange partitions on it so that they do not touch the accumulation of bad sectors. Single "killed" sectors appear in the process of long-term wear and tear, but their colonies (thousands or more in a row) arise from shock and strong vibration during operation, or from frequent sudden power outages. When the colonies of bad sectors become multiple, it is easier to immediately replace the disk before data loss on it becomes catastrophic.

To check drives, HDDScan / Regenerator, Victoria applications are used (there is also a version for MS-DOS, if the C: partition is affected, and Windows does not start or freezes tightly during boot or during operation) and their analogues. These applications give an accurate picture of where the bad sectors are located on the disk.

If the bitrate drops to zero on a disk, it means that the disk itself is damaged.

Video: how to use the Victoria program

Overheating of PC or gadget components

Anything can overheat. How system unit desktop PC and laptop with HDD are equipped with coolers (fans with a heat sink).

The cassette-modular design of a modern PC ( motherboard with the rest of the blocks and nodes inserted into its connectors and / or cables connected to it) provides for active cooling of the entire system. For a year or two, a thick layer of dust accumulates inside the PC, making it difficult to remove heat from the processor, RAM, hard drive, motherboard microcircuits and video card. In addition to the general "hood" (it is located on the power supply or near it), there are own fans on the processor and video card. Dust cakes and accumulates, as a result, the coolers go to the maximum rotational speed, and then the PC turns off more and more often due to overheating: thermal protection is activated, without which the computer would become a fire hazardous device.

Dust collects on cables, in slots and channels of the motherboard and other components

All home PCs, laptops and netbooks are equipped with a cooling system. Ultrabooks have it, but not all models. But there is no thermal extract in the tablets - they turn off, restart or switch to economy mode when heated above 40 degrees (battery recharging is automatically turned off), and it doesn’t matter if they overheated themselves or in the sun.

The tablet is a monoboard chassis with auxiliary parts (microphones, speakers, display sensor, buttons, etc.) connected by cables. Such a device consumes much less electricity than a full-fledged PC, and does not need fans.

A self-disassembled PC or gadget can be cleaned with a blowing vacuum cleaner. If in doubt, contact your nearest service center.

You can clean the device from dust with a blowing vacuum cleaner, you can do it yourself

Another reason for overheating is the power of the power supply and batteries, unable to compensate for energy costs. It's good when the PC power supply has at least a small margin of power. If it works at the limit, it doesn’t cost anything to overheat, because of which the PC will often freeze / shut down at best. In the worst case, the protection will not work one day, and the power supply will burn out. In the same way, any component can burn out.

RAM problems

Although simple and insensitive to frequent power outages, RAM is vulnerable to static electricity and overheating. You can also damage it by touching the current-carrying parts of the power supply and the legs of its microcircuits at the same time.

Logic circuits that work with the data stream are designed in such a way that they work with very low voltages (except for directly supplying power to the "+" and "-" in the circuit) in tenths and hundredths of a volt, and the sudden appearance of voltage on the legs of the microcircuit from several volt and more guaranteed to “break through” the semiconductor crystal underlying such a microcircuit.

A modern RAM module is two or more microcircuits on one printed circuit board (bar).

RAM performance has increased: it is easy to take with you any difficult task at work

You can guess that it is the RAM that has deteriorated by the signals of the PC service “tweeter” (a series of short and long signals) controlled by the BIOS / EFI, or when the “screen of death” suddenly appears during the operation of the Windows system or when it starts. On older PCs running the Award BIOS, the RAM check was performed immediately before the Windows (or Microsoft) logo appeared.

Checking RAM with Memtest86+

Memtest's shortcoming is the infinity of RAM check cycles. You can stop checking at any time.

Commands are distributed by keys - use any of them

The interface of the program resembles the Windows 2000/XP installer and, like the BIOS, is very easy to manage. The action plan is the following:

Memtest86+ lists each BAD cluster (on which megabyte of the RAM bar it is located) and their number is called. The presence of at least one such cluster on a RAM matrix will not allow you to work quietly - resource-intensive applications such as Photoshop, Dreamweaver, media players (for example, Windows Media Player), many games with detailed 3D graphics(Call of Duty 3, GTA 4/5, GrandTurismo and World of Tanks/Warcraft, Dota and others requiring from/to several gigabytes of RAM and performance up to several cores of a modern CPU). But if you can somehow put up with the “crashes” of games and films, then work, for example, in a studio on such a PC will become hell. You should not forget about the BSOD (“screen of death”), which sweeps away all unsaved data.

When at least one BAD cluster appears, you can no longer wait for the end of the check. The RAM is not repairable - immediately change the faulty module.

Video: how to use Memtest86+

Checking RAM using standard Windows tools

Do the following:

1. Click "Start" and type the word "check" in the search bar, run the Windows Memory Checker.

   The program "Windows Memory Checker" allows you to most fully scan the RAM

2. Choose to restart Windows immediately. Before restarting the PC, save your work and close all active applications.

   Memory check works without the main Windows graphical shell

3. Wait for the Windows application to check the RAM.

   The severity of the check can be adjusted by pressing F1

4. When checking, you can press F1 and enable advanced settings, for example, specify 15 (maximum) passes for more thorough diagnostics, select a special check mode. To apply the new settings, press F10 (as in BIOS).

   You can increase the number of passes, the RAM check algorithm, etc.

5. If the result does not appear after repeated Windows startup, find the Windows Event Viewer in the Start menu, launch it, give the command "Windows Logs" - "System" and open the report Memory Diagnostics Results (Eng. "Memory test results"). On the General tab (near the middle of the System Information window), the Windows Journaling tool will report errors. If they are, an error code, information about bad RAM sectors and other useful information will be indicated.

   Open RAM test results by going to Windows 10 logs

If there are errors detected using Windows 10, the RAM bar must definitely be replaced.

Video: how to check RAM using standard Windows 10 tools

Incorrect BIOS settings

For starters, you can reset the BIOS settings to optimal. The BIOS is entered by pressing the F2/Del keys when the CMOS Setup program screen with the manufacturer's logo is displayed before starting to boot Windows. Select Load Fail-Save Defaults by pressing F8.

Select Load Fail-Save Defaults

When resetting the default settings, according to the manufacturer, the optimal BIOS settings are set, thanks to which the “dead” freezes of the PC will stop.

Video: how to reset BIOS settings

Crashes in Windows Explorer

Any errors in the explorer.exe process lead to a complete freeze of the "Explorer" and to its periodic restarts. But if the PC freezes tightly, the taskbar and the Start button are gone, only the Windows desktop screen saver with or without a mouse pointer remains, then this problem could occur for the following reasons:

• data corruption of the explorer.exe file in the system folder C:\Windows\. The explorer.ex_ file (I386 folder) is taken from the installation disk and copied to the \Windows\ folder. It is better to do this from the version of Windows LiveCD / USB (via the "Command line"), starting from the installation flash drive, since when Windows freezes, control from the previously working OS is tightly lost. In this case, a multiboot disk / flash drive is what you need;
• wear, disk failure during Windows work. In this case, the sectors are damaged exactly in the place where the executable component explorer.exe was currently located. A very rare situation. The version of the Victoria program (including the DOS version) will help, all from the same multiboot flash drive or DVD. If software repair is not possible, the disk must be replaced;
• viruses. Since already installed antivirus programs are not available, only new installation Windows. Before that, start from a multi-boot disk that has a Windows LiveCD / USB (any version) and copy valuable files to others (external media), then start reinstalling Windows.

For example, when installing earlier versions of Daemon Tools, it is impossible to enter Windows 8/10 - only the desktop background is displayed, and Windows Explorer and applications from the startup list do not start, it is impossible to start any work in Windows at all. Attempts to log in with a different account lead to nothing: the Windows desktop is not displayed and the account selection menu reappears. Absolutely no methods, including "rolling back" the system, work. Only reinstalling the OS helps.

Deadly frozen Windows applications

In addition to PC hardware crashes and Windows component issues described above, users often encounter a particular application failure. Fortunately, such a problem is less critical than the final freezing of system processes vital to Windows.

The reasons are as follows:

• frequent installation of other, new applications that disabled this application. There was a substitution of common entries in the Windows registry, a change in the settings of any services, a substitution of common system DLLs;
• requires forced loading (from third-party sites) to the C:\Windows\System32\ directory of .dll files pointed to by one or another application that refuses to start. This action is not safe. Before any actions with the \Windows\ folder, check the received library files with antivirus programs;
• app version is incompatible. Install a newer version, the latest Windows 8/10 updates, or use an older version of Windows. You can also enable compatibility mode for the startup file of this application by right-clicking on the shortcut, clicking on "Properties", then "Compatibility" and selecting the version of Windows in which this application worked;

  After saving the compatibility setting, run this application again

• careless work of third-party PC performance optimizers, for example, jv16PowerTools. This package includes the Windows Registry Aggressive Cleaner. After such a procedure, many components and applications, including this program, stop running. If Windows is not frozen, use the System Restore tool. To do this, press the key combination Windows + Pause / Break, in the system properties window, give the command "System Protection" - "Restore", and in the launched "System Restore" wizard, select any of the restore points;

  Choose the restore point at which your problem did not manifest itself in any way

• viruses that have damaged the startup file of a particular application. For example, if there are problems with the editor Microsoft Word(the winword.exe file in the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\MSWord\ folder is damaged - the location of the launching .exe files varies depending on the version of the program), you need to check your PC for viruses, and then uninstall (if uninstallation is still possible) and reinstall Microsoft office.

  Scanning Windows for viruses often fixes the source of the problem

• crash of any application. In older versions of Windows, a message about the inadmissibility of any action appeared. This error was not fatal: it was possible to restart the same application and continue working for a long time. On Windows 10, the problem may appear more frequently;

  If an error code is displayed, you will need to update the application or write to Microsoft

• unspecified errors. The application starts and runs, but freezes in the same place. All frozen applications "remove" the "Task Manager".

  After closing the hung application, you can start it again

Cases where the browser Mozilla Firefox crashing when going to some unverified site and submitting a bug report to the Mozilla Foundation is just the beginning. A similar "trick" existed in Windows XP: you could immediately send Microsoft information about the error of any application. In modern versions of Windows, interaction with software developers has reached a more advanced level.

Video: How to restore Windows 10 using a restore point

Mouse pointer not working

Mouse failure in Windows is a common and frustrating occurrence. The reasons for its occurrence are as follows:

• breakage of the USB or PS / 2 connector / plug, the mouse cord has frayed. Check the operation of the device on another PC or laptop. If the mouse is from USB, connect it to another port;
• contamination, oxidation of contacts USB port or PS/2. Clean them up. Reconnect the mouse to the PC;
• Nano Receiver (or Bluetooth) device failure wireless mouse, as well as a discharged built-in battery or a replaceable battery in the device. Test the mouse on another PC, insert another battery (or charge the battery). If you are using a Windows tablet, Bluetooth must be enabled in the tablet settings (when using a Bluetooth mouse);

  If you are using a Bluetooth mouse, check if this function is enabled in your tablet settings

• mouse driver problem. In older versions of Windows that do not have built-in drivers and system libraries required for mice to work, especially new ones, the device often crashes. Update the Windows version, the driver itself. Remove and reinstall the mouse: this is also an external device, and it must be correctly registered in the system;
• the PS/2 connector was pulled out and reconnected. Unlike the USB bus, which supports hot plugging and unplugging, the PS / 2 interface requires you to restart Windows after the mouse is “reconnected”, even though the mouse seems to be working (the backlight is on). Operate from the keyboard: the Windows key will open the main menu, in which you can give the command "Shutdown" - "Reboot (Shutdown)" by moving the cursor using the arrows and / or the Tab key. Or press the power button ( Windows system set to shutdown the PC by default), and then turn on the computer again;

  After disconnecting and attaching the mouse connector, the PS / 2 interface will ask you to restart Windows

• hard drive failure. It is not necessarily caused by damage to the disk structure: the disk itself turns off when there is a lack of power caused by an overload of other PC resources (processor, RAM, connecting several external drives at once via USB, running "coolers" at maximum speed, etc.). This happens when the PC power supply is also operating at the limit of output power (almost 100% loaded). In this case, after Windows freezes tightly, the PC may turn off on its own;
• failure of the PS / 2 controller or USB. The most unpleasant thing is replacing the PC “motherboard”, especially if it is old, and all ports immediately “sit” on one rear USB controller, or a motherboard was used without USB ports with only PS / 2. Fortunately, the port can be replaced separately by contacting the same service center. For a tablet, the cause could be a faulty microUSB port, OTG adapter, and/or USB hub.

Coping with a complete freeze of Windows 10 and specific programs is not difficult. The above guides to action will help you. Have a good job.

During the Windows 10 update, various problems can happen. It can go up to freezing. We will tell you what to do if the Windows 10 update is stuck.

The release of some additions and changes in the system causes a certain alertness among the majority of users. And not in vain, since innovations may not always please. And it also happens that the Windows 10 update is stuck on some indicator and simply does not move further. In order to correct this situation, there are several ways. They will be discussed further.

Agree that the lengthy process of installing updates can be just annoying. When there is a message on the screen that the system asks you to wait, you yourself cannot spend time at the computer usefully. Well, except to wipe the dust off it. At the same time, this situation also happens on a newly installed system. What can you do in this situation:

• Run Update Troubleshooter;
• Clear the cache and then restart the corresponding service;
• Check the integrity of the system;
• Perform a clean boot;
• Manually carry out the update process.

What to do if Windows 10 update is stuck

If such a utility does not cope with the task, then experts recommend clearing the update cache manually. It's just that sometimes users shut down the system incorrectly. And for this reason, some files may be corrupted. Here, for sure, re-downloading all the necessary files and their complete reinstallation will help. For such a procedure, you will need knowledge of some commands from the command line.

If all the above methods do not help, then you should consider a clean boot of the system. After it, it is recommended to do the same, and then run the Update Center. And also it is worth disconnecting all possible peripheral devices.

Alternative solution method