Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
especially those that require a lot of processing power. Big graphics-editing programs like
Photoshop qualify, for example. The RAM and CPU can also be improperly hijacked by a
malfunctioning program or by a virus or other malware application.
When you first start up the OS, it's normal for application-related activities
to take longer than normal, because the OS continues to finish loading
behind the scenes for up to several minutes after the OS interface becomes
usable. If you try to start up several applications immediately after starting
the PC, and they don't start up quickly enough to suit you, be patient.
Within a few minutes, your computer should be running normally again.
To check the memory and CPU usage in Windows, use the Task Manager. You practiced
doing this in Exercise 7.2. Right-click the taskbar, and choose Start Task Manager.
Then, on the Processes tab, sort by the Memory column and look for a process that is
using an inordinate amount of memory. Terminate it if necessary to get back normal
control of your computer. You can also look on the Performance tab to see the RAM and
CPU usage statistics.
If the OS locks up completely, usually including the mouse pointer, the most common
cause is overheating. If the CPU or another chip on the motherboard overheats, the
system locks up. The OS can lock up like that for other reasons than overheating, such as
a corrupted system fi le (repair the OS to fi x that), but that's less likely. By halting rather
than continuing to operate in an overheated state, the motherboard preserves the valuable
CPU chip, which may be damaged if it continued to run. The monitor may go blank, or it
may keep displaying the last information it was sent, so the image on the screen appears
frozen in time.
If your OS has locked up, shut off the PC if it didn't shut itself down. Open the
case, and let the PC sit for 10 to 15 minutes so everything cools off. Then, with the case
open, turn on the computer again and see whether any fans aren't spinning. The problem
may be as simple as a faulty fan. There should be a fan inside the power supply, a fan on
(or very near) the CPU, and possibly other fans that circulate air through the case. No
faulty fans? Let the PC boot up the OS again, and let it sit. Don't run any applications. If
it boots up just fi ne but then locks up after a few minutes without you doing anything to
it, something is defi nitely overheating; consult a PC technician at your local repair shop
for help.
Application Failures
Applications are more likely to cause problems than OSs, because there are so many different
applications, all made by different manufacturers, and all expected to “play nicely” with
each other, with your hardware, and with different versions of the OS.
