Hi Lea,

There are a number of reasons why your computer could be freezing on a regular basis. While the reasons are numbered, there are quite a few common problems that are generally the root cause of many computer mishaps that I’ll cover in this article. If your computer is running slowly and would like to find out some easy fixes to the problem, keep on reading.
Virus
The first possibility, and maybe the most common computer ailment, is a virus. Viruses can do any number of things to a computer, but while they’re stealing your data or ruining your files, they’re using up precious system resources that could be used for other important tasks. By running in the background without your knowledge, a virus could sap away all of your processing power or available system memory to cripple your machine into unusability.
If you think that you might have a virus, the first thing you’ll want to do is obviously download anti-virus software to help hunt it down and remove it. With it removed, your computer will have less tendency to freeze on basic tasks and will generally run smoother.
Hardware
In terms of actual freezing, or “blue screening” in the case of some computer users, the problem may actually be hardware. Hardware malfunctions “confuse” the computer by not allowing it to do the tasks it’s trying to do, and when it runs into a broken or malfunctioning chip within the motherboard, it may not know how to continue. The easiest thing for an operating system to do when this happens is to freeze to prevent any data loss or further damage to the computer.
Disk Defragment
Another possibility as to why your computer freezes on a regular basis is because you haven’t defragmented your hard drive in quite some time. Defragmenting your hard drive takes all of your “scrambled” data and reorganizes it so that it’s easier for the computer to find. Just like a messy desk with papers all over the place, a computer sometimes needs to take time to reorganize the data it has so that everything is easier to find. The defragmentation program is located in different places on each Windows operating system, so check online for where yours is located.
Full Diagnostic
Because the number of possibilities are endless as to why your computer could be freezing or running extremely slowly, the best thing to do is to take your machine to a computer technician for a full diagnostic. I’ve done my best to let you know of some of the most common reasons why a computer may freeze, but without being able to actually investigate in person, it’s impossible to be able to determine the actual cause of the freezing.
Operating System Installation
If possible, a full operating system reinstallation is often the best way to stop freezing from occurring. If after you reinstall your operating system you still have trouble with freezing, chances are the problem is hardware related and you’ll have to talk to a technician to determine what needs to be replaced.

Regards