Fixed: Windows 10 Keeps Freezing Randomly (2018 Guide)

By: Parvat Sarvade - Updated: October 16, 2018 9:20 am

Over the past year, users across the world have reported their Windows 10 freezes randomly and automatically restarts without any warning.

For a widely-used operating system such as Windows 10 , Microsoft has tried hard to fix this issue. But, to no avail. It looks like the developers haven’t exactly found the perfect fix for this problem.

However, there are a few solutions that can help you fix the random freezing of Windows 10. But before that let’s see what causing your Windows 10 PC to hang and restart randomly.

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Why Windows 10 Keeps Freezing Randomly?

It started with Microsoft releasing the anniversary update for Windows 10 in 2017. After users installed the Fall Creators update , their Windows 10 PCs kept freezing out of nowhere.

With technical assistance, some users fixed the issue by applying software patches to the Fall Creators update. Others went on to uninstall the update .

Unfortunately, for many users, Windows 10 kept lagging even after trying out these tricks. That’s because there were other reasons why Windows 10 keeps freezing randomly.

Common reasons for Windows 10 to freeze randomly –

Hardware errors
Outdated software and system adapters
Memory overload and overclocked CPU
Power settings
Interference from other apps and programs

To fix the issue, you need to look through all these factors. We’ve listed below the best ways to fix your Windows 10 when it keeps freezing randomly.

FULL FIX – Windows 10 Keeps Freezing Randomly

Here’s a comprehensive 2018 guide to fix Windows 10 when it keeps freezing at random. You’ll try these methods one by one to see which works the best for your PC.

1. Remove Temp Files

First, you’ll remove all the unwanted data from your Windows 10 PC. This is something that every user should do to keep their PC light and super fast.

You need to delete the temporary (temp) files from your system hard drives. If your PC doesn’t have enough space, Windows 10 may keep freezing from time to time. That’s why removing temp files can free up space on your computer.

To remove temp files,

Press ‘ Windows ’ key and ‘ R ’ key to launch Run dialog box
Type ‘ temp ’ in the box
Click on OK

It opens the Temp folder in your File Explorer window
Now, you’ll see all the temp files present on your PC
Select all temp files (press ‘ Ctrl ’ + ‘ A ’)
And, delete them permanently (press ‘Shift’ and ‘Del’)

After clearing the temp files, your PC runs faster naturally. You’ll notice the change, but it may not always fix Windows 10 from freezing randomly.

2. Get Updates for Your Drivers

So, the next step is getting your computer updated. You need to install updates for your display adapters.

Now, you may feel unsure about installing more updates, considering how the issue stemmed from the Creators Update. But, you still need to give this method a shot.

When you get updates for your drivers, in particular, Windows is able to perform smoothly. The operating system improves its rendering speed and doesn’t put further load on the CPU.

Update your graphics drivers, audio drivers and other system adapters on Windows 10.

To update drivers on Windows 10,

Open the Run dialog box (Press ‘ Windows ’ + ‘ R ’)
Type “ devmgmt.msc ” in the Open dialog box
Click on OK to launch Device Manager

Scroll down through the list of devices in the window
Expand the device list for ‘ Display Adapters ’

Right-click on the existing drivers
Click on ‘ Enable ’ if the driver isn’t activated
Right-click again & select ‘ Update Driver Software ’

After this, a prompt window shows up. Here, you select the option that says – Search automatically for updated driver software. Complete the installation, and follow this same process for other drivers.

Update your DVD drives, interface devices, system devices, controllers, host adapters, and network adapters in a similar way.

Then, restart your PC and resume to your normal work. Windows 10 may stop freezing now that your devices are updated completely.

3. Use SFC Scan to Fix System Files

You can also use a quick fix to stop Windows 10 from freezing randomly. In most cases, repairing the corrupted files has fixed this issue on Windows 10.

You’ll use the inbuilt tool – System File Checker (SFC) – to remove and repair corrupted files on Windows 10. An SFC scan is safer than other third-party scanning tools.

It checks all system files, repairs them automatically, and restores them to default locations.

To run an SFC scan,

Type ‘ cmd ’ in the Start menu search box
Go to Command Prompt
Right-click on it
Choose ‘ Run as administrator ’ from the drop down menu
Now, type the command line

sfc /scannow

Press the Enter key to execute the scan
The scan takes a couple of minutes, so don’t run any other programs till then
Restart your computer afterward

You can also try repairing corrupted files on your system with third-party antivirus programs or online tools.

4. Check Hard Drives for System Errors (CHKDSK)

Faulty hardware can freeze your Windows 10 out of a sudden. Hard drive errors are the most common root cause for such system freezing.

You can use a built-in tool called CHKDSK and test the health of system hard drives. For Windows 10 users, the CHKDSK utility helps you find system errors, which can reveal bad sectors on hard drives as well.

To use the CHKDSK tool on Windows 10,

Open the File Explorer window
Go to This PC folder
Select a hard drive folder (let’s say C: drive)
Right-click on it and select ‘ Properties ’ from the drop-down menu
Now, navigate to the ‘ Tools ’ tab in the window
Click on the ‘ Check ’ or ‘ Check now ’ button under the Error-checking section

Click on Yes in the UAC prompt
A dialog window pops up
Put a tick for two options –
- Automatically fix file system errors
- Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors
Click on Start to initiate the scan

It could take quite some time for this scan to complete. It depends on your, stored file size, hard drive capacity, and bad sectors. The CHKDSK tool not only scans your hard drive but also fixes some system errors.

5. Adjust Virtual Memory

If your PC isn’t able to run smoothly on the physical memory, you can get an extension. A virtual memory helps Windows 10 to use additional memory and run programs smoothly.

This way, your PC doesn’t get frozen while running multiple applications and programs simultaneously. When you adjust the virtual memory, you tweak the combination between your RAM and a portion of your hard drive.

To adjust virtual memory on Windows 10,

Press the ‘ Windows ’ key and ‘ Pause/Break ’ key on your keyboard
It opens the System window
Click on ‘ Advanced system settings ’ in the left pane
In the System Properties window, click on the ‘ Advanced ’ tab
Now, go to Settings next to Performance and click on it

Navigate to the ‘ Advanced ’ tab in the Performance Options window
Click on “ Change… ” button

Uncheck the box for – Automatically manage paging file size for all drives

Select a hard drive
Enter the value for Initial size (refer to Recommended category )
Enter the value for Maximum size to not more than 6,144 MB
Click on Set and then on OK

Whenever Windows 10 runs out of RAM, it can use this virtual memory and resume to a better performance. As a result, it won’t freeze randomly.

6. Turn Off C-States in BIOS

This is the trickiest fix of all. You need to change the basic input/output system (BIOS) setup to stop Windows 10 from freezing randomly.

It involves turning off the CPU states (C-state) of your PC to save power and stabilize the operating system (Windows 10).

To disable C-state,

Restart your PC and press the setup key at the first startup screen
Usually, F2 is the startup key (check with manufacturer)
Open the BIOS setup
Use the arrow keys to navigate to the Advanced tab and enter the CPU Configuration menu
Use arrows to disable C1E Function and Intel C-State
Go back and use keys to Save Changes and Exit
Click on OK
Start your PC normally

Check if this sorts the Windows 10 freezing issue for your PC.

7. Run Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool

You can also run another inbuilt tool to fix Windows 10 if the random freezing comes from faulty memory. You’ll use the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool.

Launch the Run dialog box (press ‘ Windows ’ + ‘ R ’)
Type ‘ mdsched. exe ’ in the Run dialog box

Hit the Enter key
Restart your computer

In the midway of your system rebooting, Windows 10 runs a hardware diagnostics to check for memory errors. Now, you can be sure that your PC isn’t freezing due to memory issues.

8. Disable Fast Startup

Sometimes, you need to reduce the load time for Windows 10 to stop it from freezing. If your system freezes during the startup, you can disable the Fast Startup feature and increase the boot-up time.

It is a combination of Windows shutting down and hibernating. To disable Fast Startup,

Right-click on the Start menu icon
Click on ‘ Power Options ’ from the menu

Select - Choose what the power button does

Here, click on ‘ Change settings that are currently unavailable ’

You’ve unlocked the shutdown configuration
Now, disable the ‘ Fast Startup ’ feature in the configuration list

In most Windows 10 computers, the Fast Startup feature is enabled by default. So, you must try disabling it to test the difference.

9. Restore Windows 10 to an Earlier State

If none of these fixes helped, you can go for a System Restore. It is a makeshift fix that gets rid of the Creators Update. Your Windows 10 gets restored to its previous state.

To run System Restore on Windows 10,

Type ‘ system restore ’ in the search box
Click on ‘ Create a restore point ’
System Properties dialog window opens up
Go to System Protection tab
Click on Configure

Enable – Turn on system protection

Set the Max Usage limit between 5% to 10%
Click on Apply and OK
Now, go to System Restore tab
Click on Next

This surely fixes the problem, and Windows 10 gets restored to a state that doesn’t freeze randomly. Other than that, you can also clean boot your PC and disable unwanted apps to stop Windows 10 from freezing randomly.

Let us know if this article helped in the comment section below.

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How to Fix Windows 10 When it Keeps Freezing Randomly?