Operating System

• Missing operating or outdated system files and components can cause a computer system to lock up. Most updates are designed to keep up with the latest software application and technologies. When an operating system is not updated, it can cause a conflict with newer applications, especially applications which are Internet-dependent. A lock up can occur when a computer has limited memory to allocate to system resources and activities to run the operating system.
  
  

Hard Drive

• The hard drive is the internal device in the computer containing the disk data. It resembles a small phonograph record player, with moving magnetic "needles" that are reading and writing information to the disk. Hard drives are electrical and mechanical devices. Because of constant access when the computer is on, hard drives can sustain wear through developing bad spots or "scratches" on the hard disk. If a bad area of the disk is trying to be read, it can also cause a computer lock-up. The best prevention for hard disk problems is to purchase utility software which maintains the hard drive.
  
  

Random Access Memory

• Random Access Memory is designed to manage software, hardware and data requests while the computer is on. When a software program is "called," it is loaded into RAM memory to be accessed by the CPU (Central Processing Unit), or the brain of the computer. A computer can lock up when the loaded program and memory needed for the program is low or non-existent. If there are any extra programs running which are not needed, its best to cancel those programs and try loading the program again, or buy extra RAM memory for the computer. Always check the memory specs for all software loaded unto the system.
  
  

Viruses

• From system administrators to home users, viruses present a big problem when using a computer system. Hundreds of new viruses are created annually and the cost to track and eliminate viruses can be very expensive. Viruses can find critical system files and delete files, which causes a computer lock- up while trying to enter an application or work in an application. Some viruses are designed to destroy machine-level code instructions by eliminating files which tell hardware programs what to do. The best way to prevent viruses is through anti-virus software and firewalls.