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Windows 11 and Apps frequently become nonresponsive

Michael Berg 0 Reputation points
2025-07-07T14:40:49.4933333+00:00

I bought a new Dell Tower Plus (EBT 2250) in late April and have an ongoing problem with whatever application I am using becoming nonresponsive. At first, I thought it might be due to a problem when using Adobe products (Light Room Classic or Photoshop), but this has occurred when using native utilities such as File Explorer. The app may or may not display a "not responding" message. When I go into Task Manager, I find I am not able end the problem task and I am forced to do a hard shutdown (pull the plug). This happens several times a session. This is all very frustrating, especially as I am using a new computer, purchased especially to use Windows 11.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures
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  1. Stara B 1,530 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-07-07T15:24:20.13+00:00

    Hi, I'm Stara. Let’s see if we can narrow down what’s happening:

    1. Have you confirmed you’re fully up to date? Go to Settings > Windows Update and install anything pending, then check Dell’s support site for the latest chipset or graphics drivers.
    2. Check Reliability Monitor & Event Viewer. Opening Reliability Monitor can show you exactly when crashes occur and what faulted. Likewise, Event Viewer under Windows Logs > Application may list errors tied to your freezes.
    3. Try a Clean Boot (disabling non-Microsoft services via msconfig) to see if a background utility is hanging. If apps run smoothly, we can re-enable services one by one.
    4. For Store apps, you can right-click the app in Settings > Apps > Installed apps, choose Advanced options, then Repair or Reset. For desktop programs, consider a quick sfc /scannow and DISM health check (run in an admin PowerShell).
    5. Have you monitored temperatures or run Dell’s built-in diagnostics? Overheating or a faulty RAM stick can make everything lock up.

    Few additional info that may help figure out the issue. After one of these hangs, does Task Manager still respond, or is Windows entirely unresponsive? Does the freeze happen more often under heavy load (large images in Photoshop) or completely at random even on File Explorer? When Explorer or an app hangs, can you still move your mouse and open Task Manager, or does the whole system lock?

    Helpful links here https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/repair-apps-and-programs-in-windows-e90eefe4-d0a2-7c1b-dd59-949a9030f317

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/fix-file-explorer-if-it-won-t-open-or-start-ce614e06-be97-fe4a-a7ce-d6bf13a8cb98

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