windows becomes unresponsive if left alone for a while

Question

I'm having a problem lately: Basically, If I leave my PC alone for some time, when I return it's frozen. I can move the cursor, but I can't open/close anything, not even task manager. It's really annoying and has made me lose a lot of work.

Then, after restarting the computer (manually of course), it takes much longer to start up than usual.

What could be causing this problem, and how can I fix it? Why would leaving it alone make it unresponsive?

I'm running Windows 8 64bit on a pretty new machine, if you need to know. Please help!

None of the topic options seemed right, so I figured "Performance and Maintenance" was close enough.

Answer 1

Hi,

Thank you for replying.

Good to know that so far you have not faced the freeze issue. Do let us know if the issue occurs again and we’ll be happy to help.

Answer 2

I updated my displays drivers and did what that topic in method 4 said. So far, I haven't experienced any more freezes. I'll tell you if the problem comes back, but until then, thanks a mil :)

Answer 3

Hi,

Were there any changes made on the computer prior to the issue?

There might be several reasons for the issue to appear; most likely to be any third party program installed. Follow these methods to resolve the issue:

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Method 1:

Step A: Boot the computer in **Safe mode** **** wherein the computer starts with basic drivers and no third party programs.

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Step B:

If the issue does not persists in Safe Mode then perform a **clean boot** to check if any third party application is causing the issue, as clean boot helps in eliminating software conflicts.

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Note: After troubleshooting, see the section “How to reset the computer to start as usual after troubleshooting with clean boot” to return the computer to a Normal startup mode.

Method 2:

I would suggest you to follow these steps and run the System Maintenance troubleshooter:

a. Open **Control panel**.

b. Click on Troubleshooting.

c. Click View all on the left pane of the screen.

d. In the list of options, click on System Maintenance.

e. Click Next and follow the on-screen instructions.

Method 3:

Try to update the display drivers on the computer:

a.     Press Windows key + R and then type “devmgmt.msc” without quotes and press ENTER.

b.    Right click on the device and click Update driver software.

You may also try downloading the drivers from the manufacturer’s website manually and then try to install it

Method 4:

I would also suggest you to refer to the article and check if it helps:

Windows hangs or freezes

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2681286

Note: The Microsoft Safety Scanner expires 10 days after being downloaded. To rerun a scan with the latest anti-malware definitions, download and run the Microsoft Safety Scanner again. Any data files that are infected may only be cleaned by deleting the file entirely, which means there is a potential for data loss.

I would suggest you to check the event viewer for details and post the information to assist you better.

a.     Move the mouse pointer to bottom left of the screen where you see preview of Start menu and right-click to bring up a list of Windows settings.

b.    Click or tap on Event Viewer.

c.     Click an event log in the left pane.

d.    Double-click an event to view the details of the event.

Let us know if you need further assistance.