computer freezing, ctrl alt delete gives error

Question

Yesterday, while playing a game (dota 2), my screen froze.  I pressed ctrl alt delete, and got an error message saying something to the effect of "can't open menu, restart your computer manually with the power button", though I don't have it verbatim.  Today, I had a similar freeze, but this time when I pressed ctrl alt delete, it just put me on a "please wait" screen for half an hour before I gave up and rebooted it.  What's going on?  What can I do to fix it?

Answer 1

Hi,

Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community.

I understand that the screen freezes while playing game and then you receive error upon pressing Ctrl Alt & Del. I will be happy to assist you fix the issue, however, let me ask you;

• Does this behavior occur only while playing game?
• Does this behavior occur only while playing a specific game?
• When you restart the computer and without starting the game, is the computer working normal?
• Which security software is installed in the computer?
• What is the make and model of the computer?
• Which game are you playing?
• How did you install the game?

This behavior can occur due to various reasons including graphics driver incompatibility, any third party software conflict, game's incompatibility etc. As of now, I would request you place the computer in clean boot state and check the status. 

Step 1: Place the computer in clean boot state

a. Log on to the computer by using an account that has administrator rights.

b. Click Start, type msconfig.exe in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER to start the System Configuration Utility (If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Continue).

c. On the General tab, click Selective Startup, and then click to clear the Load startup items check box.

d. On the Services tab, click to select the Hide all Microsoft services check box, and then click Disable all.

Note: Following this step lets Microsoft services continue to run. These services include Networking, Plug and Play, Event Logging, Error Reporting, and other services. If you disable these services, you may permanently delete all restore points. Do not do this if you want to use the System Restore utility together with existing restore points.

Check whether you are able to play the game without any problem. If so, follow the steps mentioned in the knowledgebase article below to determine which service or startup item could be causing the issue.

How to troubleshoot a problem by performing a clean boot in Windows Vista or in Windows 7

After performing the steps above, it is important to bring your computer back to normal startup mode.

Step 2: Reset the computer for normal startup

Follow these steps to do so:

a. Click start, type msconfig.exe in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER (If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your  password, or click Continue).

b. On the General tab, click the Normal Startup option, and then click OK.

c. When you are prompted to restart the computer, click Restart.

Hope this information is helpful. Please revert with more information as required to assist you better.