7 Warning Signs Your Computer is About to Fail

Computer failure or crashes often occur suddenly and with very little warning. Most failures are not as random as they seem, though. There will actually be a number of potential warning signs. When you notice the following, please call the local tech support company you are subscribed to:

Hardware conflicts

Sometimes, two components in a PC will try to consume the same resources or perform the same task. This creates a hardware conflict and it will show itself in unusual behavior when certain tasks are done. You can check for hardware conflict by opening Windows’ Device Manager in the control panel. Hardware with a conflict will appear with a yellow exclamation point next to it.

Program corruption or random file issues

Files that always worked suddenly don’t open or only work on occasions. They may or may not be accompanied by an error message. This may be caused by a failing hard drive, or worse, a virus.

Noisy mechanical hard drive

Mechanical hard drives are likely sources of problems with PC’s. They contain mechanical parts that will eventually wear out, causing the system to fail.

If you find that programs or files are taking a long time to load or that the drive has become noisy while working, then your hard drive could be nearing the end of its life. Back up your data and call your tech support company.

Occasional boot errors

When there is boot error, you will see an error message that reads “boot device not found.” Windows will fail to boot, but it may work at a later time, or work immediately once you hit the reset button. This is a sign that something is wrong with your hard drive, or that your Windows OS has somehow become corrupt.

Software launches at random

Software that launches on its own is a clue that you may be a victim of malware. Often, the programs that appear will be linked to advertisements, but any Trojan can allow this. You may also notice that certain hardware, like the webcam, may activate without your consent. This tampering may eventually lead to problems as your PC is exposed to unwanted programs or its files are corrupted maliciously.

Video artifacts

The video that you view on a PC, no matter its source, is effectively a stream of data that’s turned into an image. An error in that data can cause an “artifact,” which may appear as blocks of random colour, strange lines, or partially missing 3D geometry. All of these problems are signs that your PC’s graphics processor is encountering an issue. Often, the problem is excessive heat. It could also mean that the graphics processing unit is old and should be replaced.

Unusually loud system fan

A computer with fans that are noisy may be screaming for help because its internals are too warm, a situation that can eventually lead to a crash and even hardware damage.