Windows PCs crash for a variety of reasons, including viruses, overheating, and, most commonly, software conflicts among file types such as DLL's (Dynamic Link Library), EXE (Executable Programs), or device driver.
Thankfully, there are also plenty of programs that can keep those pesky crashes to a minimum. Crash-protection utilities attempt to ward off potential conflicts before they happen--or at least let you save your work before your system passes out.
How Crash Protectors Work
When you're shopping for a utility to keep your PC crash-free, look for a program that's easy to use, minimizes the performance hit on your system, and offers vital features, such as detailed crash reporting. But unless the utility adequately protects your PC against crashes, all that other stuff means squat. Here are a few things you need to know before you buy a crash-protection utility.
Crash Causes
Understanding what causes crashes will help you avoid them. A number of situations can level your system, including memory conflicts, overheating, and viruses. The biggest problems occur when DLLs, executable programs (.exe), and device drivers vie for the same system resources. All of these factors can cause your system to exhibit various crash-causing errors, such as invalid or unknown instructions (when a program attempts to execute an impossible or missing instruction--occasionally reported as an invalid opcode); and access violations (when a program attempts to read from or write to an unauthorized memory location).
This is where crash-protection utilities come in. They can help you quickly and easily recover from such crashes.
Crash Preventions and Cures
The most important function these products perform is crash-stalling. When an application is about to seize up, it sends a signal to the operating system stating that it needs to be shut down. A crash protector intercepts this message and tries to fix the problem without closing the application. Even if the crash is beyond repair, the crash protector often holds the crash at bay so that you can save your data and get out safely. While the three reviewed utilities prevented most of our test crashes, none were perfect. Still, adequate protection is better than none at all.
Extra Help
Some extras can make a decent crash-protection utility a good one. For example, if an application merely freezes for a few tense moments (or longer), you'll love an antifreeze option such as CPR, which may be able to bring the application back to life. But don't keep merrily computing--all the crash-protection vendors recommend you save your work, exit, and reboot. Other extras to look for include glossaries filled with crash- and application-specific information, FAQs regarding crashes and crash protection, and timesaving keyboard shortcuts.
Stop Crashes Before They Start
Relying solely on a crash-protection utility to prevent all crashes is like investing all of your money in one stock: very risky. Take these simple steps to keep your system healthy.
Defrag Your Hard Drive
When you first get a PC, Windows and all of the applications on the hard disk are stored in apple-pie order, each in its own contiguous block of disk space. But as time goes by--after you've installed patches, added new programs, created and added to data files--things start getting chopped up. That customer database is no longer stored in one neat block. As it's grown, Windows has had to store pieces of it around the disk. Although being able to store pieces of a file anywhere on the drive is part of the idea, too much fragmentation is not a good thing. When your hard drive has to work feverishly to pull together the 50 different chunks of your OS or Excel files, problems can arise. If nothing else, performance suffers. That's why you should regularly run a disk defragger (such as Windows' own Disk Defragmenter) to pull all the disparate pieces back together into neat, contiguous blocks. Some crash-protection apps, such as McAfee's Crash Protector, are part of a full utility suite that includes a defragging tool.
Memory-Resident Pests
Ever had a relative overstay his or her welcome and cause absolute chaos in your home? Memory-resident programs can have the same effect on your system. Network utilities, streaming video tools, antivirus monitors, and other apps constantly running in the background not only sap performance, but soak up memory and other system resources, causing your system to crash.
Check the Windows Startup folder and remove anything that isn't necessary. See the little icons appearing in the Windows SysTray in the bottom right of the screen? The apps tied to those icons may have little memory-resident tools running. Uninstall them, if appropriate. Still having problems? In Windows, select Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools, then select System Information and click Tools/System Configuration Utility. Start clicking tabs; you may find that various programs are being loaded in autoexec.bat, config.sys (both traditionally used for DOS apps), or various INI files (for 16-bit or Windows 3.x apps). The Startup tab is where you'll find a list of everything that's loaded by Windows 95/98. You can uncheck the programs listed here--so they won't load the next time Windows starts--and see how things run. The culprit may be hiding in this tab.
A Bit of Conflict
The saying "Out with the old, in with the new" doesn't always work with software. Sometimes you want or need to use older programs in addition to the latest and greatest apps.
Unfortunately, those older 16-bit and DOS apps don't always get along with newer 32-bit apps, and their conflicts can send your system crashing to its knees. Fortunately, referee-type programs such as Aveo's free Attune keep an eye on these apps to make sure they play nicely and alert you to any upcoming battles that may be brewing. Otherwise, take the logical step and replace those aging apps with their 32-bit equivalents. And make sure you regularly check vendor sites for updates and patches to those new applications.
Stream Media
Although the Recording Industry Association of America may disagree, streaming media is the hottest thing to hit the Web in ages. The beauty of the technology is that you don't have to download a 5MB sound file in one gulp to, say, listen to your favorite pop tune; just the data you need at the moment is streamed to your hard drive. But while very convenient, streaming media can gobble up a lot of system resources and, thus, sometimes crash your PC. Our best advice: Use streaming media on the fastest machine you have with the fastest possible Net connection, be it DSL, cable, or T1. If you must stream on a slower system with a dial-up connection, don't run other applications at the same time--run the media player only. That way your system won't be overburdened and crash.Free Your Resources
In fact, it's a good idea to free your PC's resources in general. If you have ten apps running at once, you're using a lot of system resources. To minimize the threat of crashes, only open the apps you need. Don't open oodles of document windows, and don't close and reopen the same application over and over during a session. Finally, clear the decks; uninstall programs you don't use very often.Get a Diagnosis
Don't wait for problems to find you. Seek them out by running a diagnostic utility on your system. Products such as Norton WinDoctor and Disk Doctor (part of Norton SystemWorks), McAfee's First Aid, or even Windows' own ScanDisk and Defragmenter can check for lost shortcuts, invalid Registry entries, broken applications, missing DLLs, and other problems.Stamp Out the Bugs
Don't let viruses clobber your computer. Install an antivirus utility and update its virus definitions frequently to stop these evil intruders. Again, a full utilities suite such as McAfee Office often provides both crash and virus protection. McAfee VirusScan is one of our favorite antivirus apps.Play It Cool
Stuff a bunch of extremely fast computer parts into a small metal box, and whaddya get? Heat--a lot of it. Sometimes an overheated computer locks up in an attempt to cool off. Make sure your system and CPU fans are unobstructed, dust-free, and otherwise working properly. If they're not, and your PC is still under warranty, get them replaced. Or, you can pick up a variety of CPU, drive, and card fans from companies such as PC Power and Cooling. Still boiling over? Slide off the PC's system case and leave it off for a while during use.Power to the PC
Although it's usually safe to simply plug your PC into a wall outlet, various power gremlins can unsettle your PC. Spikes, surges, line sags, and the stray power outage can trash your data and maybe even fry your PC. The solution is a UPS, or uninterruptible power supply. A UPS can sacrifice itself before a power spike (say, from a nearby lightning strike) can toast your PC. Just as important, it can condition the AC power flowing into your PC and actually run your machine off its batteries should a blackout hit. You can find UPSs at just about any electronics store.Keep It Clean
Dust bunnies love to crawl into the darkest corners and crevices, and computer cases and peripherals provide them with the perfect hideout. When you're vacuuming, take a second to carefully run the hose over your computer case (including the air vents), monitor, keyboard, and even your mouse. (In fact, dirt built up inside your mouse could make its ball stick, making it seem like your PC has crashed.) Excess dust can contribute to overheating and related problems. And yes, you can vacuum the inside of your system. Open up the case, properly ground yourself, and as you vacuum, make sure the vacuum doesn't touch anything inside your system. And, of course, do not use liquid cleaning solutions such as water or Windex to clean any part of your computer. The last thing you need is liquid seeping into your system. If this seems like too delicate an operation, take your PC to a computer shop for a professional cleaning.After a Crash
Despite everything you've done, your computer still freaks out. Your trusty crash utility leaps to the fore and saves you from a crash, but you're not out of the woods yet. To escape with your data intact, do the following:
Don't move the mouse unless you have to. Toolbars are especially sensitive after a crash and may trigger another fatal disaster if the mouse pointer moves over them.
Don't try to keep working, even if things look OK. Press Alt-F4 to close the program; you'll immediately be prompted to save your data.
Save to the same filename. Invoking the Save As command entails additional processing that can stress an already-impaired program. We found that a program either saved data perfectly or else failed to record any changes (leaving the old file undamaged). We found many situations in which the program couldn't withstand the additional work of displaying a Save As dialog box.
