What makes a new computer crash ?

[rfuerst911sc]

So I am looking at online black Friday deals for a new laptop computer . When looking at reviews there seems to be a decent amount that complain about crashes . It seems like it's across the board by brand . So IF the reviews are accurate what is causing the crashes ?

I am no expert but I would think it's not the hardware because economy of scale makes most everyone use the same or similar hardware . I could be wrong . So is it software compatibility ? Or is it a combination of hardware and software ?

And is there any way for the average guy to correct the issue/s ? It would really stink if you buy a new laptop and have it crash/freeze on a regular basis . Most complaints seem to be Windows 10 software .

[masraum]

My vote is mostly software. And it may or may not be Windows or the software that came on the thing.

For instance, if you buy a computer that's got a bunch of its branded stuff installed (my previous HP had HP-this and HP-that and HP-other-crap) installed, that may be the crap that is causing the problem. I generally uninstall all of that crap when i get a new PC.

Also, Tom, Dick and Harry buy a new PC and go download their favorite freeware/shareware crap off the 'Net, that stuff could be causing the problem.

Or, it could be that the drivers for some of the hardware needs to be updated. If it's an inexpensive computer, then it could be that some of the hardware that's installed is cheap and using crap drivers.

I don't know about Win 10 or Win 11, but the last few versions of Windows that I had were pretty rock solid. I wouldn't think that Windows would be worse now.

[id10t]

Assuming there isn't a bad batch of capacitors, etc (I've seen half of a lab full of 150 Dell machines all die within a 3 week period, the other half were replaced by Dell just to save service call times) then 2nd rate "3rd shift" hardware and poorly written drivers.

Then as masraum has noted, all the extra BS that the factory installs (because they get paid a buck or two per install).

Not a fan of Windows or Microsoft for a variety of reasons but Windows itself (or at least every 3rd version) has been an acceptably OK and stable OS since Windows NT 4.0/Win2k - IF you had high quality hardware or were running it on a very stable virtualization platform on a *nix host (VMWare, VirtualBox etc) and as long as you weren't installing crapware

[recycled sixtie]

I bought a new HP 17 inch screen laptop exactly a year ago. So far so good. The initial few days after purchase were frustrating. Windows 10/intel core 15. I could not get the laptop to function properly as I discovered much of everything was disappearing in to the "Drop Box". I managed to rectify that and everything has been great since then.

I am a great believer in Costco which is where I bought it. Great return policy. They have a good selection of laptops to choose from. Perhaps not so easy to run as Apple but considerable cheaper.

Cheers, Guy.

[Superman]

I got tired of PC frustrations and opted for a Mac. Malicious code is written almost exclusively to target Windows-based machines, they say. Sure enough, my Mac has run flawlessly.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Superman

I got tired of PC frustrations and opted for a Mac. Malicious code is written almost exclusively to target Windows-based machines, they say. Sure enough, my Mac has run flawlessly.

I ran Win for many, many years. For the last 10-15 years that I had a Win PC, I did NOT run a paid for AV program. I ran the Microsoft whatever (changed names a few times). I never had any malware/virii. I generally had a rock solid system (ran 24x7 for months and was rarely rebooted). Still, I got my wife a Macbook Air. I spent 2 weeks working on/with it to learn it so I could show her and help her when I gave it to her. After that 2 weeks, I knew my next PC would be a MAC. My PC ran for another 3-5 years and would not die. Eventually my wife just said "we're getting you a new PC." I wiped the old one, reinstalled Windows from scratch and gave it to my son (it was 7-8 years old). I've now got a 27" iMac and love it.

I also was a die hard Android guy for many years, but have now had iPhones for the past 4-5 years.

[Halm]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

So I am looking at online black Friday deals for a new laptop computer . When looking at reviews there seems to be a decent amount that complain about crashes . It seems like it's across the board by brand . So IF the reviews are accurate what is causing the crashes ?

I am no expert but I would think it's not the hardware because economy of scale makes most everyone use the same or similar hardware . I could be wrong . So is it software compatibility ? Or is it a combination of hardware and software ?

And is there any way for the average guy to correct the issue/s ? It would really stink if you buy a new laptop and have it crash/freeze on a regular basis . Most complaints seem to be Windows 10 software .

This is why I never recommend a Big Box Store pc. I always buy Enterprise class boxes. In my IT Consulting career, we worked 98% of the time with Dell. So we would get a Latitude laptop, or a Optiplex desktop. HP and Lenovo also make solid, enterprise boxes.

[Brando]

It's undoubtedly the bundled bloatware. I have found from first hand experience if you just download the windows media creation tool and do a fresh install of windows and only the specific drivers the PC will perform 10x better. Many tech channels have discussed this at length. Here's one from GamersNexus.

[John Rogers]

There are several things you can do to straighten out a new computer, especially a laptop.
- As mentioned earlier use the Windows Control Panel and delete any software that has the manufacturer's name/initials in it. The worst are HP and Dell.
- Use the Windows Device Manager to make sure ALL parts of the whole system do NOT have any exclamation marks next to them. Fix them if there are any.
- Make sure video system drivers/software is up to date.
- Make sure all Windows updates are installed. If they get missed Windows will act very strange!
- Use Windows Task Manager to see what sort of things are running that are not need ed such as PDF updater, Intuit updater, remote access should not be allowed and look to make sure YOU are the only user logged into that computer.
- Use Windows Task Manager to make sure you are not at 100% power or memory if you are not doing any work.
- If you are using a larger flat screen TV via a HDMI cable, make sure the video software can handle it.
Good luck.
John

[Joe Bob]

Fat fingers....