Warning Signs that You Need to Get Your PC Checked Before It Crashes

system monitoring for your computer and don’t know the warning signs to look for, then a crash can seem like it comes out of the blue. That unexpected downtime can be very costly. 37% of SMBs say that downtime has cost them customers. Downtime costs include lost productivity, loss of business, and costs for reactive emergency I.T. support, which is much more than proactive managed services. To avoid being unpleasantly surprised, it’s important to know the red flags that tell you a computer needs to be serviced so you can get help before it’s too late.

If You See These Red Flags, It’s Time to Get Your Device Serviced Hard drive crashes can be avoided if you get help to fix those seemingly smaller problems before they progress into major issues that can cause loss of data and a more expensive repair. Here are the warning signs to look for.

Your Computer is Getting Louder We all know that “processing sound” that computers make when accessing a large file or working in a memory intensive application. It will generally come and go but should not be particularly loud. If you notice your computer getting louder and that processing sound seeming to occur more than it used to, this is a warning sign of a potential problem with internal components that may need repair or replacement.

You’re Seeing Strange Lines on the Screen One sign of a graphics card problem is the appearance of strange lines on your screen. They may come and go, or you may need to do a reboot to fix them. But this kind of problem can quickly escalate and cause your PC to crash if it’s not addressed. For example, there have been issues where a graphics card in an older Mac had a recall years earlier, but the user didn’t realize it and the card started failing, causing major booting issues, then ultimately, a crash.

Your Computer is Getting Hot If your laptop is getting hotter than usual or you notice your iMac screen feeling warm, this is a warning sign that you’re having cooling problems. These could be related to a fan that’s failing or simply dust accumulation. But if it’s not addressed, it can cause performance problems due to the motherboard components getting overheated, followed by a total system meltdown.

Random Reboots are Happening You may have a sudden reboot that happens from time to time, but not think much of it because it’s not yet causing you too much disruption. You may think, “I guess I had too many things going at once.” But when your system is rebooting itself because it hits a critical point, that’s a big red flag that something is wrong and it can continue getting worse and lead to a shutdown that never reboots at all if it’s left unchecked.

Your PC is Running Slower and Slower If not regularly maintained, computers can begin to get slower over time. However, if you experience major slowdowns or times when everything is completely locked up, that’s a bad sign. If you’re getting frustrated more often over a sluggish computer, it can indicate a number of problems including potential drive damage. You want to have it checked out before the problem results in a crash.

You’re Getting Strange Pop Ups or Browser redirects If you’re seeing strange popups that seem to come out of nowhere, this can be an indicator that you have malware on your computer. Often, these pop ups will look like a program you “might” have on your PC, like an antivirus, but that’s just a ploy to get you to click them. Another sign of a virus or malware is if your browser redirects to a different site than the one you intended or if your home page has mysteriously changed to a different website. If you’re seeing either of these two signs, you’ll want to have your computer checked right away. It may also be necessary to scan any other PCs that shared a network with that computer to make sure the malware didn’t spread.

Get Fast & Reliable Computer Diagnostics & Repairs! Don’t wait until it’s too late! Get your computer checked by Texas I.T. Pros at the first sign of any red flags, so you can protect yourself from a potential crash in the near future. Contact us today to schedule a consultation! Call 940-239-6500 or reach out online.