How to Fix Application Hang-ups
By Stephen Lilley
At some point or another you will experience an application "hang-up" on your computer. This is when the application that you're using suddenly freezes and becomes unresponsive for no apparent reason. Sometimes the application will recover and allow you to use it again, while at other times the application will need to be closed and reopened. This is due to your computer not having the amount of system memory available that is required to run the application correctly. This can be fixed in a number of ways.
Step 1
Right-click on your computer's task bar. This is the name given to the long horizontal bar that runs across the bottom of your desktop.
Step 2
Click "Start Task Manager."
Step 3
Click "Processes."
Step 4
Click one time on the "Mem Usage" category column on the right. This will arrange all the processes on screen in order of the amount of system memory they are using, starting with the highest and working its way down.
Step 5
Click on the program that is using the most amount of memory. Then click "End Process." This will close that program. This will free up the system memory that program was using, which in turn will unfreeze the application you were working with.
References
Tips
- If you consistently have problems with programs freezing on your computer, consider investing in more RAM. Keep in mind that you must buy desktop-sized RAM if you have a desktop computer and laptop-sized RAM if you have a laptop computer. The two types of RAM are not interchangeable.
Writer Bio
Stephen Lilley is a freelance writer who hopes to one day make a career writing for film and television. His articles have appeared on a variety of websites. Lilley holds a Bachelor of Arts in film and video production from the University of Toledo in Ohio.