Why computers decide to crash

Computers crash because of errors in the operating system software or errors in the computer hardware. Software errors are probably more common, but hardware errors can be devastating and harder to diagnose.

 

A variety of hardware components must function correctly in order for a computer to work. These components, like many things, age over time and can develop faults. Unfortunately, these faults are often transient, and can be hard to diagnose because they do not appear consistently. The system power supply can fail in this manner. Normally a computer's power supply converts alternating current to clean direct current. If it starts to fail, the computer can crash accidentally when the power supply generates a noisy signal. This can damage multiple components including the hard drive . The random access memory (RAM) can also fail in an intermittent way, particularly if it gets hot. Because the values RAM stores get corrupted unpredictably, it causes random system crashes. The central processing unit (CPU) can also be the source of crashes due to excessive heat. The often loud fans on most common computers are there to prevent this type of crash, though they may eventually fail. The fans that bring cooling air into the case also carry dirt and dust inside. This dirt can accumulate and cause intermittent short circuits as the dirt blows around. Fortunately, compressed air or a vacuum cleaner easily gets rid of the dirt. Still other hardware problems that can cause crashes are trickier to identify and require software tests or sequential replacement of components.

 

The Operating system provides an interface for users to access the system easily. But is also the source of a lot of software bugs that can cause a computer to crash.

When the Operating system tries to access an incorrect memory address, perhaps as a result of a programming error. In Windows, this can lead to an error known as a General Protection Fault.

Software drivers that are added to the Operating system to allow the use of additional devices such as printers may contain bugs and are often the source of crashes.

 

A bug allows information to be written into a memory buffer that is too small to accept it. The additional data overflows out of the buffer and overwrites information in memory, corrupting the OS state.

 

Hardware errors can be devastating, harder to diagnose, and costly to fix. Each disk stores information in units named sectors. More permanent faults happen with errors on a computer's disk. Sectors can go bad during regular use and lose the information stored on them. If these sectors happen to hold system information, they can cause a crash.

A disk can fail completely when the computer gets jarred and the head that reads information makes contact with the disk surface and scratches it. This may cause all data on the disk to be lost.

A computer's power supply converts alternating current to clean direct current. If it starts to fail, the computer can crash accidentally when the power supply generates a noisy signal.

The random access memory (RAM) can also fail if it gets hot. Because the values RAM stores get corrupted unpredictably, it causes random system crashes.

The central processing unit (CPU) can also be the source of crashes due to excessive heat. The loud fans on computers are there to prevent this type of crash.