What Causes Windows Errors? [Most Common Problems]

Windows errors can be frustrating and time-consuming, especially when they prevent you from using your computer at all. In order to fix these errors, it’s important to understand what’s causing them in the first place.

In this article, we’ll discuss the most common causes of Windows errors and what you can do about them.

What causes the most common Windows errors?

There are many different reasons why Windows might display errors, but here are the most common ones:

Critical OS Issues

• Corrupt system files – Missing or corrupted system files are one of the main causes of Windows errors. These files are essential for the proper functioning of the operating system. Any corruption can result in system crashes, blue screens, and other issues.
• Missing DLLs – One of the most common errors for Windows programs and software is the missing DLL file. These dynamic link libraries contain code that is shared between multiple programs. Some are native to Windows, while others are installed by third-party software. When they are missing or damaged, programs cannot function properly.
• Missing or damaged drivers – Outdated, incompatible, or corrupt drivers prevent Windows from communicating with your hardware. This results in the blue screen of death and other hardware problems.
• Registry Errors – When the Windows registry is damaged, incorrectly modified, or flooded with old, unwanted entries, it can cause serious Windows errors.

Other software issues

• Damaged software – Poorly coded software or a failed installation can have a domino effect, leading to missing DLLs, corrupted files, and other problems.
• Operating system updates – Sometimes Windows updates can cause errors if the installation is interrupted or if the update is incompatible with the hardware or software on the system.
• Incorrect settings – Choosing the wrong user settings for your hardware can cause errors and other problems. For example, setting too much or too little virtual memory, messing with power options, changing access permissions, or incorrectly modifying the registry with the registry editor.
• Malware and viruses – When your computer is infected, it can cause major damage to the operating system, delete system files, steal resources and compromise personal data.
• Junk Files – If you never clean up unused software and junk files or optimize the registry, system performance can decrease dramatically over time.

Hardware problems

• Faulty hardware – Broken or poorly configured hardware components such as RAM, hard drives, power supplies, and motherboards cause varying degrees of system instability.
• Insufficient memory – If your computer runs out of memory, it can cause a variety of problems, including program crashes and system instability. This can be because you don’t have enough physical RAM, the modules are not functioning properly, or bad software is causing memory leaks.
• Power supply problems – Power surges, power outages, or a faulty power supply can cause Windows to crash and damage hardware.
• Overheating – Poor ventilation and cooling, defective fans or overclocking can cause your hardware components to overheat. Windows will restart to prevent damage, but if the problem persists, permanent hardware damage may occur.

Many Windows errors are caused by an overlap of the above problems. For example, failing hardware or malware infections can cause a blue screen, which in turn corrupts system files.

Windows repair tools

Windows has built-in tools that can help it repair itself from errors. One of the most useful is the System File Checker (SFC) which scans for and replaces corrupted system files.

There is also a tool called Check Disk (CHKDSK), which scans and repairs file system errors on your hard drive. There is also Startup Repair, which can help you avoid having to restart all the time.

Third-party Windows repair software like Fortect combines native tools like system file repair with junk file cleaning. It also automatically cleans and repairs the registry, which Windows can’t do on its own.

To use Fortect:

1. Download and install on your PC.
2. Performing a run system scanand wait a few minutes for the results.
3. Click on ‘Start repair‘ to fix all Windows problems, or ‘View and repair‘ each individual problem.
4. Wait for the process to complete and restart your computer.

Windows errors can be caused by a wide variety of factors, including faulty hardware, bad software, viruses, and junk that builds up over time. To prevent and fix these errors, it is essential to maintain your hardware, keep your system up to date, and run regular virus scans.

It’s also a good idea to run Windows repair tools like Fortect regularly to fix Windows problems before they become more serious. Windows has its own built-in tools that can be useful as well.