// CRASHES, FREEZES, BLUE SCREENS
Why does your PC keep crashing?
Programs close on their own, the PC freezes, or it restarts with a blue (or now black) screen. Before you guess, look at what Windows has already written down: it keeps a record of every crash, freeze and failed update. Here’s how to read it, and what to do about what it shows. Rated 4.9 on Google.
- ● Windows already knows
- ● Free crash history app
- ● Windows specialists since 1995
/01 — START HERE
Windows already knows what crashed
Every time a program crashes or stops responding, Windows stops with a blue screen, or an update fails to install, Windows writes it down. The record is called Reliability Monitor. It has been part of Windows for years, but very few people know it’s there.
It turns that history into a stability index from 1 to 10, where 1 is the least stable and 10 the most (Microsoft Learn). The number itself matters less than what’s behind it: which program, how often, and since when.
// FIX IT WITH ME · STEP BY STEP
Track down the crash, step by step
The steps from this guide, one at a time, in the order that fixes the most cases fastest. Tell it what happened and it shows the next step. Nothing here leaves your device.Last reviewed 17 October 2026
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01Open Reliability Monitor
Click Start, type reliability and choose View reliability history.
Has it stopped crashing? -
02Find the pattern
Click the days with red crosses and look for one program appearing again and again, or problems starting on one day.
Has it stopped crashing? -
03Fix the crashing program
Update it, or uninstall it and install it fresh.
Has it stopped crashing? -
04Unplug new hardware and check drivers
Remove anything added just before the trouble started and check Device Manager for warning signs.
Has it stopped crashing? -
05Undo a recent change
Uninstall a recently installed program, or use System Restore to go back to a restore point.
Has it stopped crashing?
Rather have it done for you? Remote help from £20, or in person across Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole, Ringwood and the New Forest, with no call-out fee.
Sorted{mins}. Nice work.
Give it a few days, then look at Reliability Monitor again.
Still crashing? That is a remote job.
With your permission we connect to your screen and sort it in one session. Usually the same day, remote help from £20, and no fix, no fee.
Why does your PC keep crashing? - the fix order (365techies.co.uk/why-does-my-pc-keep-crashing/) 1. Open Reliability Monitor: Click Start, type reliability and choose View reliability history. 2. Find the pattern: Click the days with red crosses and look for one program appearing again and again, or problems starting on one day. 3. Fix the crashing program: Update it, or uninstall it and install it fresh. 4. Unplug new hardware and check drivers: Remove anything added just before the trouble started and check Device Manager for warning signs. 5. Undo a recent change: Uninstall a recently installed program, or use System Restore to go back to a restore point. Still stuck? 365 Techies fix it remotely: 01202 775566 - https://365techies.co.uk/remote-support/At a glance
| Windows’ own record | Reliability Monitor. Type reliability in the Start menu and choose View reliability history. |
|---|---|
| The score | A stability index from 1 to 10, where 10 is the most stable. |
| One program keeps crashing | Update it, or uninstall it and install it fresh. The fault is usually in that program, not Windows. |
| Blue or black screen | Usually a driver or hardware fault. One is nothing to worry about; several in a few weeks is worth a look. |
| Switched off by itself | A power cut, the power button held down, a flat battery, overheating, or a fault. |
| Free check | What keeps going wrong in our free 365 PC Manager app reads the same record in plain words. |
// NEED THIS FIXED RIGHT NOW?
Skip the DIY — call 01202 775566 and we can be looking at your screen within minutes. You watch everything we do, and most problems on this page are fixed in one short remote session. (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm.)
/02 — READ THE RECORD
How to read Windows’ crash record
- Open it: click Start, type reliability, and choose View reliability history.
- Look along the graph: each column is a day. A red circle with a cross is a crash or failure, a yellow triangle is a warning, and a blue i is information, such as an update that installed.
- Click a day with a red cross and read the list underneath: the program’s name and what happened — “Stopped working”, “Stopped responding”, or “Windows was not properly shut down”.
- Look for the pattern. One program appearing again and again is your answer. Problems that started on one day often line up with an update or a new program installed that day.
Every row, icon and number explained, and how to read a blue screen’s stop code: how to open and read Reliability Monitor.
/03 — WHAT IT MEANS
What each kind of problem usually means
- One program keeps crashing or freezing. The fault is almost always in that program. Update it, or uninstall it and install it fresh. For Outlook or another Office app, Office’s own Repair (Settings, Apps, Microsoft 365, Modify) often sorts it.
- Lots of different programs crashing. That points at something underneath them all: a driver, a nearly full drive, memory, or overheating.
- Blue or black screens. Windows stops to protect itself, usually because of a driver or a hardware fault. One on its own is nothing to worry about; several in a few weeks is worth a look. From Windows 11 version 24H2 the screen is black rather than blue (Microsoft).
- “Windows was not properly shut down”. A power cut, someone holding the power button, a laptop battery running flat — or the PC switching itself off, which can mean overheating or a power fault.
- Failed updates. Most install at the next try. One failing again and again is worth sorting, because it holds back security fixes.
/04 — WHAT TO TRY
What to try, in order
- Install Windows updates and restart properly (Restart, not Shut down).
- Unplug anything new — a printer, dock, USB device or part added just before the trouble started. Microsoft suggests this first for blue screens.
- Check Device Manager (right-click Start) for anything with a yellow warning sign, and update, roll back or uninstall that driver.
- Keep 10 to 15% of the drive free, as Microsoft advises.
- Undo a recent change: uninstall a program installed the day the trouble began, or use System Restore to go back to a restore point.
Microsoft’s full list is on its page about unexpected restarts and stop code errors.
/05 — WHEN IT’S HARDWARE
When it’s the hardware
If blue screens keep coming with every driver up to date, or the PC switches off under load — games, video calls — or gets very hot, it’s more likely to be hardware: a failing drive, memory, a worn power supply, or dust choking the fans. Software won’t fix those, but knowing it’s hardware saves a weekend of trying.
Gaming PC? See gaming PC slow or won’t load games.
/06 — THE QUICK WAY
Let our free app read it for you
FREE · WINDOWS 10 & 11 · NO SIGN-UP
What keeps going wrong: Windows’ crash record, in plain words
It reads the same record as Reliability Monitor and puts it in plain words: Windows’ stability score, which programs crashed or froze in the last 30 days and how often, blue screens and unexpected shutdowns in the last 90 days, and Windows updates that failed to install. It names what happened without guessing, and never calls a single event a problem. It only reads; a button opens Windows’ own Reliability Monitor.
In the app: My PC, then What keeps going wrong.
Download 365 PC Manager free ↓What else it checks
Made by us, a family IT firm in Bournemouth since 1995, and digitally signed by 365 Techies Ltd.
/07 — WHEN TO CALL US
When to call us
If the same crash keeps coming back, or blue screens are getting more frequent, it’s worth having it checked before a fault becomes a failure. Ring 01202 775566 or text 07520 615332, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. With your permission we connect to your Windows PC and sort it while you watch: usually the same day, remote help from £20, and no fix, no fee.
FAMILY-RUN SINCE 1995 · ★ 4.9 ON GOOGLE · 200+ COMPUTERS UNDER OUR CARE · NO FIX, NO FEE · SAME-DAY REMOTE SUPPORT
// GOOD QUESTIONS
Frequently asked
Why does my computer keep crashing?
Usually one program with a fault, a driver, a nearly full drive, overheating or failing hardware. Windows’ Reliability Monitor shows which programs crashed and when, which points to the cause.
How do I find out why my PC crashed?
Click Start, type reliability and choose View reliability history. Click a day with a red cross to see what crashed and what happened.
Is a blue screen serious?
One on its own usually isn’t. Several in a few weeks are worth looking into, as they usually point to a driver or a hardware fault.
Why is my blue screen black now?
From Windows 11 version 24H2, Microsoft shows the stop screen in black rather than blue. It means the same thing.
Can you fix it remotely?
Software causes, yes: with your permission we connect to your Windows PC and sort it while you watch. If it turns out to be hardware, we collect it free across Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole and Dorset, repair it and bring it back.
// Still stuck?
Still crashing?
We read the crash record with you, fix the program or driver behind it, and tell you straight if it’s hardware. Call 01202 775566 or text 07520 615332.
We’ll fix it with you
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Stop it happening again
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