Chrome on Windows 8 Freezes often

Question:

I have been experiencing issues while using Chrome on Windows 8. Randomly the system PC become unresponsive to keyboard and mouse. While some times the freeze is for a few seconds, most of the times it never comes back. The PC then had to be hard rebooted. Though I have been experiencing more with Chrome on rare circumstances, the system did froze even when I was not using Chrome at all, For your information, I have applied all windows updates and the device drivers seem to be upto date. Any help in resolving this is highly appreciated.

By: Mohan Ramalingam


Answer:

There is no straight fix for this problem, as the cause for this issue could be many fold. For example, I have come across issues around solid state disks with inappropriate hardware and driver configurations. Generally, try these fixes and one of that could work for you.

• Run the following command bcdedit /set disabledynamictick yes using the command prompt as an administrator and then reboot the system. Dynamic ticks, which exists in Linux for over a decade, is implemented in Windows 8 for the first time. This does not significantly benefit desktops, but mobile devices such as laptops, smartphones and tablets, are expected to be benefited in the form of extended battery life. Unfortunately, Microsoft’s implementation of dynamic ticks in the Windows 8 kernel does not go well, may be due to its dependency on some hardware devices and/or related drivers and thus causing the issue that you have described above. Disabling this on a desktop is unlikely to have any significant adverse impact.
• It is widely reported that using a solid state disk with older SATA controllers, which are not designed to manage the higher speeds of SSDs could also cause similar issues. It is recommended to use SATA II controller based mother boards. Just in case if you are using an SSD, you may want to check the underlying hardware specifications and fix them if needed.
• Other possible solutions include:
• If the issue is specific to chrome, try disabling the chrome extensions on a trial and error basis and some users how found success in resolving the issue by disabling some of the fixes.
• Ensure that all your hardware devices have latest drivers supported by Windows 8.
• Run System File Checker tool to see if there are corrupt system files. For this, you may run the command sfc /scannow in a command prompt with administrator privileges. This will report if there are issues with system files and if so, you may want to reinstall or reset the Windows 8 operating system.
• Defrag your hard drives
• Clear history and temporary files

You may write a response to this post in the form of comments, if any of the above has helped resolve your issue.

Update:

If your experience of freeze is not specific to Chrome or any one application, then you have reason to suspect the hardware. Overheating CPU has been found to be one of the most common cause of such freezes. Ensure that the fan mounted on the Processor and other fans attached to the chassis are working fine. Use the hardware monitoring tools supplied by the manufacturer to keep a watch on the CPU temperature.

The next possible cause would be incompatible drivers. Ensure that you have all the hardware drivers updated. Usually, when you have upgraded your Windows 7 to Windows 8, it might be possible that the old drivers continue to be in use and Windows OS might not find updates. But driver updates could in fact be available from the device manufacturers. Better search for the appropriate updated drivers and apply them.