Why Is My Computer Glitching? The Most Common Reasons for Computer Glitches

In this article, you will learn why glitches occur, how to resolve major computer issues caused by them, and how to improve computer performance. We will also look into glitch prevention measures and what you can do to make your PC run faster and smoother.

A Computer Glitch: The Meaning

A computer glitch is one of the numerous computer issues that prevent PCs from working normally. In the most common sense, it is an error or problem that affects a computer and causes it to behave in an unexpected or strange way.

Here are some examples of computer issues that can be described as glitches:

• A frozen screen
• Distorted visuals
• Program crashes
• Strange system messages
• Input delay
• Distorted audio
• Unexpected noises

In most cases, glitches are temporary and can be easily fixed. A simple act of restarting your computer or updating certain software may be enough. However, sometimes, glitches indicate that you need to resolve major computer issues, and doing it may require the help of dedicated software.

Here’s a quick guide for fixing a flickering screen: [FIXED] How to Fix Laptop Screen Flickering Issues in Windows 10?

Common Reasons for Computer Glitches

At this point, you may be asking, why is my computer glitching? There are several factors that are common culprits for computer issues like glitches:

Overheating

At times, the components of your PC, like the CPU or graphics card, can get too hot and won’t cool down. If you don’t stop it, your PC may overheat and trigger a computer glitch, meaning it’s too hot for it to work seamlessly. This can happen for a few reasons:

• Highly intensive tasks: If demanding or graphics-intensive apps put too much strain on your system, computer issues like glitches may occur. 
• Dirt and dust: Dust and dirt accumulation blocks the airflow and prevents cooling.
• Blocked vents: If your computer’s vents are blocked, the heat can’t escape and overheating happens.

Your system’s components cannot work properly when they are so hot. In some cases, they can even get damaged beyond repair. If you want to avoid that, make sure you know how to prevent overheating.

Malware and virus infections

Still asking, why is my computer glitching? Chances are high that your PC is infected with malware. Slow performance, unexpected behavior, and strange messages are common indicators of malware infection. Whenever a malware entity enters your system, it starts to cause harm, which leads to various glitches and other computer issues appearing on your PC.

To stay safe, you need to know how to remove viruses and other malware from Windows. For instance, you can do that with the built-in Windows Security tool: 

1. Open the Settings app by pressing Win + I on your keyboard.
2. Go to the Update & Security section, select Windows Security, and click Open Windows Security.
3. Open Virus & threat protection and click Scan options.
4. Check the type of scan you wish to run and click Scan now.
5. Windows Security will check your PC for threats and let you remove or quarantine them.

Also read: Common Malware Entry Points and How to Eliminate Them

Hardware issues

Computer issues that trigger glitches are often related to hardware. Which is why users that have faulty hardware components often ask, “Why is my computer glitching?” and “Why is my computer so slow?”

There are several hardware issues that often lead to computer glitches and general PC slowdowns:

RAM problems

From multiple beeps to random freezes to blue screens of death, bad RAM (random-access memory) can cause persistent glitches that would try the patience of a saint. Your RAM can become faulty due to various reasons, such as overheating, physical damage, and wear and tear.

To fix faulty RAM, try reseating its modules. If that doesn’t help, test them separately to identify the culprit. Another option is to run the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool to troubleshoot memory-related computer issues:

1. Press the Win + S keyboard combo and type Windows Memory Diagnostic into Search.
2. Select the corresponding result.
3. Decide when you want to check for problems and let the tool perform diagnostics.

Hard drive problems

A computer glitch meaning your hard drive is faulty will most likely appear as a crash or performance slowdown.

To begin with, check the cables connecting your hard drive to the motherboard. You can also try using a different cable or port. All to no avail? Then it’s time to run a command called CHKDSK. It will scan your drive for file system errors, bad sectors, and other computer issues:

1. Open File Explorer, go to This PC, and right-click the drive you want to check.
2. Select Properties and proceed to the Tools tab.
3. Click on Check under Error checking.
4. Click Scan drive and wait until the tool is done checking your drive for problems.
5. Let it fix them if any are detected. You may need to restart your PC for the tool to perform repair procedures.

Power supply unit (PSU) problems

“Why is my computer glitching?” is a popular question among users with power supply issues. If your PSU is faulty, you are likely to face system instability, random restarts, and other computer issues.

Here are some tips on how to fix a problematic PSU:

• Check your power cables and make sure they are properly connected to the PSU.
• Test your power outlet and cables with another device.
• Connect to another PSU to check if yours is faulty.
• Replace your PSU if you are determined it is faulty.

Software issues

Outdated software

In Windows 10, software is often behind computer issues. For instance, outdated software, including drivers, can trigger costly glitches.

If you want to learn how to keep your driver software up to date and avoid glitches like freezes, crashes, lag, and slowdowns, we recommend you to read our article on how to update device drivers on a Windows 10 PC.

Of course, running the latest driver versions is not enough if you want to use a glitch-free PC. All the apps you have installed should receive regular updates. The sooner you learn how to keep your software up to date, the better.

Software bugs

Unfortunately, apps do not always work as intended. They often have flaws called bugs, which are usually mistakes in their code. All sorts of computer issues occur as a result, including glitches like freezes, crashes, and other examples of strange software behavior.

Software conflicts

Apart from outdated programs and occasional bugs, software conflicts are another reason why you may experience glitches and other computer issues on your PC. Software conflicts appear when two or more programs compete for resources or simply cannot run together on the same PC. To eliminate software conflicts, you need to learn how to uninstall programs and delete unnecessary files.

How to Fix Computer Glitches Quickly

Enable automatic maintenance with Auslogics BoostSpeed

Auslogics BoostSpeed’s automatic maintenance feature can assist you in fixing software glitches. It will help to resolve major computer issues, speed up Windows 10, and ensure your PC is glitch-free:

1. Download and install the Auslogics BoostSpeed app.
2. Run Auslogics BoostSpeed, click File and select Settings.
3. Go to Scheduler -> My Scanner.
4. Check the Enable Automatic Maintenance option.
5. Configure when and how often you want your computer checked and optimized.
6. Click OK to apply the configuration.

Remove problematic apps

With Auslogics BoostSpeed, you can get rid of apps that trigger conflicts, glitches, and other software-related computer issues:

1. Navigate to Clean Up and click the Manage Installed Apps button under Unused Programs.
2. Uninstall Manager will open in a new tab. You will see a list of unused apps.
3. Right-click an unneeded app and select Uninstall. You can also remove several apps simultaneously by checking them and clicking Multiple Uninstall.

Eliminate PC junk

We recommend you to regularly remove PC junk, which is likely to cause glitches when accumulated on your PC. For that, you can use Auslogics BoostSpeed’s Windows Slimmer, a tool designed to remove redundant items from your system:

1. Go to Tools -> System Tools -> Windows Slimmer.
2. In the One-Time Maintenance tab, select a category that you want to clean up.
3. Click Start Scan. When the scan is over, click Start Cleanup.

Clean and compact the Windows Registry

First of all, you need to know what the Windows Registry is and why you need a registry cleaner to control your computer’s performance and get rid of computer glitches.

Also read: What Is the Windows Registry and Why Do You Need a Registry Cleaner?

Now follow these steps to access the registry cleaning tools in Auslogics BoostSpeed:

1. Once BoostSpeed 13 is launched on your computer, click the Clean Up tab in the main program window.
2. The Clean Up tab is divided into three vertical panes (and the Useful Tools section). The pane in the middle contains the tools that will help you to clean up the registry and eliminate broken keys.
3. This middle pane contains two registry cleaning tools that will help restore your computer’s registry to perfect condition: Clean registry entries and Compact Windows registry.

This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to use each tool to resolve major computer issues, such as glitches.

Clean registry entries

This tool eliminates broken, empty, and invalid keys from the registry. It also removes corrupt keys that might be causing computer glitches.

Here is how to use it:

1. Click the Clean registry entries link in the middle pane of the Clean Up tab to load Registry Cleaner. The tool will load in a new tab on the right side of the main program window.
2. You will see a list of categories on the left. These categories won’t be deleted or affected in any way. They are merely stand-ins for the registry keys associated with them.
3. Peruse the categories and subcategories and deselect any whose associated registry keys and entries you don’t want scanned.
4. Click the Scan Now button, and the tool will start checking the registry for corrupt keys and other issues. 
5. Review the scan results. Click on a category to review individual registry keys. Some categories may have subcategories. You can also untick any category whose associated registry keys you don’t want removed, although doing so is not recommended.
6. The Back-Up Changes checkbox is checked by default. You will be able to restore your registry should the need arise.
7. Click the Resolve button to repair the registry.
8. At the end of the registry repair process, you will get the Items cleaned out notification along with the View detailed report link, which you can click to read a comprehensive cleanup report.

Compact Windows registry

This tool helps to make the system more stable and as a result eliminate computer issues. Here is how to use it:

• Click the Compact Windows registry link in the middle pane of the Clean Up tab to load the Auslogics Registry Defrag tool.
• Read the information on the page, then click the Analyze button. The tool will analyze your current registry status and figure out the best optimization strategy.
• Review the scan results. The tool will display the extent to which the registry has been fragmented and tell you whether any fix or improvement is required.
• Select Defrag Now to commence defragmenting the registry or Defrag on next computer reboot to schedule the operation for the next time you start up the PC.
• At the end of the registry defragmentation process, you will get a notification that your registry has been defragged (if applicable) along with the View detailed report link, which you can click to read a comprehensive cleanup report.

Conclusion

There are situations when your PC cannot work properly due to a computer glitch, meaning something is wrong with your system. From random crashes to general slowdowns to strange noises, glitches vary in form and severity, yet they all have something in common—they decrease your productivity and ruin your user experience.

To get rid of computer issues like glitches, you need to check your PC for hardware and software problems. You should also avoid overheating and malware. Whenever you face a persistent glitch that prevents your system from operating normally, perform thorough system troubleshooting. A PC optimizer like Auslogics BoostSpeed can help you with that.

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