Tutorials » Restarting Your Computer When It Stops Responding
Occasionally your computer will become unresponsive (known as "freezing"). An open program may stop working with an accompanying error message that states "this program has performed an illegal operation…" or "this program is unresponsive…" Another symptom of a frozen computer is the inability to move your mouse on screen.
The instructions for restarting your computer when it stops responding apply only in the situation where your mouse, keyboard or other devices stop working and you cannot use the computer whatsoever. If your computer is still responding and you want to restart it, see our tutorial guide on restarting your computer.
If your computer is unresponsive, you can restart it by holding the power button in for roughly 10 seconds. It is worth noting that this is the only recommended physical way of restarting your computer. Never unplug a running computer! Unplugging your computer while it is still running could cause the hard drive to become damaged, resulting in a loss of your personal files or making it complete inaccessible.