At any moment, you may face a computer glitch meaning your system is malfunctioning. Since it can be quite difficult to detect where the problem lies, many users are asking, why is my computer glitching? If you are in the same predicament, just keep reading. In this article, you will learn why glitches occur, how to resolve major computer issues caused by them, and how to improve computer performance.

A Computer Glitch: 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.

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.

Aremove malware from Windows


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.

why is my computer glitching

  • 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 Computer” 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.

computer issues

  • 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.

software update

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.

To avoid long-lasting computer issues, make sure to take glitches seriously and do your best to fix them timely. When it comes to software-related glitches, we recommend you to use a dedicated PC optimizer like Auslogics BoostSpeed to resolve and prevent them.

Enable Automatic Maintenance

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.

Auslogics BoostSpeed

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.”

Auslogics BoostSpeed

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.”

Auslogics BoostSpeed

 

Clean and Compact Windows Regictry

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 Cleaner 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.

 

How to use Auslogics BoostSpeed to get rid of glitches

 

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.

clean Registry entries

  • 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:

  1. Click the “Compact Windows registry” link in the middle pane of the Clean Up tab to load the Auslogics Registry Defrag tool
  2. 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.
  3. 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. Note: If Windows is installed on a solid-state drive, Disk Defrag may show up the “Your system is not fragmented” message. This is because, unlike HDDs, solid-state drives are not particularly affected by fragmentation.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

 

Compact Windows Registry

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.

FAQ

How Do I Stop My Desktop From Glitching?

Desktop glitches can be caused by a software conflict, outdated driver, faulty hardware component, or even malware entity. We recommend you to apply all the troubleshooting tips described in this article. Chances are high one of them will help you resolve your problem.

How Do I Fix Glitches in Windows 10?

There are various ways to fix glitches in Windows 10. We recommend you to check your PC for hardware and software issues, symptoms of overheating, and malware. You can find tips on how to do that above. They will help you find the right answer to your “Why is my computer glitching?” query.

What Are the Signs of Corrupted Windows 10?

Computer issues like glitches may indicate Windows 10 corruption. Common examples are program crashes, freezes, slowdowns, audio distortion, and random messages, to name but a few. Such problems stop your PC from operating normally and can be caused by faulty system components. Give this article a read to figure out how to get rid of computer glitches in Windows 10.