You check your storage. Fine. You check your RAM. Fine. You restart your PC three times for good luck (the digital equivalent of "turn it off and on again").

Are Your Drivers Ghosting You? The Ultimate Guide to Outdated Drivers (And How to Fix Them)

Do not chase "beta" drivers for your Wi-Fi card. Do not update your mouse firmware if the mouse is clicking fine. A bad driver update can actually break your sound or cause the dreaded "Blue Screen of Death."

The real culprit? A dusty, forgotten piece of software called a driver .