my computer keeps restarting all on its own. how do i overcome this?

Question

my computer suddenly turns itself off then restarts for no apparrent reason. why?

Answer 1

Best do a virus scan with updated definitions.

Answer 2

PC Problems:

There are many possible causes for PC problems:

Hardware failure
Disk/File corruption
Virus, Malware, Spyware, Trojans, Bot Hi-jack
Registry corruption
Windows O/S corruption

And many more...


>>>>>>>>>>>>>Hardware Failure<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Check all of these!

Make sure you use a Surge Protector.

This kind of problem is often hardware
related though not always.

Could be a power supply problem.

Could be other hardware problem.

Sometimes the motherboard, RAM, or the
video card causes this type of problem.

Make sure you have the latest BIOS flash
and device drivers.

Could be getting too hot also.

If you are running XP disable

Disable Automatically Restart
in Settings for Startup and Recovery
under Advanced tab in System Properties.
See Control Panel.

Next time it happens look at Event
Logs to see if a reason shows.

If you are getting a STOP message you
can probably find some help here,
http://aumha.org/win5/kbestop.htm...


>>>>>>>>>>>>>Disk/File Corruption<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Try all of these,

Double left click on My Computer
Right click on your disk drive
Left click on Properties
Left click on the Tools tab
Left click on Check Now, check both boxes, left click on Start,
then reboot your system. Be patient this will take some time.
Repeat to get to Tools then left click on Defragment Now, left
click on Defragment. Be patient this will take some time.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>Windows O/S corruption<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Try this:

Windows XP Repair Installation

At some point you may need to repair the installation of Windows
XP. This is preferable to a clean install in many cases since it
attempts to only repair your copy of windows without having to
delete all the files on your computer first. In many cases a
repair installation is enough to fix the problem. A repair install
deletes the files normally installed by windows XP and then
reinstalls them off the disc. A repair install will not rebuild
your computer's registry, delete applications and user settings,
or fix problems caused being caused by a program.

1. First you have to boot the computer with the Windows XP cd in
the cd tray. You will see a black screen and it will ask you
to press any key to boot from the cd so press the spacebar
and your computer will boot from the CD.

2. After a moment you will be taken to the Windows XP Setup
screen. Though the second option says to repair do not press
R. Instead press enter to select the setup for Windows XP.

3. Next, you have to accept the license agreement from windows.
Once you've done that it will search for your existing
installation of windows.

4. Once it has finished detecting the installation you need to
select the XP installation you want to repair. You can repair
the installation by pressing R. If you don't see the repair
option you will need to do a clean installation. Your version
of windows may have been damaged in a way that it cannot carry
out a repair.

5. Setup will then copy the files it needs to the hard drive and
reboot the computer. A message will come up asking you if you
want to boot from the cd, don't press any keys and just let
the timer run out. The set up will continue and look like is
doing a clean install but all of your applications and
settings will be intact when it finished.

An important note is to not activate your windows over the
internet right away. Always enable the XP firewall to protect
yourself.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>System Recovery<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
If you are using Windows XP you could also try a
System Recovery:

Left click on Start
Left click on All Programs
Left click on Accessories
Move mouse pointer over System Tools
Left click on System Restore

Follow the instructions and pick a restore date
when you did not have the problems you are now
having.


>>>>Virus, Malware, Spyware, Trojans Infection<<<<

Try all of these!

Free Security Analyizer:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/tools/mbsa2/default.mspx

Free Anti-virus:
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1
http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html
http://www.free-av.com/
http://www.trendmicro.com/hc_intro/default.asp

Free Online Virus Checks:
http://onlinescan.avast.com/
http://www.avast.com/eng/avast-virus-cleaner.html
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/
http://support.f-secure.com/enu/home/ols.shtml
http://www.kaspersky.com/scanforvirus.html
http://us.mcafee.com/root/mfs/default.asp

Free Anti-Adware/Malware/Spyware protection:
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1 Get ewido!!!
http://www.safer-networking.org/...
http://www.download.com/ad-aware-se-pers...
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security...
http://www.superantispyware.com/...

Free Firewall:
http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/co...
http://www.comodogroup.com/products/pers...
Window XP SP2 Firewall

Free Popup Blockers:
Internet Explorer in windows xp has one builtin.
Firefox has one builtin.

http://toolbar.google.com/
http://toolbar.yahoo.com/

Free Host File Protection:
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.ht...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>Registry corruption<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Free Registry Repair:
http://www.download.com/eusing-free-regi...


>>>>>>>>>>>>>Clean O/S Reinstall<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

If all of these software fixes fail you may have
to try to do a complete reinstall of Windows from
your bootable "Recovery" CD's.

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=316941

Sorry, wish there was an easier answer but there isn't
"one size that fits all!" Kind of like the car problem
that never shows up when you take it in for repairs.

Have fun but be safe!

Answer 3

Definitely a virus on there......restart...press F8 on the black screen select safemode and do a virus scan. This should turn up some bugs best to download AVG antivirus free edition, also get Ewido anti-spyware from the same source. Start windows normally and presto you're OK.

Download AVG free: http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/

Answer 4

Is it when you're trying to shut it down?

When you use the "start" button and then select "shut down" before the computer shuts down there is a window that has a few different options with little circles that you have to check. Make sure you have the one checked, "shut down the computer" and not one of the "restart the computer" options.

Answer 5

Is it getting to hot.

Take the side of and carefully check your processors heat sink for dust, clean the fans and air holes.

Most modern computers shut down to stop overheating destroying your processor.

If you are unsure of taking the side off, or it voids you warranty contact the person who supplied you the computer.

I have linked a site which shows and tells you how clean and maintain your computer

Answer 6

Maybe your PC is overheating. Download a program such as Dr. Hardware or CPU-Z and make sure that the temperature of the CPU and the power supply isn't higher than the max listed in the setup (BIOS). If it is you should provably replace your power supply or buy a new fan for the CPU.

Answer 7

are you using a laptop, I use one and encounter the same problem whenever I play games like warcraft or MU. but when i just do surfing, or just using adobe, it doesnt restart. Maybe my memory isnt enough or something

Answer 8

One of (or both) two reasons:

1st: Energy source is not providing enough tension to the system. In this case, you have to change it.

2nd: Insufficient RAM. In this case, you need More memory.

Answer 9

I think problem is with ur RAM.
I faced the same problem earlier.
I replaced my RAM with a new one and the problem got solved

Answer 10

ma be your friend have send to you a small virus in the messenger or small program try to delete it or scan for viruses in your PC