why is my computer shutting down without me turning it off?

Question

when i am on the computer, eventually it we automatic shut down..when i try to run a virus scan or download it will turn off. what can i do or how can i fix this without purchasing another brain

Answer 1

I'll make some assumptions here.

Problem
By shutting down, you mean PC immediately turns off, no warning. No blue screen.

Causes
One common cause of PCs shutting down is to much heat. Often they will reboot repeatedly until the processor is permanently damaged if the cooling system is not effective.
Another less common cause is a bad power supply.

Solutions
Primary cooling is on the Processor. It is imperative to have a good cooling fan on the CPU. If the PC has had upgrades or other maintenance, ensure the fan is seated properly on the processor with adequate silver to aid in heat transfer.
I would also check to make sure all fans are working properly on the case. Often BIOS functions will give you the CPU temperature which may be helpful.
If a power supply is suspected, simply replace it. Not much you can safely do to it without proper training and knowledge.

Good luck,
Shutrshock

Answer 2

One thing comes to my mind and that is this, Driver issues. You can buy a disk called driver repair or download it for a small fee. First boot into safe mode this will disable most of the hardware drivers and software drivers. Go into DOS and type this CHKDSK /f this will scan your disk then once that is done re-boot oh yea side note if some one tells you to do a virus scan in safe mode they would be wrong, because I have already tried that. Till you get some other software such as the driver cleaner repair disk. Get the cclean good little tool from the wonderful world of Microsoft. Take care

Answer 3

This is called a STOP ERROR. Windows XP restarts rather than give a blue screen, unless you configure it to do so. Your computer can TELL you what the problem is, but you have to know where to look.

In Control Panel, select Administrative Tools>Event Viewer. Click System and look for a red circle with a white X inside. Those are stop events. This will tell you where the problem comes from. If you do not recognize the program, etcetera listed under source, search the internet. You will be able to find the meaning of the error and possible fixes.

Answer 4

if u have a virus scan, i suggest running that in safe mode, if u dont, go to download.com and type in avg, download the first one, takes maybe less than 5 min. then u can turn your computer off, when it starts back up. repeatedly press F8. then u can select to start your computer in safe mode, this way u can run the virus check and if it shuts off again, u have more of a serious problem. i would definently run the scan in safe mode first tho.

Answer 5

Your problem could be that it isn't really turning itself off. It may be going into "hibernation," which means that it goes into a dormant state to conserver power. It saves your "workspace" to the hard drive then turns off nearly everything including the disk drives and monitor. You probably still have to press the power button to "wake" it up.

If it really turns off, you may have a problem with the computer such as bad hard drive or motherboard or a file in your operating system could be corrupted. We'd rather not consider those.

You can change the power saving mode by going to Control Panel | Power Options. There you can go to the Hibernate tab and turn it OFF! Good luck

Answer 6

probably your computer is too hot. if the processor has reached the limit of temperature, it would automatically shut down. else, your comp is infected by virus. there could be various of reasons of this technical problem.

if the problem keeps on persists, reformat the whole computer and reinstall all the software. if this doesnt solve the problem, then i would have said that some of your hardwares are breaking down.

Answer 7

a working laptop or computing device dropping capability oftentimes does no harm. the wear and tear takes place while the capability is bumped off and re-utilized interior a a million/2 2nd or so. enormously very like once you get a flickering of the lights furnishings or a brown out the place its off for in basic terms a 2nd. This bounces the hardware and can get for the duration of the capability furnish.

Answer 8

Sounds like a virus to me..if you can keep the computer on for long enough try inserting your virus scan CD..see if you can extract the virus..

Answer 9

The capacitors on the motherboard could be leaking or bulging. I need to know the colour of the power light when it was shut off. Was it completely off or was it amber?? If so, is it flashing or steady?? A flashing amber light indicates a power supply problem, the steady amber light is the motherboard.

Answer 10

I can give you a link that deals with hard drive problems.
Some RAM/ hard drive problems can be easily fixed yourself by using easily available tools. I found the info at http://fixit.in useful