Computer randomly shuts down?

Question

My computer which was built for my by a friend who has since moved out of the area so he can't help me. My computer has been randomly shutting down. I have done everything I can think of. I reinstalled Windows at least 5 different times, ran scans on my computer... reinstalled all the drivers, but i still can't get it to work smoothly. I need to know if there is anything else i can do, or some kinda of diagnostic scan to run that I haven't found, or if i should look into gutting and installing a new hard drive. PLEASE HELP!!!! thanks :)

Once my computer shuts down... sometimes it can be booted up again, most of the time i have to go back and reinstall windows all over again. I just tried to get all the dust out and everything, but i still can't boot up my computer! help

Answer 1

Check your power options or power management in the Control Panel. If the settings look all right to you, read the following:

Sometimes this can be caused by an overheating situation. Itunes, RealPlayer, Windows Media player, etc. require a lot of processing power to decompress and decode music files, which can cause the processor or hard drive to get hot.

If your CPU is running at over 60 degrees (C) you might be at risk of burning it out. Some systems shut down automatically when the temperature reaches an unsafe level. Every few weeks I open my system unit and clean the fins on the heat sink that sits under the CPU. When they collect dust it restricts the airflow and prevents proper cooling. You can use a can of compressed air (look at your local office supply store) or an old toothbrush. I just did that on my system and the CPU temperature dropped by ten degrees!

Memory Fails Me...
If you determine that overheating is not the problem, the most likely suspect is bad memory. Trying to access a bad spot in your system memory (RAM) can cause the computer to freak out and restart. The best way to find the culprit is to pop open the system unit, remove (or replace) one RAM stick and see if the problem is solved. Run your system for a while and if the problem goes away, you win! If not... lather, rinse and repeat for each RAM stick until you find the one that's misbehaving.

Source: http://askbobrankin.com/computer_restarts_itself.html

Answer 2

First off. Do you have any error messages after the shutdown? Computers have a fault mechanism built into the chip set that will, without a doubt, shut a machine down. There are several reasons why this could happen. Processor overheating will cause unexpected shutdown. If you know how to take the side panel off of your comp. do so and make sure the processor cooling fan is running with little or no resistance. Secondly, check the power supply cooling fan, an overheated power supply will cause this event also. The operating system should not be causing this unless you have hardware or software conflicts. Since it is custom built and not brand name I don't think researching the problem on line would help you very much. Check these components before buying a new HDD. A processor or power supply fan replacement is much cheaper. I wish you luck in finding the solution to your dilemma.

Answer 3

U did not say what ur system specs were..
any way the problem could be over heating for the set BIOS shutdown temperature. when u start ur system u should see either a an image or black screen... if u see the image press the shift or any other key that the image asks u to pree say tab then u should c the black sreen from there press del (some how enter ur bios..) then go thru the various menus till u find the shut down temperature raise the temperature limits so that (depending on the system) may be over 60 or above then press Esc key to go back and select the save and exit option now try restarting ur sytem.

Word of caution
make sure u do not over do it and that u do check that all ur cabinet and processor fans are working or u might fry ur processor motherboard or both..

happy tweaking.. and hope this solves ur problem.

Answer 4

Sounds like your memory may be going bad. There is a CD you can download called The Ultimate Boot CD. It includes many programs you can use to test your hard drive, memory, graphics card, etc. Best of all its free.

From what you have described so far I see 3 possibilities: bad RAM, failing power supply, or all your system fans are caked and no air can circulate in your PC. First try reseating your ram, then get some compressed air and a vacuum and clean out the inside of your PC case. Dont be afraid to squirt the air into the vent in the back of the power supply. Get all the fans and heat sinks.

Heat is your enemy! Since its an intermitent problem I would go with a heat related or memory issue. Lastly the power supply.

Answer 5

Same thing happen to me! What I did was since I have more than two Hard drives to my new emachine pc. I had to delete the program of the small HD and add the or say re-install the program toa large HD. If you have a extra HD use the one with less and importent Hard Drive. You got more that two HD that cool. then place your programs on the spare drive and you main stuff on the other. after doing that just use you best judgement in do anything to your PC. Anymore questions ask your local PC fix stores or ask more to people. This Question was the best I could give in my oppion or idea. Peace!

Answer 6

You can also go to "My computer", right click and choose "properties". Choose the "advanced" tab, and click "settings" under "startup and recovery". You should see a "system failure" area where a checkbox will be checked saying "automatically restart". Uncheck that.

What this MIGHT do is allow you to see the bluescreen error that comes up when your computer restarts. Then you can write down that error and do more research about that error. This method didn't work for the problem I was having, but I'm sure it works for some people.

(The exact location of that option may differ in Vista, I gave you instructions for XP)

Answer 7

This kept happening to me on a laptop. I was told it was a component on my motherboard and also that my motherboard was dying. I was also told my power supply was on the way out. I opened it up, gave it a good clean out and replaced the heat-sink paste under my processor. This did the trick and it has run perfectly ever since. I use this for game playing only so it works hard. It has not shut down by itself since.

Answer 8

Look for caked dust in cpu fan and heatsink and make sure fan turns. I suggest you not turn computer right back on after it shuts down because a lot of people have fried their cpus turning a computer right back on with an overheated cpu--also try another power supply temporarily.

Answer 9

You probably getting a conflict either from your hardware or programs....usually windows will shutdown to avoid damage to your PC make sure first before you add new programs that it's not causing any errors. load in your software one by one. i know it's pain staking process..if you want your pc to work correctly you have to do what you have to do right? :) if you haven't change any Hardware example Hard Drive or CD Drive Video Card. don't worry about it. more likely it's a software program causing the conflict shutdown.

Answer 10

Could be a faulty power supply (Short) over heating or corrupt memory. You can download a free app to monitor your PCs performance and help identify issues.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,117523-page,1-c,diagnostics/article.html