Help! why does my computer keep shutting down on me?

Question

My pc has windows vista, its 7 month old, when i'm on internet it keeps shutting down, and sometimes it says internet explorer has stopped working. any clues....?

Answer 1

You have an immovable virus. Dump the pc, you will never be able to fix it.

Answer 2

If you suspect your computer is overheating, the first components to check are the fans. While nearly all systems have a fan on the power supply, many modern systems have a fan on the front of the case to push addition cooling air over the CPU, a fan on the back to push hot air out of the system, and side or top fans to move additional air in and out of the chassis. In addition, many systems have a fan mounted directly on the CPU and either directly on the high-end video card or on the side of the case over the AGP slot where the graphics card is located.


Your power supply is the true heart of your PC. Quietly, or not so quietly, pumping out electricity at the various voltages required by the various components of your computer, the power supply is an often over looked, and under appreciated component. I mean, when was the last time you saw anyone get excited about a power supply?

With the changes you've made, it's likely that your new computer is drawing more power than your old one, and it's quite possible that your power supply isn't keeping up. It could easily be overheating and shutting down after you use it for a while.

You mention that it's the "old casing with one fan". Chances are that one fan is on a small box and that small box is your old, probably tired, power supply. That would be my first guess, and the very first thing I would replace. It's probably rated for some number of watts - I'd now get one at double that rating.

The other thing that your new components are probably doing is also generating more heat. It's possible that your power supply is ok, but that one fan isn't enough to keep the motherboard and other components from overheating. This is relatively easy to test ... keep the cover off of your computer, and get a table-top fan to blow air at it. If it stays running, then one way or another, you're probably overheating when the box is closed.

The solution may well be the same. That more powerful power supply I mentioned above may well include a more powerful fan capable of moving more air. Alternately, you might see if you can mount a second fan in your case to help move air through.

There's also a small chance that the problem is only the CPU overheating. If it doesn't already have a fan mounted directly on or over it, you might look into adding that as well.

Your new motherboard probably has thermometers in various places to help measure the state of various components. Check out Motherboard Monitor, a free tool that will report your CPU's temperature among other things. It's a tad geeky, but there's good information.



Whether your system has one fan, two or more, check and make sure they are all running. If a fan is turning slowly or not at all, you might be able to salvage it by carefully cleaning the hub or bearings. However the best plan is to replace the fan as soon as possible. If it is the fan on the CPU, turn off your system immediately and replace this fan or bring your system in to an authorized repair depot to replace the fan. (Caution: replacing a fan on a CPU can be tricky. You don't want to damage your processor. If you have any concerns, make sure to have a professional replace of this fan.)

Dirt and dust are the next major cause of overheating. Dust is an excellent insulator and a layer of it on critical components can keep cooling air from reaching the chips. Shut off the machine, open the case and blow out the innards with canned air. And don't forget the fan on your power supply; these can become clogged as well. Be prepared for a small dust storm, even if your computer is only a few months old.

As an alternative, there are small vacuum cleaners that are designed for computer components. These too will clean a lot of dust out of your system, but you still might need canned air to reach the components that the vacuum cannot reach.

Don't try to run your system with the case off. It not only does not improve cooling, it actually hurts it because modern cases are designed to direct airflow where it is needed. For more on running your system with case cover off, please see My Computer Is Running Hot. What Should I Do?.

It's important that the computer have an unobstructed flow of cool air. Computer desks that hide the case inside a drawer or elsewhere need lots of ventilation to keep that all-important air flow. It's also a good idea to keep the case out of direct sunlight and away from other heat sources Generally speaking, your computer is comfortable at the temperatures you are comfortable at.

If necessary, you can install additional fans in your computer, or even a liquid cooling unit for the CPU, to bring down the temperature of the critical components. And remember, you also can buy special sensors that can display your computer's internal temperature either on your screen on a chassis-mounted display. Some motherboard manufacturers, such as MSI, include a utility that displays the system and CPU temperatures without rebooting the system.

Finally, if you are overclocking your system (running the CPU at higher than its rated speed) you are putting a serious additional heat load on your computer. Try backing off to the system's rated speed.

Remember: Heat is the number one killer of computer components. However it isn't the only reason why computers might reboot randomly. Other possibilities include faulty memory, a card that isn't seated into its slot correctly and a host of other problems. But heat is generally the best place to start troubleshooting rebooting problems. We'll tackle more reasons soon.

Answer 3

Another machine with Vista glitch. Go onto MS updates and look for fixes. Try downloading Mozilla Firefox.

Answer 4

Have you defraged lately? Your hard drive is probably full of unwanted pics, music and downloads that you should/could dump.
Press select and delete together and you will clear stuff without it going to your recyclebin and having to do it again to get rid.

I have just done mine now have 600mb to play with again.

Trust this is helpful.

Answer 5

Hi,

You might get a better idea of what is causing it if you check in the event manager and see what error messages are bing reported.

Then check them out in google or Microsoft search.

Arnak

Answer 6

sounds like you have spyware my friend. you will need to download ad-aware se personal from lavasoft to get rid of it. its free and it gets rid of the spyware that the anti virus scans doesnt pick up.