System Reboots Unannounced due to device driver

[brandon]

i've read through the Message board and several users have
had the same problems, the system reboots on its own for
no reason, when it starts up it says windows shutdown due
to a device driver, but they have no solution, and cant
determine which driver, so i went to EVERY manufacturer
website of EVER peice of hardware in my computer and
downloaded the newest windows XP driver they have, and the
system continue's to do this. i built my computer, and i
designed it for Windows XP i made sure each product was
compatible for windows XP, this is really starting to make
me mad.

 

[pcbutts1]

What does it say in the event viewer. Post the complete error message.

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\)]

When the message doesn't tell you which driver or device, first, as has been
suggested, you should look in event viewer for errors that correspond to
when this occurred. Open Control Panel, open Administrative Tools, open
Event Viewer.

If you are unable to determine anything from the information there, start by
disabling or otherwise removing devices one at a time, this includes any
software for that device. For example, if you have a scanner, uninstall the
software for it and disconnect the scanner. Do this one by one, reboot the
system and see if the problem goes away.

While it's certainly a good idea to keep your drivers updated and to check
regularly for updates, simply updating all the drivers will not help you
find the source of the issue.

Something else to try. Place the XP CD in the drive, when the setup screen
appears, select "Check System Compatibility." This may find some
troublesome hardware or software that might be the source of the issue. Do
not rely on the fact you selected XP compatible components since you are,
indeed, having a problem.

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\)]

Oh, one other thing I forgot to mention that you should do:

Open Control Panel, open System, go to
the Advanced tab, click Settings under Startup and Recovery, remove the
check from "Automatically Restart" under System Failure. This will cause
the system to blue screen instead of restarting on errors and the
information on the blue screen may give a clue as to the source of the
issue.

 

[Durga]

I am facing the same problem with Windows XP
Professional. System automatically reboots.
I went to dell adn asked for help. I ran the diagnostic
and there are no problem in any device.

Which device device driver is causing this?

Please help
Thanks
Durga

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\)]

When the message doesn't tell you which driver or device, first, as has been
suggested, you should look in event viewer for errors that correspond to
when this occurred. Open Control Panel, open Administrative Tools, open
Event Viewer.

If you are unable to determine anything from the information there, start by
disabling or otherwise removing devices one at a time, this includes any
software for that device. For example, if you have a scanner, uninstall the
software for it and disconnect the scanner. Do this one by one, reboot the
system and see if the problem goes away.

While it's certainly a good idea to keep your drivers updated and to check
regularly for updates, simply updating all the drivers will not help you
find the source of the issue.

Something else to try. Place the XP CD in the drive, when the setup screen
appears, select "Check System Compatibility." This may find some
troublesome hardware or software that might be the source of the issue. Do
not rely on the fact you selected XP compatible components since you are,
indeed, having a problem.

 

[Guest]

my system XP Home also is doing this maybe once a
month... just says due to a driver error. hope one of
you finds out what driver is causing this. fortunately
my system reboots and all is ok.

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\)]

Even if one of us finds a driver that is causing the problem it only applies
to the given setup. You must do some homework on your own to source the
issue.

When the message doesn't tell you which driver or device, first, as has been
suggested, you should look in event viewer for errors that correspond to
when this occurred. Open Control Panel, open Administrative Tools, open
Event Viewer.

If you are unable to determine anything from the information there, start by
disabling or otherwise removing devices one at a time, this includes any
software for that device. For example, if you have a scanner, uninstall the
software for it and disconnect the scanner. Do this one by one, reboot the
system and see if the problem goes away.

While it's certainly a good idea to keep your drivers updated and to check
regularly for updates, simply updating all the drivers will not help you
find the source of the issue.

Something else to try. Place the XP CD in the drive, when the setup screen
appears, select "Check System Compatibility." This may find some
troublesome hardware or software that might be the source of the issue. Do
not rely on the fact you selected XP compatible components since you are,
indeed, having a problem.