Windows XP Random Sudden Shutdown, nothing to do with power

[Andy Lotus]

Hi All

I did search newsgroups and the Web in last 2 days before posting the
question here.

I have a Toshiba laptop P35. PIII, 1G RAM. Windows XP, SP2, with
latest patches. I have been using the computer for around 2 years. I
had Kaspersky Antivirus, and used Spybot Search and Destroy regularly,
and Windows Firewall is off.

After I ran a Windows update a few days ago, it started to shutdown
itself randomly. When I said shutdown, it was more like power off, off
within 2 seconds.

1. This is definitely NOT the problem of power. If I leave the
computer stay in BIOS screen without loading OS, it will stay alive
forever. Or after the computer startup, and I make it be in Standby
mode, it will stay alive as well.

2. After startup, the laptop will shutdown within a few minutes mostly
or a few hours, randomly, even when I did nothing, but just left it
on, with or without login ( I set a few user accounts on the laptop
with different access right, logon to admin, power user, or LUA).

3. Tried to boot to safe mode, sometimes power off before reaching the
windows screen, sometimes after showing the windows screen, still
power off within a few minutes.

4. Tried to boot to safe mode with command prompt, sometimes it could
show the log of loading files, and the last one is "ati***.sys" (I
forget the exact name) from ATI. And I did then download the latest
display patch for ATI graphic card from Toshiba website. Problems
still persisted. Sometimes it reached the safe mode windows screen,
while I had thought that if I choose safe mode with command prompt, I
should get command prompt rather than windows desktop. More often, the
log of loading files could not be shown, or hidden by the screen of
the boot mode selection ( the screen by pressing F8)

5. Boot from DVD-ROM with installation disk of XP and SP2, when the
DOS like blue screen is loading files for further user interfaces,
within a few minute, power off.

6. After boot to normal windows, sometimes I could use the internet
for a few hours. If I use Firefox, the OS seem to be a bit stable, I
mean, I had chance to use the internet for a few hours, though
sometimes it still power off suddenly. If I use IE, power off within a
few minutes to 15 minutes.

7. I checked the event log through windows event viewer. In the system
node, there were some errors about IIS and RemoteAccess. In the IIS
resource window, IIS node is empty, and I could not start IIS, with a
message "IIS is not started" something like this. I then removed IIS
from Windows Components, and reinstalled it, and IIS could be started
again, the error entry in event log had gone. Problems remains. Then I
checked error RemoteAccess, "Unable to add .... the interface
3852EPB6... Router Manager for the IP protocol ... cannot complete
this function ... Event ID: 20106". I think this is not likely the
problem, because problem exists in safe mode which likely not router
manager will be loaded. And posts in news group have no entry of
associating RemoteAccess/Router Manager with such shutdown.

8. I did follow some instructions from newsgroups, and checked XP
features, for example, check whether windows will reboot after error.
And a few other settings. settings were looking healthy. Problems
persist.

Can you pin point the cause and give some solutions?

Many thanks

Andy

 

[R. McCarty]

Pentium III based notebooks are hot. Have you done anything to
check the thermal conditions ? Toshiba's also seem to be designed
so that hard drives can't dissipate their heat adequately.

I'd download SpeedFan 4.32 and check the temp readings, both
the CPU and Hard drive. If it's like most notebooks it has a single
exhaust vent and fan. You might want to check the vent screen for
any clogging.

I wouldn't be unusual for a CPU reading of 130+ F and the drive
may be even warmer near it's thermal limit of 139-F.

SpeedFan download here:
http://www.almico.com/sfdownload.php

 

[Andy Lotus]

Pentium III based notebooks are hot. Have you done anything to
check the thermal conditions ? Toshiba's also seem to be designed
so that hard drives can't dissipate their heat adequately.

Thanks. As I said, the laptop will shutdown within a few minutes or a
few hours randomly, while the CPU usage was almost zero, indicated by
Process Explorer. If I leave the laptop stay on BIOS without OS, it
will stay more than 12 hours, of course, when I am not going to let it
that way for a few years to prove what forever is. In safe mode,
mostly shutdown within a few minutes.

So, it is very very unlikely this has anything to do with CPU thermal
conditions. And my laptop has 3 fans.

Can anyone else pin point the cause and solution with the 8 points
description above?

Thanks.