Computer Restarts Randomly

[Guest]

Hello, I have a problem with my computer, it restarts randomly while i am using it. I am not sure why it does this and hope that someone can help me with this problem. i can provide more info if needed on the computer. thanks

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi,

Could be a couple of things. First, go to the control
panel/system/advanced/startup and recovery settings and disable the option
to autorestart on system failure.

If it happens again and a blue screen stop error is produced, post back with
the meat of the stop message.

If it happens again and there is no error message, then it could be
overheating. Random reboots are often a sign of over-heating. Things you can
do:

1) Open the case and make sure all fans are operating, especially the cpu
fan. While you're in there, get a can of compressed air and blow out the
dust bunnies.

2) Make sure the drive tower is well ventilated and not stuck in some
department store computer desk pc cabinet with only a little vent hole in
the back.

3) Visit a local pc shop and have them add an intake or exhaust fan. This is
not something you should do on your own unless you are familiar with the air
circulation pattern inside your machine. Adding a fan can be
counterproductive if not done correctly.

The other possibility is that a hardware component has failed or is failing,
this should be checked out by a technician.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Windows
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone

 

[Rob Schneider]

Your machine may be infected with one or more of the many computer
viruses/worms which cause this behaviour. Check out the machine with
virus-detecting software. Read more at www.microsoft.com/security and
go from there.

If not a virus, then may be bad memory, power supply, or other hardware
component. For that you'll need to get it checked out at a computer
repair shop.

Hope this is useful to you. Let us know.

rms

 

[Guest]

I found this link very helpful. It starts off "If your computer keeps shutting down...". It even provides a tool to check for the Sasser virus

http://www.microsoft.com/security/incident/sasser.asp

 

[Guest]

thanks for all the help guys, i will try some of those ideas and post back with some results.