Way to log computer activity/solve shutdown mystery

[Doug Starkey]

Okay, I have a particular PC running Windows XP Pro SP2. I'm current on
all patches.

This machine should run 24/7 to poll a time clock. Yet nearly every
night, the system is shutting down at some point. The event logs show no
errors. The machine is maintained in a locked room, so I don't think
anyone is physically penetrating the room to shut the machine down (and
I can't imagine why they would want to).

Anyway, I guess I'm trying to find out if there is some way to monitor
the system so that when it shuts down, there will be some log of the
event (and the time!).

It is very odd because this ONLY happens overnight... never during the
day.

I've checked the obvious things like the "energy saver" settings in the
control panel. I don't know of any other place that you could set an
"auto-shutdown". The system is plugged into a UPS... but other PCs on
the same UPS are "on" when this one is shut off.

Obviously, I'm stumped. So if there's some other detail I need to
communicate or something else I should try, please just let me know.

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Doesn't have to errors in the Event Viewer.

Start | Run | Type: eventvwr | Click OK |
Click System |

Event Source: USER32
Event ID: 1074

Description of the Shutdown Event Tracker
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/293814

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[Guest]

Do you have autoupdate turned on and set to install updates automatically?
The update could cause the system to reboot.

 

[Doug Starkey]

No, I don't let most of my systems "auto-update"... been burned once too
often by that. I manage this unit daily and allow it to alert me when
there is an update but I manually control the update.

-Doug

 

[Doug Starkey]

Okay,

I tried what was suggested. I came in this morning an the computer was
off. The last entry in ANY of the event logs was 4:08pm yesterday. I was
still here in the building at 4:08pm and was well aware that the machine
was on.

So, somewhere between 4:08pm and the time I arrived this morning
(approx. 8:00am), the machine shut down. There is no activity in any of
the event logs between that 4:08pm entry and the time I pushed the power
button this morning.

Now, for a variety of reasons, I'm beginning to suspect it's a heat
issue. But I'm not sure because this is the only machine that is
shutting down and I don't have a TIME of shutdown.

I have some temp logs for the room from my UPS system. Is there some way
I can monitor the individual system to track exactly when it shuts down,
even if it's not a "shutdown" event?

Doug Starkey
Network Administrator
Pecan Deluxe Candy Company