Windows shuts itself down

[Dave]

We have a Windows 2000 PC which is occasionally shutting
itself down. It only seems to happen when the user leaves
the machine for a short time - around 15-20 mins (although
this does not always happen). When she returns the screen
says 'It is now safe to turn off your computer'. I have
checked the Power Management settings and can find no
reason why the machine should shut down. I have also tried
a surge protector in case it is a spike causing the
shutdown. There is no UPS attached. Any ideas as to any
other settings which could cause this?

Thanks

Dave

 

[Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

Anything in the event logs?

 

[Steve Parry [MVP]]

In

We have a Windows 2000 PC which is occasionally shutting
itself down. It only seems to happen when the user leaves
the machine for a short time - around 15-20 mins (although
this does not always happen). When she returns the screen
says 'It is now safe to turn off your computer'. I have
checked the Power Management settings and can find no
reason why the machine should shut down. I have also tried
a surge protector in case it is a spike causing the
shutdown. There is no UPS attached. Any ideas as to any
other settings which could cause this?

Thanks

Dave

Just as another item to try Dave,

Start
Run
type
services.msc
click OK
<services opens>

navigate to the UPS option and stop and disable it.

Just wondered if for some reason it was picking up some setting from a
serial port and mistaking it for a UPS signal?

Also have you checked the machines BIOS in case there is a shut down
setting there maybe?

 

[Greg Stigers]

Don't rule out human intervention. If this user is walking away from her
workstation without securing it, someone may be trying to give her a reason
for doing so. This could show up in the event logs as a normal shutdown
event, after no precise period of inactivity, unless said coworker is doing
this as soon as she walks away.

If this is the case, who does one discipline, the owner of the workstation,
or the peer who is arguably securing it?

BTW, in Windows 2000, you can create a shortcut with a target of
%windir%\System32\rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation
and you can assign a hot key to it. Since XP and 2003 provide this as
WinKey+L, I use Ctrl+Alt+L, the Windows 2000 equivalent (which it gives you,
if you try to enter WinKey+L as the shortcut).