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Too hot? Check the fan if is clogged.
Is the computer on all the times?
Does it happen when you try to run a specific application?
If not - perhaps hardware problems?
Other than that - did you cleaned history and cache? Completely rebooted the computer?
Too hot? Check the fan if is clogged.
Is the computer on all the times?
Does it happen when you try to run a specific application?
If not - perhaps hardware problems?
Other than that - did you cleaned history and cache? Completely rebooted the computer?
Thank You elnina.
The pc shouldn't be overheating when being on for only a few minutes?
No, it isn't on all the time even though on some days it could be for 6 to 8 hours.
I don't think the shut downs have ever happened when it was on for that long.
It's always within the first hour or even minutes.
Doesn't happen with an app .. only when doing something like perusing a forum like this one.
I have run hardware scans with the Lenovo solution center application which finds nothing.
I will go and run CCleaner now that you mention the history and cache.
As scary as it is, I will open the case and look for dust build up as you suggested.
(fan)
Have faith. There is nothing even remotely scary inside that PC case. It's usually just a screw or two holding a side panel on.
I doubt it is heat, though, as you said sometimes it happens quickly.
One component them vendor diagnostics cannot check is power. Also PSU is often ignored for quality and for specs. How old is it? What brand and model is it? If there is no clearly identifiable brand label then chances are it is a cheapo.
Cheapo PSUs should NEVER be used EVER by anyone or any computer.
You bought some random computer case and it was $100 or less, chances are, it came with a junk PSU.
Another suspect is the electric outlet and how dirty the current coming to your house or that outlet is.
Another twist, do you have any other high voltage devices plugged in or in use near where the computer is?
I have also seen people carelessly plug in a printer or a heater/fan to the same surge protector their computer is plugged into. A big No-No!
Also, I wrote on another thread where my 4 year old PC started exhibiting random restarts, sometimes right after turning it on after completing POST and sometimes after using it for hours.
Over a period of 3-4 months the frequency of the occurrences have increased.
Remedy was two folds:
A few months back, I bought a decent UPS to eliminate the possibility of surges/browouts being the cause. On the same day, I disassembled all internal components, cleaned and re-installed.
No a single hick-up since then.
Failing memory can cause such a problem. There are memory test programs that can run overnight and look for intermittent problems.
As TL suggested, powering off and then reseating components, especially memory, HDD connectors and any cards that are plugged in can make a difference. I would not touch the CPU though - too many ways to get in trouble.
If you don't know how to remove and re-seat memory, don't worry. Just push down to make sure the modules are not loose.
The pc shouldn't be overheating when being on for only a few minutes?
If the CPU fan is failing, then it could overheat within a few seconds of startup.
Like others have said, I'd check for dust and blow out the tower (pay special attention to the CPU cooler, and the video card cooler if you have one), and check the power supply.
If it's a Windows or software issue, you may find useful information in the Event Viewer.
First step is go and look in the Event Viewer and see what was logged when it restarted.
There's literally so many things that could cause it.. You could hunt and peck trying to find them for years. Just go to the logs and see what they say.. I'll bet that you have some critical error that happens every time this reboot happens.
1) Check hardware temperatures with HWMonitorPro or any similar app.
2) Test your DDR memory with Memtest 86
3) Test your sys hard drive with Crystaldisc.
4) Load usb stick Ubuntu live and check continuous operation without interruptions
You can localize your trouble with that stepping algorythm.
I had the idea that maybe this happened when cpu or memory usage was overloaded?
Fella, you have 12Gb DDR. What kind application must full load this memory space?
In your case its very similar to some power supply problem.
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