Computer Restarts Itself
"My PC running on Windows XP frequently restarts it self for no apparent reason. Any files or internet pages I have been working on are lost. The PC reboots to the desktop and I have to redo all my work. Any ideas please?"
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Baby, It's Hot in There
Sometimes this can be caused by an overheating situation. Itunes, RealPlayer, Windows Media player, etc. require a lot of processing power to decompress and decode music files, which can cause the processor or hard drive to get hot.
If your CPU is running at over 60 degrees (C) you might be at risk of burning it out. Some systems shut down automatically when the temperature reaches an unsafe level. Every few weeks I open my system unit and clean the fins on the heat sink that sits under the CPU. When they collect dust it restricts the airflow and prevents proper cooling. You can use a can of compressed air (look at your local office supply store) or an old toothbrush. I just did that on my system and the CPU temperature dropped by ten degrees!
Download the free Speedfan utility and it will tell you the temperature at which your CPU and hard drives are running.
Memory Fails Me...
If you determine that overheating is not the problem, the most likely suspect is bad memory. Trying to access a bad spot in your system memory (RAM) can cause the computer to freak out and restart. The best way to find the culprit is to pop open the system unit, remove (or replace) one RAM stick and see if the problem is solved. Run your system for a while and if the problem goes away, you win! If not... lather, rinse and repeat for each RAM stick until you find the one that's misbehaving.
Don't Do Me Any Favors
There's a setting buried in Windows XP that tells your computer to restart when a system error occurs. If you turn off that option, you may solve your automatic reboot problem.
Note that this may prevent the system from restarting, but it can also mask the true problem. As an alternative to this measure, consider what has recently changed on your system. If you have installed new hardware or software, remove it and see if the annoying restart persists. Sometimes downloading the latest driver software from the manufacturer's website will fix hardware incompatibility problems that cause restarts.
Computer Restarts After Download?
Some folks have written to me complaining that their computer automatically restarts itself after every download. And interestingly, most (if not all) mentioned they were using the Firefox browser. If you are using a download manager or download accelerator, this could be causing the problem. Check all the settings in the download manager and tweak if necessary. Or get rid of the download manager and see if the problem remains.
This can also be a virus or spyware problem. I suggest you go through your Control Panel / Add or Remove Programs list and remove any programs you don't need, then run thorough anti-virus and anti-spyware scans. It could even be your anti-virus program fighting with the browser or download manager. Switching to a new anti-virus might help also. See my recommendations for the best free anti-virus software for help with that.
Other Things to Consider
Failing or under-rated power supplies can also cause your computer to restart at seemingly random intervals. Switching out a power supply is really not too hard. Turn off the computer, open the case, disconnect the power cable from the power supply to the motherboard. Unscrew the power supply from the case, and reverse the process to install a new power supply. A 300-watt power supply will be fine in most computers.
And as one reader kindly pointed out, bad capacitors on the motherboard can also cause random reboots. But unless you're kinda geeky and handy with a soldering iron, it's tough to identify and fix this problem. You can find lots more helpful info on bad capacitors at badcaps.net. For most mere mortals, replacing the motherboard as a last resort will be easier than replacing a capacitor.
I also encourage you to read ALL of the comments below, before you rip your hair out, or rip your computer to shreds. It boils down to this... most restart problems are caused by overheating, bad ram, malware, or some other failing component. It can be difficult and time-consuming to identify WHICH of those things is the culprit. The only good solution is to test each one, in sequence (removing and replacing components if necessary), to identify the problem.
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Check out other articles in this category:Posted by Bob Rankin on February 21, 2006 10:21 PM
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Most recent comments on "Computer Restarts Itself"
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My computer runs fine except when I shut down it goes through the process and then restarts itsself. I just built it from a bare bones kit. EDITOR'S NOTE: Failure to shutdown is usually related to a driver problem. It may not sound very helpful, but you might try installing updated drivers for each hardware component until you nail the problem. |
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I just downloaded two demo games: Lego Star Wars II and Lego Indiana Jones. I've also just installed a new graphics card: geforce 6200 (neither demo would work with the old graphics card... we plan to buy the games for my son's b-day.) The Star Wars demo now works fine... however, while playing the Lego Indiana Jones demo, the PC will restart after @30 minutes of play. I changed some of the graphics and video settings which seemed to help some, but it still restarts. Could the graphics card be overheating? I've already updated the graphics card driver, as well. This is the only application I've run that has caused the PC to restart like this. So, it seems to be linked to this game. EDITOR'S NOTE: Yes, an overheating condition is likely, although it could be the video card or the CPU. |
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My computer restarts, after i starrt a game or a video... EDITOR'S NOTE: So... hopefully you've read the article and all the comments. Given that info, what specifically have you done to diagnose the problem? |
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I recently upgraded the CPU and RAM in my PC and flashed the BIOS (in order to recognise the CPU). I also reformatted my HD and re-installed Windows XP (as the file \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM had got corrupted). Unfortunately, my PC now randomly restarts itself, even when I'm doing no more than writing an email. I don't think the CPU is overheating as I put some nice new thermal paste on and I've got the side cover off and the motherboard probe says the chip is running at 40-44C. I've even switched back to the old RAM and it's still happening. Could it be a faulty CPU (would the PC even startup if that was the case?) or bad HD? Any ideas? EDITOR'S NOTE: Yes, it *could* be any of those things. Could also be a power supply or motherboard issue. The only way to diagnose these tricky overheating problems is to isolate and swap one component at a time. |
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Hi, I've been having this problem for more than a year now; my computer often just restarts randomly, but mostly when I'm playing a game or trying to install one. But sometimes it even does it while I'm just using Word with some other program(s) like Internet Explorer or Windows Media Player... Are there any other factors I can check to make sure overheating isn't the problem (like the fact that my pc is in a small cabinet or close to a wall or something like that) or do you think it's more likely to be something else? EDITOR'S NOTE: Ventilation and room temp can make a difference. But I'd run SpeedFan to make sure that the CPU is not overheating. |
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Hi I just converted this to NFS as before it was FAT 32 System and as I converted it bk to NFS I thought it would solve the promblem but no it some how restarting it self for no reason but I only have 512MB memory would you recommend that I should wipe the drive out and install it again would that solve the problem or upgrading to a better RAM? EDITOR'S NOTE: I don't think reformatting is likely to help. Start with the RAM. |
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I am having the same problem with computer restarting. I cleaned inside computer, replaced heatsink. It will work fine for a few days or even weeks then it starts doing it again. I will be on line for 10 min. and it restarts. Any ideas on what I can check next? Thanks EDITOR'S NOTE: Does cleaning it again give you another few days of no restarts? How about the fans inside the case? They can go bad, too. SpeedFan is a good diagnostic tool for these problems. |
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After a certain gap if I am restarting my computer it restarts itself with no specific reason for the first time. But after that it works well. The win XP generates an error report |
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Cleaning does not seem to do anything. I replaced the heatsink and fan. Speed fan only detects 1 fan, with the temps being fan 1 50c next 83c hdd 33c. EDITOR'S NOTE: 83c is very high, if that's the CPU (processor). |
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I don't know if this is the cpu temp. The temp of 83c is next to the fan that has 0RPM. Could this be the power supply? EDITOR'S NOTE: The CPU temp should be clearly labelled. Fans do not have a temperature, only the things they're trying to cool. At any rate, 83C is VERY hot for ANY component. That's 181 degrees Fahrenheit. |
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