Computer Shuts Down Randomly

[JodyWood]

I am attempting to determine what is causing my notebook to keep shutting down at random times. I don't believe it is overheating as I have an extra fan for the notebook to sit on and it does not feel too hot when it does shut down. Any tips to help find the cause to get this corrected? I would be glad to provide any needed details to get to the root of the problem. I don't believe this is a Vista issue - believe it is hardware of some kind. Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Jody Wood

[Train]

How old is the laptop and have you looked into the air vents to make sure they are clean?

When was the last time you calibrated the battery?
http://h20239.www2.hp.com/techcenter...attery_max.htm

I use that to extend the life of my battery and it has worked!

[SuperSparks]

Does it only do this when plugged in, when on battery, or either?

[JodyWood]

The laptop is about a year and a half old. I'll check the air vents to see how clean they are.

I have not ever calibrated the batteries. Not sure that is really the issue though.

For the most part, the laptop is plugged in most of the time, with a few exceptions. So, not sure if it really happens when the laptop is on battery power. It does happen when plugged in.

Thanks,
Jody

[Train]

Unless you want to buy a new battery right soon, I'd calibrate it.

Seems like it is overheating when plugged in and that enables high power which is can cause the overheating bit.

[JodyWood]

I did the battery calibration. Since then, I have still encountered the random shut down. There has been one occurrence that is was shortly after the PC was booted after being off for a while - hard to believe it would have been hot on this occasion.

Any other ideas?

[SuperSparks]

If it isn't overheating then it's nearly always a power supply issue. First of all, charge the battery up, then run it on battery only and see if it does it.

[JodyWood]

After further observation, it seems to only be happening when a specific user is logged into the computer. If that user is not logged in and others are using the computer, it seems to run fine without ever shutting down. At one point, it seemed to be due to the screen saver which the specific user was using. It was a screen saver that went through different pictures stored on the PC. Since changing to a different screen saver, the issue still happens when that user is logged in. Sorry I hadn't mentioned these details previously.

Does this generate any other ideas to resolve this problem?

Thanks,
Jody

[jdc2000]

If only one user is affected, it could be some software that is running only when that user is logged in. Malware comes to mind, but it could be a problem with legit software also. Posting a HijackThis log might be worthwhile.

[JodyWood]

Should the Hijack This log be posted here or in that part of the forum (Hijack This part)?

[Train]

In the HJT {HijackThis} forum would be best.

[JodyWood]

I will post it there when I can get it to work for logging. Right now when I run Hijack This, it runs, then attempts to open the log file in Notepad. Upon opening the file in Notepad, I am prompted with the message "Cannot find the C:\Program Files (x86)\Trend Micro\HijackThis\hijackthis.log file. Do you want to create a new file?" with buttons "Yes", "No", and "Cancel". It does not matter which option is selected, nothing shows for the created log file. Any suggestions on getting this to work?
Thanks,
Jody

Note: Posting this in HJT forum. Thanks.

[JodyWood]

No security issues. Results can be found here: http://discussions.virtualdr.com/sho...45#post1307345

I will see if the issue continues to happen. It was happening at different rates during the process of checking the HJT logs. Since the last batch of shut downs, I have now been up and running just over 24 hours straight without issue. Hopefully it remains that way, but it has been random as to when it does shut down.

I'll let you know if I need any further help. Thanks to everyone who have sent responses thus far.

Jody

[JodyWood]

The PC kept randomly shutting down and it kept getting frustrating. Finally, I got out the air compressor and blow out the PC. Since that time, no issues with shutting down. It has been a couple of weeks now. I should have done this sooner. Must have been some dust buildup somewhere causing it to get hot and shutting down. Thanks to all who offered ideas on resolving this issue. I should have cleaned the PC with the air compressor first, just didn't think that was the issue. I have learned my lesson and will be sure to clean it first next time when encountering this type of issue.

Happy New Year!

Thanks,
Jody Wood

[Train]

Heat, I clean mine about 2 times a year here, just spot check the temps once in a while and when you see idling temps climbing, it is clean up time again.