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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Posted by Bob Rankin on February 21, 2006 10:21 PM
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Article information: AskBobRankin -- Computer Restarts Itself (Posted: February 21, 2006 10:21 PM)
Printed from: http://askbobrankin.com/computer_restarts_itself.html
Copyright © 2005 - Bob Rankin - All Rights Reserved
Most recent comments on "Computer Restarts Itself"
(See all 181 comments for this article.)Posted by:
mass
12 Jul 2009
hi my computer kips on rebooting it self i m not even able to logi, even in safe mode it reboots..i m not even able to reinstall my OS.. i hav even tried to boot the cd from the bios but it still kips on rebootin
i have cleaned all my fans and applied thermal paste on the processer.. and tested my rams.. i havnt lost any data in my harddisk...
what can be the problem how can i test my motherboard and my power supply. the power dosent cut off automatically it just keeps on rebooting itself. thanx for the feed back and help in advance
EDITOR'S NOTE: The best way to test your power supply is to swap it out. If ALL else fails, I'd blame it on the motherboard. If you can take the HD and install it in another machine without the reboots, then it's fair to blame the hardware.
Posted by:
jeff
20 Jul 2009
Hi my computer restarts most of the time whenever i play games. However, if i don't and go on the internet and etc, my computer stays completely fine. I dont't think theres any problems with the games since my friend's have better and worse computers and can play without having any problems such as restarts. My computer will freeze then have a blue screen come up and finally restarts. What can i do to fix this problem?
Posted by:
RT
22 Jul 2009
My computer restarts again & again depending on its mood (LOl, can't specify the time interval). I have cleaned the whole system, all fins etc. but the problem still exists. Mostly i find that it restarts when i run online videos from "youtube". Less problem comes up when using "dailymotion" & "megavideo" sites. However the re-starting problem prevails more or less everyday. I am running the computer removing the side-panels of the cabinet so that the internal environment of the CPU may be more airy. Consequently the situation improved a bit but still annoys with spontaneous re-starting.
Posted by:
Lito Pamintuan
29 Jul 2009
My computer is re starting after a few minutes it started. This message appear im my screen...standalone computer ..play mode disabled. Hopin' for a solution for this problem of my computer.
EDITOR'S NOTE: What software are you running when the problem occurs?
Posted by:
Wylie
30 Jul 2009
Hi My Computer/monitor keeps turnin off and on
like every 30 min.
mostly my monitor
and when my computer restarts by itself
the light in my room also gets turned off and back on
idk if its a power supply or has something to do
with my computer but its really annoying
Posted by:
Rolando
09 Sep 2009
Hi,
Our comoputer has been restarting itself for a while now. We've tried sending it to the local computer store, and he's replaced the power supply, motherboard, hard drive. I'm not sure on whether he simply added RAM or replaced our stick.
I've checked the BIOS thingy before windows starts up (running xp) and the CPU doesn't seem to be going over 40 degrees C.
The computer doesn't seem to have any sort of pattern to restarting, it even restarts itself when it isn't running anything. Sometimes it doesn't restart for hours, other times it does it every 5 minutes. The guy at the computer store doesn't know what the problem is.
Help?
Posted by:
Gaurav
26 Sep 2009
Hi my pc restarts my making some kind of iritating noise.And when it starts it shows your pc has encountered or recovered from a serious problem(max times) and some times it just not starts it stops will booting 2nd time on same day
and today it was showing my pc mother boards info. So What should i do?
can some one help me on it?
Posted by:
SomeGuy
13 Oct 2009
My Computer turns on fine in the beginning but for no apparant reason just restarts itself and ive tried everything and it happens shortly (3-5min) restarts and i need help (It would be appreciated)
Posted by:
mheaps
29 Oct 2009
Quoting Rolando
"Hi,
Our comoputer has been restarting itself for a while now. We've tried sending it to the local computer store, and he's replaced the power supply, motherboard, hard drive. I'm not sure on whether he simply added RAM or replaced our stick.
I've checked the BIOS thingy before windows starts up (running xp) and the CPU doesn't seem to be going over 40 degrees C.
The computer doesn't seem to have any sort of pattern to restarting, it even restarts itself when it isn't running anything. Sometimes it doesn't restart for hours, other times it does it every 5 minutes. The guy at the computer store doesn't know what the problem is.
Help?"
Just built my first system with the help of a fried that knows what he is doing, and my computer does the exact same thing. Also running XP. Any ideas? My buddy thinks a faulty motherboard?
Thanks
Posted by:
manikandan
19 Nov 2009
Hi!...I hav a Pentium III processor with 256Mb RAM and Windows XP installed.My system restarts even when i open a website,or a software.....it randomises the application for restart...For example initially it gets restarted when i open ORKUT.but now,its for someother application.Please HELP???