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 restart it self when i want to install the office program? EDITOR'S NOTE: Is it a genuine copy of Office? |
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my computer shut down itself when i want to play a game or when i want to install windows xp by bootable cd.what should i do?please help. EDITOR'S NOTE: So you checked for overheating conditions, flaky RAM, the power supply, and all the other things I suggested? |
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I've been looking for answers and will definitely come back to this website! |
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my computer always restarts during boot up, when it reaches to Windows XP screen Loading it restarts again and again. It cant reach to the desktop. what's the remedy for this one??? EDITOR'S NOTE: When did this start? Did you install any new hardware? If so, disconnect it and try again. If you can boot into Safe Mode, then try System Restore to an earlier date. |
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Computer retstarts or says hardware stopped working **contact harware vendor**** This was after installing Zonealarm firewall - could it be related? EDITOR'S NOTE: Not likely... time to check the components one by one. |
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Hey BOB.i really have gained many useful information from your site. EDITOR'S NOTE: 82C is *VERY* hot... take cover, she's gonna blow! |
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Hey BOB.Yes,it is me again with the schoking cpu temp of 82C. My processor fan in running at 2600rpm and my cpu temperature which i attained from easy tunes-a program which is equipped with gigabyte motherboards to monitor the hardware-is shocking (93C)! The fan and the heat sink is mounted corectly on the cpu and there is no dust on it. EDITOR'S NOTE: First, check your motherboard and CPU documentation to see what the normal temperature is. It's possible that some newer models run hotter, but that seems very high. If it's not a dust problem (did you spray around the heat sink with compressed air?) then it's probably a faulty component. |
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Hey BOB.I know that i'm a so annoying person :D. |
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I;ve been doing all that thingS....but in speedfan..my "temperature 2" reached 64C until 65C whILE i'm watching videos or downloading...and i cleaned the heat sink...i removed it from my PC...im sure that all is cleaned..i used a old toothbrust and i removed all the dust as u mentioned...but the temperature doesn't change,,,,and also RAm..i did it...but...nothing. worthless...when i tried to reinstall ,my WINDOWS>..IT USUALLY RESTARTS WHN THE WINDOWS ARE IN SET UP....WTF HAPPENED TO MY PC??...ARE THERE ANY OTHER WAY TO SOLVE THIS "RESTARTS" PROBLEM?? EDITOR'S NOTE: It's possible your heat sink is not drawing enough heat from the CPU. Cleaning and re-applying the paste may help. |
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paste is so expensive here!!....can i get another paste from the HEAT SINK of my classmate? EDITOR'S NOTE: You mean scrape off the old paste and re-use it? No, I don't think that will work. |
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Article information: AskBobRankin -- Computer Restarts Itself (Posted: February 21, 2006 10:21 PM)
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