My laptop turns off without any reason
After I turn on my laptop it works fine for 25-30 minutes and after that just turns itself off without any warning. When I turn it on again, it works for some time and then shuts down again. What is going on? How can I fix it?
Most likely you experience a laptop overheating problem and it would be fixed by cleaning the cooling module – the heat sink and the fan. The notebook processor produces a lot of heat when the notebook is turned on. The cooling module helps to keep the CPU cool when the laptop is working. The cooling module includes two parts: the heat sink and the cooling fan. The heat sink is attached to the CPU and helps to conduct the heat from the processor to the radiator. The cooling fan blows on the radiator and helps to disperse the heat produced by the CPU. The laptop will overheat if the heat sink radiator is clogged with lint and dust or if the cooling fan stopped spinning.
If your laptop shuts down after some time without any reason and warning, check if the cooling fan spins. Usually it makes some noise and you can hear it. If the fan works fine, then check if the heatsink is clogged. In some cases you can clean the heat sink with compressed air, just blow inside the fan openings on the laptop bottom. If the heatsink is completely clogged, then it is necessary to remove the heatsink for cleaning.
September 10th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Hey,
i have a HP DV5000 laptop, and i decided to do a full PC recovery, so when it tells me to put in 2nd disk, once i put the disk and press ok after a couple sesonds while its trying to load it, it powers off automatically, i turn it on and start it over and it still does the same thing. I have never experienced that before, i have done pc recoveries alot of times before. Please help me, i have contacted hp support they do not know the problem.
August 27th, 2008 at 7:57 am
marshall.de.meillon@gmail.com
i have a acer travelmate 2500….specifically. the 2501LC…when i start up, the processor in task manager stays constantly at 100%!!!! please please please help!!! it then shuts down after 20-30 mins and it,s not the heat-sink of fan, i checked….
please mail me if you can help in any way
August 20th, 2008 at 10:12 am
Hey
I’ve had an Acer TravelMate 2501LC (completely rubbish) for the past 3-4 years, way beyond its warranty. Until roughly six months ago it had been fine, but then it started turning its self off. I did everything I could, called companies, cleaned the heatsink and cooling fan. Replaced the heatsink and cooling fan. But still it turns itself off. Strangely though mine could be on for 8 hours or be on for five minutes before it turns off. Usually at the most annoying time ofcourse. I’ve learnt to live with it though doesn’t bother me too much. Upgrading to an “AlienWare” computer soon.
August 1st, 2008 at 3:17 pm
HP DV1000 NOTEBOOK SPECIAL EDITION
PROBLEMS:
`ALL LIGHTS COME ON AND STAY STEADY INCLUDING KEYBOARD LIGHTS AND FRONT BATT POWER PROCCESSOR LIGHTS.
`FAN DONT MOVE AT ALL
`NO BOOT SCREEN & SCREEN DOESN’T BLINK, COME ON OR NOTHING
WHAT I’VE TRIED:
`CLEANED THE WHOLE COOLING FAN UNIT
`TOOK OUT RAM AND SWITCHED SLOTS
NOTHING WORKS
HOOKED UP EXTERNAL MONITOR[4 DIFFERENT ONES] AND GET NOTHING
IS MY MOTHERBORAD FRIED?
July 28th, 2008 at 8:17 am
I have a very similar problem. My laptop turns off when I open the lid. Also if its been used it also turns on when I open the lid.
However if it has not been used for a while the laptop turns on like normal and if I use it like a normal laptop and leave the lid open it turns off automatically within minutes.
The only way for me to use my laptop if using it with a monitor and leaving the lid closed. If I leave the lid closed and just use the monitor it works perfectly.
I am wondering if it is the same problem (a over-heating problem) or is it something different.
I greatly appreciate your help.
Thank You
-Eric
July 14th, 2008 at 3:56 am
I have an hp pavilion laptop
its works fine..bt whn the battery dies n i connect the AC charger 2 it….within 50mins or so it automatically shuts down!!
wot is the problem!!
plzzzzzz help me!!
July 11th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Hal MCdonald,
That’s a really weird problem. I’ve never seen something like that. Make sure you have the latest BIOS version installed. Update it if needed just in case. Maybe there are some compatibility issues with the memory brand you installed.
July 11th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
nicky,
I posted your questions and some suggestions here:
Dell Inspiron 9100 shuts down when AC plug is moved
July 11th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
I have a Dell Inspiron 9100. Mine kept on shutting down randomly and eventually got worse. I got a laptop technician out and at first he thought it was overheating but it turned out to be the AC plug going into the back. Everytime it moved about it turned it off. This implied that it was something to do with the Motherboard. I only use this as a spare laptop now, but want to have a hand at fixing it myself. What would you suggest? Is there any kind of botch job I could try before buying a whole new motherboard?
Thankyou!
July 10th, 2008 at 7:54 am
hi
i just upgraded a acer aspire 3000 from
256mb ddr 2700 and put in extra 512mb ddr 2700
different brands, works fine. as soon as i unplug the ac adaptor it blue screens or resets
tried ram sticks individually and just with the new stick i get the problem.
run mem test x86 and it seems fine with no errrors ?
i have ordered 512mb from ebay to see if that fixes it, but yeah ?
kind regards hal
June 9th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
My laptop makes 3 loud beeping noises, then turns off. When i turn it back on, it just shuts down again. If i leave it a couple of hours it usually works. What is this problem?
May 27th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
I have a Gateway 7330GZ, I turn it it gets to the Windows XP then to the blank screen right before the desktop and shuts down, What’s the problem, any help please? John
May 27th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
I got a HP Pavilion dv5030us and my notebook keeps powering off at the windows loading screen. I tried formating it and it wont let me, and now when it starts up it says error loading operating system on startup, tried operating system dvd and nothing seems to work.
May 24th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Hello. i have the same broblem with my laptop (that it turns off with no reason)…. the only differance is that it happens only when i am playing games.. not to heavy games either.. and it is not making any wierd sound.. or even getting as hot as it i am used to. i buyed this laptop one year ago. it is an 2.00 ghz dual intel processor, geeforce 8600m gt video card, windows xp…. is it possible to fix, and what is the problem.
Thx
sorry for my baad english
May 14th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Niall,
When the heatsink is clogged with dust, raising the laptop will not help to prevent overheating. You’ll have to remove the dust. I posted your question here: Laptop shuts off when playing games.
May 14th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Hi,
I do not seem to be the only one with this problem. Although my laptop turns itself off when the fan is obscured (not good fan clearly) it turns itself off when playing games even when I raise the laptop to give the fan space. Could it be related to the processor usage related to running a game. I am sure this is not a software problem?? I live in Sierra Leone and computer fixers are few and far between, what can I do myself when spare parts are not available?
May 14th, 2008 at 7:26 am
Gavin,
You can test laptop memory before you buy new RAM. Download Memtest86+, burn it on a CD and boot the laptop from this CD. If you are getting errors during the test, most likely you have a problem with the memory module and it has to be replaced. I linked to Memtest86+ in “Useful Links”.
May 14th, 2008 at 7:07 am
Hi Laptop Freak,
I have tried another HD in the PC and the current hard drive has been removed and scanned externally and no problems have arisen. It is not overheating, the laptop has been both vacuumed out and blown through with compressed air and often it does it just after startup. I think it could be the memory that is corrupt – and my theory is two-fold:
It always switches off under memory laborious tasks: i.e. when trying to shut down the computer, running anti-virus.
I also though this would explain why it switches off when I enter the BIOS. From my own understanding the BIOS is ROM, therefore the first thing the PC does is transfer the BIOS data to part of the RAM memory – that way it can be amended and changed etc, also why a PC cannot boot without memory.
Does this make any sense, I would like to confirm this before I go out and buy new RAM.
Regards
Gavin
May 13th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Gavin,
1. It’s possible that your laptop shuts down because of overheating. Buy a can of compressed air and clean the heat sink. Just spray air inside the air intakes on the laptop.
2. Sounds like you have a problem with the hard drive. Test the hard drive. You can use Hitachi’s DFT, I linked to this utility in “Useful Links”. If the hard drive fails test, you’ll have to replace the hard drive and reinstall OS.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:04 am
I have an Acer Aspire 9100 laptop. Recently it has been turning itself off without warning, on rebooting it runs a scandisk and always finds problems – not always the same ones. In most cases where it has turned itself off, it has been doing something that scans the HD, like Norton Antivirus, scandisk, chkdsk etc, and occasionally just when a programme such as word is running. I also noted in the weeks leading up to this, that the laptop was frequently not shutting down properly. I thought perhaps the HD was corrupt, so I decided to do a system restore. I then discovered that I cannot enter the BIOS long enough to change the boot sequence – laptop quickly turns off, so system restore from recovery disks is out! I dread the thought that my laptop motherboard is fried – as I am towards the end of writing my PhD thesis! Any suggestions?
May 1st, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Cozmo,
I test the power adapter with a voltmeter. If voltage cuts off when you move the power cable, apparently it’s bad and there is short inside the power cable.
April 29th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Hi, how do I troubleshoot a laptop cable, power supply or motherboard problem? The computer works fine sometimes and sometimes works 2 min. The fan works. If you bump the computer or cable it will turn off.
(battery is not connected)
Thanks, Cozmo
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:33 am
Robert,
If the laptop shuts down in the BIOS menu, then you will not be able to run Memtest86+.
But this problem still can be related to the memory. Find another good memory and test the laptop.
As a last resort you can try this.
Minimize the laptop as much as you can until you have only three major parts left: motherboard, CPU, memory (known good module). It should be enough to start the laptop. If it still shuts down, one of the above mentioned parts is bad, most likely there is something wrong with the motherboard.
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:21 am
Yes it has shut off in the Bios Menu before.
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:16 am
Robert,
Yes, you can run Memtest86+ when the hard drive is removed.
In the previous comment you mentioned that your laptop shuts down while loading Windows, so it’s possible the laptop will work fine on the BIOS level. That’s why I suggested removing the hard drive and testing the laptop without it.
Here’s what you can try without removing the hard drive. Turn on the laptop and enter the BIOS setup menu by pressing ESC or F1, or F2, etc… Will it shut down even while in the BIOS setup menu? If not, you’ll be able to run and finish Memtest86+.
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:06 am
i will check out your suggestions this weekend, can i do the memtest 86+ without the hardrive? if the computer doesn’t start up fully and it does require the hard drive, how can i do the test if the computer isn’t on long enough for that to be possible?
April 21st, 2008 at 10:32 pm
Robert,
Here’s what you can try. Remove the hard drive and turn on the laptop. Will it shut down after a while when the hard drive is removed?
Try running memory diagnostic test, you can use Memtest86+ utility. This can be memory related problem. Try reseating the memory module and maybe even replacing it with another known good module.
April 21st, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Khatana,
It looks like you are comfortable with taking your laptop apart. Here’s what you can try. Disassemble the laptop and start putting it back together testing after each step. For example:
1. Connect three main parts – motherboard, CPU and memory and try turning it on with an external monitor. If the laptop works fine, go to the step 2.
2. Now plug in the LCD cable and test the laptop again. If it works fine, go to the step 3.
3. Plug in the keyboard and test again, etc…
April 21st, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Well, it’s definitely plugged in, and the fan works, although I’ve only noticed that it starts, perhaps it’s shuts down and I don’t notice? I’ll try checking for that.
April 21st, 2008 at 2:07 pm
I’ll have to check with a voltmeter when I have some time. I will also check with the AC adapter. I do remember the laptop shutting off sometimes before windows if fully loaded. (it has that XP screen with the little bar that looks like it’s moving beneath it)
yea, sometimes the laptop just shuts off right there.
Other times I can get the laptop to stay on for about 5 minutes, but regardless it turns off abruptly without warning.