PC Keeps Shutting down by itself

bpatters69 · 05 Sep 2021

Hey All
My PC keeps restarting. I came in yesterday morning and it was stuck in a loop, trying to restart. I was able to get it to restart after removing all of the USB and Ethernet cables. It started up and then after an intermittent amount of time, it shut down.
Is there a way to see what caused the system to shut down? I took the PC cover off and cleaned out all the dust. It was in pretty good shape. I also removed the heat sinc from the CPE and re-applied thermal paste. I did clean the old paste which was pretty crusty. The PC is 6 or 7 years old.

Does this sound like a hardware issue? I don’t think removing the cables to get it start was the fix but who knows. I have not changed anything recently. I have an old HP 1012 LaserJet and I had to reinstall the driver for it but that is the only change I have made?

Could this be malware or something? I am typing on the PC and saving after every sentence as I figure it will shut down again.

I have Windows Fast Start disabled as it was preventing my PC from shutting down completely. I am not sure why anyone would enable it anyway. SSD devices start up so quickly, there really is no need for it IMHO.

Thanks, Bill

dalchina · 05 Sep 2021

Many possible causes.

after an intermittent amount of time, it shut down.

Did it shut down abruptly, or was this a normal shut down sequence?

Are you over-clocking?
Is your RAM correct and consistent? Any recent change?
Have you run RAM tests?

Have you checked temperatures?

Boot to Safe Mode and leave it overnight, see if it shuts down. Ensure it doesn't go to sleep by running Don't sleep (free).
Not a definitive test of course, but is it does shut down that suggests a hardware problem even more.

Have you checked the disk(s)? Hard Disk Sentinel is excellent- SSDs covered too.

You can't run stress tests usefully unless the PC doesn't shut down for other reasons.

You could try creating a live boot disk, booting from that, then see if it shuts down unexpectedly. That check eliminates the effect of your installed O/S.

Then there's a possible PSU issue...

Simplify, eliminate - try to find a configuration where it doesn't shut down, then work backwards.

FreeBooter · 05 Sep 2021

Other possibilities include faulty memory, a card that isn't seated into its slot correctly, and a host of other problems.

I would use Memtest86+ to test the memory for errors.

Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool

Overheating major cause of shutdown you can use Open Hardware Monitor to monitor temperature of your PC.

Open Hardware Monitor - Core temp, fan speed and voltages in a free software gadget

bpatters69 · 05 Sep 2021

Thanks Dalchina.

The PC shuts down abruptly in that it says it is shutting down and it shuts down. It seems like it is performing a good shut down. The problem is getting it restarted. I am typing this on a different machine as I cannot get the desktop to start up again. It will get to various points, ie the login screen, I get past the login in screen and then it shuts down. As of right now, when it shuts down, it then goes into the loop I found it in yesterday. It keeps trying to start up but there is no post and the machine goes dead and then a few seconds later, it tries to power up. Annoying.

I will try your suggestions if I can get it to start up again. I have not run any of the tests you suggested. I did do a reset when I had it up and running for about 30 minutes and shortly after the reset, it shut down and then started looping... trying to start, powering down, over and over.

I have not made any changes to RAM. I did remove the two RAM sticks and then reseat them. When I replaced them, I swapped them. That should not matter as they are both 4Gb sticks.

I have had issues with this PC. The power supply died a few months ago and I had it replaced by a technician. It was running fine until the past couple of days.

I am not over clocking

Is there a program that will create a boot disk with the OS on it? I wan to give that a try.

FreeBooter · 05 Sep 2021

You can Windows 10 Media Creation Tool.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/soft...load/windows10

bpatters69 · 05 Sep 2021

Attaching the Hardware Report

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks FreeBooter.

To download MemTester, do I click on the big green button at the top right of the page that says "Start"?

See below.

PC Keeps Shutting down by itself-start-button.png

Paul Black · 05 Sep 2021

Hello @bpatters69,

bpatters69 said:

To download MemTester, do I click on the big green button at the top right of the page that says "Start"?

Try here => MemTest86 -The Standard for Memory Diagnostics

I hope this helps.

FreeBooter · 05 Sep 2021

You download the ISO image from below link.

Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool

I have never looked at the log file from Open Hardware Monitor it looks cryptid.

dalchina · 05 Sep 2021

Is there a program that will create a boot disk with the OS on it? I wan to give that a try.

A live boot disk is a completely different thing. That boots into a form of Win 10 with a desktop and a load of utility programs, depending on the disk chosen. E.g. Bob Omb's, Hiren's - Google 'live boot disk' or those names.

Thus you can run Windows- but not from your internal disk, separating internal disk and installed configuration from your hardware.

You download the iso file, then create a bootable disk from it. E.g. suitable instructions in the tutorial here for creating a flash drive to install Win 10.

bpatters69 · 05 Sep 2021

Thanks all. I may have figured it out. I have been running the PC successfully for a few hours now. I have restarted a few times and it starts and shuts down without issue. I think it was my Sound Blaster Sound Card. I had some issues with sound a while back and the fix turned out to be a shoddy and old keyboard. Sigh. I was told by ASRock to get a Sound Card. I bought the Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX PCIe 5.1 Sound Card and supposedly it is Windows 10 compatible. Maybe it is and maybe it isn't. It ran fine for a few months. I am still experimenting but for it is uninstalled. Like I said, so far, so good.

Should I run any other tests while I appear to have a stable-ish system?