Computer randomly shuts itself down.

[chrome]

I've been having this problem for a while now and I've been leaning towards the fact that it's been overheating, but I left it on for a while so it could finish its virus scan last night and it shut itself down again. I guess the explanation could be overheating, but it was relatively cool last night compared to the afternoon and the only thing running was AVG, I don't really see how it could've overheated. The scan turned up no results, but it was incomplete.

Could someone diagnose the problem for me or something?

[WandererWillow]

Local temp is not the same as computer temp. There are many things to check...one, make sure that your computer isn't in an area where it has bad airflow. Give it room to breathe. Two, check the fans. If they're clogged, the fan will do absolutely nothing to cool your system. Three, make sure when you do a scan you don't set it to auto-shutdown after the scan is done.

Let me know, I'll help you from there.

[Bws2cool]

Mine used to do that.. I would leave it sitting for 1-3 hours at least and it would overheat... >_>

[Conciente]

Check the power supply and try to clean the fans.

[HiiEN]

Even when your computer may seem relatively cool when starting up, accumulation of dust and other particles blocking your fans and vents can heat up your computer extremely fast, causing it to shut down as a safety measure. Make sure your fans are working properly, and aren't blocked as well as any vents. The heat needs to be able to escape to function properly. Also make sure your computer is in a location that is ventilated nicely. If it is cluttered up in a tight location that can attribute to overheating as well. Basically it's mostly as WandererWillow described. Compressed air can be your best friend.

[chrome]

Thanks, I just got finished cleaning out the fan (With Q-Tips <_<, had no compressed air...thing) and I'll see how it works out. I'll post again if it happens again.

[Lylac]

An easy way to check the motherboard and CPU temperature is by pressing delete when your computer first starts up. It'll take you to the BIOS and you can see your motherboard settings along with your fan speed and core temperatures. Anything above 50 degrees Celsius is too hot for a motherboard.

[Katie]

My laptop will literally get hot after 20 minutes. The fan starts running loud and gets so hot I have a perma burn mark on my leg.

I even have it hanging off my desk a bit to get more air into the fan. It started doing this the day I bought it. When I run maple, its even worse. The fan never stops running and it shuts itself off. I'm pretty pissed I bought a lappy that I can't use the way I want because it gets so damn hot.

BTW~ How would I go about cleaning my laptop? ( I have never owned one before)

[Yoorah]

My laptop will literally get hot after 20 minutes. The fan starts running loud and gets so hot I have a perma burn mark on my leg.

I even have it hanging off my desk a bit to get more air into the fan. It started doing this the day I bought it. When I run maple, its even worse. The fan never stops running and it shuts itself off. I'm pretty pissed I bought a lappy that I can't use the way I want because it gets so damn hot.

BTW~ How would I go about cleaning my laptop? ( I have never owned one before)

I hope you haven't been running your laptop on a carpet or on your bed, as not only does it not get enough air this way, but it also acts as a vacuum cleaner and sucks in a lot more dust than it normally would. To clean your laptop, you will most likely need to take some screws out and take off the fan cover and/or other parts, depending on how your laptop was built. You could try blowing out dust with a compressed air can, but how you should aim it, again, depends on your laptop -- the designs are not standard.

Laptops shouldn't get that hot. You might want to send it in for repairs while you still have your warranty. >_>

[Katie]

I don't think I have a warranty anymore. Unless there is a standard one, we didn't purchase a extra one only because I didn't have the extra money for it. I allready had to borrow a bit to get it.

I dont put it on the bed or the carpet. I have a desk I use it on along with it (the fan side) hanging a bit off my desk to let air circulate thru.

[Yoorah]

All laptops have a standard warranty of something between 1~3 years -- check your manual to know for sure.

If you can't send it in for repairs, then you might need to take the cover off and blow out the dust with a compressed air can. Check if your manual shows you how to do this "heatsink/fan cleaning". If it doesn't, then search Google for a disassemly guide for your model. Just be careful when you do that. >.o

[Katie]

Wow thanks. If I can't figure it out from google, I guess I'm gonna have to take a trip to the Geek Squad lol.

[Saver]

The main reason my computer "randomly" shuts down is because of automatic updates from windows updates.
When I'm doing something on the laptop, a pop up would sometimes appear saying I have to restart in order for windows updates to take into effect.
It bothers me like once every 10 minutes.
Turning it off and on resolves it.

However recently, my laptop was making a loud buzzing noise.
I noticed that it was coming from the fan...so I figured I had to clean it before problems like these occur.

If the fan is your problem, good luck.
Here's my experience: http://www.southperry.net/forums/showthread.php?t=770