1. Yes, it's a whole new look! Have questions or need help? Please post your question in the New Forum Questions thread Click the X to the right to dismiss this notice
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Seeing tons of unread posts after the upgrade? See this thread for help. Click the X to the right to dismiss this notice
    Dismiss Notice

Need Help! Laptop turns itself off after 2 min

Discussion in 'Community Broadband & Computers' started by vacliff, Jan 30, 2010.

  1. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2002
    Messages:
    5,281
    Likes Received:
    344
    This morning I got a message on my laptop that said Windows blocked an add on that causes instability, and I needed to do a restart to completely remove it. I ignored the message, because it wanted me to click on "restart" and I'm always suspicious of clicking on buttons that pop up out of nowhere. Even so, now my ACER powered laptop will not stay on for more than 2 min or so. It turns itself off shortly after every reboot.

    Any advice would be appreciated. Does this sound like a virus anyone else has experienced, or is it more likely a hardware / power or mother board issue?

    Thanks! Deb Keirce
     
  2. Kaosdad

    Kaosdad Will work for Rum

    Joined:
    Sep 21, 2005
    Messages:
    2,557
    Likes Received:
    4
    What AV program are you useing? Can you set it to run a scan on boot up? If so, do that. If the machine still shuits down during that scan it's a HW problem.

    If you can't do that with your current AV, as soon as you can go to www.avast.com & download the free at hme version. It will automatically do a boot time scan.
     
  3. hornerjo

    hornerjo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2002
    Messages:
    1,332
    Likes Received:
    25
    Try booting in safe mode to run the scan. You could also boot into safe mode and try a system restore to an earlier date.
     
  4. boomertsfx

    boomertsfx Booyakasha!

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2002
    Messages:
    2,260
    Likes Received:
    34
    are you running the laptop on batteries or plugged in?
     
  5. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2002
    Messages:
    5,281
    Likes Received:
    344
    Well, it started working fine again. I guess it was just the usual computer gremlins having a laugh at our expense. No idea what happened or why it's running fine again.
     
  6. stevensrmiller

    stevensrmiller Stevens Miller

    Joined:
    May 10, 2006
    Messages:
    91
    Likes Received:
    2
    I've had a couple shut down on their own from time to time because the heat-sync that keeps the CPU cool was clogged with lint. You can buy little bottles of compressed air that will blow them clean, though I've usually just disassembled the machine so I could remove the lint completely.

    One way to investigate this is to download a temperature monitor. These tend to be specific from one type of computer to the next, so you may have to do some hunting. Or, after the machine has been running for some time, reboot and enter the BIOS. Many computers now let you examine the temperature there. 50-75C is safe. Over 80C and you're running hot. While in the BIOS, also look at the voltage levels if these are available. A surprising number of PC problems are due to failing power supplies, though this may be less true for laptops than for desktops/towers
     
  7. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2002
    Messages:
    5,281
    Likes Received:
    344
    This was it, overheating! Deb moved the laptop on to a different table. This one is a card table with the cushy top. It was sinking in and blocking the vents, causing it to overheat.
     
  8. afgm

    afgm Ashburn Farm Resident

    Joined:
    Aug 14, 2002
    Messages:
    2,396
    Likes Received:
    5
    You probably just had to connect the power cord.

     
  9. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2002
    Messages:
    5,281
    Likes Received:
    344
    Only I would be that dumb. My wife is much smarter!
     
  10. hornerjo

    hornerjo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2002
    Messages:
    1,332
    Likes Received:
    25
    Get yourself a chill pad. Some have fans powered by the USB port, others just raise the laptop up to allow better air flow. They really work great. Get a good one though, some of them are made horribly (like the Belkin single fan pad that Best Buy sells - that thing broke in no time flat).

    Get one like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Antec-Noteboo...7?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1265465639&sr=8-7
     

Share This Page