I have an HP Slimline st running Vista Home bit. A few days ago my computer started restarting on its own. No updates were installed beforehand, no error messages, nothing. The whole thing just shuts down – at times for up to minutes – and then restarts. When it restarts it asks me to choose whether to start in Safe Mode or start Windows Normally.
I was told by HP Chat support agents to disable “automatic restart” under System Failure, which I did, and I was also told to disable Windows Updates, which I did. But the problem persists. I was told to go into BIOS and wait to see if it restarted there, and it didn’t. I ran a BiOS short test which I passed with zero errors. I was then told that I would have no choice but to run system recovery erasing all of my data! This computer is only about years old; I was hoping someone might have another solution. This happens randomly, and for no reason. And one thing I’ve noticed is that if it happens, chances are it will happen again soon right after.
Anyone have any solution to this?
All help is greatly appreciated.
✅ Answers
? Favorite Answer
If your computer always restart, There are some reason:
I. 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.
Memory Fails Me…
If you determine that overheating is not the problem, the most likely suspect is bad memory.
II. 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. you turn off that option, you may solve your automatic reboot problem.
) Click Start, then open Control Panel
) Click Performance and Maintenance
) Click System
) Click on the Advanced Tab
) Click Settings in the Startup and Recovery section
) Uncheck Automatically Restart in the System failure section
Note that this may prevent the system from restarting, but it can also mask the true problem.
The most common cause of computer restarting is a corrupt registry.
Most likely your registry is bloated and overstuffed with an assortment of useless pieces of data. The operating system while running your computer has to pick its way through all this excess material. There will be bits of programs which were not completely uninstalled, parts of programs which were never completely installed, fragments of miscellaneous data, useless drivers, and a multitude of other bits and pieces.
The answer is to clean your registry and remove all the material which is not needed.
http://fix-pc-freezing.com/Clean_Up_Center.htm
Get the best one, and completely clean your windows registry with a few clicks of the mouse.
III. Computer Restarts After Download?
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. See:
http://fix-pc-freezing.com/comparison.htm
Question:
Windows restarts without warning.
Additional information:
•This document is about computers that are restarting or rebooting by themselves, if your computer is turning off and remaining off please see document CH.
•Some of the below steps in the answer require you open your computer and remove hardware devices, while in the computer make sure you’re aware of ESD.
•If you’re looking for information about how to restart Microsoft Windows see document CH.
Cause:
This issue could be caused by any of the below possibilities.
.Software issue or error.
.Hardware issue or error.
.Heat related issue.
.Computer virus.
.Issue with operating system.
Answer:
Software issue or error
Errors generated by software programs can cause a computer to reboot unexpectedly or without warning. If you are running Windows XP see the below section “For Windows XP users” before continuing.
If you are not running Windows XP or following the below steps still cause your computer to reboot without warning. Boot your computer into Safe Mode, and let the computer run in Safe Mode. Additional information and help with getting into Safe Mode can be found on document CHSAFE.
If the computer is still rebooting in Safe Mode the issue is likely not software related but something else, skip to the next section. If the computer is not rebooting in Safe Mode it is likely you have software related issue. We would recommend you run through the basic troubleshooting section for your operating system.
For Windows XP users
Windows XP is designed to automatically reboot each time an error occurs such as a BSoD. Although this may be nice for errors that do not occur often, users who have a re-occurring error may wish to identify the error to troubleshoot it. Below are the steps on how this feature can be disabled and enabled in Windows XP.
.From the desktop right-click on My Computer.
.Click the Properties option.
.In the System Properties window click the Advanced tab.
.In Advanced click the Settings button under Startup and Recovery.
.In the Startup and Recovery window uncheck the Automatically restart check box.
.Click Ok.
Now if the computer generates and error it should not automatically restart and enable you to display any errors your computer may be experiencing.
Hardware issue or error
Any failing hardware component in your computer could cause your computer to unexpectedly generate an error and/or reboot without warning. If you have recently attempted to add a new hardware device, remove that device to make sure it is not causing your issues.
Make sure you are not encountering any hardware conflicts by viewing Device Manager for errors. Additional information about Device Manager can be found on our Device Manager page.
New drivers can also cause this issue, if you have recently performed any hardware driver updates you may wish to try an earlier version of the drivers. Additional information and help with computer drivers can be found on our drivers page.
If you have updated drivers and removed any hardware that could be causing this issue and continue to experience random reboots, it’s possible that the memory is bad in the computer. Additional information about testing computers memory can be found on document CH.
Finally, hardware devices that are not installed properly in the computer can also cause random reboots. Make sure all the cables and expansion cards are connected properly to the computer. The best way to determine this is to disconnect and reconnect all cables and expansion cards.
Computer virus
Computer viruses such as the blaster virus are written to reboot your computer without warning. Usually these viruses will make the computer reboot ever , , or minutes after the computer has booted.
If you believe your computer may be infected with a virus or are uncertain if your computer is infected with a virus make sure your virus scanner definitions are up to date. Additional information about checking this can be found in document CH.
Heat related issue
Many computer today are designed to turn off or automatically reboot if the computer, processor, or other device in your computer gets to hot. If you have heard any abnormal noises coming from your computer recently such as a high squealing this could indicate a fan may be failing in your computer.
You can first start by verifying the fan on the power supply is working by examining the back of the computer and seeing if the fan is moving and moving smoothly. For all other fans in the computer you will need to either open the computer and make sure the fan are working (processor fan and case fan) and/or if your BIOS monitors the RPM of the fans enter BIOS and make sure the BIOS does not report any errors.
Users may also be able to determine how hot their computer is by onboard thermal sensors, if your computer comes equipped with these sensors make s
Source(s): http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch.htm
Faulty power supply
Bad memory
Overheating