Computer help forum: My PC Keeps restarting On its Own!!!??? HELLLLLPPPPP!!!!!

1. Please run the free online virus scanner at the links below:

http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/com/activescan_principal.htm

2. Take off the computer cover, clean out the inside, check fans, then run the computer w/cover off.

3. Click on Start-Programs-Start Up. If there are any listings in the Start Up area, you need to delete as many as you can.(Right click the listing and choose 'Delete') Please remember that these are just shortcuts to programs and not actual program files, so its safe to delete them. Don't get rid of some that you really like like Microsoft Shortcut Bar or any others that you really want on the screen when it starts.

Then click on Start-Run, in the typing area put 'msconfig' (without the quotes), press Ok. When the System Configuration Utiltiy box opens, click on the Start Up tab. You will see a number of listings with boxes and check marks in them. These are programs that run at start up. You can safely uncheck many of the boxes. Don't uncheck System Tray, Scan Registry, or your Virus Scan startup programs. After youre done, click 'Apply', then 0K, and the computer will ask you to restart. Do it and then check your resources again. Hopefully they are much higher.(Don't worry too much, if you make a mistake you can always go back to this box and put a check back in any of the listings you want)

If you have any questions about which programs to UNCHECK in 'msconfig', post back, or check for yourself at this site: http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.htm. At this site, wait for the page to load completely, then scroll down to the 'The Programs' section and click on the 'Full List' link. You should be able to find most programs you have questions about.

Hope this helps.

Grif

Double click on the Temp folder within Windows. There may be a bunch of files in this folder that were placed there by various program installations and uninstallations. Normally, these all should be safe to delete, UNLESS you have 'saved' any personal documents here. Just to be careful, highlight a small group of files and delete them to the Recycle Bin. Restart the computer, run the programs, and generally test to make sure that any necessary files haven't been removed. If you don't experience any problems, and you shouldn't, then remove that bunch from the Recycle Bin, then choose another group of files from the C\Windows\Temp folder and delete them to the Recycle Bin.

After removing all the above files, and if youre using WinMe, temporarily disable your 'System Restore' by RIGHT clicking on 'My Computer', choose 'Properties'. When that loads, click on the 'Performance' tab, click on the 'File System' button, click the 'Repair/Troubleshooting' button, and then place a CHECK mark in the 'Disable System Restore' button. Click 'Apply' if its highlighted, then OK, then restart the computer. This will decrease the ever-increasing size of System Restore. Restart the computer again, then 're-enable' System Restore by UNCHECKING the box mentioned above. At this time run Scandisk and Defrag to correct and align the file system to its optimum per my previous suggestion.

Hope this helps.

Grif

Back that up first. OR just install a new hard disk and try a fresh install of the OS to sniff out if it's the hardware or the OS.

Remember you are telling me you can't afford to lose files. That means we can afford to backup, use other drives during the troubleshooting.

Bob

Here is another link for a free online scanner if you can't get the other one to work.:

Trend Micro's Housecall Online Scanner
http://housecall.antivirus.com/housecall/

Hope this helps.

Grif

Unfortunately, you've given us almost no information about your computer, the operating system, the age of the machine, or what you've tried to fix the issue..

Opened up the case and blasted the dust from inside?

Checked for bulging capacitors on the motherboard?

Scanned for malware using multiple antispyware tools?

Replaced the power supply yet?

Hope this helps and let us know more.

Grif

Which operating system? (XP, W2000, Windows 98, Millenium Edition?) Laptop or desktop?

As to bulging capacitors, see the link below:

Blown and Leaking Motherboard Capacitors - A Serious Problem? ...

And since the machine may not be too old, please do a complete cleanup of the computer using the link below. (Be sure to download, install, and run the antispyware tools mentioned.) It may take a while to follow all the procedures but it should help:

Cleanup Steps

The power supply is the item that supplies power to the computer tower.. (You plug the power cord into it on the back of the computer tower.)

Hope this helps.

Grif

...as asked before, which operating system are you using?

What did the malware scans turn up? Did you blow out the internal components with compressed air? Replaced the power supply yet? How many programs and services did you disable?

The more information you give us, the better informed our answers will be.

Hope this helps.

Grif

These two statements don't go together:

"i tired all the advice, that you listed in the last reply..."

"i don't know much about computers so all the stuff you have just asked me if i have done i don't know what they are and how you do it!"

So it's clear you haven't used the antispyware/malware scanners I provided in the earlier link. You may, or may not have cleaned out all the junk files, disabled unnecessary startup programs and services, plus run defrag and Chkdsk/Error Checking. You haven't opened up the computer tower and cleaned out all the dust and junk by using a can of compressed air. You haven't replaced the power supply which may or may not be necessary after following all the previous steps.. You haven't done a number of the things mentioned in the previous replies.. Yet, you say you have done all these things..??

We need honest/correct answers to our questions.. Each step must be completed correctly before we can move on to the next..

Sorry to say this but in order to continue with this discussion, you may need to get a friend or relative that has some amount of computer experience so they can follow simple basic troubleshooting instructions..

Let us know when you have some help.

Grif

See if you can do a System Restore in Safe Mode to a time prior to the onset of the problem.. Press F8 while the computer is booting to get to safe mode.

Thanks for the tip.. I think it is bad memory because, I sometimes I'll get a error message that says Memory Decreasing. What does this mean I have no clue but that was the first indcation that It might be something wrong with the memory. Someone suggested that I take off the cover and clean the inside. When I did that I notice that It was very dusty on the inside so that might have been the problem as well, so at this point I'll try any and everything.. Thanks for the tip, I will try this and see if it works as well. Thank you again.

Hi Bob,
Thanks for the advice but I have one question what is Normal.DOTS files and how do I get to them to deleted them. computer is still restarting could it be a suppressed virus hiding in a partition??
Thanks again

When you first run MS Word it creates a default template, called normal.dot. You can change that (for example, if you want other page margins or another font in all your new documents) and it's the default place to store the macro's you record. Of course you can create new templates yourself (one for a letter, one for a report, one for a fax).

Sometimes the normal.dot template is corrupted somehow, resulting in strange behaviour of MS Word. Then the easiest thing is to delete it and let Word recreate a new one.

Finding them is as simple as doing a search in My Computer or Windows Explorer, but you may have to change some settings in Config Panel>Folder options (show hidden files, show file extensions) to actually see it. The exact location depends on both the OS and the version of Word. All I can say is that mine (Windows XP, Word 2000) is in the C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates folder.

Hope this helps.


Kees

Check out this article about random computer restarts. It may help you.
http://computersoftware.suite101.com/article.cfm/my-computer-keeps-restarting-troubleshooting-windows-restarts
I had the same problem but I've solved it by using the methods described in this article.