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My laptop has been just randomly shutting off. I've had my laptop for about 3-4 years and I've kept it good as new. But sometimes when I leave it on and come back to it after 2 mins, the computer will automatically shut off, and if I press the power button, it will just start regularly.

Does anyone know the cause of it and maybe how can I fix it?

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  • is it under heavy load (it'll power off if it detects its starting to overheat)? have you done a full virus scan (there is some malware that causes such symptoms, usually accidentally but sometimes deliberately)? Any other 3rd party (not come with windows) background tasks running? Does it go through a proper shutdown or just cut the power?
    – ewanm89
    Commented Apr 15, 2012 at 2:05
  • well, my laptop does get very hot, but i have a strong enough fan that can keep it cooled. So i don't think that it is problem. Every time i come back to my computer, the first thing i do is to make sure that the temperature is not too hot. And usually after i turned the computer back on, it doesn't warn me about any issues.
    – NING
    Commented Apr 15, 2012 at 2:41
  • Are you running speedfan or something to actually show the CPU temperatures? Windows doesn't usually monitor this alone, more the BIOS does.
    – ewanm89
    Commented Apr 15, 2012 at 2:42
  • no, it is just a regular fan with speakers
    – NING
    Commented Apr 15, 2012 at 19:19
  • Speedfan is a piece of monitoring software for windows (there are other free alternatives too), it reports cpu temperatures and the like and displays them. It can also control fan speed if your fans and/or motherboard support it (highly unlikely unless it's built to be a gamer/overclocker rig).
    – ewanm89
    Commented Apr 15, 2012 at 23:10

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It might be overheating due to dust blocking vents. You might want to try a vacuum along with compressed air to try to clean it out as much as possible. If you know how, it would help to remove some of the access covers to get to the insides. If airflow is restricted, it doesn't matter how hard the fans work.

Also, does this happen while on AC power? If not, it could be the battery getting weak.

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  • i do not know how to vacuum(?) it, so by any chance, can you explain to me?
    – NING
    Commented Apr 15, 2012 at 19:20
  • Vacuum cleaner. Old computers often have a lot of assembled dust which hinder air flow and thereby hinder the components being cooled off. Some kind of tool to free the computer from dust might be all that your computer need.
    – erikxiv
    Commented Apr 15, 2012 at 19:32

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