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How To Troubleshoot a Computer That Turns On and Then Immediately Turns Off
By Tim Fisher, About.com Guide

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XDR2 DRAM8X higher performance than DDR3 Up to 12.8 Gbps!www.rambus.com Power Supply ReplacementFree Technical Search Engine Search Thousands of Catalogs Todaywww.globalspec.com Is your computer turning off by itself immediately or at some point before the operating system loads? If so, you may be facing anything from an electrical short to a serious hardware issue. Since there are several reasons that your PC might be shutting off by itself during the boot process, it's important that you step through a logical troubleshooting process like the one I've described below. Important: If your computer is in fact turning on and staying on, even if you don't see anything on screen, see my How to Troubleshoot a Computer That Won't Turn On guide for a more applicable troubleshooting guide. Difficulty: Average Time Required: From minutes to hours depending on why the computer turns off so quickly after being turned on Here's How:

1. Troubleshoot the cause of the beep code, assuming you're lucky enough to hear one. A beep
code will give you a very good idea of exactly where to look for the cause of your computer turning off. If you don't resolve the problem that way, you can always return here and continue troubleshooting with the more generic information below.

2. Verify that the power supply voltage switch is set correctly. If the input voltage for the power
supply does not match the correct setting for your country, your computer may not stay powered on. Chances are your computer wouldn't power on at all if this switch is wrong but an incorrect power supply voltage might also cause your computer turn off by itself.

3. Check for causes of electrical shorts inside your computer. This is very often the cause of the
problem when the computer powers on for a second or two but then powers off completely. Important: It's very, very important that you spend the time necessary to inspect the inside of your computer for issues that can cause shorting. If you don't take the time to troubleshoot this possibility thoroughly you may end up missing a simple electrical short and instead performing costly hardware replacements later on for no good reason.

4. Test your power supply. Just because your computer came on for a few moments doesn't

mean that the power supply unit in your computer is working properly. In my experience, the power supply tends to cause more problems than any other piece of hardware and is very often the cause of a computer turning off by itself.

Replace your power supply if it fails any of your tests.

5. Test the power button on the front of your computer's case. If the power button is shorting

out or even just sticking to the case, it might be the reason your computer is turning off by itself. Replace the power button if it fails your testing or if you suspect it's not working properly.

6. Reseat everything inside of your computer. Reseating will reestablish all of the connections
inside your computer which may have wiggled loose over time.

Try reseating the following and then see if your computer stays on:

Reseat all internal data and power cables Reseat the memory modules Reseat any expansion cards

Note: Unplug and reattach your keyboard and mouse as well. There is little chance that either one is the cause of this problem but we shouldn't overlook them while we're reseating everything else.

2. Reseat the CPU only if you suspect that it might have come loose or might not have been
installed properly.

Note: I call this out separately only because the chance of a CPU coming loose is very slim and because installing one is a sensitive task. This isn't a big concern if you're careful so don't worry!

3. Start your PC with essential hardware only. The purpose here is to remove as much hardware
as possible while still maintaining your computer's ability to power on.

If your computer turns on, and stays on, with essential hardware only, proceed to Step 9. If your computer continues to turn off by itself, proceed to Step 10. Important: This troubleshooting step is easy enough for anyone to complete, takes no special tools, and could give a lot of very valuable information. This isn't a step to skip if, after all the steps above, your computer is still shutting off by itself.

4. Reinstall each piece of nonessential hardware, one component at a time, testing your
computer after each installation.

Since your PC powered on with only the essential hardware installed, those components are working properly. This means that one of the devices you removed is causing your computer to turn off by itself. By installing each device back into your computer and testing after each installation, you'll eventually find the hardware that caused your problem. Replace the faulty hardware once you've identified it. These Hardware Installation Videos might come in handy as you're reinstalling your hardware.

5. Test your PC using a Power On Self Test card. If your computer continues to power off by itself
with nothing but essential PC hardware installed, a POST card will help identify which piece of remaining hardware is to blame. If you don't already own and are unwilling to purchase a POST card, skip to Step 11.

6. Replace each piece of essential hardware in your computer with a "known good" identical or
equivalent spare piece of hardware, one component at a time, to determine which piece of hardware is causing your computer to shut off automatically. Test after each hardware replacement to determine which device is faulty.

Note: Most normal computer users don't have a collection of working spare computer parts at their disposals. My advice is to revisit Step 10. A POST card is not expensive and is a much more reasonable approach than stocking spare computer parts.

7. Finally, if all else fails, you'll likely need to seek professional help from a computer repair
service or from your computer manufacturer's technical support.

Unfortunately, if you're without a POST card and also without spare parts to swap in and out, you're left not knowing which piece of your essential computer hardware is faulty. In these cases you have little option than to rely on individuals or companies that do have these resources. Note: See the last tip below for information on requesting more help via the PC Support forums here on this site. Tips: 1. Are you troubleshooting this issue on a computer that you've just built? If so, triple check your configuration! There is a significantly greater chance that your computer is turning off by itself due to a misconfiguration and not an actual hardware failure.

2. Did I miss a troubleshooting step that helped you (or might help someone else) fix a computer
that's turning off by itself during the boot process? Let me know and I'd be happy to include the information here.

3. Is your computer still shutting off automatically even after following the troubleshooting

above? Let a community of computer support enthusiasts help out! Post the details of your problem in the PC Support Forum. Be sure to tell us what you've already done to try to fix the problem. Related Articles

Nothing on Screen - How to Troubleshoot a Computer That Turns On But Displa... BIOS Error - How to Troubleshoot a Computer That Turns On But Stops Booting... Computer Won't Turn On - How To Troubleshoot a Computer That Won't ... No Power to Computer - How to Troubleshoot a Computer That Shows No Sign of... Fix Computer - Why You Should Always Try to Fix Your Computer Problem Yours...

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Computer turns off without warning.

Question
Computer turns off without warning.

Cause
This issue could be caused by any of the below possibilities.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Heat related issue. Hardware issue or error. Computer virus. Issue with operating system. Other failing hardware

Answer
This document is for computers that remain off and not computer's that turn back on (restart).

Some of the below steps require you open your computer. While in the computer, be cautious of ESD. Heat related issue A computer that turns off without warning is often a heat related issue. Many computers today are designed to turn off or automatically reboot if the computer, processor, or other device in your computer gets too 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 fans) and if your BIOS monitors the RPM of the fans, enter BIOS and make sure the BIOS does not report any errors. While inside the computer it's also a good idea to verify the processor heatsink is properly connected by disconnecting and reconnecting the heatsink. If the processor heatsink is not properly attached to the processor the computer to overheat.

What temperature should my processor be running at?

Hardware issue or error Any failing hardware component in your computer could cause your computer to unexpectedly turn off 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. Before attempting to remove any hardware, make sure you are not encountering this issue because of hardware conflicts by checking Device Manager for errors. If you have not recently installed any new hardware into the computer, the next best solution to determining if this is a hardware issue would be remove any hardware on the computer that is not needed. For example, remove your modem, network card, sound card, and any other expansion cards that are not needed for the computer to operate. Run the computer without these cards to see if they are the cause of your issue. Computer virus It's possible for your computer to be infected with a virus that is designed to shut down your computer or turn it off. If your computer seems to be turning off when executing a certain program at specific times in the day, it could be infected. 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.

Issue with operating system If after following each of the above recommendations your computer still continues to reboot, it is likely that you are experiencing a Microsoft Windows operating system related issue that cannot be explained. To help make sure this is the case, try the below steps.
1. Reboot the computer and enter CMOS setup as the computer is booting. 2. After you have loaded the computer in CMOS setup, let the computer sit.

If the computer does not turn off while letting the computer sit in CMOS, it is likely that you are in fact experiencing an issue with Microsoft Windows or your operating system and it is recommend that if you have followed all of the above recommendations that you erase everything and reinstall Microsoft Windows. Other failing hardware If after reinstalling your operating system, or during the installation of your operating system, your computer turns off abnormally, it is very likely that other hardware is failing in the computer. Often this is RAM, CPU, Motherboard, and Power Supply (in that order). If you have extra available parts or have a friend or co-worker with a similar configuration that is willing to allow you to test their hardware in your computer, try swapping these parts to determine if they are at fault. Otherwise, you will need to have the computer serviced.

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Troubleshooting | Hints and Tips | Operating System Installation

SHOOTING

r Won't Power Up

ure that the PC's power cable is plugged firmly into a wall socket or power strip and that the power strip is on.

gging the PC or the power strip into another wall socket.

that the power cable is firmly connected to the PC's power-supply outlet.

o see that the power supply is switched to the "on" position.

ure that the power supply is switched to the voltage appropriate to your region.

a working power cable to the PC's power supply and plug it in.

all external devices from the PC -- including a CD drive or digital camera -- except the monitor. If the computer powers on without the devices rals back in one at a time until you can identify the problem device.

r Powers Up But Display Is Blank

Computer Won't Boot from Hard Drive (Doesn't Get to Windows Splash Screen)

Make sure that there is no media in your floppy or CD drive. Listen to make sure your hard drive is spinning. Remove all external drives or devices and try restarting the computer. If you receive a series of beeps or error messages, write them down, as they could be instrumental in diagnosing your problem. Beep codes vary by manufacturer, so consult your BIOS documentation for more in-depth info on what those beeps mean. Keep an eye out for any built-in diagnostic tools; you might be able to find an error by using these. If no diagnostic tools exist, go to the BIOS's hard drive section and make sure it's configured as "Auto." If the BIOS has an auto detect feature, run it to make sure that it can actually detect your hard drive. If your BIOS has an optimized default option, try loading it and rebooting. If the BIOS has a failsafe default option, try loading it and rebooting.

Ensure that your computer can boot normally and that all of the usual power lights are on. Make sure that the monitor power cable is plugged firmly into a working wall socket or power strip and that the power strip is on. Try plugging the PC or power strip into another wall socket. Verify that the monitor's power button is "on". Make sure the monitor's brightness and contrast controls are properly adjusted. Check to see that the monitor VGA cable is plugged firmly into the back of the display and that the pinned end is tightly screwed into the computer's video output on the back of the case.

Won't Boot (After BIOS POST Has Been Completed) or Crashes

ure that there isn't a disk in your floppy or CD drive.

e external drives or devices.

he Windows Advanced Options menu by pressing the F8 key during the BIOS's Power-On Self Test (POST). Select the option for "Last Kno ration." (Note: if this works, you will lose any recently installed software or newly created files.)

he Windows Advanced Options menu, boot into Safe Mode with networking, and perform a system restore.

n Safe Mode run your antivirus and anti-spyware programs. Remove any detected threats.

agnostic tools exist, go to the BIOS's hard drive section and make sure it's configured as "Auto."

IOS has an auto detect feature, run it to make sure that it can actually detect your hard drive.

BIOS has an optimized default option, try loading it and rebooting.

IOS has a failsafe default option, try loading it and rebooting.

AND

always try to keep their monitor as clean as possible. Try to prevent fingers and other objects from coming into contact with your computer s es come time to clean dust and smudges from your monitor, a gentle cloth and a gentler touch is necessary. Dont touch the sc

your monitor screen: Those who work in an office wont be able to keep others fingers off their monitor forever, and even if they do, said mo collect dust and need to be cleaned. Before you start wiping away, here are a few important guidelin use any Do extra careful of sort of cloth not sharp with a rough texture use fingernails, especially that will scratch harsh when cleaning the screen. This cleaning an LCD screen includes paper

ot

th cotton cloth, gently wipe your screen free of dust, fingerprints and other smudges. Take extra care with flat screen monitors. If you are cl tor, or any other type of flat screen monitor, you must take extra steps to avoid damaging the screen. These types of monitors are very fragi mention expensive), and their screens are soft to the touch.

a soft cotton cloth to wipe the monitor nothing with a rough texture that could potentially scratch the screen.

tly and gently. Do not apply too much pressure to the screen.

ct contact between your hands and the screen. Especially watch your fingernails. Any sort of sharp edge can damage a flat screen monitor.

ou should use common sense when you clean your computer screen. Any computer part is a fragile and potentially expensive piece of equipme about the materials and methods you are using to clean you screen, and when in doubt, just follow the directions above.

your PC from overheating

nd age, most PCs will beep as a warning if the CPU (the processor) gets too hot, or if any internal fans fail. In addition to this there are some s ure that your PC does not generate more internal heat than it is supposed to.

is in a room which is permanently air conditioned, when the PC is being used then you dont need to read the remaining steps.

e standby in the summer, give your PC a chance to cool down, when you know you will not be using your PC for a long time (eg. 3 hours and ov main generator of internal heat, will still continue to function in standby mode, thus your PC does not get a chance to cool down. that nothing is covering the vents (front, back or side) of the PC. The vents exist to help the internal heat out of the PC.

give your PC enough of room so that the internal heat which escapes through the vents, does not stay around, preventing heat from escaping.

ce your PC in a spot where it comes in contact with direct sunlight, this is as good as putting your PC in an oven.

are

our computer, IF necessary hold it upside down to release any debris from in between the keys (pressing the keys is a good way to release it). f compressed air then use it to blow any debris from around keys, now take one of the cotton buds and use the cotton bud to clean the sides o

g the sides of the keys t free cloth and give the surface of the keyboard a good wipe over using the cloth to trace the contours of the keys.

ow have a nice clean keyboard.

NG

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