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Computer Randomly Restarts By Itself?

By default, all windows operating systems since NT have rebooted when it encounters a fatal system STOP error. A stop error may or may not cause the machine to Blue Screen. The Blue Screen of Death is actually a protective measure designed to prevent critical systems from be corrupted by two processes trying to write to the same memory location simultaneously.

This article will look as some of the common causes of STOP errors and how to fix them. Some common causes of computer restarts in addition to a memory record not being locked are:

Memory slot contacts are dirty or you have bad sectors on a memory stick
CPU overheating
Boot sector virus
Bad device driver (can involve any device driver installed on the computer)
Bad motherboard
Bad Power supply

Common Bad Device Driver Example

Symptoms – The computer restarts unexpectedly when you are browsing the internet. The system probably displayed the blue screen of death but sometimes it only displays for a fraction of a second and you didn’t have time to read let alone write down the error messages.

Causes - A broadband cable modem or ASDL subscriber line modem is using drivers that have caused a fatal system STOP error and the Automatically restart check box is selected under system failure in the Startup and Recovery dialog box located under system properties.

Solution – The first thing you need to troubleshoot this problem is to turn off the automatic rebooting for STOP errors. Use the following steps to turn it off:

Restart the computer.
When the machine POSTS, Press F8
Select Safe Mode using the arrow keys in the resulting menu and press enter
When the machine boots, open the control panel and select System. Click on the advanced tab.
Under Startup and Recovery, select settings.
Under system failure, uncheck Automatically restart. Click OK and the reboot the machine normally

Next, try to browse the internet. If you receive another stop error, write down the information and look it up in the Microsoft knowledge base at http://support.microsoft.com. Usually what you need to do is get the latest drivers for your modem and install them. You may have to use another machine and copy them to your flash drive.
If updating the driver’s doesn’t solve the problem, you will need to contact the modem manufacturer or your ISP.

Memory Problem Example

Symptoms – There are three specific situations you may encounter:

The computer does not Post or Posts but reboots on startup.
The computer restarts unexpectedly during different types of activities.

Cause - There are two primary causes: there is a bad sector on one of the memory sticks or the motherboard connections for the memory stick are dirty.

Solution 1- Dirty Connections – remove the memory sticks, use a soft white eraser to clean the chip contacts and blow off any particles left by the eraser. Next, use a soft dry brush to clean the memory slots on the motherboard. Use compressed air to remove any residue from the slot. Reinstall the memory sticks and reboot the computer. If cleaning doesn’t work, try solution 2.

Solution 2 – Bad Memory Sectors – if you have more than one memory chip, try rebooting with each individual chip separately (make sure you put it in slot 1). If one of the chips is bad, the computer should boot with a good chip. If you only have one chip, take it to a computer store and have it tested. If the memory chip is bad, replace it.

Overheating

Symptoms – the machine will shut down if it overheats. The temperature for shut down can be configured in the machines BIOS settings.

Cause – normally caused by a weak or bad CPU or case fan.

Solution – I recommend always replacing the CPU fan if the machine is shutting down for overheating. Next, examine the case fans when the system is running. If they seem sluggish or you can’t feel much air flowing, replace the fans or add additional case fans.

Boot Sector Virus

Symptoms – the machine immediately blue screens after POSTing

Cause - most boot sector viruses prevent the machine from booting

Solution – use a virus recovery write-protected floppy or CD to scan the computer and correct the problem.

Power Supply Problem

Symptoms – computer reboots intermittently and there is no specific pattern that can be found relating to activities.

Cause – mechanical or electrical failure inside the power supply.

Solution – either swap it out with a known good power supply, test the power supply with an electrical meter or take it to a shop and have it tested. If it is bad, replace it.

Bad Motherboard

Symptoms – intermittent reboots, especially if you bump or move the computer or when it has been running for a while and gets hot but not overheated.

Cause – this is usually caused a cracked trace on the motherboard. A trace is a strip of metal that acts a wire on the motherboard. Traces can crack and then when they got hot separate and cut the power to portions of the motherboard.

Solution – replace the motherboard.

Recommendation

Always make sure your system is clean before manually trying alternative fixes. Download and run an approved reg cleaner to fix any corrupt or orphaned files. We recommend RegGenie.