My Computer Keeps Restarting For No Apparent Reason | Troubleshooting Tips
April 19, 2011 – 1:38 pmIn the past 20 years of fixing PCs I’ve came up with four different checks I can use whenever my computer keeps restarting. The goal with these checks is to identify what piece of hardware or software was causing the problem and then research that online (for possible solutions).
I always begin by checking the CPU temperatures in the BIOS menu. This is essential as you want to make sure the computer is not overheating. If the levels appear too high in comparison to your manufacturer’s guidelines then open the PC and use a can of compressed air to clear out all dust. Check the fans and fan filters have not been damaged and make sure the CPU and heat sink are still firmly attached.
If the system won’t even let you login before the computer keeps restarting then you have a limited number of options. The best option is to go to the advanced Windows menu (hit F8 as the system boots to access this menu) and choose the last known good configuration. This overwrites the registry file with an earlier healthy version which Windows had saved. It should work around issues, viruses or registry damage.
Once you are able to login then the main file to check is the event viewer log [start menu, run program, eventvwr.exe]. This is one of the more useful Windows operating system files which keeps note of every single exception that is getting phone. I will usually identify those messages that were logged in the moments prior to when my computer keeps restarting and research these online.
Finally, I ramp up the checks with some hardware analysis. Begin by doing a bad sector repair and analysis using Windows error checking tool. Next, the Device Manager utility will also identify of hardware is conflicting with other components or if you have corrupted device drivers. The utility’s own help section.