Laptop keeps shutting off

[JenniferStevens]

Hi,

I've come here for some help and advice as over the past few weeks I've had an issue with my laptop where every now and then it just powers down instantly without warning. It usually happens when I run a program like Sims 3, or even when browsing after a while. The timing is completely random and it's just really frustrating.

I have taken my computer apart to clean the fan (there was a lot of dust!) but it didn't seem to change anything unfortunately. I thought it may be a battery issue so I removed it and powered my laptop with just my charger, but it still switched off. I then put the battery back in and took the cable out in case of a dodgy charger (which it shouldn't be because It's the one that came with the laptop) but It's still shutting down. My laptop doesn't seem to overheat, It's fairly cool and there's the slightest bit of cool/warm air leaving the fan vents and it's very unnoticeable. I've downloaded HWMonitor and will attach the readings.

I've searched forums all over the internet but haven't got anywhere yet. I'm hesitant to hand it in to a shop as a) I'm a full time, unemployed uni student with limited funds (also why I don't want to buy a new one) and b) most forums suggest fixing the issue yourself is the best way to go as most shops will 'fix' anything for money and not actually help you. I've had my laptop for 3 maybe 4 years now, It's an Asus X550C.

I'm not sure if wiping my laptop would work, but if it would, that would be my last resort. If anyone could help me I appreciate any and all advice and will try anything at this point!

Thanks,
Jennifer

 

[holdum323]

Hi I'm wondering if your getting any dump files. Here's a freeware program I use called 'Who Crashed'. Windows is set to restart by default when problems occur . Who Crashed will create a dump file when your PC crashes and hopefully give us a clue what's going on. Let us know how things go!
http://www.resplendence.com/whocrashed
PS It would help to know what OS you're running and any thing you have tried. Here's some things to think about.
https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000689.htm

 

[Rich M]

In 3-4 years it could be a bad hard drive as they are mostly warranted for 2 years now and laptop components suffer from heat and poor air circulation. I would run checkdisk /r and see how long it takes and whether or not it finds anything. Sometimes the fifth cycle can fix it because that rearranges the free space but doesn't tell you what it found. That said heat is still the most frequent cause of shutdowns.

 

[holdum323]

Hi Running chkdsk is a great idea! Let us know how things go.
https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/guide-to-using-check-disk-in-windows-vista/

 

[Cycloid Torus]

Jennifer, nicely done write up - but what is your current OS?

With possibly dodgy hardware, I would NOT wipe system until I had backed up all my data, created new installation ISO and confirmed that I have all necessary license keys (I use Belarc Advisor which details all of this - printout is about 4 pages). Then a clean install might be a good idea as it will push the system and might disclose the real problem.

Based on your description, this is likely to be hardware and without specific errors from crash dumps, beep codes or displayed in alerts in Device Manager, it is hard to identify.

The list:
RAM - test with an overnight run in 'continuous' mode of memtest86
Temps - run HWMonitor in a window while you stress the system with Sim3
HDD - chkdsk is a good quick look, but I like downloading and using the HDD maker's utility for a better look

Sounds? vibration? heat? any additional 'data' would be helpful.

 

[Red Desires]

It could be for several reasons..HDD failure, overheating, age, or all of the above. I know for a fact that the SIMs 3 is a "heavy" game, and if there is a bunch of stuff running in the background as well, that can cause freezing and shutting off as well. You also mentioned that you took it apart to clean the fan, and it makes me wonder if maybe something got knocked loose before that to cause your issue as well. These guys have some excellent suggestions, and I hope that one of them solves your issue. In the meantime, back everything you deem important on it up, just to err on the side of caution. Good Luck!