The Computer Shut Down Mystery

Until these days, I notion that the handiest four hardware portions have generally prompted computer systems to preserve shutting down spontaneously. I now know of a 5th. I was trying for weeks to discern why this man’s computer turned into constantly crashing at his home; however, I never did it once in my workshop. This is the story of that mysterious fifth detail.

Computer Shut

In my enjoy, the four hardware components listed above tend to cause maximum problems. I even have covered them in the extra element in the latest Ezine Article. Of course, other hardware additives can also reason conflicts. I once geared up a new sound card to Guy’s pc, the equal sound card I had geared up commonly. However, the computer had other thoughts; it simply could now not receive this new tool. It, without delay, began crashing or putting. I uninstalled and re-setup it two times extra, with precisely the identical result. At the stop, I gave up. Fortunately, his laptop had an onboard sound, and as aways as I’m worried, this is all his temperamental pc will ever have.

So what approximately is this mysterious fifth element?

The story started about months ago when this young man came into my store with his PC. He said it saved unexpectedly shutting down for no obvious reason. Sometimes, he said, it would do this at some point of beginning up.

The first component I did was to run some diagnostic exams on the tough power and reminiscence. I ran the total take a look at each, which could take several hours; every check exceeded successfully. Because it becomes going on for the duration of beginning up, it would not be a virus or malicious secret agent-ware. And the registry, so frequently blamed for all manner of pc troubles, couldn’t probably be accountable if it changed into shutting down earlier than the working system had loaded.

So that narrows the quest down a piece. The memory had already exceeded diagnostic checks, so the CPU became my chief suspect. Fluff and dust at the CPU’s cooling fan can adversely affect the CPU’s performance. Your CPU can get very hot right away when you hit the power button. If it receives too warm, it will, without delay, close all the way down to shield itself and your motherboard.

So, having cleaned the fan and heat sink, I also wiped off the thermal paste from the floor of the CPU and applied some fresh paste. I then fired the laptop up and changed into thrilled to peer it load the working device with no troubles. I then did a full machine experiment for malicious, undercover agent-ware and viruses; the whole lot changed into nice and no closedown. I left it walking all day now and then, gambling, video games, and other high-utilization programs. The guy collected his laptop at the quiet of the day, and as some distance, as I was involved, that turned into that.

Computer Shut

Two days later, the guy turned into the back, complaining of the identical shut down trouble. So that this does not get too boring, I will try to summarise the relaxation of the story. Convinced I turned into at the proper track; I mounted a new CPU this time and repeatedly tested all of it a day-long and did not use issues. Over the next two weeks, he turned inside and out at normal periods. I geared up a brand new Power Supply Unit and examined and cleaned his motherboard. And all of the time I had it going for walks in my workshop, it in no way overlooked a beat once. But still, he got here lower back.

Finally, I decided to move and visit his domestic to peer if it changed into something stupid he turned into doing along with his laptop to motive it to hold crashing. He grew to become on his laptop, and it loaded typically. However, as he got up from his chair to permit me to sit down, the laptop abruptly went blank. Feeling barely deflated through this, I took his seat, ready to show it back on. As I sat down, I just barely nudged his extension lead with my foot, and the rattling pc fired back into existence, all by itself.

His extension lead became one of these trailings leads with four sockets, quite not unusual for maximum PC proprietors. However, I did observe how ‘reasonably-priced it seemed, and it virtually did not have Surge Protection. It is essential to have surge protection among the mains strength and your laptop in any other case; critical and everlasting damage can arise on your computer system inner additives, some of which perform on as little as 2 volts. Even a slight surge could completely ‘fry’ these components and even a catastrophic difficult force failure.

I requested this young guy how a great deal he paid for his extension lead. He said it became a bargain; he had bought it from a neighborhood Pound Store. When I talked about how much this ‘cheap’ extension lead had value in needless repair payments, now not to mention the risk to his laptop and the whole lot on it, he realized what an idiot he had been.

As I left his residence, he went on his way to shop for a higher extension lead with integrated surge safety. A month has now exceeded, and I even have had no more visits from this man. OK, so this is not a common everyday purpose of laptop shutdowns, but it’s miles actually really worth bearing in thoughts for the destiny. I am surprised how many more people are placing their computers and the lot saved on it at risk by using a cheapo’ extension lead without surge protection.

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