spontaneous restart

  • Thread starter Thread starter steve
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steve

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My computer spontaneously restarts while I'm in the middle of checking email,
or drafting a Word document, or whatever. For a split second a blue screen
appears with words on it and disappears so quickly I can't read it. THen the
computer restarts. I've lost whatever I'm working on but everything else is
fine. Does anybody know what's going on?
--
steve
 
Re: spontaneous restart

On Sun, 21 Sep 2008 13:10:00 -0700, steve
<steve@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> My computer spontaneously restarts while I'm in the middle of checking email,
> or drafting a Word document, or whatever. For a split second a blue screen
> appears with words on it and disappears so quickly I can't read it. THen the
> computer restarts. I've lost whatever I'm working on but everything else is
> fine. Does anybody know what's going on?



Two points:

1. If your computer is restarting spontaneously, you are presumably
blue-screening, and you are set to the default of rebooting whenever
that happens. It's a poor default setting and you should change it.
Right-click My Computer, and choose Properties. On the Advanced tab,
click Settings under Startup and Recovery. Under System failure,
uncheck the box "Automatically restart.

Now when the problem occurs again, instead of restarting, you will get
the blue screen with diagnostic information. Post back with those
details for more help.


2. Much more likely than a software problem, this is a hardware
problem.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup
 
RE: spontaneous restart



"steve" wrote:

> My computer spontaneously restarts while I'm in the middle of checking email,
> or drafting a Word document, or whatever. For a split second a blue screen
> appears with words on it and disappears so quickly I can't read it. THen the
> computer restarts. I've lost whatever I'm working on but everything else is
> fine. Does anybody know what's going on?
> --
> steve
It is most likely an overheating issue or a flakky Power supply (Hardware).
Make sure the Power ON button not pressed all way in causing a rebbot/restart.

Open a Notepad, customize or minimize to the taskbar as you will need it
later for this step to copy the error message on it.
Open a run command and type in:
eventvwr.msc click [OK] you will get the Event viewer control Panel.
click on each of these:
Application
System
Security
Look in the right Pane/window for error message with red (X) or Yellow
exclamation mark /!\ , double click each one to get more info about the
causer.
On the Event error properties message you will see:
Up Arrow
Down arrow
Two pages
Click on the two pages to copy the error message then bring up the Notepad
you opened earlier and right click on the first line and select Paste from
the list, this will paste the error message on a Notepad.
Please don't duplicate the error message one of each kind will be sufficient.
HOW TO: View and Manage Event Logs in Event Viewer in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308427/en-us

Please we need just the error messages with Red (X) and don't repeat the
error, just one of each kind and post them back in your next post.

HTH,
nass
---
http://www.nasstec.co.uk
 
Re: spontaneous restart

Is it really hot where you live and is the computer in an un-air conditioned
room and are you a lousy housekeeper and/or smoker?
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002
AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net
DTS-L http://dts-l.net/

steve wrote:
> My computer spontaneously restarts while I'm in the middle of checking
> email, or drafting a Word document, or whatever. For a split second a blue
> screen appears with words on it and disappears so quickly I can't read it.
> THen the computer restarts. I've lost whatever I'm working on but
> everything else is fine. Does anybody know what's going on?
 
Re: spontaneous restart

Many thaks Ken. very helpful. i'll do what you say.
--
steve


"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:

> On Sun, 21 Sep 2008 13:10:00 -0700, steve
> <steve@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>
> > My computer spontaneously restarts while I'm in the middle of checking email,
> > or drafting a Word document, or whatever. For a split second a blue screen
> > appears with words on it and disappears so quickly I can't read it. THen the
> > computer restarts. I've lost whatever I'm working on but everything else is
> > fine. Does anybody know what's going on?
>
>
>
> Two points:
>
> 1. If your computer is restarting spontaneously, you are presumably
> blue-screening, and you are set to the default of rebooting whenever
> that happens. It's a poor default setting and you should change it.
> Right-click My Computer, and choose Properties. On the Advanced tab,
> click Settings under Startup and Recovery. Under System failure,
> uncheck the box "Automatically restart.
>
> Now when the problem occurs again, instead of restarting, you will get
> the blue screen with diagnostic information. Post back with those
> details for more help.
>
>
> 2. Much more likely than a software problem, this is a hardware
> problem.
>
> --
> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>
 
Re: spontaneous restart

On Sun, 21 Sep 2008 14:51:01 -0700, steve
<steve@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> Many thaks Ken. very helpful. i'll do what you say.



You're welcome. Glad to help.



> "Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:
>
> > On Sun, 21 Sep 2008 13:10:00 -0700, steve
> > <steve@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
> >
> > > My computer spontaneously restarts while I'm in the middle of checking email,
> > > or drafting a Word document, or whatever. For a split second a blue screen
> > > appears with words on it and disappears so quickly I can't read it. THen the
> > > computer restarts. I've lost whatever I'm working on but everything else is
> > > fine. Does anybody know what's going on?
> >
> >
> >
> > Two points:
> >
> > 1. If your computer is restarting spontaneously, you are presumably
> > blue-screening, and you are set to the default of rebooting whenever
> > that happens. It's a poor default setting and you should change it.
> > Right-click My Computer, and choose Properties. On the Advanced tab,
> > click Settings under Startup and Recovery. Under System failure,
> > uncheck the box "Automatically restart.
> >
> > Now when the problem occurs again, instead of restarting, you will get
> > the blue screen with diagnostic information. Post back with those
> > details for more help.
> >
> >
> > 2. Much more likely than a software problem, this is a hardware
> > problem.
> >
> > --
> > Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> > Please Reply to the Newsgroup
> >

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup
 
Re: spontaneous restart

> On Sun, 21 Sep 2008 13:10:00 -0700, steve
> <steve@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>
>> My computer spontaneously restarts while I'm in the middle of
>> checking email, or drafting a Word document, or whatever. For a
>> split second a blue screen appears with words on it and disappears
>> so quickly I can't read it. THen the computer restarts. I've lost
>> whatever I'm working on but everything else is fine. Does anybody
>> know what's going on?
>
>
>
> Two points:
>
> 1. If your computer is restarting spontaneously, you are presumably
> blue-screening, and you are set to the default of rebooting whenever
> that happens. It's a poor default setting and you should change it.
> Right-click My Computer, and choose Properties. On the Advanced tab,
> click Settings under Startup and Recovery. Under System failure,
> uncheck the box "Automatically restart.
>
> Now when the problem occurs again, instead of restarting, you will get
> the blue screen with diagnostic information. Post back with those
> details for more help.
>
>
> 2. Much more likely than a software problem, this is a hardware
> problem.

FWIW, I've had malware cause that same symptom twice in the last year or
two. And whoever came up with that Startup and REcovery REstart should
be shot!

Cheers,

Twayne
 
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