Why Did My Computer Force Shut Down By Itself?

[Anne__Burns]

Hello,

 

I have an HP Desktop, Windows 7, 32 bit, IE 11.

 

For some reason, as I was using my computer, the machine did a forced shut down all by itself while being used. I did a full scan with my Avast software and Malwarebytes and nothing showed up. Should I still be concerned?

 

Anne 

[AdvancedSetup]

Difficult to say.  The best thing to do is look in the Event Logs and see if it says what happened.

[Anne__Burns]

Hello Ron,

 

How do I do that?

 

Anne

[AdvancedSetup]

There are a couple of ways. You can click on START and type in EVENTVWR.EXE and then press the Enter key on the keyboard and it should open the Event Viewer.  It should also be on your Administrator Tools from the Control Panel.

 

Then open the Windows Logs and look in the Application and System sections for warnings or errors.

 

Let me know what you find

[Anne__Burns]

Sorry for the tardy reply. I looked and found no warning or errors. Should I not be too concerned about the shut down for now if nothing else happens?

[AdvancedSetup]

As long as it's not happening anymore then I suppose nothing to worry about.

[Firefox]

It could very well be that Microsoft updates were installed on your computer and then restarted your computer automatically....

Anyway lets see if it happens again and go from there....

[Anne__Burns]

Hello,

 

If my computer shut down for an update, it is not the way it usually works. I always get a request to restart after an security update if that is required for any specific one/s. Just the same, I will take a wait and see attitude for now.

 

Thanks to all for your assistance.

 

Anne

[Firefox]

Good idea on the wait and see... keep us posted...

[John L. Galt]

Sorry to intrude, but could you describe the force shut down?

 

Did it simply just power of in the middle of use, or did it go through a shut down like normal, only without giving you the option to cancel while waiting on programs to terminate?

[Anne__Burns]

Hello John,

 

Constructive intrusions are welcome (smile). My computer just powered down of it's own volition. It never happened to me (ever) before and seemed rather odd. For the most part I have a clean machine- clearing the cache regularly and full scans with Avast and, of course, Malwarebytes.

 

Anne

[John L. Galt]

OK, when you say powered down, it literally turned off, as if a switch was flipped, like with a light switch?

 

The reason I am asking is that, if it abruptly powered off as I am describing, then more than likely, it is a hardware issue - it could be something as simple as a bad ground on your USB port that caused the power supply to register a short and power itself down in order to avoid further damage (I've actually seen this happen with my own eyes on an older machine), or something similar occurring.

 

However, if it actually went through the motions of shutting down, where all of a sudden all your open apps started closing and ht screen may have gone slightly gray, then that could very well be a software issue.

[Firefox]

Hey John good point... I have one computer that you have to be careful what usb port you use cause it will cause the desktop to just shut off...

[Anne__Burns]

Hello,

 

Thanks to all for your feedback. I have decided to maintain a wait and see attitude for now. I can always come back here if I need to.

 

Anne

[John L. Galt]

Thanks for the reply and for telling us where you stand on this.

[blackdove83]

I dont mean to intrude either but getting the answer to johns question is extremely important.

A power off like a light switch is typically a hardware problem like he said. That can be a failing, overloaded or overheated power supply or a heatsink clogged with dust causing a shutdown.

HOWEVER back in 2012 i was on a car forum and clicked a thread(did not click an ad or link to another site) and my computer restarted as if i had gone to the start menu and clicked restart.

I noticed some lag afterward and then i got a blue screen. Ran a scan with Microsoft Security essentials(i knew nothing about security lol) and i had an Alueron.A rootkit.

I assume it was from a compromised ad serving an exploit that dropped the rootkit. You might want to get the experts on here to make sure you dont have a situation like i did.

[Anne__Burns]

Hello,

 

Constructive intrusions are welcome too BD83 (smile). If, in fact, it is a hardware problem, it seems most likely that I need to clean it out. I have had this desktop for less than a year. For now I will take a wait and see approach. There has not been any kind of shut downs except for the once. How often should I clean the machine anyway?

 

Anne

[blackdove83]

I dust my PC with a compressed gas duster every month or two.

Every few months should be fine as long as its not terribly dusty and the heatsinks arent clogged.

And did it just instantly power off or go through the shutdown procedure making the shutdown sounds and showing the shutdown screen?

If it mysteriously did it and it looks like software and not hardware caused the shut down or restart then you might not want to wait without at least running malwarebytes with rootkit detection enabled.

[John L. Galt]

Correct.  WE're still no 100% certain as to whether you meant it flipped off like a like switch or did a quick shut down.  That would be the key.

 

Also, since the computer is that new, it most likely has a warranty (unless home built) - and I would advice not waiting but getting your hardware evaluated before something like this happens again - an abrupt powering off of the computer while in the middle of use can (and usually is, at some point) detrimental not only to your hardware components but also your software installed, which, by extension, can cause data corruption and / or loss as well.

[Anne__Burns]

Hello,

 

My machine did a quick shut down while I was using it. One thing I need to tell you is that this is a refurbished model and I purchased the machine 10/04/13.  It does not have a one year warranty. I called HP customer service and was told that free protective software is useless and that the technician would scan for free. Free; yeah, right. I know darn well that he would have 'found' something to 'fix' for a fee.

 

I am going to get help sometime this week to clean the innards out as it is way overdue. What is rootkit detection and do I need it?

 

Anne

[John L. Galt]

Ahhh, well the good news is that it is probably not hardware related then.

 

rootkits:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rootkit

 

MBAM has built in basic rootkit scanning, and MalwareBytes makes a free advanced rootkit scanner as well:  http://www.malwarebytes.org/antirootkit/

[Anne__Burns]

Hello,

 

I used the advanced rootkit scanner and I am happy to say that nothing bad was found.

 

Anne

[gonzo]

Hello Anne & John,

 

I can't speak as an authority, but only to provide a bit more insight.  I have had refurb computers where the power supply provided enough power for a standard configuration, but not by much.  If a power supply is marginal or is stressed, it may shut down and cause an immediate shutdown.  I can't say that happened here, but it has happened to me in the past.  I checked the rating on my power supply, shook my head in disbelief, and bought one that provided more than enough power.  If you have added any components, or run the computer under warmer conditions, OR in a poorly-ventilated area (which causes it to run hotter), that's worth checking.  I hope it was a one-time event.  Good luck!

[blackdove83]

True but the rated Wattage or even 80 Plus is pretty meanimgless unless the PSU is high quality. Personally i wont put anything nut Seasonic or Delta PSUs in PCs i build.

Im still not quite sure if the computer in question made the windows shutdown sound and properly shut down or if it just went off like the power went out...

[Anne__Burns]

Hello,

 

Constructive insight is welcome here as well (grin). I get the feeling that if there is a power issue it would have come up a lot sooner. However, I am not completely ruling it out. When I get assistance cleaning the cpu I will take a gander at the power supply. Thanks to all who have helped me so far.

 

Anne