We have become accustomed to using our computers every day for the most mundane tasks: checking emails, checking the news or weather, playing games, listening to music or watching movies. Sometimes it happens that our PC suddenly shuts down while performing any of these tasks, which can be frustrating if repeated.
This guide will walk you through some troubleshooting steps that may help you resolve this issue.
The steps are presented in order. Start with the first one, see if it helps, then move on to the next one if it doesn't.
1# Check the PC power connection
Make sure the PC is properly powered by checking the electrical outlet connections. Make sure you are using a working electrical outlet. You can test another device, such as a lamp, with the same outlet to make sure it is reliable.
Also, make sure that the electrical connections to and from the PC are correct, that all plugs are firmly seated, and that no cables are twisted or damaged.
2# Check the computer ventilation
Computers heat up when they operate, and their internal parts must be cooled and kept at a certain temperature to function optimally.
If the computer overheats, it may shut down to prevent damage to its components. In the worst case, components may also melt or be fried if the computer is kept operating at a high temperature.
In order to know how hot the components of your PC are, watch this tutorial: Take the temperature of each component of your PC.
Then for check if your computer fans are still running, do the following:
- Look for any vents your computer may have: on the back, side, or bottom.
- With the computer turned on, place your hand in front of the ventilation holes and check if air is escaping.
Depending on your results, you will have three possibilities:
- There is no breath of air – This may mean that the fans are not working and the computer is not cooling. Please contact the product manufacturer for further assistance.
- Airflow is weak – The computer's fans may be clogged, causing them to slow down and prevent them from blowing enough air to properly cool the internal components. To correct this problem, clean the exterior and interior of the computer and grease the fans.
- Airflow seems normal – This could mean that the computer problem is software related. There are several different software solutions that can be tried to resolve the problem.
3 # Check for updates
Updates Windows often fix many operating system hardware and software errors in order to make Windows 10 stable and error-free.
To solve the problem of a PC suddenly shutting down, you should check for updates to Windows and ensure that the latest drivers have been installed for all devices.
To do this, follow these steps:
- Open the menu Start and go on the cogwheel of Settings.
- Click on " Update and security ».
- On page Windows Update, updates are listed waiting for a reboot, or those available for download, or simply nothing at all, which means that Windows 10 is up to date.
- Windows Update is up to date: there is nothing to do.
- An update requires a restart of the PC to install (which will be done automatically the next time the computer is shut down).
4# Check hard drive status
Another thing to check is your hard drive. If your hard drive is corrupted or has damaged sectors, you will likely encounter a wide variety of problems. Most of the time, the system does not start, but this can cause sudden shutdowns.
For this purpose, you can use third-party tools and scan the disk (like CrystalDiskInfo). For more details, I invite you to read this tutorial: How to check the health of a hard drive under Windows ?
5# Check if your PC is not infected by a virus
Your computer may be infected with a virus Or another malware designed to shut down your computer under certain conditions.
If your computer seems to shut down when running a certain program at specific times of the day, it may be infected.
If you think your computer may be infected with a virus, read this tutorial to clean and protect yourself: How to remove all viruses from my PC Windows ?
6 # Check your computer hardware
Any component faulty hardware from your PC can cause shutdown unexpected from the latter without warning.
If you recently added new hardware, remove it from the computer to make sure it is not causing the problem.
If you have not recently installed new hardware on the computer, your best solution is to unplug non-essential equipment. For example, remove your modem, DVD player, network card, sound card, and any other expansion cards that are not necessary for your computer to operate.
Running the computer without these cards can help diagnose your problem.