Computer Shuts off 10 Minutes After Cold Boot

[Jorvalt]

Wasn't exactly sure where to put this problem, so I decided to just put it in Components.

Anyways, my problem is that for some strange reason, literally every time I turn my computer on from a cold boot, after about 10 minutes of being on it just shuts off. No shut down dialogue or anything, it just shuts off as if I had pressed the power button. Then, what happens afterwards varies. Sometimes, it will turn back on with no problems or hiccups. Other times, it might shut back off mid-boot or give me a BSOD. Then after that it might do that a few more times. Regardless, after it's done being fussy it's always completely fine for the rest of the day. No problems whatsoever. Doesn't just shut down randomly, doesn't BSOD, nothing. When I look in the event viewer, it doesn't say that the shutdown was due to power loss or any kind of error or anything. All it says is "The previous system shutdown at <time> on <date> was unexpected." I have absolutely no clue what could be causing this. Any ideas?

Edit: Last night, I had something unusual happen. After running all day with no problems, the computer just suddenly shut off, and then kept shutting off a few minutes after booting or during boot. Eventually, I just gave up and went to bed. This morning, I had the same kind of problem, though as of now it seems to be doing fine. So far.

 

[Jorvalt]

Is this just not a good forum to go to for tech problems? I notice that a lot of the threads inquiring about PC build advice and such get answered almost immediately, yet tech problems almost never get answered.

 

[KublaiKhan]

Could be the holidays. Could be the fact that this is an intermittent problem. Those are a PITA.

ALWAYS list your system specs with a post like this. Failing to do that will discourage many from looking at the problem. Is it a new system or old one? What temperatures do you have reported in BIOS? Did you build the system?

Otherwise, you did a great job describing the behavior.

This problem could be caused by any number of things. I'm only smart enough to describe a general procedure for you to follow, if you think that will help.

You want to isolate various parts of your machine by removing hardware in turn. After removing a piece of hardware, you see if the behavior continues. Easy, right?

This problem could be caused by heat, a faulty motherboard, hard drive, data or power cable, power supply, video card, power outlet, or gremlins.

I would even go far as to suggest that you have no external USB connections operating, just in case—though the problems I'm thinking of usually present at boot time, not afterwards.

First, disconnect and reconnect everything. EVERYTHING. It could be a loose or faulty connection.

Certainly try disconnecting all SATA devices other than the system drive. If the problem goes away, but returns when a certain drive is connected, then try swapping the cabling to each device in turn.

Take the system down to a single memory stick, and then rotate through each of the sticks you have, in case one is bad.

If you have a multimeter, check voltage at the outlet. It's supposed to be 110, but usually is not. It should be close. It should not vary wildly. If you find a problem, there are affordable regulators you can connect between the PC and the outlet. Change outlets while the problem persists.

Again, it would be nice to know if you have any unusual temperatures inside.


You can remove everything and check if the motherboard was installed properly, with all the required mounts. This requires putting everything back together.

At this point, most of the things you do require having spare parts around. You have a spare power supply?

Most often, this sort of problem is caused by excess heat, a loose connection, or poorly seated PCIe card. Until we know more about what you have or haven't tried, it's best not to go on.