Dell M4400 Randomly Shuts Down

[Patton3660]

So I own a Dell M4400 that I bought used. It has a problem of randomly shutting down for no reason. Most of the time it shuts down when playing a game of some sort or even shuts down when doing nothing but looking on the internet. Another thing is it gets hot really, really fast. It has a new battery and charger, and other than shutting down works fine.

 

[house70]

Probably shuts down from overheating, you could check temps with specific software (Google it up).
Go into BIOS and make sure the default values are loaded (i.e., the thing is not overclocked). Also, give it a thorough cleanup, including the vent ports on the case, radiators, etc.

 

[Patton3660]

I forgot to mention that on some occasions it shuts down when cool. I do think that overheating is part of the problem though, thanks

 

[Rohit G Nair]

May be if not overheating then your motherboard or graphics card or any components is damaged and also check after a clean install or a second os install to prevent software problems and also remember that laptops are mostly get damaging at a very less time interval than a desktop does and also dell laptops like mine are mostly full of errors and problems and you shall also consider giving it to dell if it is under warranty.

 

[Patton3660]

Alright, I will have to get it checked out. Thanks for all your guys help!

Edit: I have been thinking about it and wondering if just going ahead and buying a new motherboard would fix the problem?

 

[house70]

Alright, I will have to get it checked out. Thanks for all your guys help!

Edit: I have been thinking about it and wondering if just going ahead and buying a new motherboard would fix the problem?

Buying a new motherboard will need re-activation of your OS copy; that is, after all the other hardware compatibility issues have been solved.

I would check the cooling on that existing configuration before deciding about replacing the hardware. Sometimes something as simple as re-installing the heatsink on the CPU after replacing the thermal paste is enough.

 

[Patton3660]

Okay, well do!