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My computer is turning itself off after about 5 minutes. Why?

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Summary: A virus scan and checking the cooling fans in a computer are good places to start if your machine shuts itself off frequently.

My computer is turning itself off after about 5 minutes. Why?

Well, there's not really enough information to go on here. I'd certainly start with a virus scan, but another possibility is that the machine overheating - I'd check the cooling fans as well.

Article C2059 - June 14, 2004

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Recent Comments
84 Comments

My friends pc turns off about every 5mins but it doesn't in safe mode. It has been taken to a shop for diagnosis. Hard disk,motherboard,power unit has been checked and it run perfectly well overnight at the shop. It worked o.k. for a few weeks but now it has started all over again. The techy in the shop can only advise that a full recovery looks as if this will be the only solution. Do you have any other suggestions???

Posted by: ruth at August 11, 2008 11:11 AM

hi i have a problem ok my eletric cut out and my computer turns of about a minute after i turn it on every time but if i push down on the fan for the procceser it keeps working im on it now can enybody tell me how to permanantly fix it

Posted by: chris at August 18, 2008 4:39 AM

my monitor turns off when i turn on my pc

Posted by: sandy at September 10, 2008 4:44 PM

Hello,

I am running Windows XP on my brand new computer, the first time i turned it on i installed win xp with no problems. Then 5 minutes later the computer shut down on its own. I tried to turn it on and it does but does not boot, only thing is that i can hear the computer and fans running but no sound like it normally does when it boots up. plz help

Posted by: Benny at December 9, 2008 2:09 PM

I just built a computer and everything was put together right, and its turns on and then i put in the operating (XP) disc and then after a couple of minutes(time varies) it just shuts off??????
P.S. I even got 4% downloaded from the disc.

Posted by: t-dog at December 20, 2008 9:58 PM

Hi My Computer Turns Of Every 5min after I Tried Removing Something Called Anti-Virus-1 Now I Cant Do Nothing Without It Turning Off Do You Know The Problem And How To Fix It? Thanks

Posted by: Tony at March 4, 2009 6:05 PM

Reply to: Posted by Dan at June 28, 2004 9:32 PM: For the person who asked the original question, it might be as simple as the power setting. Right click on the desktop, go to Properties, screen saver, then power settings. There should be many different options.

Reply: Thank you, Dan!!! I took your advice and yes, it was a simple solution. I right clicked on Desktop, then clicked on Properties - Screen saver. In Monitor Power at bottom, clicked on Power. Therein lay the problem! All four settings were set to turn my computer off after a designated time. I did not choose these settings. Bought this computer new in 2005 and the "turning itself off thing" had NEVER happened until recently. I'll probably never know what caused the setting changes. A similar thing was happening with my sound. The sound would cease .....then I discovered that the Volume Control was sometimes muting itself or the SW Synth Volume was sliding to the bottom .....or both! Again, have no idea why! I now keep a Volume Control icon in the Taskbar for convenience if it mutes again. The icon must have scared it because the volume hasn't turned itself off in a looooong time. :-) Again, Dan, many thanks for your suggestion! ~Joyce

Posted by: Joyce at May 26, 2009 4:52 PM

my computer off itself after 30ty munits i chaque my os & all hardware devices but there is no problem, how can i recover it?

Posted by: subrato goswami at July 29, 2009 2:09 AM

Check you CPU temperature, if you set your laptop battery bios cpu temperature protect as 70 degree, when the CPU temperature over 70 degree, it will close.

Maybe you need to change your CPU fan.

Posted by: Jack at August 16, 2009 7:36 PM

MY COMPUTER WAS TURNED ON AND IT WENT TO THE WINDOWS SCREEN AND THEN SHUT DOWN AND THEN TURNED ITSELF BACK ON SO WHEN I NOTICED IT KEPT REPEATING I JUST PULLED THE BATTERY OUT. THEN WHEN I TURNED IT BACK ON IT TURNED OFF WITHIN 2 SECONDS AND JUST GOES ON AND OFF UNTIL U PULL THE BATTERY OUT AGAIN...I CANNOT POSSIBLY LOGIN TO VIRUS SCAN...IS IT TOO LATE???

Posted by: MIKEY M at October 8, 2009 2:30 PM

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