Automatic reboot

[crowegreg]

I have a Dell Inspiron 580 with i5, 8GB RAM, 1GB Video card. Periodically, the computer will reboot on its own. I've been working with Dell support, and their indication is it is not a hardware issue. They seem to believe it is a software issue. I've just re-installed the operating system, Windows 7 Home Edition, and installed Office 2010 and Norton Antivirus 2011. These are the only applications I've installed since re-installing Windows. While having IE8 and Microsoft Outlook 2010 open, the computer rebooted. When it reboots, the screen comes up recognizing the system did not shut down correctly, and gives you the option of starting windows, running diagnostics, etc. Once windows has started there are no problems. Any thoughts??

 

[brady]

If you look in Event Viewer, can you find any related error messages in either Application or System logs?

$2 bucks it's norton related

 

[Mike Connor]

Indeed, I think it's most likely a hardware problem, and DELL should give you a new one that works, which is probably why they think it is a software problem!

Just to be certain, throw the Norton stuff away. If it still happens, it's almost certainly hardware.

Regards....Mike Connor

 

[PooMan UK]

Often unexpected restarts can be caused by many things from a faulty power supply to dodgy ram, so it can be very hard to trouble shoot. Have you tried looking at your reliability monitor which might narrow it down a bit.

You might also want to try running the System File Checker to make sure you dont have a corrupted file.

To do this, click on the Start orb and type cmd.exe in the Start Search box. Rightclick on it and choose "Run as Administrator". Once the Command Prompt opens, type
"sfc /scannow" without the quotes and hit Enter. The System File Checker will start. It might take a while to complete so be patient. Reboot when it has completed.

 

[mgorman87]

Or...you might have automatic restart enabled and you are getting BSODs and you don't know it. Make sure it is disabled by going typing advanced system settings in the start search and hitting enter. Click settings under startup and recovery. Make sure automatic restart is not checked and write event to system log is checked. Hit ok and then hit apply. The next time the computer crashes, instead of restarting, you will get a blue screen.

 

[crowegreg]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Dell has decided to replace the HD, motherboard, and the heat sink. We'll see what happens.