When the PC shuts down by itself, there can be different causes and different problems depending on how it does it, if it is a sudden shutdown or if some error screen appears before shutting down . This is a rather heavy and serious problem, especially if you are working on something or even if you are playing, because everything you are doing is lost and erased from memory.
Furthermore, the sudden shutdown of the computer can damage the hard disk or data inside it, if its head was writing data at that time.
In the first case the computer shuts down as if the power goes off, suddenly and in a second, completely disconnecting the energy.
If this happens, the problem is related, in most cases, to overheating .
It is no coincidence, in fact, that this sudden shutdown occurs in summer, both on a fixed PC and on a portable PC.
In the second case, however, the shutdown may have proceeded from a blue screen, which means critical system error, very often linked to the hardware malfunction.
READ ALSO: Signs that the computer is about to crash or crash
First cause of sudden stop: the heat
The heat is a great enemy of electronic components which if they are brought to high temperatures, above 80 or even 90 degrees, can be irreparably damaged.
Therefore, it is fundamental to try and do some maintenance in order to keep the computer cool .
To prevent breakages, the Windows system, which can read the temperatures of the various components via internal sensors, puts in place an automatic safety system that switches off the energy and the PC switches itself off.
There are some programs to control temperature and heat inside the computer, such as Speedfan, which not only allows us to control the rotation speed of the fans, but also the temperatures of all the components, i.e. disks, processor, video card.
In particular, it is necessary to check that all the fans run at maximum speed when the temperatures rise and that they are not obstructed by dirt and piles of dust and, if necessary, replace the too dirty or old fans with new ones.
In another article we have seen, in detail, how to manage the PC fans for better cooling and air flow and how, if necessary, replace the older and dirtier fans (or heatsinks).
The most important fan in a desktop computer, in addition to the one that gives outwards, is that of the CPU (i.e. the processor), which is the internal component that heats up the most.
When using a program with high CPU usage or if you play a game with 3D graphics, if the computer shuts down on its own, the cause is certainly the CPU temperature that exceeds 90 degrees.
You must therefore open the computer case and clean the fan located above the processor or CPU, recognizable because it is located in the center of the motherboard, attached to a metal filter.
Ideally, if you have some manual skills, it would be a good thing to disassemble the CPU fan, clean it well and, if necessary, also apply thermal paste on the surface of the processor.
We also wrote a detailed guide on this topic, explaining how to do if the CPU temperature is high and too hot, what to do to cool it .
In another article, finally, the guide to clean your computer from dust .
All this goes as a solution if the PC turns itself off during its use.
If, on the other hand, the shutdown takes place during the start-up phase or after a short time when it is switched on or at times when nothing is being done, the cause could be linked to a virus or to an undersized power supply for the computer.
To check that no malware is occupying the CPU intensively when we are not using the computer, we need to do an antimalware scan with Malwarebytes, which never hurts and should be done often in any case.
If there are no viruses and there is nothing unusual, it may be necessary to change the power supply to the PC, which can also be done without the intervention of a technician on a desktop PC, even if it may seem complicated.
Changing the power supply may not bring desired results if the motherboard is damaged, but then we will probably be forced to change computers.
In another article, the symptoms of a faulty PC power supply that is about to break.
On a laptop PC, the power supply is not something you can change on your own, but requires manufacturer intervention.
However, in many cases, the fault of the laptop that shuts itself off can be the damaged battery, to be detached if possible.
Second cause of arrest: Critical error
If the PC shuts down after showing a blue screen or even an error window, then there is a problem that can be of a software type, on the system or program used, or of a hardware type.
Those who are more experienced can try doing a "blue screen" Windows crash analysis and find the cause of the error.
Usually, the blue screen is an error related to hardware device driver problems, which may not be updated.
You can then try to start the PC in safe mode (which does not load the drivers) and check if the error is the same.
The external devices connected to the USB ports of the computer must therefore be disconnected selectively to identify the person responsible for the block.
To avoid other types of errors, it is worth checking that you have updated the drivers.
In other cases, the problem may be the RAM memory, to be replaced.
Those who are more experienced can check the functioning of the RAM with a special program.
Replacing the RAM is very simple, both on portable and fixed PCs.
READ ALSO: Blue screen, sudden shutdown or restart of the computer
