At times we have seen that while working on a system it tends to turn off without any warning or a restart popup message. These random shutdowns are not only annoying but may also ruin your work and mess up things which you might not have saved.
There are many reasons that account for the rise of such a glitch which must not be ignored and should be paid close attention.
Some of them are- Software/Hardware issues, Malware Infection, Driver related problems, Obsolete BIOS, Fast Startup demerits, Overheating, Battery Problems and Insufficient Charger Voltage, and OS Problems.
These are the general causes which may lead your PC to breakdown instantly; however, there are some workable ways for their fixation, which all the ordinary, as well as technical users, may try implementing.
Take a Rundown
Step 1: Check the Power Supply or Test it with a Different Supply Mode
If your computer shuts down unknowingly and if you are unable to get it back on, try for checking the power supply as it may be one of the cause for its instant shut off.
Step 2: Check for Overheating
Many times it is seen that overheating, due to improper PC usage, fan troubles, dust, and dirt, etc. lets your machine to breakdown then and there, thus delaying your tasks.
One must look for all these conditions and avoid the following to prevent such a situation:
- Never use your computer in sunlight or humid conditions
- Never make your system alarming hot
- Take care of the malfunctioning of the fans
- Clean the PC regularly as dust particles tend to prevent proper air circulation inside
- Avoid overlocking as it plays a significant role in overheating and damages the machine
Step 3: Disable Fast Startup
Fast-Startup, as its name says, help your computer to boot at a good speed but unfortunately may become one of the reasons for spontaneous turn-off. So, if the issue is faced frequently, go for turning off the Fast-Startup option.
Go to Control Panel-> Power Off Options-> select Choose what the power buttons do->
Click on Change settings that are currently unavailable-> scroll down to Shutdown settings-> uncheck Turn on fast startup and save the changes.
Step 4: Update BIOS
BIOS (basic input/output system) needs update while facing common PC problems. Unexpected shutdown happening frequently gives a hint to update your BIOS and must be performed carefully as if not done right could further damage the system and reverse its settings.
Steps to follow
- Explore your manufacturer’s site and go for downloading the updated BIOS
- Place the downloaded compressed file on your formatted flash drive
- Go for system reboot and press Delete button while on boot
- Go to BIOS->M-Flash
- Choose a file to update BIOS and ME and select the flash drive
- The system then reboots and starts updating your BIOS
Wait for the whole process to finish and if unsuccessful, its recommended to seek technical help from a professional or go for checking the detailed steps online. (Google “brand name+update BIOS”).
Step 5: Malware Check
There is a major possibility that if the machine starts acting weird and shuts down without any warning, it might have been injected with some viruses or spyware from hardware devices or through web browsing.
This arises the need for verifying the whole system by launching an antivirus scan to find out the trouble. You can run Windows Defender which is an in-built feature of Windows that eliminates the unwelcoming malware to reduce threats and risks.
You can also install some third party tools in order to safeguard the PC from malicious virus attacks and prevent it from turning off regularly.
Step 6: Driver Updates
Anything that becomes obsolete must be upgraded to the new version or replaced if it’s of no use. The system drivers also need to be updated with time as they may become the reason for your system to shut down, again and again, thus, ruining up your work.
So check for the outdated drivers and update or reinstall the problematic ones. You can make use of the Device Manager to resolve driver issues.
Win + X-> Device Manager-> expand the device enteries-> look for the troublesome driver-> right click on it-> update driver software
Apart from this, you can use several tools that will help you diagnose and fix the driver issues.
Hope the above-mentioned methods would help you to come out of the PC’s random shut off hiccups.