my computer is possessed, please help

[scottsins]

twice today (never before) it spontaneously shuts down completely. I am guessing that I have a bad/missing ini file or some other type of file of which i have NO idea what the hell they do, etc.

I ran virus scan and have nothing infected.

is there a good FREE program that will fix this type of problem?

thanks

 

[UT92girlfriend]

The same thing happend to me. All I did was reinstall Windows and that fixed it. But if you do that all the stuff you have on your computer will be wiped out, so i would save the stuff you want saved and just reinstall the other programs. If all fails, get a new computer.

 

[scottsins]

i also forgot to metion that when it "shuts down", what heppens is that the srceen goes black, but the CPU remains ON. To actually restart the machine, I can not turn the computer off by pressing the POWER button. It does not respond. The only way to get it OFF/ON again is to unplug the power cord from the outlet.

 

[PukeNRally]

It could be your power supply or your memory. When I was building my computer it would shut down because the memory was screwed up. Have you installed any new hardware or software? If you suspect the memory, you can use the link to check it out.

 

[scottsins]

would caching be the problem?

i thought i read something about that.

i am computer-retarded.

 

[RayDog]

Sounds like a power supply to me, and I've had this happen a couple times over the years. Do as the smart man says and backup everything important that isn't backed up already in case something bad happens, then try swapping in a good power supply.

 

[ERhine]

If you are referring to a laptop, it might be the screen itself that is the problem. On my last laptop the connection between the screen and whatever makes it all work was somehow broken. It would randomly go black like you said, still on, but you couldn't see anything.

 

[idigTexas]

In no particular order, I would suspect heat, memory, video card drivers, video card, overclocked power supply and/or video card, corrupt registry, or something else. There is no magic program you can run to fix the problem. What you have to do is start eliminating variables.

The easiest of these to test is heat. Remove the computer case cover, and keep a fan blowing on the guts. If the problem goes away, your system is overheating. If it doesn't, try something else.

Download and install the latest video drivers next. Make sure your CPU and video card are configured to run at spec. Go into your system BIOS and load the fail safe options. If you happen to have a spare power supply, video card, or extra RAM stashed somewhere, you can swap out those.

If you've eliminated all of the above, you are down to reinstalling the operating system or replacing the motherboard, CPU, or whole system.

By the way, you should be able to turn off your system by holding down your on/off switch for 5-10 seconds. If this doesn't cause your PC to turn off, I'd give a little more weight to the power supply as being the culprit.

 

[TexasOwnzYou]

my $ would be on video card going out.