What Happened When Your Computer Keeps Shutting Down By Itself [MiniTool Tips]

You’ll feel much depressed when your computer randomly turns off when you’re working or studying on it, right? It's understandable since there are many factors that could lead to computer shutting off randomly. As long as the computer can be rebooted successfully, it's not a problem.

• In most cases, nothing will be changed when computer shuts down randomly.
• Even if your settings are modified or files are lost after a random shutdown, you are able to fix it.

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Nevertheless, things become more complicated and terrible when you find a computer keeps shutting down over and over again or laptop keeps shutting off,; there must be some serious problems on the PC. So people would be wondering:

• Why does my computer turn off by itself?
• How do I stop my computer from shutting down automatically?
• How to fix when computer turns on and off repeatedly?
• Things like that.

All those questions will be answered one by one in the following content. In addition, a step-by-step guide on how to recover data from the problematic computer (even the broken computer) by using the MiniTool software will be given to you.

Top 5 Reasons for Computer Keeps Shutting Down

Many people said they are bothering by or have ever encountered the situation: computer randomly shuts down or laptop randomly turns off. There’s a question in their minds: why does my computer keep shutting down. Let’s have a look.

#1. Power Supply Issue

First of all, you should go to check the power supply: whether it’s connected well and whether the supply is stable. A faulty power supply, battery, or charger could make your computer not work properly and even turn off. Besides, you’ll discover that the computer keeps turning off if the charger voltage is insufficient.

Then, go to check the following things.

#2. Overheating

Most computers on the current market are designed to turn off without giving a sign when the inner components overheat. Though there are heat sinks and fans used to help cool the CPU (Central Processing Unit), it still overheat sometimes, leading to unexpected shutdown of computer/laptop. You should suspect overheating when your PC randomly turns off after working for a long time (playing computer games or editing/watching videos).

#3. Hardware Failure

Another common reason to explain why computer shuts off randomly is hardware failure. You may find the PC randomly turns off when any of the hardware components is failed suddenly. In this case, you should check for hardware errors.

Two ways to check for hardware-related errors:

• Remove the non-essential hardware (one for each time) while the PC is turned off -> restart the PC to diagnose.
• Open Device Manager -> look for if there’s any special mark indicating the error.

Once you find the component which is failed, please replace it with a new one that can be compatible with your computer.

#4. Virus & Malware

Computer virus/malware is another common factor that should be blamed for when your computer turns on and off. Viruses, malware, Trojan horses, and worms are designed by malicious people to attack other people’s devices including computer. Some of them are programmed to shut down your system upon certain conditions once your computer gets infected. (Please use Windows Defender or third-party software to protect your PC.)

You should suspect that your computer is attacked by virus or malware if it shuts down when you execute a certain program/tool at specific times (for example, laptop keeps shutting down on startup). On this occasion, you should go to clear the virus immediately by using powerful anti-virus program. But don’t forget another thing – recovering data after virus attack.

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#5. Operating System Errors

A lot of operating system errors can lead to computer randomly shuts off. Some serious problems can even cause your computer to fail to turn on again (such as operating system not found). In this part, some of the common errors will be listed (the list is in random order).

Error 1: Fast Startup

The Fast Startup feature was designed to shorten the booting time of computer after a shutdown. Your user account will be logged off and the applications will be closed as usual when the Fast Startup feature is enabled. The feature helps to save the current system state in the hibernation file so that the system don’t need to load the kernel, system files, and drivers again. That’s how the booting time is reduced.

However, it may lead to an unstable system – your computer turns off by itself is one phenomenon. Under such circumstances, you should try to disable this feature.

Please disable Fast Startup when your computer randomly shuts down Windows 10 (the step-by-step guide will be given later).

Error 2: Device Drivers Issue

If any of the device drivers is incompatible, outdated, damaged, or missing, you’ll also find that the computer turns off without warning. This root reason is a driver crash. What you should do at this time is trying to identify the problematic driver and troubleshoot it.

You may open the Device Manager to have a look and check whether there is any yellow warning sign in front of the devices (the yellow warning sign indicates an unknown device). If yes, please troubleshoot it by updating the driver.

Error 3: Operating System Installation Corrupt

It’s usual to find the computer keeps shutting down when there’s problems at the operating system level.

How to check:

1. Restart your computer after shutting down.
2. Press corresponding button to enter BIOS setup.
3. Lay aside the computer after accessing the BIOS setup.
4. If the computer doesn’t shutdown, it indicates that your operating system installation is corrupted or damaged; if it still turns off, you should suspect the hardware failure.

In the former case, you should restore your system to a previous point when the computer shutting down randomly didn’t appear (you can also try to reset the computer or reinstall the system completely); while in the latter case, you may consider locating the problematic hardware component and fixing/replacing it.

Related reading:

• What Is HP Boot Menu? How To Access Boot Menu Or BIOS?
• What Is Acer Boot Menu? How To Access/Change Acer BIOS?

Error 4: Malfunctioning Sleep Mode

The sleep mode refers to a power saving state on device. When it’s enabled on computer, all the actions will be stopped and all the opening files, programs, and apps will be put in memory, so that it will access the low-power state. You can wake up a computer from sleep mode within just a few seconds.

However, if the sleep mode doesn't work properly, it will lead to random shutdowns. You can try to fix this problem by disabling the sleep mode.

Error 5: Outdated BIOS

If you find the computer turns on and off and this phenomenon keeps happening, the cause could be your BIOS – it may be outdated (damaged or corrupted). Therefore, you should ask professional assistance to help you update the BIOS.

Other problems you may encounter:

• UPS or surge protector problem
• Overclocked CPU or GPU
• Windows registry issues
• Corrupted or missing system files

What Is Fatal System Error & How Do You Fix It On Windows?

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How to Fix When Computer Randomly Turns Off

If your computer shuts down randomly, you should try to figure out what’re the possible causes for it by reading the previous part. After that, you can take corresponding measures to fix the problem.

Bonus Tip: Rescue Your Data

Your first reaction after finding computer shuts off randomly must be trying to turn on the computer again. It succeeds most of the time; however, some people discover a problem caused by the unexpected shutdown – a part of their data gets lost. This is not an unusual situation! Considering this, I think it's necessary to provide this step-by-step data recovery guide to you.

How to recover data from your computer?

Step 1: acquire a reliable data recovery tool.

There are many data recovery tools available for you; you can get one easily after searching on Google Chrome or another browser. You shouldn’t choose one casually for safety reasons; you are advised to acquire a reliable recovery tool from a safe website or link.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery is worth a try; it is totally clean & powerful and it won’t bring any damage to your computer. You can download the trial edition for free to experience its performance.

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Step 2: install the tool properly and launch it.

1. Double click on the executable file to bring up a setup wizard.
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the software step by step.
3. Check Launch MiniTool Power Data Recovery in the last step and then click Finish.
4. The software will be opened automatically. (You can also click on the icon to launch the software manually.)

Step 3: recover needed data by using the tool.

1. Select This PC option from the left-side pane to recover lost files on PC.
2. Specify the partition that contains the lost data.
3. Double click on the partition or click on the Scan button to start a full scan.
4. Browse the found items during the scan to select the files you want to recover (add a check mark in front of the files).
5. Click on the Save button and specify a location to store the recovered data.
6. Click on the OK button to confirm your selection and then wait for the recovery to finish.

You can go to take a look at the recovered files when a window pops up saying that the selected files have been saved to the appointed place.

Can you still recover data if your computer can’t boot successfully after a random shutdown? Of course, yes. Here’s how to recover data from hard drive without OS.

Tip 1: Check Hardware Status

You should first check the power connection, ventilation, fan, temperature and other hardware components to make sure they are working well and clean.

Tip 2: Turn Off Fast Startup

1. Open Windows search feature by pressing Windows + S on the keyboard.
2. Type Control Panel and then select it from the search result (you can also hit Enter).
3. Select Large icons or Small icons from the drop-down menu of View by at top right corner.
4. Select Power Options from the list.
5. Click Choose what the power button does from the left side of the Power Options window.
6. In the opening System Settings window, you’ll find the options including Turn on fast startup under Shutdown settings are greyed out and can't be modified.
7. Click on the Change settings that are currently unavailable link.
8. Uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended) and click on the Save changes button.

Tip 3: Update Drivers

1. Search on the internet and download the drivers for the unknown device.
2. Right click on this device in Device Manager.
3. Choose Update driver or Update Driver Software (depending on your system version) from the pop-up menu.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish updating the driver manually.

Tip 4: Reset Computer

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
2. Select Update & Security.
3. Shift to the Recovery option in the left pane.
4. Click on the Get started button under Reset this PC in the right pane.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete resetting your PC.

Tip 5: Use System Restore Points

This method is useful under the condition that System Restore is enabled in advance.

1. Open Control Panel.
2. View the items by small/large icons.
3. Click Recovery.
4. Select Configure System Restore.
5. Click on the System Restore button in the System Protection tab.
6. Follow the wizard to revert Windows to an earlier system restore point.

How to make the most of System Restore?

If this failed, you can try to fix the problem by updating your system or reinstalling the OS properly (e.g. perform a clean install).

Tip 6: Turn off Sleep Mode

1. Open Settings.
2. Select System.
3. Shift to the Power & sleep option in the left sidebar.
4. Select Never under Screen and Sleep in the right panel.

Tip 7: Update BIOS

Please don’t try this method unless you can ensure that you’re professional in doing this.

1. Go to the manufacturer’s website.
2. Search and download the latest BIOS version for your PC.
3. Save the compressed file in an external device.
4. Boot your PC and press a button to enter BIOS.
5. Select the file to update the BIOS.
6. Wait for the updating process to finish.

How to fix when PC doesn’t boot after BIOS update?

Tip 8: Check the HDD

1. Open Windows search.
2. Type cmd.
3. Right click Command Prompt.
4. Choose Run as administrator.
5. Type wmic diskdrive get status and hit Enter.
6. Wait for the process to end.

How to recover files on PC by using CMD?

You can still run SFC (System File Checker) and Troubleshooter since they can fix most software issues.

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Wrap up

Your computer keeps shutting down? Don’t worry too much when experiencing it. You’re not alone; it’s a common problem that a lot of people are suffering or have ever met. What you should do is stay calm and try to figure out the reasons for causing computer shutting down without giving a sign. After that, you should follow the tips mentioned above to try to fix the problem yourself.