Why does the laptop turn off by itself: diagnostics and solution

Problems with laptop devices are not uncommon. For many, the laptop turns off by itself after a while, for others, the shutdown occurs at startup or during a game. Regardless of how it happens, the problem exists and it is common. It must be solved, but initially the cause of this malfunction should be accurately determined. We will consider the problem and immediately ways to fix it.

Why does the laptop turn off by itself and what to do?

Initially, you must decide how the problem manifests itself. Does your laptop turn off on startup or during operation? After a while or does it happen right after the download? For some users, the laptop boots up, and after a second it turns off, while for others it works for a certain time, while each time is different. It also happens that the device abruptly stops working when a particular software is launched. This information will allow you to more accurately understand the reasons.

Reason 1: overheats and shuts down

This is the most common cause of this problem. A central processor is installed inside the laptop, which heats up while performing tasks, this is a natural process for such a component. In order for the device to work properly and for a long time, the manufacturer installs a cooling system, it consists of a radiator and a fan. The first is leaning against the processor, it absorbs heat, and the second drives air through it and removes heat outside. When everything is working properly, no shutdowns occur, if the cooling is ineffective, then the temperature of the processor reaches a critical value and the system shuts down to keep the component intact.

Symptoms of this malfunction:

• The laptop turns off after a while after booting.
• If the load on the processor is large, then it turns off faster.
• A loud fan noise is heard during operation.
• If you turn on the laptop immediately after turning it off, it will turn off much faster.
• The bottom of the notebook is very hot.

Almost every laptop user faces this problem. Most often this happens due to the fact that users neglect periodic preventive cleaning of the device from dust and do not change the thermal paste. Although the manufacturer recommends doing this every 1-2 years.

It is quite difficult to solve this problem on your own; disassembling a laptop requires special tools and skills. It is better to immediately contact the professionals, they will clean the cooling system, replace the thermal paste and thereby restore the efficiency of the cooling system. The laptop will no longer turn off, even under load.

Reason 2: defective battery

When wondering why the laptop turns off by itself, you should immediately think about the battery, especially if the device is already several years old. It is an important power element, it is through it that voltage is supplied to the motherboard, even if it is connected to a household network. Gradually, it wears out and becomes the cause of various problems, including periodic shutdowns of the laptop, which create a lot of discomfort and lead to loss of information.

Malfunction symptoms: 

• It is difficult to determine the shutdown algorithm, it always happens in different ways.
• There is no fan noise before shutting down.
• After disconnecting, the laptop can reboot on its own and work.
• Without a battery, this is not a problem.

Be sure to remove the battery from the seat, if it’s easy to do it in your laptop, connect the device to an outlet and work with it for a while. If there are no outages, then you have found the reason and its solution is quite logical, this element needs to be changed. Use the original battery when replacing, this is the only way to ensure that the laptop is in good working order. As a rule, the wear of the original part occurs in 3-5 years, depending on the quality and modes of use of the device.

Reason 3: viruses

If the laptop turns off immediately when you turn it on, then this may indicate a software problem. Most likely, a faulty program, a virus, a conflicting driver, etc., has appeared on your system. The presence of viruses in the system can lead to a laptop shutdown, and the problem manifests itself in different ways. The termination of the work can occur even at the boot stage, or maybe after a while. There are known cases when shutdown occurs after launching a specific or antivirus program.

Signs of a virus infection:

• The system works very slowly, difficulties even with performing simple tasks.
• Lots of system errors appear before shutdown.
• The anti-virus program constantly signals about the problem.
• The processor is loaded with something, even when you are not doing anything.

To solve the problem, you need to boot the system in safe mode, and then scan it with an antivirus. To do this, while the laptop is booting, press the F8 key, select “Safe Mode” in the menu that appears. In it, all third-party software and services will be disabled, and only standard system functions work. Run your antivirus, search for malware and remove it.

Reason 4: operating system crash

The operating system is quite complex in structure, a huge number of different processes are running here, so that the user gets a stable and fast environment. It is configured in such a way that in case of errors in the performance of certain operations, a corresponding error message appears. In this case, the system will independently restart the service with failures and solve this problem, in the background. But if a critical situation occurs, the power may be cut off.

Such failures do not happen by themselves; they are a consequence of certain problems. If there are viruses or were before deletion, then the file structure of the operating system may be violated, which causes such critical errors. It may also be an indication that the user is using unlicensed software or even the system itself. It is not uncommon for an unofficial device driver or a conflict to cause a failure.

Signs of OS crashes: 

• You see error messages frequently.
• The laptop turns off with a blue screen.
• When you reboot, you see a message that the system has recovered from a critical error.

You can solve the problem on your own, but not in all cases. Sometimes only a complete reinstallation of the OS and its professional setup will allow you to forget about laptop shutdowns forever. All the user can do on their own is to run a system check:

1. Right-click on the system drive, usually “Drive C”.
2. Select “Properties”
3. Here go to the “Service” tab.
4. Click “Check Disk” and confirm this action.

We also recommend that you right-click on Start and select “Command Prompt”. Enter sfc / scannow here – this is the command to start a system scan and automatically fix problems.

On reboot, the system will check the disk for errors and restore system files. This can fix the problem with intermittent shutdowns. But if this did not help, then you need to think about reinstalling the entire OS. It is better to entrust this work to professionals. If you decide to perform this procedure yourself, then use only the official release of Windows, it can be downloaded from the Microsoft website. Also, during setup, select only those drivers that you yourself downloaded from the portal of your laptop manufacturer.

Reason 5: poor connections with the power cable

If there are periodic shutdowns of the laptop, then you should make sure that the contact in the connector is reliable and the power cable is not damaged. This is a fairly common problem, the wire next to the socket is constantly bending and can be damaged, which as a result will stop supplying voltage to the motherboard, which means the device will stop working.

You can turn on the laptop and then wiggle the charging cable. If during this procedure a computer shutdown occurred, then the problem has already been found and it is necessary to dig in this direction. Also, if during this manipulation you can notice how a notification about the appearance and disappearance of battery charging flashes in the lower right corner of the operating system, this also indicates this malfunction.

Self-repair will not always be possible, it is better to immediately contact the professionals. If the polarity is not observed when replacing the connector, damage to the motherboard may occur and repair of the device will become impractical. If the problem is in the socket itself, which is part of the MP, then disassembly and repair require special tools and equipment. In order not to risk and solve this malfunction as quickly as possible, you should immediately contact the service center, there they will help you in a matter of hours.

Reason 6: physical breakdown

In some cases, the problem may be the physical breakdown of one or another component. If this is the case, then the user will not be able to find the reason on his own, it is necessary to test the laptop with special equipment, check the various components of the system for operability. If you contact the service center, they will be able to quickly find the problem and offer the best solution.

Often the cause of shutdowns is the failure of such components: RAM, video card, hard drive, battery or laptop charging module. The graphics adapter fails due to constant overheating, users rarely take a laptop for routine cleaning, so the cooling system does not cope with its work and an expensive component breaks down. The RAM may have malfunctions due to factory defects or constant voltage surges in the household network. The hard drive may fail due to dropping, strong vibration, unexpected shutdowns.

Is it worth solving the problem yourself?

In some cases, you can actually fix the problem yourself, especially when it comes to software malfunctions. But if the breakdown is of a physical type, then it is better to immediately contact the professionals. Self-intervention not only often causes more problems, but also injuries. These are electronics that operate on high voltages without following safety precautions or using the wrong tools can worsen the situation.

But you shouldn’t run to the service center right away, try to perform an independent diagnosis according to the recommendations above, so you can understand what is the reason that the laptop turns off by itself and take certain measures to solve the problem.