Win 8.1 PC: Spontaneous shutdowns

I�ve had a Lenovo all-in-one desktop since late May and have been delighted; it functioned flawlessly.

This morning I was working away when the PC shut down. It was as thought somebody had pulled the plug out. I checked all connections and rebooted. Everything was fine except the data I was working on. About four hours later the same thing happened again. I lost data. I began to wonder about a hardware issue be it the power pack, the power supply, or a faulty fan.

I contacted the vendor�s TS. They suggested an issue with the power pack, failing which my PC would be taken for repair. This would take 2-4 weeks. (I would have to buy another computer to tide me over because my laptop is very basic) TS contacted Lenovo who wanted to know what I�d been doing and whether I�d been working on the PC for the entire four hours. I hadn�t but a decent PC ought to cope with four hours of consistent use. Lenovo didn�t think it had anything to do with hardware. Almost certainly I needed to update the chipset driver. I think I had the latest already! I installed the last driver available but have little confidence in this supposed solution. I contacted TS again. If the new driver is not the answer they will press Lenovo for a new power-pack. I�m a tad unhappy about the prospect of having to buy another new PC if this one has to go for repair.

It�s early days yet but what are your thoughts on the problem?

Sounds like overheating to me. Maybe run some system monitoring software to see if there are any issues with temperature building up?

Have you looked in the system event log to see if any events were logged at the time of the shut down?

The system even log only reports the boot up after a faulty shutdown. There's nothing that hints as what caused the shutdown. The effects of temperature over power seem the most likely hardware culprit. There's nothing blocked. The systems feels nice and cool, though the AC Adapter/ power pack is quite warm.

I've had such an easy ride with PCs since my first XP model until that I no longer know the best monitoring software to use. Si-Soft Sandra? The CPU is Intel Core i5.Any idea what the temperature ought to be for this CPU?

Edited by ARD (Tue 29-Jul-14 16:46:14)

Try SpeedFan.

I've just been reading that webpage! However, as I said to Ian I'm uncertain as to the correct temperature for my CPU. Reasonable to go with this:

"In general you should consider 60 degrees Celcius the absolute maximum for long periods, but aim for 45-50 degrees to be safe"

Any other ideas?

Edited by ARD (Tue 29-Jul-14 16:57:30)

This page gives some ideas of running temps. Should be relatively cool for normal running but could peak at 70C under load. If it gets 90C plus then likely to cause shutdown.

When you say the power pack is "warm" do you mean just warm to the touch but you can hold it for minutes without discomfort? If so, it is probably ok. If it is uncomfortable to hold then I would suspect that as being a culprit.

First, I have not installed SpeedFan owing to the astonishing quantity of [censored]-ware that comes with it. I'll have to Si-soft Sandra or something else.

Second, the power-pack (Lenovo AC 120 W) is warmer than I'd expect but I could carry it about without discomfort.

Thanks for the link. There hasn't been a 3rd shutdown so maybe the problem is small... or even temporary.

EDIT: I'm running HWMonitor. The system temperature seems fine. The range is around 55-45 Celsius.

Edited by ARD (Tue 29-Jul-14 17:19:36)

Could well have been a temporary trip out in the power supply then - or even just some random electrical event from the power station that has now stabilised.

If the shutdown had happened once I�d forget about it but it was twice within four hours. I was not impressed by the vendor�s TS and still less by advice from Lenovo. The PC was purchased at the tail end of May. It�s not a throw away item. Neither is it one I�m prepared to part with for the 2-4 weeks quoted. Moreover, I�m dubious about the quality of repair from a company that blamed the chipset driver. Here�s a screenshot from 9.25 am. At least I hope you can see my screenshot!

http://tinyurl.com/k2u5gej

Any thoughts about power?

As it hasn't happened since I would be inclined to put it down to a freak event - but if it happens again then I would be wanting a replacement as it is that new. Did you buy direct from Lenovo or via a reseller?