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Troubleshooting A Rebooting Computer

If the cause of a rebooting computer is not being recorded in the Event Viewer - System or Event Viewer - Application, it can be difficult to determine the source of the problem.

It is not uncommon for a hardware-related problem to cause the computer to reboot and the error to not be captured by the Event Viewer.  To force Windows to stop on error and to display an error on screen if one is available, please use the following steps:
  1. Click Start - Control Panel - System.
  2. Click the Advanced tab.
  3. Click the Settings button under Startup and Recovery.
  4. In the Startup and Recovery window, uncheck the Automatically restart check box.
  5. Click OK.
You may also wish to review the CMOS/BIOS of the computer to see if there are any settings related to rebooting the computer on error.  You may also need to change this setting to prevent the computer from rebooting.

If you are unable to identify an Event ID related to this issue within the Event Viewer, following are the primary causes of a rebooting computer:

  • There may be a lack of free hard drive space on the primary partition which is causing the computer to reboot.  You may need to merge partitions using the Easeus Partition Manager.

  • The hard drive may be corrupt.  You may need to check for disk errors by right-mouse clicking the hard drive and performing the check disk process.  If the check disk process is not able to resolve the issue, you may need to replace the hard drive.

  • The rebooting computer is a Dell computer and is using a CD ROM image designed for AMD components but the computer has Intel components and requires Intel drivers.   Or the computer is using a CD ROM image designed for Intel components but the computer has AMD components and requires AMD drivers.

  • There is a heat-related/power-related problem involving the Case Fan, CPU Fan or Power Supply.  Possibly one or more of these components need to be replaced.  Or there may be something preventing the fans from functioning properly - such as excessive dust or an internal cable that is blocking the fan from turning.

  • There is a power-related problem at the location where the computer is used.  If the power outlets at the location where the computer is being used are not stable or provide dirty power, this can cause the computer to reboot.  In an effort to overcome this issue, you may wish to install a UPS and the accompanying UPS USB cable and UPS software.

  • There may be two anti-virus applications running at the same time.  The Windows Operating System can only support one anti-virus application.  It is recommended that you remove the second anti-virus applications using removal tools from the anti-virus vendor.

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