Laptop cycling on/off

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

Ok, I fire up the laptop (Windows XP) - it runs for a few minutes - then (with no help from me) goes into hibernate. Soon as it is down, it restarts. Then hibernates, etc. etc. etc.

Took it to Best Buy - of course it was working OK. But the gal (who actually seemed to know something) changed the power save options as something to try.

Took it home - same stuff.

Back to Best Buy - the guy (seemed like a hack) said I had to re-install the operating system. That was the only thing he could think of...

Nice idea. Back home. It does boot up on the CD, but, goes back into the hibernate / restart mode. How ya gonna reinstall the operating system, eh?

I'm thinking something like the heat sink on the CPU has come adrift? I dunno. I don't hear the fan turning on/off anymore either.

Tried it on battery alone. Battery and power cord. And Power cord with battery removed. No diff that I can see.

Ideas?

(stopping back at Best Buy on the way home again tonight)

(It's covered under their extended warrenty so once I can convince them to take it and fix it, it shouldn't cost me, but, of course it will take a minimum of two weeks to send it out and back...)

 

[Areeda]

As far as I know several things can cause it to hibernate on its own. As you guessed overheating is one of them, low battery is another.

If you boot from the CD you are not using the software on the hard drive so replacing the software (reinstalling the OS) has little to no chance of fixing it.

I find it interesting that it worked at the store, what's different? To follow up on your overheating theory, it could be that it was turned off for a longer period and therefore cooler when you started.

Does that fit what happens at home? Works for a while in the morning then shorter and shorter times as you restart? If so, you should be able to reproduce it at the store by running it in the car until it start to misbehave, then go in and boot from CD to prove it ain't your software.

Just some early morning musing, what does Rich have to say?

Joe

 

[RJM62]

Probably the fan. But it's strange that it worked in the store.

Another possibility is that at home, you have a tablecloth. Tablecloths can actually block the cooling vents on some laptops (seriously). I don't know if that's the case for yours.

-Rich

 

[kgruber]

Have you vacuumed or blown it out recently. Also, reseat the memory chips, that might help.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

Have you vacuumed or blown it out recently. Also, reseat the memory chips, that might help.

Good idea. It's a PITA to get apart, but...

In the store it was sitting on a hard counter and not on my lap. But I was thinking loose heat sink that might have fallen back in place during transport.

It tends to work longest when first turned on, but there appears to be some degree of randomness.

I'll open it up myself and see what I find.