Computer shuts off abruptly!

Okay, now I have a almost brand new Gateway Media Center which I bought last year (January of 2004). I started using it a couple months ago (March of 2005)...so now every 3 or 4 hours the computer just turns off completely. Its an abrupt off.

The warranty has expired on this darn thing and I don't know what the problem could be. Is it the bios? do i need to run a computer diagnostics test? i hope its nothing major. I also know that my explanation to my problem is very vague but i just have nothing to work from. Its a monitor and computer in one. Hope this helps. Any suggestions would help greatly.
Thanks.

S

 

One of two things to look into:

1) right click on the desktop, select properties, go to screen save, hit the power button (err the power button from the screen saver tab, not the power button on the computer ), in the power scheme...is there anything that represent 3 or 4 hours? Usually I normally turn all of these off.

2) Perhaps your computer is going through a BSOD and auto rebooting. So, hit the windows key + break key (or right click on my computer and select properties) or (Start, settings, control panel, System. Then select the advanced tab, then settings button for "startup and recovery", then uncheck "automatically restart". Hit ok, then ok again. For this situation it could be a BSOD that causes the reboot, shutting automatically restart will give us/you an error code for us/you to hunt down the problem.

 

Hi, I tried doing all that you mentioned but my computer is still just shutting off randomly. Could it be something with the bios??

 

Might try checking the power supply also, mine was doing that, and it was the power supply going bad.

 

Hi Yooper,
Yea it is the power supply. The computer has completely died on me and doesn't even want to turn on. I called Gateway and they don't even carry that perticular power supply anymore. The Gateway Media Center 610 is by far the worst computer system I have ever purchased. Gateway wants to charge me $500 to fix the darn thing. I smell a class action law suit against them very soon. I don't know how a company like Gateway stays afloat even after doing such schemes. Well anyways...i have to figure out a way to connect another power supply to the system.

THanks for the help guys.

S