Laptop randomly turns off

My bosses computer is always randomly turning off. Especially when it isnt plugged in. When it turns off when it is running on battery, it has only just been turned on or has only just reached windows desktop. He is running windows xp.

I have found that his CPU heat temperature is not the problem as:
1. When it is turned on after a few hours, thats when it switches off
2. The laptop is far from hot when it runs and is on a hard surface

Please help, I cant find the problem

Thank you

 

Have you seen a pattern of any kind in the shut-down? Whenever a certain application is running, or whenever switching from one to another?

Also, I'd suggest running memtest, to rule out bad RAM.

 

There isnt really much of a pattern. The only pattern I see, when the laptop is not plugged in, is that it switches off (not going through the shut down proccess). This leads me to believe that it switches off when a certain boot file is being loaded. But the laptop runs fine after it is switched back on again. Another pattern would be when windows has loaded, thats also another time when the laptop randomly switches off.

I really do think this is a RAM problem, so many people on the net, including you have said so. I have downloaded a memory test but it is an ISO and needs to be burned onto disk and i just dont have the software (although i have magic iso software)

Should i maybe use the Ubuntu memory test on there? that has always been very reliable. It takes a while but I would always try. If you could suggest anything better. let me know

Thank you if you are right he will be so happy

 

Yep, random unpredictable shutdowns = memory problems.

By the way, the Ubuntu live CD memory test is memtest86+ It is probably not the most recent version, but it's still reliable and if you have it, by all means test away.

Oh, and for burning of ISOs, try CDBurnerXP. Freeware, easy to use, very good at what it does.

 

omg, u rule! thank you so much! i will give it a try and thanx about the head up on that ubuntu bein the same lol

I shall try that maybe, if there are no problems found then I will try a more updated version

 

Happy to help! Feel free to check back if you run into more issues