Laptop shutting off?

Now, I'm not sure if I posted this topic in the right thread, so my apologies.


I have a Gateway NV78 that I've had for almost a year now. I've never had any issues with it shutting down like this, but it does have issues with overheating.

This issue is: Whenever I boot the laptop up (initially when I did, it had been closed and shut down for at least a day), it'd load the Windows 7 loading screen, I'd put my password in, it'd take it, the mouse would turn into the little blue loading wheel, the screen would go white like it does for a second right before you see your desktop but my computer clicks and shuts down.

At first, it didn't even get that far. I'd press the power button, it'd load the Gateway screen (the black and white one where you can F2 to enter setup) and it would just sit there. I was laying in bed after I had started it up and wasn't paying attention. Twenty minutes later I glance over and the Gateway screen is still there. That's actually what made me realize something was wrong.

I'm going to assume it didn't get that far (or, at least, to the Windows 7 loading screen) because I had my HTC Evo hooked up to my laptop via USB. I unplugged it and it suddenly loaded.

I'm able to load and boot my laptop up in Safe Mode. That is actually what I'm on right now. So I'm wondering, is it a virus? The last thing I did was download something small and it was fine after - I had turned it off soon after and it's been off for a whole day. It's just when I try to make it turn on now! I also read it could be that it's overheating, but my laptop is sitting on a cooling pad that has always cooled it and stopped it from shutting off for months now. Also, why would it boot in Safe Mode and not the normal mode?

Does anyone have any ideas or advice? I really would like to run my laptop out of Safe Mode on day.

 

Maybe there's a program in your startup that's taking down the PC.

Run FreePCAudit to get a snaphot of what's loading when you boot and attach the log in a response to this thread.

http://www.misutilities.com/free-pc-audit/index.html