New Computer for Windows 10

[cx]

Not ignoring your suggestion, Dan, just don't understand. It's not the monitor that's quitting, it's the laptop. Get the same black screen on the laptop as on the remote monitor.

If you really have reason to suspect the monitor is causing the failure, your suggestion would certainly work, but I'd hafta use that little bitty screen on the laptop for........how long? Maybe days? Or weeks? Or months? Not sure I can stand the pain, and if it never quits again for six months, would I even know I fixed anything, or if it just hadn't decided to fail again?

So, do you have actual knowledge you're withholding? Or do you just wanna see me suffer for a while?

[jgleason]

You could always update to Windows 11.

[cx]

Go wash out your filthy mouth, Joe Gleason!

[cx]

But before you do that, tell me what's wrong with my Windows 10. Well, that might take all day, but please tell me why it just turns itsownself off now and then, eh?

[ss3964spd]

Almost impossible to guess why it's doing what it's doing, but sometimes the generic drivers that run a particular device, your external monitor for instance, don't always get along with the device itself and may cause any number of baffling problems. Temporarily disconnecting the external monitor is just an easy test.

[cx]

Ah, understand. Thank you.

But, again, I'd hafta do that for at least six months, which is about the time frame between the first two occasions, and even then I wouldn't know if I'd waited long enough. Or if it were actually the remote keyboard causing the problem? Or is what you're talking about related only to monitors?

If it ever gets settled into some sort of pattern and occurs often enough to be a real problem, I'll certainly try your test. 'Till then, I think I'll hafta live with it.

[smifwal]

Cx I have my computer ( last 2 have been towers and my laptop before that) hooked up to my tv for the last 12 years with no problems. I am going to assume you didn't have this problem prior to "down grading"to windows 10? Are you sure there is not something wrong with the laptop itself?

[jgleason]

My standard practice is to shutdown my laptop each day. It boots up pretty fast so a full shutdown is not a problem for me. If you are intent on just letting the system sleep or hibernate then I would recommend at least a once weekly full shutdown.

Also, check windows updates manually and make sure you don't have any outstanding updates to install.

Next - open Disk Cleanup in administrator mode and clean up everything.

Last - open file explorer and go to C:\Users\ and locate your profile folder. In there, go to Temp and delete everything in the Temp folder. Some items will be "in use" so when you see that select skip and apply to all items. (disk cleanup doesn't always empty the temp folder so the manual step is needed)

[Tiger Mountain Tile Inc]

Mine will automatically shut itself off it's it's on battery power.

Other than that, it doesn't do it.... often. But sometimes it will restart itself overnight. You know, because it knows what's best for itself....

[cx]

Thanks, Joe.

I wasn't aware that regular shut downs were a recommended thing these days. I thought that would cause the computer gods to strike you down!

I'm in the habit of turning mine off only when it's gonna travel somwhere, which is not so often now that I don't attend tile industry functions. But I've certainly got no problem shutting it down periodically if that is helpful.

Windows says it updated as recently as 09-28-21, so I figger I've got what I'm s'posta have. I think Jim's likely got his updates set on automatic, too, and that's why ol' Bill Gates turns it off for him in the middle of the night sometimes.

Seems my confuser is never quite the same as anybody else's computer. I went to that place in File Explorer and it gave me no option to see any temporary files. I did, I think, find another place that said it would clean out a whole lot of things, one being temporary files, so I checked alla boxes and it said it had done something. Did not give me any In Use signals, so not sure just what it did/did not do.

Originally Posted by Shawn

Are you sure there is not something wrong with the laptop itself?

Sorry, I missed your post earlier, Shawn. Short answer: Of course not, but it's only been online about 9 months, so it should be fully operational, still?

[ss3964spd]

Ah, I somehow managed to conclude these lock ups were happening more frequently. But now I understand they are infrequent and, as such, I've lost interest.

Well, almost.

The longer it goes between shut downs the more main memory gets consumed; each time you visit a web link, each browser tab you have open, each application you have running (and there are a lot of apps running that you don't even see) all consume main memory. Some apps when closed don't release the memory as well as others.

Joe's practice of daily shuts downs is a bit heavy IMO, but faultlessly effective in cleaning out the cob webs that build up. My work laptop can usually go a week or two just being put to sleep before I notice things are behaving wonky, a shut down clears it up. My home pc will go for weeks, sometimes months, being put to sleep and woken up but it doesn't get a lot of use.

[cx]

Well, I, of course, took all the good advice and shut down my confuser a couple nights ago and the next day it did it's little self-shut-down trick anyway.

Alas, I went through as much of Joe's clean-up as I could locate and will do my own shut-downs periodically, at least, and hope I can keep this thing moderately functional.

And I do appreciate all the help.

[ss3964spd]

Some lite reading for you CX...

https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/e...n-error-occurs

[cx]

Thanks, Dan. One thing in there caught my eye right away. Said to check the vents (don't know if they were talking about desktop or laptop) and it occurs to me that I've been keeping a hand towel draped over the laptop, which I must leave open to maximize the wireless signal from another building, to keep it dust free. Pulled it off and the keyboard felt quite warm. Not actually hot, but warmer than I'd expect.

I never gave heating a thought when I covered it, but maybe a little dust will be good for it.

At least that's something I can try that doesn't cost anything at all in use of the machine.

[ss3964spd]

I am in the middle of a sizeable, enterprise wide computer (laptops and desk tops) replacement project, cx, and have come across many instances of a users' old computer - mostly laptops, experiencing a thermal shut down.

When asked, many admit to placing their pc on a table clothe, a fabric placemat, or other surface that restricts the airflow through the vents on the bottom, and I've seen many that have their vents clogged with dust.

I've never experienced it, so I'm not sure if the pc provides a clear and obvious notification to the user that it no longer wants to work because it's too hot, but looking at the event log in the BIOS will show it.