I recently moved and used my phone's hotspot to update my Windows 11 gaming PC overnight before getting internet at the new place. The next day, it showed a blue screen and BitLocker recovery screen, then powered off before I could fully boot into the drive. I wiped the drive and performed a fresh Windows installation, but the random shutdowns continued. Booting into my separate Nobara Linux drive also results in the PC eventually powering off, so the problem doesn't seem limited to Windows or a corrupted installation. I recently installed a TP-Link Archer TXE72 Wi-Fi card, but removing it didn't help. I also replaced the CMOS battery. I'm considering flashing the BIOS, but I'm unsure whether that's safe while the system is shutting down unexpectedly. The shutdown timing varies; it recently stayed running for about two hours in Linux while idle and updating before powering off. Specs: Ryzen 5 5500, ASUS B550 Gaming Plus motherboard, MSI MAG A850GL 850W Gold PSU, XFX Radeon 9070, and two 1TB M.2 drives from SK hynix and Crucial. What hardware or troubleshooting step should I check next?
2 Answers
The update and reinstall probably aren’t the root cause, since the system also shuts down while running Linux. Start by checking for a physical problem: reseat the RAM, graphics card, power connectors, and any recently installed hardware. Make sure the motherboard power cables and GPU power cable are fully clicked in, and inspect for anything loose or causing a short after the move. Testing with the minimum hardware configuration can help isolate the failing part.
Don’t flash the BIOS while the system is randomly losing power. If it shuts off during the update, the motherboard could be left unusable. Disconnect both storage drives and remove unnecessary USB devices and expansion cards, then try leaving the machine sitting in the BIOS with only the essential hardware installed. If it still powers off there, Windows and the drives are not the cause. Also watch whether the CPU, case, and GPU fans are spinning normally and note how long it takes to shut down.
That makes sense. I’ll leave the drives disconnected and let it sit in the BIOS to see whether it shuts down there. I’ve been timing it, and the shutdown interval is inconsistent—it recently ran for about two hours in Linux before turning off.