I've been facing a frustrating issue where my gaming computer shuts off randomly and then turns back on. This happens without any error messages or blue screens, just an abrupt off-and-on. It's occurring even during light tasks like organizing photos or browsing Facebook, not only during gaming. I'm trying to figure out the best way to diagnose this problem. I thought about removing the video card and RAM to stress test the system and check for crashes. If it stays stable, I'd then add components back one at a time. My question is, can hard drives connected via data cables cause such crashes, or should I primarily focus on testing the video card and RAM? Thanks for any advice!
3 Answers
To get a clearer picture of what’s going on, try checking for any dump files in the C:WindowsMinidump folder. If you can boot into Windows normally, or even in Safe Mode, look there for crash logs that could help pinpoint the issue. If you find any dump files, zip them up and upload them using a file-sharing service like catbox.moe or mediafire. The more dump files you provide, the better for diagnosis. Also, consider changing your dump file settings to create small memory dumps if you're not getting many logs.
When troubleshooting, I'd suggest running some tests. Shutoffs can be tricky since there’s no specific cause. Start by testing one component at a time. If you want, you can also run a Linux live environment from a USB stick. If the issue persists there, it’s likely hardware-related, possibly with your PSU.
Sounds like it could be an issue with the RAM, PSU, or perhaps overheating. My gut says one of those is likely the culprit. Even if temps seem fine in the BIOS, it could still be overheating under load. You might want to reapply thermal paste on your CPU cooler just to be safe. Monitor the temps during stress tests, too!
Good idea! I’ll check the thermal paste on the CPU and see if that makes a difference.
Great tip! I’ll give the Linux live USB a try.