Laptop running Windows 10 randomly shuts down

[Grady29]

Hello all,

 

I run a Windows 10 laptop, dedicated for LOR shows.  I have formatted the hard drive and only installed LOR.  The laptop will run great for days and then just randomly go to sleep.  I have tried to adjust every power saving function in Windows and I can't seem to fix the issue.  I have tried leaving the lid open, closing the lid, leaving the screen on, having the screen time out after a given time.  No luck.  From time to time, I will go move the mouse thinking this would help, but it hasn't.  Laptop runs the shows flawlessly (when the computer doesn't decide to shut off). 

I have used the same laptop for the last 3 or 4 years now, with different versions of LOR.  It has been doing the same thing since I started using it.  So for this year I thought formatting the hard drive with a fresh Windows 10 install would help....which it didn't.  Laptop has always been located in the garage for the shows and I would say I am in a mild winter climate compared to others (California).

Has anyone else had this issue or have suggestions. I assume there are no settings in LOR that would force the computer to shut off?

Thank you!

[k6ccc]

Check the Windows event logs to see it that sheds any light on the subject.

 

[TheDucks]

Event log might tell the story.

Also check the fans (run smoothly) and air grills are free of lint. I run my Laptops on a Wire Cake Cooling rack (cheap, simple. Helps the air flow.). Don't forget the power brick. It needs to be in free air to prevent it overheating.

A 4 YO battery, may be needing more charge current and working that brick hard. No Battery or a New one might be needed. (Watch out for cheap knock offs. They can be a bigger problem) 

[Jimehc]

Open > Command Prompt (Admin) <  then type > Powercfg /h off

Then Go into "Settings" > "System" > "Power & Sleep" > Set "Sleep" on Plugged in & Battery to "Never"

You can allow the "Screen" to time out and turn off....

The first line Turns off > Hibernation (ie Fast Startup)

Edited November 13 by Jimehc

[dgrant]

I'm on a older laptop this moment. I do not run my show from it. It does randomly shut down. In my case, its a loss of connectivity with the wifi router but its happening due to the wifi adapter card inside. For still unknown reasons, it'll work just fine for weeks then while in the middle of doing something, it'll shut itself down. Just to be sure, run a full antivirus scan of your laptop. Make sure your AV software is fully updated. I say this because some virus type activities will download into your computer, then force a reboot to insure they are loaded/stored inside and start up the way they desired them to happen. If possible, turn off the internet access, if you are running LOR's RS485 network only. If you are running ethernet too, then you'll need to disable the connection to the wifi router, at the router itself, using the router's management software. There's other ways to accomplish this too.

[Grady29]

Sorry for the long delay in responding.....

I looked at the event logs, but I have to be honest- not exactly sure what I am looking for.   I am going to do some searches on the internet to try and understand the event log.

It seems like the CPU is running fine.  A little lint was blocking the intake, but it did not help after cleaning the lint.  I am running on a bad battery (doesn't hold a charge anymore) so the laptop is running solely on AC power.

I tried using the command prompt to turn off hibernation but that didn't help either. 

I will run a anti-virus scan but my gut feeling is that is not the issue since I just formatted the hard drive and did a new install for Windows.

 

I appreciate everyone chiming in and giving me some ideas of what to look for. Hopefully I can figure it out and I will post my findings.

[dgrant]

I'll suggest that you first open a command prompt as the administrator. Then type in this command without the quote symbols "sfc /scannow"

This is the system file checker and is quite powerful. It'll look at the OS and check for discrepancies, then fix them as it moves on. Another thing to look at, in the "Device Manager", open it of course then look down the list to "USB Serial Buss Converters". Inside of there, look at each device by right-clicking on it, then select "Properties". If there's a "Power Management" tab, open that and see if there's a checkmark box for allowing the OS to turn off that device to save power. Uncheck it, save and go onto the next USB item in the list and do the same for each. Only one of them is probably involved in the LOR usage but since I have no easy way to identify which one is needed, I think it might be better to just turn them all off in regards to power management only. You're on AC Power so truly it shouldn't matter. 

Next go to the control panel. If you don't have one, bottom left on the task bar is the search window. Type in there, "Control Panel" without the quotes. Select at the top, "Control Panel" then open it. Inside you'll find all the original control panel items. Select "Internet Options". Select the Browsing, Delete option and check the boxes as desired but mainly the temporary internet files and cookies then apply and save.

Following all that, I suggest a reboot. Now, having said all that, its ALWAYS advisable to keep your antivirus up too date and run it! If your machine gets used a lot, run it or scan the system at least once a week. I'd also suggest you look at your firewall settings and insure they meet your needs. I say that because viruses and worms, find their way through the firewall, to access your system and embed themselves into your system. I can say even more here, but that's enough for your LOR needs.

[TheDucks]

seconded the running of SFC  (system file check).. With all the Windows updates that hit, things do get borked now and then. that usually fixes them 

[Grady29]

@ dgrant- Thank you for all the suggestions.  I appreciate you giving the step-by-step. Helps out.  I will try those out in the next couple days and post back if that resolved my issue.