Computer problem auto shutdown

I have a problem for quite sometime. It shutsdown/off itself suddenly after a certain time of usage. I dont really know whats the problem, it became like this after a year and I had to keep it under a high speed fan at home so that it doesnt "shuts itself down suddenly", now Im in college so I cant do that, still I would like to cure this problem.

This is my laptop


Compaq HP
Presario A900

Running Windows Vista Starter

Im practically a computer idiot so can I ask what causes my computer to automatically shutsdown.

Im guessing the heat but im not sure because sometimes it shuts itself down even with a ceiling fan blowing it...not so often but still will so


Can I break the fan "cage" on the bottom part of the laptop so air can go thru easily?

Should I get a electric fan to blow at my laptop everytime I use it?

Or any other methods I can do that is affordable?

Fyi all Im doing is browsing the internet, and it shutsdown just like that. When Im running a game (Visual Novel) the percentage of it shutting down increases dramatically and probabbly will happen within an hour, running the VN only uses like no more then 25 CPU usage average. If I run something more heavy, the faster it shuts it self down >_>.

Im already using a cooler and its pretty expensive...USD 20+ Cooler Master brand

If can I would like to avoid taking it to a computer shop, because the one in my area overcharges and have been complaint by many students for problems.

Even though this is certainly a request, I'll move it to the computers section because it needs a certain type of expertise.

Need a bit more information to be able to help you.
Does it just go from being on to black screen immediately, or does it do the regular windows shutdown procedure?
Please describe what exactly happens when it starts to shuts down?

Straight away power off black screen dead laptop instantly, no procedure or anything. Everything goes off in 0.1second, instant death.

Its just like a laptop without battery with a plug, and you switch off the plug, the laptop goes dead instantly like that.

Is your laptop plugged in or not plugged when it shuts down?

Its plugged in....with battery too...and its always full...since I always plugged it

sounds like maybe a battery problem.Ever went down to the service center to get it checked?

If not maybe its an unknown problem.My laptop used to be not able to charge due to a broken dvd drive.

I experimented many things, I also tooked out the battery and plug the computer in and use for a day. Turns out the same and goes dead in a 1-2 hours of playing..>_>, I have to leave it off for 15 minutes before I can properly on it again for usage, or else there is a very high percentage of it going dead again in the process of loading windows.

Virus maybe cuz sometimes when you got infected some kind of a harsh virus some effect is automatic shutdown.........

How hot does it really get? Do you really know how hot it gets?

Use SpeedFan, it will tell you how hot the CPU is actually running at from a sensor that is placed within the chip itself. Keep the program running and monitor the temperature at different times. When the CPU usage is up, expect temperature to increase dramatically.

Also here's another test which should cause your computer to restart within minutes if you think it is a heating problem. Monitor your temps with SpeedFan, and use LinX, which will cause 100% CPU load and will cause more heat than any other application can offer. Monitor the temps, and wait for it to restart. Terminate the application if you see temperatures that go over 100 degrees Celsius, because that will indicate a major cooling problem. If it restarts after it gets really hot, or somewhat hot, it is a cooling related issue.

What I really think is that it isn't overheating, but instead, a software problem. I have a desktop which would complete cut out and restart (like someone pressed the restart button on a Nintendo 64), but not because it was hot or the power supply was bad, but there was a major ERROR in Windows which caused it (something to do with minidump, but I never really solved it)

Make sure Windows is updated, and make sure you run appropriate spyware/adware/anti virus, as well as use CCleaner to clean the useless, and perhaps shutdown-causing junk off your computer. It might be a real problem within Windows, and if then, maybe reinstalling Windows might be the only solution.

Good job. That's one way to ensure your battery will die at the fastest rate possible. Keep it up.

Not quite.. Most laptops now a days recognize when the battery is fully charged and stop charging the battery, for exactly the reason you have just outlined.

Yes quite, because that doesn't help at all. The problem is not that the charger keeps running, but that the charger turns off once the battery is full; the battery kicks in and the device runs off of the battery until it has consumed 2-5% of the charge. At this point, the battery will notify the charger of its status, and the charger will re-activate, charging the battery to 100%.
This results in a myriad of tiny, virtually non-stop charging cycles (even a 5-10% charge cycle counts as a full cycle, because the battery stress is virtually the same), which rapidly degrades LiFePO_{[size=10]4[/h]} (and all other Li-Ion types other than Li-Ti) batteries, because the electrolyte quality diminishes, because...

Even modern counter-measures to rapid battery degradation do nothing else than managing the charge to stop at 90% (because the last 10% are responsible for the most battery stress), but that doesn't help in the scenario given above, because it simply shuffles the the issue around; so you just get tiny charge cycles around the 90% barrier.

I still believe you are wrong, as that would be extremely easy to fix with a simple if-else statement, but I have yet to actually find supporting evidence for this... so for now lets just pretend you have won... for now..

I just hate when I can't proof I am right (which I of cause always am!) :P

Wait.. doesn't auto-shutdowns occur from either a. Viruses/Malwares or b. System Errors.

well, I do have a citation[size=10]1[/h] for my statement, I just gave up listing them here as people on fakku tend to react with catatonia when confronted with them.

[size=10]1[/h]Muessig, F. (2009): "Battery capacity issues and micro charge cycles" in c't 04/09.

but if it doesn't auto shutdown when he put a fan on it, like Kurumi said, this maybe because of overheat problem.. you should bring it to HP service center...

Sounds like a problem I had with my Toshiba laptop where it would just instantly shut off randomly. It ended up being an overheating problem because I had too much dust underneath and in the air-intake vent. I got an Office Depot Cleaning Duster (cold carbon dioxide aerosol can designed for cleaning electronic equipment) and problem solved. See if this helps.

I couldnt really take this to a computer shop, just because Im thinking of doing it myself if I could to save allittle money.

After doing several checks to make sure that my laptop is virus free, cleaned up directories using CCleaner, fragmenting and making sure my windows is up to date. I dont seem to find anything that is causing it because in the end its all the same. I thought it was something pretty "physical" then something to do with software after g-money said something about dust. Since I never clean my internal fan or cooling system...

Turns out that was the problem, I solved it myself with a screw driver and a cotton stick (I dont have the tools g-money said and Im a cheapskate x_x), dug out the blobs of dust stuck on the fan. Started my laptop, and found out the usual "brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr" sound whenever my laptop is on has dissapear...lololol

Stuff that bothered me for months turn out to be some collection of dust <_<. Luckily I dont have to spend a cent for taking it to a computer shop :D :D

Thanks for everyone who helped me with the suggestions