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Trying to Turn Computer Off, but it Reboots

16 years ago

I have a three year old HP Pavilion laptop running Microsoft XP. It has a new hard drive as of last fall. Over the last few months when I try to turn it off it sometimes reboots instead. This doesn't happen all the time. To turn it off, I hit Start, then Turn off Computer, then Turn Off Computer again in the pop up screen. Again, sometimes this action turns off the computer, but sometimes it reboots. Any thoughts? Thanks.

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Comments (7)

grady
16 years ago
Pull the plug at the wall outlet. wait 31 seconds . replug.
Who knows, stranger things have happened. If that doesn't cure it go to control panel> power options> power control options and look around. Just guessing. Grady
grandms
16 years ago
How about heat? Have you ever clean out the innards of your computer? In three years' time there could be quite a buildup of dust inside. Take off the side and using a can of compressed air, blow any dust you see off the fans. I also use a soft bristle brush to wipe the blades of the fans. Sometimes overheating can cause all sorts of odd behaviors.
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cat_ky
16 years ago
Just a thought here Marita, but are you sure when it restarts, that you dont have restart checked, or are hitting restart, instead of shutdown, when the box comes up?? There are 3 things in that box. Standy, shut down and restart, and if you accidently hit the wrong one, it will just restart. Good Luck :-)Cat
Rudebekia
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for your responses. This is still a mystery. Cat, I am firmly hitting the middle--Turn Off--box, not the Restart box. This is what I've always done. It is only over the last few months that the same action occasionally reboots rather than turns off. I did go to the Control Panel and looked through the power options, but nothing seems amiss and no changes have been made. Hmmm. . .
grandms
16 years ago
I recommend that you go to HP's online help site and discuss your problem with a tech help person. You'll need your model number for this. I have gotten help on several problems this way. Free, and no long distance phone call required.
randy_ca
16 years ago
Roxio/Adeptec Easy CD / Direct CD software is well documented as being the major cause of this undesirable shutdown behavior.

More or less anything compromising the operating system during the shutdown process could force this reboot.

Disabling the "restart on system failure" feature may permit the exact cause to be isolated: Right-click on My Computer, click Properties, click the Advanced tab. Under "Startup & Recovery," click Settings. Under "System Failure," uncheck the box in front of "Automatically restart."
Rudebekia
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks randy--I'll try this.

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