Finding the reason why my PC suddenly shuts down and then turns back on without any problems a little later, only to shut down again after a few minutes, was much easier than I imagined (otherwise I wouldn’t be writing here).
Why does the PC turn off by itself?
When the PC turns off by itself, it can be due to two reasons: the power supply or temperature problems. While it is true that there are other reasons, these two are the main ones and in 99% of situations, they are the culprits.
Check the temperature
The first thing we have to do is install an application that allows us to know the temperature of the processor. Unfortunately, the Windows Task Manager only allows us to know the temperature of the graphics card, not that of the processor. One of the best applications to control the temperature in real time of the processor, graphics card, hard drive and any other element is MSI Afterburner, a free application that we can download here.
Once we have it installed, we open the application and the main screen interface, we must look at the section TEMP. If the computer is not per forming any demanding tasks, the temperature should be between 35 and 45 degrees
When the processor reaches a very high temperature, instead of continuing to work, as a precaution, it stops working and the the equipment turns off automatically to reduce the heat generated which could harm its operation.
Power source
If the PC has no temperature problems, we rule out that this is the problem and move on to the power supply. The power supply of a PC, or the charger of a laptop, is the only source of energy that the equipment has and is responsible for managing the voltage spikes of the power grid, this is one of the main reasons why it can operate erratically.
Most power supplies use an active cooling system via a fan, although you can also find other models that keep the temperature controlled passively, without a fan. If the cooling of the power supply is not adequate, it can reach a temperature so high that it forces it to shut down.
If after a while, when the power supply has reduced its temperature, we turn on the PC and it works again, it means that the problem is with the power supply. In this case, we must make sure that fan It works correctly and, if not, we already know the problem. But if it is a passive power supply, without a fan, things are more complicated, since the only thing we can do is limit ourselves to visually inspecting if any of the components inside have melted due to excess heat.