Computer crashed (I think)

[fisho mcspaz]

I just went in and saw my computer had restarted itself some time in the half-hour I was away from it. I don't understand why it would have done this. A couple of times it has turned itself off owing to a blue-screen error (the viruses which caused this have since been removed), but I'm pretty sure I had to turn it back on. Sometimes it restarts itself because of Windows updates to be installed - you get five minutes or whatever before it restarts automatically - but the thing is, I had unsaved Microsoft Word files open at the time, and I wouldn't think my computer would shut them down like that. I was only able to get them back through Document Recovery.

Anyway, does anyone have any ideas what else could make a computer restart itself for no apparent reason? My virus software has found nothing.

[Wedgie]

Dunno but if you've had a couple of blue screens of death Id recommend a reformat of your hard drive and a reinstall of windows, if you have your data backed up and have windows on a disc or a partitioned hard drive (a lot if pcs put the windows files on a part of your hard drive which they section off from the rest of the hard drive) then it'd pretty easy to do. What version of Windows do you have and do you have the Windows installation disc or similar?

[Psyber]

....Sometimes it restarts itself because of Windows updates to be installed - you get five minutes or whatever before it restarts automatically .

That can be a pain and usually happens after the message that said you can go on working while it updates..
That's why I have Windows Updates set to notify only and leave me to look at what I accept, and when.
There was an update a while ago that caused problems for many users by clashing with a popular anti-virus package.
It pays to keep watching the forums and be up to date on those issues - never be first to apply any company's software updates...

[fisho mcspaz]

Checked the boot scan results this morning, found a virus but nothing else - no corrupted files, bad sectors or whatever else, which is a nice change.

I've got Windows XP - version 5.1.2600, I haven't got the installation disc - got my computer from my dad's high school so everything was set up already. I've got two hard drives - only use one, but I've got all my stuff backed up on the second one. Should I go ahead and reformat my main hard drive?

[Psyber]

You could try double checking with a second anti-virus product like the free Comodo or Avira ones, running free anti-malware options like A-squared or Ad-Aware, and possibly [carefully] a free registry cleaner like Easy Cleaner, before resorting to that.

If you have any important data backed up and have the disks to reinstall the OS and drivers, then a reformat and re-install would be more certain to work, but without them you would be in a bit of trouble and possibly have to buy a new OS install disk unless you can get it redone via the school.

I said carefully with Easy Cleaner because it does occasionally mistake a driver for an "unnecessary file" if it is one not recently accessed.
Something like Registry Mechanic would be less demanding of your attention, but is not free unless you get an older version on a PC Magazine disk as I did.

[dedja]

I wouldn't be looking to rebuild yet if I were you.

In any case you don't have the windows xp disks.

As a precaution, back things up to a 2nd hdd.

Keep running virus checks and keep an eye on things. The unknown reeboot could quite easily have been windows updates.

[fisho mcspaz]

woohoo I think it's all sorted now, we've got another copy of Windows XP and an external hard drive so I can reformat my computer. It seems OK at the moment but a bit slow so it can't hurt to wipe it clean.