HELP - PC likes to randomly restart - Power Supply seems ok

Ok so this is my other older computer. It's not that old you can see the specs on my 2nd system here.

I did check the power supply with a Power Supply Tester and everything seems fine.

Here are the kind of errors I get after the computer restarts:

https://imgur.com/a/1RqKx1y

Is it my internet connection/VPN or is that a blank image?

It was my VPN (Dallas)

In this guide, we will be discussing the reasons for computer randomly restarting and tips for troubleshooting a PC that keeps restarting.

When I click on the imgur image I see this. No VPN involved: -

Event ID 41 or Kernel Power Event ID 41: Indicates that Windows restarted without a complete shutdown.

Event ID 6008: Indicates a dirty shutdown and gets logged when the most recent shutdown was unexpected.

Probable causes for Event ID 41​

Power issues: A malfunctioning of the power supply unit, a sudden loss of power leading to unexpected restart, unstable power supply with voltage fluctuations can lead to the generation of event ID 41.


Hardware issues: If your CPU, graphic cards, or other critical components get overheated, the system might shutdown and restart automatically to prevent damage. At times, faulty hardware or malfunctions of hardware, such as RAM module or storage driver failures, can lead to unexpected restarts.


Software issues: In rare cases, critical system program failures or driver crash can lead to unexpected restart. Damaged or corrupted file systems can also trigger this event.


Blue screens: Critical errors within the operating system kernel lead to blue screens and subsequently to unexpected restart.


The event 41 kernel power means that there is something happened unexpectedly that blocked Windows from turning off properly, and there is a message saying that “The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. Here's why Kernel Power Error 41 happens and how to fix it.

Maybe there have been power supply brownouts or total cuts? Either can corrupt the OS.
Try running this batch file to find and hopefully fix corruptions. You'll have to unzip it first and it takes maybe 10 minutes to run so be patient. It runs sfc /scannow, DISM and CHKDSK commands in sequence. Even if it finds/fixes nothing then at least you can say that you have discounted corruption as a culprit.

@antspants , @FreeBooter , @wiganken Thanks for responding

Ok so I started following the steps in the video you shared.

Automatic restart on System Failure was already disabled.

I'm going to try reapplying thermal paste to the CPU I had not thought to do that. It has been 6-7 since I built this PC.

I did clear out all the dust. I'll double check the RAM slots and run tests for errors in memory and the hard drives.

One new development I updated the Bios and now the computer seems to shut off more even when not very active. The power button doesn't work when it shuts off like this and then it take several minutes or more to turn back on by itself!?

My guess would be the power supply. My home server once showed similar behavior, it randomly shut down. I replaced the power supply which resolved the issue. But this is only a shot in the dark, it's hard to troubleshoot such issues from afar. Could also be a overheating component, a defective mainboard or even a software issue to name a few possible causes.

Hi @artbywaqas

Have you tried this? It might help to eliminate some devices\drivers\software etc. Also does it exhibit the same behaviour when running stress test software such as Aida64 or OCCT?

@Marcus Vinicus
Why me? It's the OP's PC which restarts randomly not mine. I merely wrote that my server once showed similar behavior and the cause was the power supply.

altae said:

@Marcus Vinicus
Why me? It's the OP's PC which restarts randomly not mine. I merely wrote that my server once showed similar behavior and the cause was the power supply.

Click to expand...

Oops, apologies. I have changed post to show the correct user.

Please run the V2 log collector > post a share link





Post a share link for event viewer (system, application, or all)

I also think your Power Supply would be a possible cause. You wouldn’t happen to have a spare, would you?
If you want to make a real stretch, faulty wires in the actual power button on your PC case.

Have you checked out what processes were running at the time of the shutdown? Check the Event Viewer in your system settings.

How to access the Event Viewer:

• Windows: Go to Start menu, type "Event Viewer" and open it.
  
  
• Access the relevant log:
  • Navigate to "Windows Logs" > "System".
    
    
  • Use the "Filter Current Log" option to narrow down to shutdown events.
    

Key points to look for in the Event Viewer:

• Event ID: Specific numbers associated with different system events, like a shutdown.
  
  
• Timestamp: Precise time of the shutdown event.
  
  
• Event Description: May provide details about the reason for the shutdown, such as a specific program causing a crash or a power issue

Since I was not getting any errors that were telling why and what was happening to make the computer restart .. especially since it was so random, I opened up my computer to check that everything was seated properly.

I found that I had a heatsink with a built in fan? and it has a wire running to the SATA connectors. The wires are coated but but I thought maybe this could be the cause its just floating there and might be touching the motherboard. I taped it up.


It's only been a few days but no restarts so far. I even ran some programs I felt always caused a restart. Hasn't happened yet.