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Old 11-23-2008, 06:48 AM   #1
Ozz
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A 'puter problem and question

I leave my laptop on and come back a couple hrs later and the thing shuts down, doesn't happen all the time, so I don't think it is a setting, what could cause this??
Presario-Compaq a few yrs. old.
Help!!!
 
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Old 11-23-2008, 07:40 AM   #2
HamRad
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Ozz,

It could be getting too hot. Especially if it is a few years old. Often they will get dirty and clogged up after a few years of running. Of course it could be program that only comes on now and then.

Let us know what you find out.

HamRad
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Old 11-23-2008, 07:54 AM   #3
OntMont
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Look at the power management set-up in "control panel". It is probably set to shut down after X hours of inactivity.
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Old 11-23-2008, 08:01 AM   #4
lfw
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Did the battery die ?? Was it plugged in ??
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Old 11-23-2008, 08:04 AM   #5
rogue
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What OntMont said. Power management setup can control when the disk drive shuts down, when the monitor shuts down. Which is a good thing on a lap top. If that is no the solution, then I agree on the overheating, and suggest you set the power management to turn it off before the overheating time. Even My desktop is set to shut down the monitor after 30 minutes and the disk after one hour.
Bob
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Old 11-23-2008, 08:16 AM   #6
Ozz
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On the power management idea, it is a time difference deal, sometimes it stays on for 6 hrs, sometimes 15 minutes. It shut down since I posted the question. It doesn't completely go dead, I click on the power button and it comes on after doing some check's.
HamRad may be on something, I just cleaned the intake on the bottom, it had some dust bunnies and a little cat hair in it. I blew it out.
Oh, it is on line voltage power.
It just shut down my Verizon, or something did, I had to log back on. That only stayed on for a few minutes, but the computer did not die.
I will still check the Power Management.

I did check it, it was set to turn monitor off after 15 minutes, thanks guys. I changed it to 5 hrs.
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Old 11-23-2008, 08:30 AM   #7
Waynem
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Ozz,
That is 15 minutes of inactivity and is a good setting. You should not loose anything when it comes back up. Everything you were working on should still be on the screen. I have a Toshiba laptop and that is the way "it" works for me. Computers are different. A long time ago I had a shut down that I could not easily explain. Then it dawned on me that the little CPU fan on the bottom was being blocked by my fat lap. I now use a food tray used in cafeterias, upside down, on my lap. The little rubber pads give it enough clearance to keep the fan unobstructed. An old piece of plywood would server the same purpose. Unless you leave it unattended a lot, I would leave it at 15 minuts - conserves the battery.

On the battery - it is better to let it run down and give you the notice "low battery," than to leave it plugged in all the time. Keeps the battery from getting a "short temper" memory.

I have had my laptop since 2005. Had to replace the power cord/supply once, but nothing else.

Rots of ruck!

Edited: Here is some information on Power Management
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Old 11-23-2008, 09:22 AM   #8
simonsrf
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Ozz,

All of the advice above is good. Have you checked to see if it might be going into standby or hibernation mode? It can look very dead and appear to be off when it goes into either of these modes.

Try this:
Rt-click on the desktop
Click Properties | Screen Saver | Power |
Under power schemes you can setup the time scheme under “plugged-in” or “batteries”.

Here is a picture of how mine works.



When leaving the computer, I just hit the (Fn & Stand by on the keyboard) to shortcut into Standby mode. HP most likely has a different combination of keys to get there, but it does have that function somewhere.

Under the “Hibernate” tab, make sure you uncheck the “Enable hibernation” box. Others may disagree, but I have only found that trouble lurks behind that function.

Click Apply.

The computer then appears to be off except for a blinking light on the side, but it uses very little power. To turn it back on, I then push the power key, just as if I was turning it on. The computer comes out of standby and is instantly is ready without having to go through the cumbersome Windows startup and boot-up process.

Normally, it is a good idea to restart your computer on a daily basis.
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Old 11-23-2008, 09:45 AM   #9
Waynem
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On my laptop, monitor and hard disk are set for 10 minutes. Standby, 15 minutes, and hibernate to "never."

I just figure if I'm away for 10 minutes it needs to "save" itself.

My screen saver is set for 5 minutes.

It's all a matter of personal preference. I have found my settings to be optimal for me.
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Old 11-23-2008, 10:04 AM   #10
simonsrf
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It is nice to be able to set your own personal preferences.
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Old 11-23-2008, 10:09 AM   #11
49merc
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Robbie, when you say hit the (Fn & Stand by on the keyboard) what key might the standby one be? Is it one of the F keys? I have no key that says standby.
Bob
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Old 11-23-2008, 10:20 AM   #12
simonsrf
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Bob,

On my Dell,it is the Esc key.

The Fn key is next to the left Ctrl key.

It may be different depending on computer you may be using.

If you have something other than a Dell, you may want to google
shortcut keyboard standby

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Old 11-23-2008, 10:21 AM   #13
grampachet
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Here is another thought. Do you close the lid? Mine was set to shut down when the lid was closed, but it didn't take too long to figure that one out.
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Old 11-23-2008, 10:30 AM   #14
simonsrf
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granpachet,

Good thought, hadn't considered that!

Ozz,

As you can see from the picture, under the advanced tab there are tons of options, just use what best suits your needs.

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Old 11-23-2008, 10:38 AM   #15
prariepoodle
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I have the Presario-Compaq 2500 and it was getting hot so Walt cut two 1x2's the width of the computer painted them black and they sit under it in the front and back. Have not had any more problems with it shutting down.
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Old 11-23-2008, 10:42 AM   #16
Waynem
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Ozz,
The discussion reminded me of something. If the computer is going into standby or hibernation more than intended, consider an adequate volume of compressed air on the keyboard to blow out any debris that your beard did not pick up. Debris under the keys will cause all kinds of weird things to happen.

Same thing goes for desktop keyboards, but in their case I take them apart and wash in soapy water, dry for 72 hours, and re-install.
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Old 11-24-2008, 12:47 AM   #17
Ozz
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Wayne, I have cleaned the air intake and blown out the keyboard, I actually do this often, but it needed it again. Robbie, I like the information you provided and have made changes, thanks for that info.
Prariepoodle, I also like the idea of a spacer, I will make one of those, (another fix-it project I like)
OntMont, that was the initial problem, thank you all.
Ozz
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