# WTF? My Computer Just Turned Itself Off **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 13, 2004, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-my-computer-just-turned-itself-off/234089 "2004-03-13T17:22:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pilot141](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e0b2c6/32.png) [@pilot141](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pilot141)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-my-computer-just-turned-itself-off/234089/21 "2004-03-14T08:21:37Z")
**gypsymoth3** a lot of people here have mentioned the possibility of overheating. If you’ve had the computer for a while (say, more than 6 months) then dust accumulation COULD be a problem that is causing overheating. If you don’t want to mess around with the BIOS to check for temps, you can do a “Stress-test” of your computer. You can download [Prime 95](http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htm) and run the “stress test only” mode. This will max out your processor. If everything works fine, then it was some random AOL bug that caused the crash. If your computer crashes during the stress test more than once, it’s most likely overheating. (BTW, on the linked page look for: p95v238.exe(1MB HTTP), click on the link and choose “save”. Then doubleclick the saved file.) ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-my-computer-just-turned-itself-off/234089/22 "2004-03-14T23:13:39Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Warning: Vacuuming _inside_ any computer is a BAAAD idea, because vacuum cleaners can create massive amouts of static electricity, which can easily damage components. As was said earlier, use a can of compressed air instead (available from any computer shop, as is an anti-static wrist-strap to be doubly sure) Hmm … trying to see where I said vacuum INSIDE the computer. Nope, can’t find where I said vacuum INSIDE the computer. Vacuuming the OUTSIDE of the computer is just fine. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-my-computer-just-turned-itself-off/234089/23 "2004-03-14T23:35:55Z")
Well, we don’t usually worry about static here in Florida 🙂 I was surprised to find a business associate of mine working with PC boards totally unprotected. He’s lived down here forever, so I guess he’s used to the “no static” environment down here. I would still use a wrist strap if I was handling boards and chips though. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-my-computer-just-turned-itself-off/234089/24 "2004-03-14T23:52:16Z")
> [@ccwaterback](#): > > Hmm … trying to see where I said vacuum INSIDE the computer. Nope, can’t find where I said vacuum INSIDE the computer. Vacuuming the OUTSIDE of the computer is just fine. I didn’t say otherwise - I just hated the idea of somebody misunderstanding, and frying their computer as a result. > [@ccwaterback](#): > > I was surprised to find a business associate of mine working with PC boards totally unprotected. He’s lived down here forever, so I guess he’s used to the “no static” environment down here. I do that all the time, irrelevant of the athmosphere - because it you keep the mains lead plugged in, but the psu switched off, the whole case of the PC is grounded. Pretty damn impossible to do anything _without_ having hold of the case. ---
**Author:** ![alaricthegoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@alaricthegoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alaricthegoth)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-my-computer-just-turned-itself-off/234089/25 "2004-03-15T00:14:37Z")
cool, aint it? I have the same problem, from time to time. It’s a windows thing… try disabling all of the apc switches in your system device manager, and also clean out your registry with one of the utilities available from shareware, if you don’t have norton, or the equivalent,. when the registry gets supergummed, the machine sometimes shrugs and … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-my-computer-just-turned-itself-off/234089.md?page=1)