Laptop restarts randomly

[JJ72]

I'm running a Lenovo 3000 N100 on XP. The battery stopped charging one day and unless I'm running via the power pack it cuts out immediatly if I unplug it (so it isn't even receiving a minimal amount of power from the battery) and I've tried reinserting it and every other common sense thing.

Now, I'm having problems with the whole laptop just restarting so I'm starting to believe it may be the power pack and not the battery after all. It doesn't matter if I'm playing a game or checking e-mail. It just reboots randomly. I've scanned for virii and it appears to be ok, isn't doing anything else out of the ordinary. I've also tried to free up the fans so it isn't overheating but sometimes this laptop is left for days without being switched on and will restart in the first 5 minutes of being on.

I've tried wiggling the power cord gently to see if the power shuts off then in case it's a problem with the socket, but it's fine again. Do you think it may be the power pack? I just don't want to shell out cash for the wrong hardware problem.

Many thanks, you brains.

[RACKnRAIL]

Battery/PS , I would guess.

It could be virus/malware though.

[charlesmelissa]

I had the same problem with a Compaq. The problem was not hardware, it was BIOS. I reinstalled Windows and upgraded the Virus/Malware protection. One of those fixed the problem, but I don't remember which. Just FYI, if you computer is not up to date, there is also a command a hacker can send to make it reboot. Download the updates also.

[drtoker]

right click computer ->Properties
Advanced Tab
Startup and Recovery ->Settings
Is Automatically Restart checked?
If so, uncheck it.
If it was checked, you are having system crashes. Unchecking this box will allow you to see the error screen, instead of just restarting your computer.

Post here with the details of that error if this information is correct, if not, let me know.

[bnm01]

The battery not charging...followed by the random reboots leads me to believe that it is a failure of the power pack/power supply.

However, if you do update your Bios, be very, very, careful. Its very easy to brick your computer if you don't know exactly what you're doing. This being said from past experience.

If the Bios update doesn't solve your problems then its probably the power pack.

Do you plug in your power pack and run your computer with the battery in or out?
Try running with the battery removed and see if it still reboots on you.

Try to get a friend or family member to look at it for free!

[wapazoid]

Agreed. Try running the laptop with the battery removed. You mentioned that it reboots during gameplay. Do you have a GeForce 7300 or higher in it? How hot does that laptop get? Besides what's already been mentioned, this could be a heat related issue.