I have a problem with my computer.  I have had my laptop for about a year.  I bought it last year as a christmas present to myself and am running on windows vista.  The problem:  It dies on me all the time.  I have it plugged in so its not the battery draining. At least I don't think that is the cause of the trouble.  Anyway, I can be on it for about 2-3 hrs with no problems and then, all of a sudden, out of the blue, it just fades to black.   The only way to bring it back to life is to unplug everything, remove the battery, put the battery back in, plug it in again and restart it.  Then it works fine again.
It's such an inconvenience to me.  I am usually on the internet applying for a job or working on my resume when the thing dies on me.   I try to keep it plugged in so as not to drain the battery so it's available when I need to take it on short excursions but maybe that is bad???

Anyway know what the problem could be?

thanks for your help!
Belinda

This sounds like a hardware issue more than anything.  Is it possible for you to take it in to be checked out?

Also, you might try removing the battery entirely and then plugging it in.  If it still shuts down, then I'd have to say that it's most likely a hardware issue.

hmm, interesting question.  does the entire computer shut down when the screen goes black, or just the screen itself fades and the computer stays running?

I've seen cases where the battery was so bad that removing it helped, but never is such a short time.  It is, however, an easy thing to test.

I have seen a number of laptops that either get loose or gunked up over time and when pressure is placed on the bottom center (like picking up with on hand to move it) that some connection fails and the system halts.

A flat surface may solve your problem.  I use the folding laptop desk from here: http://www.laptopdesk.net/  When it's on my lap, I have room for a small mouse and extra ventilation, when on a table, I can tilt the keyboard.

Good luck.

It might be going to Sleep mode, or Hibernation.

I sometimes hit the sleep button on my desktop keyboard by mistake, and it takes me a while to figure out what I have done and awaken the computer. Sleep mode is a good thing for laptops, since it can save battery life.

Right click on your desktop, go to personalize, Power Settings (I think - I'm not at my Vista computer right now) and turn these off.

If the computer no longer fades to black, you've figured it out and you can re-enable these with the settings you want.

Call dell the service line..

Thank you, hon!  I will take it in if changing the power settings doesn't work!   Hugs and DFK's!!!
Belinda

Thank you!  I have just adjusted my settings!  Hope it works!  
Hugs and kisses!
Belinda

Does it die when the power is connected?  If not, then it is definately the battery.  Batteries will sometimes fail, and will not even give low battery warnings before completely failing.

If possible you might try another battery (if you can get one), and see if that is the problem.

....all of the time because this will actually shorten how long it stays charged.  You should unplug it and let it run down to 10% every once in a while, then your battery will last longer when you are not plugged in.

Yes, hon!  It dies with it plugged in. I pop the battery out and unplug it and then pop the battery back in and plug it in again and it works just fine for another couple of hours.

A few gentlemen have emailed and PM'd me and think maybe it is overheating.  Guess the coochie isn't the only thing HOT in my apartment!  LOL.  Anyway, since I've had the computer a year and haven't yet blown the dust out of it with a can of pressurized air, I am going to try that. I will let you all know how that works.  How often do I do that though?   And, do you think one of those tablelike laptop cooler thingies would be a wise investment...do you know what I am talking about because I don't know what it is called exactly??

Thanks, Belinda

and see what happens. If it runs, then it is the battery. Battery may appear good but been known to do strange thing.

Doc says my sperm count is right up there now.

Seriously, I'm much cooler with the fan, and I'm sure it's good for the lap top too.

I run multiple laptops 24/7.
When you travel with them, they do endure quite a beating.  I have not found the laptop coolers to be very useful.

It does sound like the battery is going dead -- a 1-year life for a rechargable battery is not unusually short.  I run laptops without batteries all the time when I know they will be plugged into a wall outlet for days.  Leaving a battery in & a laptop plugged in is actually hard (not good) for the battery in the long term.  

For keeping laptop cool, simply place two strips of something (slats of wood, bars of metal, under the laptop to raise it off the desk.  Keeping papers and stuff off the keyboard and from under and around the laptop will help the air flow to keep laptop cooler.

1. If it dies when you are working it's not the power management settings.

2. Getting a cooler is recommended and a good investment to extend the life of your PC. I have one for each of my 2 laptops.

3. A cooler will not resolve your problem though, because if the PC is overheating it's due to an internal cooling fan not working and that would need to be fixed. Hope you are not using it in the sauna or steam room (lol)

4. Laptops are pretty well sealed and does not usually require lots of air dusting, so once every six months is more than reasonable, unless you are using it on the patio in a dust storm on a regular basis (lol).

Try removing the battery for 5 minutes before replacing as this will reset the processor and drain all power. Test it again and if it still fails then call your manufacturer and they can take you through a series of tests which can determine the problem.

If you feel adventurous go to "control Panel, Administrative options, event viewer, system" and it will display the reason why it shut down.

Hope you resolve your problem and remember to keep that coochie warm. Cold coochies just don't do it for most men (lol).

Thanks for the advice everyone!  I will be buying myself one of the cooler thingies!   I hope it is not an internal fan though, that would suck.

I blew out the dust and that was over 5 hrs ago and my computer has not shut down on me yet so I hope that was all it was.   If I have more questions, I know who to turn to.  Thank you again!

Who wants to spank my ass til it is as red as my face?????   I should have known I have to blow the cobwebs out after a year!  OMG!  So embarrassed!

-- Modified on 12/5/2008 7:02:08 PM

thanks for the input, CaribKid.  I don't much like dirt so don't sit on the patio when there is a windy dust storm.And I don't take it in the sauna or the hottub or the jacuzzi or even the bathtub for that matter.  I did sit on the toilet with it one day when I had a severe tummy ache!  But, of course, I didn't get it wet.  The computer, that is.  Control panel....don't think so.  I am computer illiterate!  I didn't even know to blow the dust out of the damn thing!  ugh.  LOL

-- Modified on 12/5/2008 7:01:31 PM

Sounds like you need to change the flux capacitor.  It's a pretty expensive device though.

Dust and cobwebs will do that for you. Gotta keep the machine well oiled (lol)

It sounds like an overheat.

Not leaving it plugged in all the time can help.

I find that most laptops need to have their heat sinks removed and cleaned every year or so.  The tiny little fins that the fan blows air through get clogged up badly and need to be brushed out.  Depending on the type of computer, this can be a very easy or a fairly daunting process.  On my current dell, I have to pretty much take the case apart, remove the heat sink completely, then clean it out.  Not very user friendly.

One thing you can do to minimize this is to go to the power settings and lower the "maximum power state" to something less than 100%.  Often this is the case when you are on battery power, which is why this doesn't happen as much or at all when you're using the battery.

Most reasonably competent places can take the computer apart and clean out the heat sink and fan.