common reasons and solutions for the computer re-booting problem

Many people are often heard complaining, why does my computer keep rebooting itself or my computer keeps rebooting on startup. There could be various reasons why a computer keeps rebooting randomly, like a hardware problem, a virus infecting your system or overheating. Common queries and ways to solve them are discussed below.

My Computer Keeps Rebooting Over and Over

Cause #1

To start with, you should check all your hardware. A loose connection somewhere or a faulty piece of hardware could be the reason, the computer keeps rebooting itself. In case your RAM stick is not fitted properly, or is corrupt, the computer displays an error message on the screen and keeps rebooting itself. The same problem occurs with a hard disk. You can use 'Memtest86' to run a hard drive check.

Cause #2

You may at times come across an error message on your screen, like a system failure error, before rebooting by itself. There is a particular solution to this type of problem. You should first go to the My Computer icon and right click on it. Select properties, and a window will appear on your screen. Click Advanced tab → Start Up and Recovery → Settings. After clicking the settings option, you will have to uncheck the box next to Automatically Restart. Click OK twice. This will prevent the computer from rebooting itself and you can redress the issue.

Cause #3

A different way to tackle the problem of 'computer keeps rebooting itself', would be to restart your computer in the Safe Mode. Allow the computer to boot fully and let your windows operating system load fully. Now, if your computer keeps rebooting itself even in the safe mode, there is a problem either with the operating system or hardware. And if your computer is not rebooting itself in safe mode, the problem is related to certain software.

Cause #4

Over heating is another reason why your computer keeps rebooting itself. Not many people pay attention to this aspect though. The fan responsible for keeping the CPU cool, may be malfunctioning or there could be dirt settled between the fan and CPU. Any one of these could be the reason for your problem. Either clean the fan area, or replace it if necessary. Try providing proper ventilation for your CPU, so that it stays as cool as possible.

Cause #5

You computer could reboot on it's own if you have installed improper drivers. Right click on the 'My Computer' icon, and click on 'Properties' from the menu list which appears. A new window will open. Select the 'Hardware' tab, and click on 'Device Manager'. A list will be displayed on the screen in which you will have to check all categories. Is you see any red or yellow warning icons, make sure you update that particular driver from the internet. Read more on what to do when your computer keeps restarting on its own.

My Computer Keeps Rebooting on Startup

The most common reason why a computer keeps rebooting on startup is a malicious code. Your system could be infected with computer viruses, which may have tampered with your operating system settings and system files. To get rid of them and to prevent any future invasion, keep your antivirus software regularly updated.

A particular type of computer virus, known as 'bar311.exe', could be the reason your computer keeps rebooting on startup. You can check for yourself if this is the reason. Go to 'Run' in the start up menu, type 'cmd' and hit 'enter'. If your computer restarts after hitting 'enter', this virus is present in your system. To get rid of this virus, you need to perform a small registry tweak.

My Computer Keeps Rebooting After Shutdown

To solve the problem of computer restarting on it's own after shutdown, you should follow the procedure given in option 2, under 'My Computer Keeps Rebooting Over and Over', to uncheck the automatic restart box. If the problem still persists, there could be a hardware problem causing your computer to reboot after shutdown