Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

Frequent shut downs & loss of internet connection.

Jul 3, 2011 7:10PM PDT

My HP Pavilion dv7-1451 laptop with Windows 7 Home Premium shuts down without warning at least 1 or 2 times per day, sometimes more (AMD Turion X-2, Ultra Duel Core 64-500 GB) . This problem has been going on for the last 3-4 weeks, non-stop. It does not matter if I am using it or not. Every time I click on to start everything up, a notice pops up stating that Windows experienced a problem & had to shut down. It also states that Windows will check into the problem & respond with a solution. However, no response has come from Windows, to date. I was ripping a CD when it happened & a blue screen came on for about 3-5 seconds & then the shut down started (black screen indicating improper shutdown). It was impossible to read what the blue screen stated. I do not know if it was a description or a solution to the problem.
Another problem that may or may not be related is a quick on & off loss of my broadband connection. This usually occurs when I am using IE 9 to access a favorite site or a link from an email. One attempt to diagnose what casued this problem indicated that a broadband connection wire was loose. After checking all wires & confirming that my connections were solid, the problem still continues,as stated. The usual diagnostic from Windows indicates that it can not find the problem.
I also have a 1 TB My Book Essential external hard drive. The bar indicating free space has turned from black to red & it appears that the hard drive is almost full. Is this related to the aforementioned problems or just an indication that I need a new, larger external hard drive?
I am under warranty, but I am concerned that the usual response from the techs is to clear everything out, scrub the drives & reload everything back. Please advise if there is a better solution that "burning the bridges".
I do the weekly spyware/virus sweeps, regular defrags & everything else recommended to keep things properly maintained & running to minimize & prevent problems.
Thanks,
Steve S

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Answer
Just an idea.
Jul 4, 2011 6:56AM PDT

Try your usual yearly blast of canned air on the vents. Wonder if it's getting too hot.

- Collapse -
frequent shutdowns
Jul 8, 2011 4:14PM PDT

do this every other week. thanks for the suggestion.

- Collapse -
frequent shutdowns
Jul 8, 2011 4:17PM PDT

also have a chill mat(duel fans) running continuously & air blasted with all other vents

- Collapse -
Then back to HP.
Jul 10, 2011 6:25AM PDT

Heard to hp.com and click the chat button to see what HP can offer for repair.