Talk to me. I'm an IT tech, I might be able to help.

My computer randomly shuts off as if a goblin pulled the power cord. No idea why. Boyfriend fixed the power cable months ago. Now I cannot even get it to power up before it shuts off again.

Did you dust it recently?

Also, if It's a desktop, you might have to change out the power supply.

It's possible that there's a short on the motherboard (or perhaps elsewhere). That's what computers usually do when they short - they shut down without warning. James is right, if you haven't dusted the machine recently there might be something in there that's occasionally shorting a circuit. Cleaning out the case would be a good first step in figuring out what's wrong.

Beyond that, it might be the power supply itself. The good news is that if it IS the power supply then there's probably nothing wrong with the rest of the machine. Power supplies act as a sort of circuit breaker - I once saw a machine that literally started smoking (those there evacuated the building) but what was happening was the power supply inside the computer was self-destructing. The end result was one carbonized power supply inside, but the rest of the computer was literally undamaged. I was able to replace it and turn the machine back on as if nothing had happened.

Your power supply works very hard to keep the rest of the machine safe (and to prevent a fire hazard). Turning 120 volts into 3.3V, 5V and 12V (the three voltages a computer actually uses) produces a lot of excess energy (which is why computers put off so much heat). If the power supply malfunctions, it will basically blow itself up to save the rest of the computer - at least that's what I've seen.

You might want to try finding someone local who's tech savvy and have them try out another power supply on your machine. If it works, then the power supply simply needs to be replaced.

One other thing occurred to me. My wife's computer started having that "spontaneously shutting down" issue after we installed a new graphics card, because her machine's power supply wasn't able to supply enough power for the computer. Once the demand got too high, the computer simply was unable to stay powered for any length of time. If you've installed anything new recently, you might need a higher wattage power supply.

Good advice! thanks.

lol oh technology

most likely dust plugging up fan vents or heatsinks. this causes the computer to overheat. most computers will turn off instantly when it gets over a certain temp to protect itself. or could be a bad fan. the first is most likely. fans would be jext and thex in line is power supply.a short would be more on the very rare side. processors heat up relly fast when they cant stay cool. Leaking capacitors on the motherboard is also rareish. but do happen with many modes from 2002-2006. There was a flood in the market of bad capacitors thoese years. was a manufacturing issue. Capacitors are the roujd things on the board. they very in height and size. have silver tops. if they are bad they would have ztuff oozing from the top or would have a buldge ontop. should be flat on the top. most newer board have new capacitors called solid capacitors. thoese cant go bad.

Good advice!

Before tossing it get the power supply checked. Before replacing anything.

Do NOT let Geek Squad get their dirty hands on it. They have a habit of reformatting drives needed or not.

I am a computer expert and can confirm that it's goblins. They're attracted to the smell of gigahertz.

Hmmm... how old is the computer?

About 5 years or so.

Yeah, you best just replace it. For all your old files, though... are you handy with a screw driver?

Are computers ever really "fixed" or are they merely in an interim state before the next virus or breakdown?

Depends on the operating system. Windows is more easily broken into versus MacOS X and Linux, which build upon the Unix security model.

Yeah...my 5 year old netbook officially cannot be used to look at Gmail anymore since the OS is a no longer upgradeable form of Linux. Which sucks more. I too am in the same boat computer-wise.

Good luck on yours...sounds like you will have to replace it if its a laptop. At least a desktop can be frankensteined again.

Good luck getting it repaired! I'm sure your files are safe, and it's most likely a problem with the power supply or overheating (as has been said earlier in the thread), so whatever you do, don't let anyone wipe the drive out during their "repair." :P

Let me know if I may assist.