-- Posted by crazyfox2 at 1:31 pm on Dec. 23, 2006 hey everyone I have a laptop that suddenly started to be very lame. Now whenever I turn it on and as soon as it is about to load the desktop it restarts. Anyone have any ideas on what it is or how to fix it? Matt -- Posted by Kevin01 at 1:32 pm on Dec. 23, 2006 All I could say is reformat? -- Posted by libertine at 1:32 pm on Dec. 23, 2006 Windows has a setting to automatically reboot on a serious error, which means you get back to work, but also means you can't see the error message. So follow these steps to turn off that setting, then you'll have an error message to work with. 1. Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties. 2. Click the Advanced tab. 3. Under Startup and Recovery, click Settings to open the Startup and Recovery dialog box. 4. Clear the Automatically restart check box, and click OK the necessary number of times. 5. Restart your computer for the settings to take effect. -- Posted by bulletformyvalentine at 1:35 pm on Dec. 23, 2006 but can he not turn it on? -- Posted by libertine at 1:43 pm on Dec. 23, 2006 Oh yeah, I overlooked the fact you couldn't actually turn on the PC. Booting into safe mode should helkp you. Just keep pressing F8 as it's booting, then turn off the automatic reboot as above. -- Posted by Eruption101 at 1:51 pm on Dec. 23, 2006 Scan for spyware/adware, scan for viruses. If that doesn't work, reformat. -- Posted by Spuddlesworth at 1:52 pm on Dec. 23, 2006 Mine kept doing that ages ago.  Try the following: 1. As your computer is booting up (before it reaches the Windows loading screen), keep on pressing F8 until the Windows boot menu appears.  Select "Start in Safe Mode" and press Enter. 2. Once Windows has loaded in Safe Mode, click on Start, go to Run, type msconfig into the box and press OK. 3.  You should now see the System Configuration Utility.  Now this bit calls for a bit of trial and error.  We're assuming that the problem is caused by one of the Services or Startup processes listed under either the Services or Startup tabs in the System Configuration Utility window.  So, what you should do first of all is disable both the Services and Startup and restart your computer (in normal mode... don't bother with the whole F8 thing this time).  If it boots into Windows ok then we know that the problem is indeed being caused by one of the Startup processes or Services.  Then enable all of the Services and none of the Startup and see if that will still boot.  Then try vice versa.  Keep note of what you've enabled and what will/won't work.  You can carry on this process of elimination until you've worked out which Startup process or Service is causing the problem.  Once you know which program is causing this problem, uninstall it. If this method does not work, format your hard drive (back up your important data first, of course). -- Posted by soldierofjustice3 at 6:29 am on Dec. 24, 2006 You might be having an overheating issue. Make sure all your fans are spinning and clean. Happens all the time over here. -- Posted by crazyfox2 at 12:16 pm on Dec. 28, 2006 Ok I will try these and get back to you guys if it works, thank you for the ideas -- Posted by pcxjockey7 at 5:57 pm on Jan. 1, 2007 Run msconfig utility, and activate the "/safeboot" option. Restart your computer and follow these steps: quote from just another kid Windows has a setting to automatically reboot on a serious error, which means you get back to work, but also means you can't see the error message. So follow these steps to turn off that setting, then you'll have an error message to work with. 1. Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties. 2. Click the Advanced tab. 3. Under Startup and Recovery, click Settings to open the Startup and Recovery dialog box. 4. Clear the Automatically restart check box, and click OK the necessary number of times. 5. Restart your computer for the settings to take effect. Then restart, and de-activate /safeboot. Restart again. If you have anymore questions, feel free to contact me via PM. Good Luck