thermal event?

[WaterTails]

**** it! My computer keeps getting "thermal events". After one, it'll only stay powered on for about 30 seconds. Sometimes, though, I may get lucky on it and almost have time for a system restore...

I don't know if it's temperature related, because it hasn't been moved recently, but they just started recently. Also, when it gets one, I go down and feel it, no more heat than usual...

HELP!

 

[AltF4]

Your processor has a thermometer in it to measure if it's overheating. If it gets too hot, it makes the processor shut down, otherwise you'd have fried it by now.

If you're overlocking anything turn it off, or if you've recently added any hardware take it out.

Other than that, you can try replacing the heatsink. Google will give you some good information on what that entails.

EDIT: Plus you can try just opening up your case and blowing a fan at it... sometimes that works. (But doesn't really solve the problem)

 

[Eight Sage]

I had that problem too. I recommend you to stop turning on your PC if you don't know where the problem is, because you can burn up your CPU and motherboard.

In my case, it was the CPU's fan who stopped cooling, then CPU noticed that and shut down the PC after a few sec.

Can you open the case? if yes, then look all the fans... are they running ok?

 

[Jammer]

Usually you can see the fans through the little grills somewhere on your case (usually the side or the back, but sometimes underneath). Are those little fans spinning?

For it to heat up so quickly, it means something is wrong either with the thermometer (doubtful) or the heatsink (more likely). Possibly something has happened to the thermal connection between the heatsink of the CPU. Has your computer been jarred so that the thermal coupling has become undone, or the thermal paste has separated?

Another possibility is a problem with the power supply itself (it gives too high a voltage), although your computer probably wouldn't run at all if this was the case.

It sounds to me like it's going to take an expensive/complicated repair. Sorry.