Arch Linux

hex0100

Member

Registered: 2015-09-18

Posts: 1

Laptop Irregularly Rebooting

Hey all, around 3 months ago I started to have issues with my Packard Bell Easynote Laptop suddenly powering off and rebooting at odd times.

At first I thought this was an overheating issue; it definitely seemed to often occur at times when the CPU was working hard. But I installed the sensors package and suppressed the CPU frequency, and the laptop continued to randomly power off even in idle state.

I looked through the log files and could find nothing. Most importantly, the kernel logs show nothing unusual - normal system activity continues right up to the point of suddenly powering off. This leads me to think I have some kind of underlying hardware issue.

Next I found out that the laptop is most likely to power off when moved. But this is far from consistent. Sometimes, merely nudging it causes it to power off, whereas at other times I am able to move it without issues.

Lastly, sometimes when I switch the computer on, it simply gets stuck at the BIOS screen for a few seconds, then reboots, and gets stuck again - it gets stuck in this loop. But after moving the laptop around a little and trying again, I'm able to get it to start normally. This looping at startup behaviour is becoming more and more frequent, and I'm worried I'll have an unbootable laptop on my hands soon. Yet I've tested the hard drive, and it's okay, and the problem does not seem to be caused by the battery or any peripherals; I've ruled them out. So what could be the problem? I don't want to have to discard a 95% working laptop soon.

Last edited by hex0100 (2015-09-18 05:46:59)

headkase

Member

Registered: 2011-12-06

Posts: 1,986

Re: Laptop Irregularly Rebooting

If you are having issues right on the BIOS screen then the issue is operating system independent.  I.e. it has nothing to do with Arch.  If it was my laptop I'd bring it into a shop and ask them for an estimate to repair it.  If luck is on your side it is just a loose connector inside the machine.