Solved! Qosmio X870 Randomly shuts down

[CMK74]

Hello,

I have had my Qosmio X870 for about 6 years and it has just recently developed this problem. My system will randomly shut off, under normal (browsing, not gaming) use. This also happens during start up, from time to time.

Problems started happening a little over a month ago. I noticed the graphics card fan was not moving air the way it once did. I bought a cooling station and it seemed to help. Then, just over a week ago, the system started shutting off. Not, going into shutdown, but just shutting off. But, not only when gaming. There are times when it will shut off and come right back, when I press the power button. Other times it will "flash" and be off again. If I hold the power button for a couple of seconds, it usually boots up again. But, will also at random, shut off during boot. There is no way it will run games (not even WoW), without shutting off.

Here's what I know and what I've done:
During normal use (internet browsing and the like), the case is cool to the touch, no increase in noticeable heat. The fan even moves a bit of slow, cool air.

There is no rhyme or reason for the shutdown. It's as random as a dice roll.

The Heat Sink is clean. I've blown it clean with compressed air and when I opened the case (to check for obvious motherboard damage), the heat sink was clear.

I have tested the power cord (with a volt meter) and it reads a solid 19v from all terminals.

I ordered Factory Reset software from Toshiba and have completely wipe/reset my HDD. Yes, it did shutdown, but after the entire reset was complete, but while I was going through the "registration" phase. I restarted and the "registration" phase was still ready to go.

It did shut down once more, during the "Updates" after Reset. There were 151 updates available, so I left it overnight. When I awoke, it was shutdown and when restarted, it was in the finalization phase of the updates. More than an hour of use later and no shutdown.

Currently, I am upgrading from the original Windows 8, to Window 10. So far, no random shutdowns. However, the previously mentioned shutdowns (during reset and update) have me concerned.


Any advice would be most appreciated, Thank you.

 

[webworkings]

Sounds like overheating to me. You should try installing some temperature monitoring software and see what kind of temps it is getting to.

Also, just getting a cooling station would not fix a bad fan problem. They are meant to us in addition to, not instead of, an internal fan. I would really have that fan replaced, the thermal paste replaced and have the laptop cleaned out of dust and debris right away before the problem turns into replacing a GPU or worse a motherboard.

 

[CMK74]

One detail I forgot, but reoccurred just a moment ago. I do get a Blue Screen message "Driver Power State Failure", from time to time. I have update my graphics card drivers, but it did not change the issue.

 

[webworkings]

That usually happens when you have an incompatible driver installed. If you got/installed drivers from anywhere other than the manufacturer, and for any other computer other than what they recommend for your own, that can cause this.

 

[CMK74]

I've just updated the graphics card drivers through device manager (after reset). Hopefully this helps.

 

[CMK74]

And still shutting down randomly, even during start-up.

 

[webworkings]

Try starting it in "Safe Mode" and see if it loads without problems.

 

[CMK74]

I downloaded Core Temp and it is currently monitoring my CPU. Neither core is reaching more than 55°, under normal browsing.

While installing the battle.net launcher, neither core reached above 62°. Hovering between 45 and 55°.

During my WoW install, there was cool air coming from the vents and did not become warm to the touch.

From this point, I have no idea where to go.

 

[webworkings]

Then you may well have failing hardware. A few things could cause this. I would suggest you have it looked at by a tech.

 

[CMK74]

Yeah, this was my first thought as well. Unfortunately, the graphics card is integrated into the motherboard. Can't replace one without the other and there aren't any, brand new units available.

 

[webworkings]

And I would be careful not to go aftermarket if at all possible. That usually leads to a whole host of problems.

 

[CMK74]

Didn't realize there would be an aftermarket for this. But, will certainly steer clear. At this point, the laptop is 7 years old and new, OEM parts are not available. Time for a new system. Thank you for all of your help.

 

[webworkings]

Glad to help. Good Luck!