Re: Laptop randomly reboots

[rhkramer@gmail.com]

On Tuesday, September 05, 2017 12:46:58 AM Sam Smith wrote:
> Well I guess I really spoke too soon.... Just got a random reboot a
> minute ago... Pretty much at a loss now. The only thing that hasn't been
> replaced now is the CPU, battery, and power adapter. I do have a spare
> battery and power adapter. Guess I'll try running with those for a month
> or so and see what happens. Though not really sure how either one of
> those would make the computer reboot randomly once a month. Laptop is
> mounted in a docking station. At least for the last 6 months, every
> reboot was while it was docked. But I do remember times last year
> sitting at the kitchen table undocked and getting a reboot so I don't
> think the docking station is the issue.. But have no idea now :/

I haven't paid much attention to this before today, but, if I had a problem 
with unexplained reboots, the first area I'd look at is the power supply 
"chain"--that is, the battery, the connections between the battery and the 
laptop, power "glitches" to the house,etc.

I run a laptop with a known bad battery--if I disconnect the power supply it 
crashes in seconds.  OTOH, if your battery is good, it serves as a (long 
lived) UPS--you should be able to ride out hours long power glitches.

If I had a known good battery, I might try examining the contacts between the 
battery and the laptop--are they clean / shiny, is the "springy side" still 
"springy", does the battery fit snugly in the case or is there enough clearance 
for it to possibly move and break contact with the laptop?  I might even try  
picking up the laptop and reasonably gently shaking it (while running) to see 
if it reboots.  (You don't want to shake it so hard that you damage something 
else.)

If you have a known bad battery, I'd look at the chain from the power outlet 
through the various cords and contacts on both sides of the power adapter.  
Try shaking the power adapter.

Is the power to your house reliable--is there any chance you've had brief 
power outages overnight?  (In the US, most electric utilities have automatic 
reclosers on the power line circuit breakers--if they detect a fault they 
open, then try closing again after a few seconds (in hopes that either the 
fault has cleared (maybe a shorting tree branch has either blown or burned),  
away, open again if there is still a fault, again try to reclose, after a few 
seconds.  In most cases, they try this something like 3 times, with a somewhat 
longer delay before the last retry.

Oh wait, you have (presumably known good) spare battery and power adapter--try 
those.