If after an upgrade, a Windows Update or Restart, or a Blue Screen, your Windows device is trapped in a persistent perpetual reboot loop situation, then this post gives you some suggestions about how to deal with the “Why did my PC restart” problem. It may or may not show any message until your machine restarts, and if it does, it may be any of the following:
- Failure configuring Windows updates, reverting changes
- We could not complete the updates, undoing changes
- Automatic Repair fails, stuck in a reboot loop
- Your computer will automatically restart in one minute.
So if your computer restarts and goes through a reset loop without warning, or has a blue screen, here are a few options you should do. Please first go through the entire posts, along with the links listed, to see which scenario can apply to you.
Whatever the reason might be, attempting to enter Safe Mode should be your priority. Great, if you can get into Safe Mode, otherwise you’re going to have to use your Windows Installation Media. Let the computer reboot a couple of times and see if it sorts itself out.
Tips to fix your Why did my PC restart issue
- Check for Hard Drive Issues
- Disable Automatic Restart
- Fix Driver Issues
- Make Startup Repair
- Use Windows 10 Boot Loop Automatic Repair
- Remove Bad Registry
- Check File System
- Refresh/Reinstall Windows 10
1. Check for Hard Drive Issues
The last straw here to delete the reset loop for Windows is to search your computer hard drive for physical problems. Here the bootable MiniTool Partition Wizard’s Surface Test feature will check every sector on your drive and report bad sectors on the drive.
- Boot the computer from the bootable media of the MiniTool Partition Wizard. Then pick the whole device disc, and from the action screen, select Surface Test.
- Click Start Now in the pop-up window to begin testing the hard drive. If bad sectors are detected, they will be labeled with red blocks.
You can initiate a disc backup before data loss happens and install Windows on a new drive if there are several bad sectors. But if no bad sectors are identified, and the reboot loop for Windows continues, contact Microsoft for technical assistance.
2. Disable Automatic Restart
- Press F8 constantly while restarting your computer until you get a Windows logo on the screen.
- Now the boot menu settings appears on the computer screen, release F8 and select Safe Mode.
- Go to the Search box and type ‘sysdm.cpl’ when Windows starts in Safe Mode. From the search results, open sysdm.cpl.
- Go to the Advanced tab and select Settings under Start-up and Recovery.
- Here it would help if you unchecked the “Automatically restart” check box. If it’s not already checked, you might also want to check ‘Write an event to the system log.’ Click ‘OK and restart your computer again.
Whenever your computer is stuck in the reboot loop, this is the very first method you need to try. Did this fix your why did my PC restart issue? If Yes, great. If not, let’s make sure the next solutions
3. Make Startup Repair
You can’t enter “Advanced Options” settings where you can correct the issue as Windows keeps restarting. It would help if your computer booted from a USB or DVD in this case. You’ll need the support of Bootable Media for Windows. Go to any Internet-connected PCs and build bootable media using the Media Development Tool. If the Bootable Media is ready, follow the steps listed below.
- Insert the installation disc for Windows, connect the USB media to your PC, and then boot the machine.
- When you are asked to boot from a CD or DVD, press a key.
Tip: If your PC does not immediately find bootable Windows media during the restart process, read any instructions leading to the computer screen’s BIOS configuration settings. Then to alter the boot sequence, go to Boot Order/Boot Options/Boot. To find a CD, DVD, or USB, please follow the directions and use the arrow keys to get it to the top of the list. Lastly, to save the updates, click a key, and exit the BIOS Configuration Utility. Now from the bootable files, your PC will be able to run.
- Pick a language, time, currency, keyboard, or another input method when you see the Windows installation window, and then press ‘Next.’
- Tap Your Screen Repair.
- Pick the computer operating system you wish to patch, and you will be asked to troubleshoot it.
- Follow this direction now: Troubleshoot -> Advanced Options -> Fix Startup.
- Choose a goal and then start diagnosing the system with Windows. Startup Patch can try to address the Windows reboot loop if any error is found.
If the Startup Repair does not resolve the problem, you can go to “Command Prompt” under “Advanced options” and execute this command:
- Enter Bootrec /RebuildBcd and press Enter.
- Windows 10 Exit Command Prompt and restart.
Continue for the next solution if this does not help your computer.
4.Use Windows 10 Boot Loop Automatic Repair
Automatic repair of the Windows 10 boot loop can occur after several boot failures. And from there, you can make any rescue reset loop for Windows 10. Try the following, please:
- Switch the PC off and then turn it up. Click and hold the Power button to switch it off as soon as you see the spinning loading circle.
- Repeat this step several times until the “Preparing Automatic Repair” computer screen is clear.
- You can see the “Diagnosing your PC” screen after the “Automatic Repair” gui. You need to pick “Advanced options” right here.
- Select ‘Troubleshoot’ -> ‘Advanced Alternatives’ where several choices are open.
- Select ‘Command Prompt’ and begin to execute the command lines below:
c
dir
cd windowssystem32config
MD backup
copy *.* backup
CD regback
dir
Copy *.* ..
A
Exit
Press “Choose an option” when you return to “Continue” and see if the Window continuous reboot terminates. If this did not fix your why did my PC restart issue then try the next one.
5.Check File System
It would help if you had the assistance of a bootable partition manager in this process. MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro is recommended here because it can help you quickly build bootable files. Follow the steps below to search the computer file system until you are on the main interface of the bootable MiniTool Partition Wizard.
- From the system disc, pick a system-specific partition and click ‘Review File System’ from the action screen.
- “Select “Test & correct identified errors” in the pop-up window and press “Begin.” Wait quietly, please, until the job is done.
- Repeat this procedure until all the partitions connected with the system have been tested and fixed.
Boot up the Windows now. Hope this fixed your why did my PC restart issue.
6.Refresh/Reinstall Windows 10
We hope that at least one of the above solutions is useful to resolve the persistent rebooting of Windows 10. If they all disappoint you, however, you may need to refresh or reinstall Windows 10.
- Repeat the above-mentioned process to get into Windows 10 Automated Fix to refresh your PC. Take this direction then: Automatic Repair -> Advanced options -> Troubleshoot -> Refresh your PC.
Tip: To get the “Advanced Options” option, you might “Refresh your PC” Your data will maintain this option, but any installed programs will be destroyed.
- Only follow the screen directions from here until the refreshment is done.
Data backup is required if you plan to do the reset. The bootable media created just now by MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro is very helpful here. Before you do that, plan another format and connect it to your device. Then boot the bootable media out of your PC.
- Select the machined disc as the source disc, and from the action screen, select the Copy Disk option.
- Pick the hard drive that you have planned and press “Next” as the target disc.
- Confirm copying choices or, depending on your choice, make any improvements. To move ahead, press ‘Next.’
- Learn details on how to boot from the new disc” and press “Finish.”
- Finally, on the toolbar, press “Apply” and confirm that you want the procedure.
If you have done anything but are still facing the same dilemma, you should try reinstalling the window.
Conclusion
We hope you are able to resolve your why did my PC restart issues with one of the above solutions. This should have saved the relentless rebooting dilemma on Windows 10. And in other versions of the operating systems, you should try these approaches if you begin to experience rebooting problems with them.
- Remove From My Forums
Reboot loop «why did my PC restart» after installation of Windows 10 LTSC 2019 — dmwappushsvc service disabled
-
Question
-
Hi,
we use 2016 LTSB and we had one GPO setting where the «dmwappushsvc service» was set to disabled.
After deploying the 2019 LTSC all devices were going to the reboot loop «why did my PC restart» until i set the above service to unconfigured (it took a long time to discover this one misbehaving setting).
Upgrade from 2016 to 2019 wasnt affected.
Anybody knows why it happens? I dont see this service on Windows 10 2019 LTSC anymore…
Regards,
Sascha
Answers
-
Hi Joy-Qiao,
the issue is reproducable. Just need a GPO console on a Windows 10 1607 to be able to disable the service because i dont see it on a Windows 10 1809.
We dont had this problem during last 3 years on the 1607. I will not open a support case and also not through the Feedback Hub app but if anyone searches the net may find this post and check if its the same problem. So its OK for me.
Thanks,
Sascha
-
Marked as answer by
Wednesday, September 11, 2019 11:30 AM
-
Marked as answer by
Skip to content
This blog post really is a note to self.
I started the SCCMentor blog over five years ago to store all those weird and wonderful issues that I would come across and battle on a day to day basis. A place to refer back to if the problem cropped up again.
Over the years the blog has morphed and become more than that, but every now and then I like to add in a little snippet that will help others with that battle.
I wish I had added this one earlier, since I came up with the problem on customer site the other day, and I knew I had seen it before but just couldn’t remember the fix.
Luckily I had answered a forum post a few months before. So, I thought it was time to jot this one down and promote, in case I encounter it again in the near future.
The symptoms are that a Windows 10 build completes and then gets stuck in a loop, displaying the message Why did my PC restart?. You are presented with a Next button and after clicking it comes back to the same error.
The problem occurs due to the following group policy being set and impacts Windows 10 1703 and above.
Computer ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsApp runtimeBlock launching Windows Store apps with Windows Runtime API access from hosted content.
You should set the Enabled policy to Not Configured as a workaround.
Microsoft recently posted a support article on the problem Event 5963 and a “Block launching Windows Store apps with Windows Runtime API access from hosted content” error prevents an OOBE deployment in Windows 10 and it looks like the issue will be addressed with future releases of Win 10.
For reference, here is the TechNet forum post I answered, which steered me towards fixing the problem on the day. https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/ec73768f-e11f-463e-93be-8dae88a1484b/issues-while-deployment-of-windows-10-1803
** Thanks to Niall Brady at www.windows-noob.com for use of the Why Did My PC Restart? image. **
Hi,
I had actually the same issue when deploying Windows 10 1703 into my environment.
I have managed to rectify the situation which another blog refers to disabling the ‘Consumer Experience’ via GPO
The “Consumer Experience” is the default mode Windows 10 (including Enterprise) is shipped with. This mode, upon initial login of a new user, commences the automatic download of a plethora of (unrequested) UWP apps, thus filling the start menu with games like Candy Crush. I deplore this feature beyond anything Microsoft has done in the past. It cheapens the Windows experience and frankly, I think they should be embarrassed that this is included in their flagship product. Fortunately, this feature can be disabled – but only on Enterprise edition.
In my case this policy was not set and building the device into an OU in Active Directory where there were no GPO’s proved successful but as this would not solve my issue I started to look at my build Task Sequence in SCCM.
I finally discovered the issue was related to us requiring a private store and me setting a registry key and all I had to do was move this to last part of the build process.
Choose Advanced tab and click on the button Settings in the Startup and Recovery section.
Step 4.
Disable Automatically restart under System Failure, and then click OK.
Now you can manually restart the computer and wait for a while to see if the random restart on Windows 10 Anniversary issue still persists.
Why did my PC just restart?
Rebooting due to Hardware failure. Hardware failure or system instability can cause the computer to reboot automatically. The problem could be the RAM, Hard Drive, Power Supply, Graphic Card or External devices: – or it could be an overheating or BIOS issue.
Why did my laptop randomly restart?
If Windows suddenly restarts without warning, or restarts when you try to shut it down, it might be caused by one of several issues. Windows could be set to restart automatically when certain system errors occur. A BIOS update can also resolve the issue. Computer Does Not Start (Windows for notebook computers.
What do I do if my computer is stuck restarting?
Solution without using a recovery disk:
- Restart computer and press F8 several times to enter Safe Boot Menu. If F8 key has no effect, force-restart your computer 5 times.
- Select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > System Restore.
- Select a good known restore point and click Restore.
How do I stop my computer from restarting Windows 10?
Step 1: Disable the automatic restart option to view error messages
- In Windows, search for and open View advanced system settings.
- Click Settings in the Startup and Recovery section.
- Remove the check mark next to Automatically restart, and then click OK.
- Restart the computer.
Why does my computer restart again and again?
At “Start” -> “Computer” –> right click on “Properties”, and then tap “Advanced system settings”. In the advanced options of the system context menu, click on “Settings” for Startup and Recovery. In Startup and Recovery, uncheck the “Automatically restart” for system failure. Click “OK” after unchecking the checkbox.
Why does my PC keep turning itself off?
An overheating power supply, due to a malfunctioning fan, can cause a computer to shut off unexpectedly. Software utilities such as SpeedFan can also be used to help monitor fans in your computer. Tip: Check the processor heat sink to make sure it is properly seated and has the correct amount of thermal compound.
Why is my computer shutting down randomly Windows 10?
Right-click Start and open Power Options. In Power Options settings click on Choose what the powers buttons do option in the left panel. Click Change settings that are currently unavailable option. Under Shut down settings, remove the tick from Turn on fast startup (recommended).
How can I find out why my computer restarted?
To figure out when your PC was last rebooted, you can simply open up Event Viewer, head into the Windows Logs -> System log, and then filter by Event ID 6006, which indicates that the event log service was shut down—one of the last things that happens before a reboot.
Why is my computer stuck in a boot loop?
The options include: Press Shift and click Restart to boot you into the Advanced startup options screen. Open Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Advanced startup > Restart now. Type shutdown /r /o in an elevated CMD prompt to reboot your computer into Advanced Boot options or Recovery console.
How do I restart a frozen Windows 10 laptop?
HOW TO UNFREEZE A FROZEN COMPUTER IN WINDOWS 10
- Approach 1: Press Esc twice.
- Approach 2: Press the Ctrl, Alt, and Delete keys simultaneously and choose Start Task Manager from the menu that appears.
- Approach 3: If the preceding approaches don’t work, turn off the computer by pressing its power button.
How do I automatically restart my computer after power failure Windows 10?
How to make your Ockel restart automatically after a power outage
- Click on the Start Menu (1) and then on Settings (2)
- Click on Update & Security (3)
- Click on Recovery (4) and then on Restart Now (5)
- Click on Troubleshoot (6)
- Click on Advanced Options (7)
- Click on UEFI Firmware Settings (8)
- Click on Restart (9)
- Click on Chipset (10) and then on South Bridge (11)
How do I stop Windows 10 from restarting every night?
Here’s how to tell Windows you want to choose the restart time for Windows Updates:
- Navigate to the Setings menu.
- Click Advanced options.
- Change the dropdown from Automatic (recommended) to “Notify to schedule restart”
How do I stop my computer from restarting on its own?
- Go to the Search tool in your version of Windows, type sysdm.cpl , and select the program of the same name.
- Click the Advanced tab.
- Click the Settings button under Startup and Recovery (as opposed to the dialog box’s other two Settings buttons).
- Uncheck Automatically restart.
How do I stop Windows 10 from restarting and shutting down?
Windows 10 Restarts after Shutdown: How to Fix It
- Go to Windows Settings > System > Power & Sleep > Additional power settings.
- Click Choose what the power button does, then click Change settings that are currently unavailable.
- Disable the Turn on fast startup feature.
- Save changes and shut down the PC to see if the issue has been fixed.
How do I fix automatic restarts in Windows 10?
Step 1: Disable the automatic restart option to view error messages
- In Windows, search for and open View advanced system settings.
- Click Settings in the Startup and Recovery section.
- Remove the check mark next to Automatically restart, and then click OK.
- Restart the computer.
Why does my PC restart when playing games?
Another reason your PC could be rebooting on its own is overheating. If the CPU gets too toasty, your PC will shut down to save itself. To help diagnose, I recommend downloading HWmonitor or Core Temp. Now do something processor intensive like running a game (or a stress test) and keep an eye on it.
Why does my computer keep crashing?
An overheating computer is the most common cause of random crashes. If your PC or laptop is not experiencing sufficient airflow, the hardware will become too hot and will fail to function properly, resulting in a crash. So if you can audibly hear your fan, allow your computer time to cool down before using it again.
Why does my computer turn on by itself Windows 10?
Select your mouse or the keyboard. Right click and go to properties > Power Management tab. Now uncheck the box which says Allow this device to wake the computer. Apart from the mouse, and keyboard if you are using any gaming rig to play games on your PC, you need to disable power options for them as well.
How do you clean computer fan blades?
How to clean the inside of your computer
- Step 1: Turn off your computer and unplug it from the electrical outlet or surge protector.
- Step 2: Open up your computer’s case.
- Step 3: Using compressed air, dust the internal components of your computer with short bursts of air.
- Step 4: Remove the dust buildup on your case fans with a can of compressed air.
How do I keep Windows 10 from going to sleep?
To disable automatic Sleep:
- Open up Power Options in the Control Panel. In Windows 10 you can get there from right clicking on the start menu and going to Power Options.
- Click change plan settings next to your current power plan.
- Change “Put the computer to sleep” to never.
- Click “Save Changes”
How do I restart my computer after a power outage?
Verify the PC Is Capable
- Step 1: Open your computer’s BIOS settings menu.
- Step 2: Look for the Power Settings menu item within the BIOS and change the AC Power Recovery, or similar, setting to “On.”
- Step 3: Save the configuration and reboot the computer.
Will a power outage hurt my computer?
It should be noted that although power outages will not cause direct harm to computer hardware other than data drives, it’s possible for power outages to be accompanied by power surges, which can cause severe damage to hardware. As far as power surges and spikes are concerned, your biggest worry should be lightning.
How do I turn on my PC with a power outage?
How to automatically start on (turning computer back / power on) after power outage.
- Modify Power settings inside your BIOS. Power On your computer and press “DEL” or “F1” or “F2” or “F10” to enter BIOS (CMOS) setup utility.
- Modify Windows to startup normally after power corruption,
Why does my computer restart when I try to shut down Windows 10?
Next click on Advanced system settings > Advanced tab > Startup and Recovery > System failure. Uncheck the Automatically restart box. Click Apply / OK and Exit. 5] Open Power Options > Change what the power buttons do > Change settings that are currently unavailable > Disable Turn on fast start-up.
Is shutting down your computer the same as restarting it?
A concept users frequently have difficulty with is the difference between “logging off,” “restarting,” and “shutting down” a system. To restart (or reboot) a system means that the computer goes through a complete shutdown process, then starts back up again.
Why does my computer restart when I click shutdown?
Click the Advanced tab, and then click the Settings button under ‘Startup and Recovery’ (as opposed to the other two Settings buttons on that tab). Uncheck Automatically restart. With that change, Windows will no longer reboot when you tell it to shut down.
Can RAM cause random reboots?
Note you will need to restart your computer. Random reboots can be cause by a failing power supply. Dirt and dust can also cause issues that look like memory problems.
How do I know if my PSU is failing?
Method 1 Diagnosing a Failed PC Power Supply
- Make sure that everything is plugged in. It’s entirely possible that a cord could just slip out from the outlet while you’re working.
- Hit the power button.
- Look at when your computer boots up.
- Check for beeps.
- Observe any computer failures.
- Check the fan in your computer.
Can GPU cause random restarts?
A bad GPU typically results in either freezing, black screen (no display whatsoever) or graphical display anomalies. A bad PSU is typically dead and has no power but I have seen them cause random restarts. Random restarts can also be due to bad RAM, bad motherboards, overheating CPUs and GPUs.
Photo in the article by “小鑫的GNU/Linux学习网站” http://linux.xiazhengxin.name/index.php?m=11&y=10
Jun. 14, 2022 / Updated by
Bessie Shaw to
Windows 10
“Hello, Windows machine stopped working after the update. So I did the automatic repair and chose to delete all the files. The repair completed 100% without any problem. However, now the machine keeps going back to the screen that says ‘Why did my PC restart?’. Please see the image below. I was able to connect to WiFi. However, it keeps going to this screen again and again. Please help.Thank you in advance.” – Quoted from Microsoft Community
Many users have reported the “Why did my PC restart?” infinite loop issue when deploying Windows 10 version 1703 (also known as Windows 10 Creators Update) or Windows 10 version 1709 (also known as Windows 10 Fall Creators Update) before. Recently, there are still some users troubled by this issue when downloading Windows 10 ISO files. To help these users address the “Why did my PC restart?” infinite loop issue, this post is created. If you are among these users, read on to try the recommended methods below.
Method 1. Change Your Network Connection to Fix “Why did my PC restart?” Infinite Loop
Make sure that your network connection is available. If you are using WiFi, try to restart your WLAN adapter. Or you can also try to change your network connection by connecting the network cable to your computer. If the “Why did my PC restart?” infinite loop issue is caused by the network problem, this method could help.
Method 2. Format the Hard Drive to Troubleshoot “Why did my PC restart?” Infinite Loop
According to some users who are struggling with the “Why did my PC restart?” infinite loop, formatting the hard drive on another available computer can help troubleshoot the issue. You can also have a try. Remove your hard drive from the computer that is stuck in the “Why did my PC restart?” infinite loop. Then insert the hard drive into another available computer to format it. When the formatting is completed, plug it back and restart the computer to see if the infinite loop is gone.
Method 3. Run Startup Repair to Address “Why did my PC restart?” Infinite Loop
If you are stuck in the “Why did my PC restart?” infinite loop, the first thing you need to do is to get out of the loop. The easiest way is to force shut down your computer by holding the power button three times to access the recovery mode. Then try to run Startup Repair to get rid of the issue. This post is for your reference: How to Run Startup Repair in Windows 10, 8, 7.
Method 4. Perform a Clean Install to Resolve “Why did my PC restart?” Infinite Loop
If the methods above don’t work for you, another method you can try is to perform a clean install. You need to download and create a bootable copy from a working computer first. And then follow the steps in this post to perform a clean install: How to Perform a Clean Install of Windows 10 from Windows 8.1, 8, 7.
Hope this post could be helpful to you and the “Why did my PC restart?” infinite loop issue could be resolved favoringly. If you need further assistance, leave comments below to let us know. We will try our best to help you. If you are finding solutions to other computer issues, the Resource section on this site may be exactly what you need.
Recommended Download
ExplorerMax |
Driver Talent for Network Card | |||
Smart and advanced file explorer tool for Windows platforms | Download & Install Network Drivers without Internet Connection | |||
30-day Free Trial |
Free Download |
Operating System
Windows 10
Computer Specs (PSU, GPU, CPU, RAM, Motherboard)
PSU: Corsair — CSM 550W 80 Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply GPU: MSI — GeForce GTX 960 4GB Video Card CPU: Intel i5 6600k RAM: G.Skill — Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory Mobo: MSI Z270 Carbon ATX
Speccy Link
N/A
Description of problem
So, while trying to install Windows 10 1709 on my computer, the system restarts unexpectedly and prompts a «why did my Pc restart?» screen. Is there any way to skip this screen? I am able to open command prompt thru shift f10, is there any way to skip thru that? If I try to hit Next and install the update, it goes to «Just a moment…» and then restarts back to the PC restart screen I was just at.
When this issue began
1-2 days ago
Recurring issue
Yes
Date of purchase
N/A
Under Warranty
No
Cause/Steps to recreate the issue
-
Get a Windows 1709 media drive
-
Install Windows 10 1709
-
Once the computer restarts, the setup screen should appear
-
If it unexpectedly restarts during the install, then the «Why did my PC restart?» screen will appear
What I’ve tried so far to resolve the issue
1 reinstalling 1709 (lead to same loop) 2. installing 1703 (started crashing a while into it) 3. installing 1607 (lead to a «Windows restarted, retry the install» after a Critical_process_died during installation) 4. Using different USB drives and ports for the media 5. Changing the media scheme (NTFS, FAT32, UEFI/CSM, UEFI, GPT/MBR) 6. Plugging in Ethernet connection to try and install the update 7. Unplugging Ethernet
I did run my overnight computations and when I came to my computer, it is restarted I would like to find reason why, if it was due to my computation process crashing or some system update. I have tried to look into the Event Log Viewer, Windows Logs -> System, but I cannot find the cause:
The computer must have restarted around 6:50. The last message before is at 6:03 from WindowsUpdateClient: «Installation Successful: Windows successfully installed the following update: Microsoft Advertising SDK for XAML». Then there are these messages (all at 6:51:13):
- Kernel-General: «The operating system started at system time 2016-07-02T04:51:13.490451600Z.»
- Kernel-Boot: «The last shutdown’s success status was false. The last boot’s success status was true.»
- Kernel-Boot: «The boot type was 0x0.»
- Kernel-Boot: «The boot menu policy was 0x1.»
- Kernel-Boot: «There are 0x1 boot options on this system.»
- Kernel-Boot: «The bootmgr spent 0 ms waiting for user input.»
How do I find out the cause of the restart? There is a possibility that it was due to update, but there was cca 50 minutes between the update and the restart. I would like to be really sure about the cause of the restart.
SaeX
4936 silver badges17 bronze badges
asked Jul 2, 2016 at 8:59
3
If windows update restarts your machine, you should see an event from user32 stating the reason for shutdown:
It’s followed by a bunch of logoff messages, and finally Kernel-General saying something like: «The operating system is shutting down at system time 2018-09-13T00:40:12.484519400Z.», followed shortly by a corresponding startup message.
If you don’t see those types of logoff messages, you probably had a crash, and may find related error events somewhere in the event viewer.
If I’m not sure when a restart happened, I look at the EventLog events at 12pm every day that show the system uptime:
All of these logs are found under Event Viewer/Windows Logs/System.
answered Sep 16, 2018 at 20:48
SteveSteve
2532 silver badges6 bronze badges
1
There are several signs your PC has crashed, including the message on how «The last shutdown’s success status was false.» Because Windows doesn’t have additional information in the crash, it probably wasn’t a BSOD.
Unfortunately, further diagnosis is pretty much impossible because you haven’t witnessed it. However, it’s most likely related to how your «overnight computations» excessively stressed the PC. There may be shortcomings in the cooling/ventilation setup. Other than that it could be pretty much any hardware component being subtly broken.
To illustrate how a successful reboot (preceded by a regular boot) looks like, take a look at this event log. Note how there are messages of some services (including the event logging service) being stopped.
answered Jul 2, 2016 at 16:31
Daniel BDaniel B
57k9 gold badges115 silver badges151 bronze badges
I made a VBScript file and have a shortcut in the startup folder. This displays the most recent boot time. If I want to know why the machine rebooted I view all system events unfiltered, scrolling back from the last time shown by the script and usually can see what happened.
const ToRead = 1 const ToWrite = 2 const ToAppend = 8 const WindowsFolder = 0 const SystemFolder = 1 const TemporaryFolder = 2 for each item in getobject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\." & "rootcimv2").ExecQuery("SELECT * FROM Win32_ComputerSystem") : time_zone_offset = item.CurrentTimeZone / 60 : next set fso = createobject("Scripting.FileSystemObject") temp_file = fso.getspecialfolder(TemporaryFolder) if right(temp_file,1) <> "" then temp_file = temp_file & "" temp_file = temp_file & "boot_times.$" set ws = createobject("WScript.Shell") ws.run "cmd /C wevtutil.exe qe System /q:""*[System [(EventID=6009)]]"" /rd >""" & temp_file & """", 0,true build = "booted at" with fso.opentextfile(temp_file,ToRead) while not .atendofstream a = .readline p = instr(a,"<TimeCreated SystemTime") if p > 0 then a = mid(a,p+25) p = instr(a,"'/>") if p > 0 then a = replace(left(a,p-1),"T"," ") p = instr(a,".") if p > 0 then a = left(a,p-1) if isdate(a) then dt = dateadd("h",time_zone_offset,cdate(a)) build = build & vbcrlf & year(dt) & "-" & twodg(month(dt)) & "-" & twodg(day(dt)) & " " & twodg(hour(dt)) & ":" & twodg(minute(dt)) & ":" & twodg(second(dt)) end if end if end if end if wend .close end with fso.deletefile temp_file msgbox build function twodg(j) twodg = right("0" & j,2) end function
answered Feb 13, 2020 at 23:29
subjectivistsubjectivist
5371 gold badge3 silver badges13 bronze badges
Windows Update for Windows 10 was made to look for a time in which a user (like yourself) is not active, and begin updates then.
If needed, Windows 10 will also automatically restart at this time, which is likely what occurred in your case.
Alternatively, the system errored, BSoD’d or lost power and then started back up again afterwards. Given the lack of logs stating as such, I would assume that none of these actually happened.
Also, the log line you’re showing here, «The operating system started at system time 2016-07-02T04:51:13.490451600Z.», states that the operating system started at 04:51:13, not 06.51.13.
answered Jul 2, 2016 at 9:12
7