Gateway 7805u Restarting Randomly?

My 7805u has recently started restarting at random intervals of use and I was wondering if anyone could explain why. I thought it could be a dust overload, overheating, or a port disconnection. I've taken my laptop, cleaned it, and put it back together but no luck. If someone could help that would be great. Preferably without wiping my hard drive.

 

I presume that you have done a virus check?

 

Yes, I have preformed a virus check.

 

Tried running it in safe mode for a while to see if it restarts?

 

Yep restarting randomly in safe mode.

 

Found this on the web. I would imagine you could insert Win 7 where Win XP is. These are NOT my guidelines but after reading I think they may give you an idea of what to do. Good luck.

"So here's what I would do, when faced with a randomly rebooting computer:

Yes, I would consider upgrading to Windows XP, if the machine is capable of it.

Make sure that anti-virus and anti-spyware utilities are running and up-to-date.

Make sure that the operating system and all device drivers are as up-to-date as possible.

Run a memory diagnostic such as Memtest86 or Windows memory Diagnostic.

Run a hard disk diagnostic such as SpinRite.

Run a motherboard temperature monitoring tool such as Motherboard Monitor - it's a free tool that will report your CPU's temperature among other things, and will let you see if the machine is overheating for some reason.

•

At this point I've done pretty much everything I can that doesn't involve opening the computer. If the problem isn't evident or resolved, we need to get a little more serious. This might also be the time for some to simply take their computer in to a technician for diagnosis.

Next, I'd open up the computer and:

Carefully vacuum all the dust out of the machine.

Make sure that the fans which are accessible are running properly. If not, I replace them. If the machine doesn't crash as quickly with the cover off, that's often a sign of overheating.

Remove as many optional hardware components as possible that would still allow the machine to run. If the problem disappeared, I would re-install components until it reappeared, and then remove other components to make sure that the problem was associated with only a specific component.

Re-seat all remaining and accessible connectors and expansion cards - sometimes problems are as simple as a loose connection.

At this point we've done pretty much everything we can with what we have on hand. Next up, we start spending money (or, perhaps if you're a geek, pulling from your spare parts bin), and go down the "replace parts until it works" path. This is another jump off point for many - it's definitely easier to simply take the computer in to a technician for diagnosis.

I'd replace the power supply first. Unless there's other data that says the problem is likely to be elsewhere, I'm just playing the odds here. If I went this far, and I planned to keep the computer for some time, I'd also consider upgrading to a higher wattage supply at the same time. Replacing a power supply is only moderately difficult.

Next up, would be the motherboard. This is a bit of work, as it often involves tearing the entire computer apart.

Lastly, I'd consider replacing the computer.

In reality, unless you're really interested in playing with the hardware and trying the "replace it 'til it works" approach, I'd recommend skipping this last set of items completely and taking it into a repair shop to let them figure it out.

And, naturally, before you do so, it might also be time for a cost/benefit analysis: will it be cheaper or more effective to simply replace the computer than to fix it? I'm not at all saying that it will be - it depends on the availability and going rates for computer repair in your area, and the potential cost of fixing whatever is broken. But this is the time to at least do the math and compare."