# Wife Computer Rebooting Randomly Kernel Power 41



## Potempkin (May 16, 2016)

Window Kernel Power error; Occurs randomly...any help would be appreciated...Issue Started this Friday; Unable to determine anything from the system logs. 

Computer will just reboot...Error shows in Error logs below with turn on. 

Chronology:
Critical	5/16/2016 3:50:04 PM	Kernel-Power	41	(63)
Critical	5/16/2016 3:42:27 PM	Kernel-Power	41	(63)
Critical	5/14/2016 3:00:25 AM	Kernel-Power	41	(63)
Critical	5/13/2016 4:04:48 PM	Kernel-Power	41	(63)
Critical	5/13/2016 4:02:31 PM	Kernel-Power	41	(63)
Critical	5/13/2016 8:33:12 AM	Kernel-Power	41	(63)
Critical	2/19/2016 8:53:22 AM	Kernel-Power	41	(63)
Critical	1/24/2016 2:39:16 PM	Kernel-Power	41	(63)

Log Name: System
Source: Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power
Date: 5/16/2016 3:50:04 PM
Event ID: 41
Task Category: (63)
Level: Critical
Keywords: (70368744177664),(2)
User: SYSTEM
Computer: MOMMAPC-IQ540PD
Description:
The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
<Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power" Guid="{331C3B3A-2005-44C2-AC5E-77220C37D6B4}" />
<EventID>41</EventID>
<Version>3</Version>
<Level>1</Level>
<Task>63</Task>
<Opcode>0</Opcode>
<Keywords>0x8000400000000002</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2016-05-16T22:50:04.279439900Z" />
<EventRecordID>13898</EventRecordID>
<Correlation />
<Execution ProcessID="4" ThreadID="8" />
<Channel>System</Channel>
<Computer>MOMMAPC-IQ540PD</Computer>
<Security UserID="S-1-5-18" />
</System>
<EventData>
<Data Name="BugcheckCode">0</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter1">0x0</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter2">0x0</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter3">0x0</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter4">0x0</Data>
<Data Name="SleepInProgress">0</Data>
<Data Name="PowerButtonTimestamp">0</Data>
<Data Name="BootAppStatus">0</Data>
</EventData>
</Event>


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

Hi .... and welcome to the forums


Can you check on a few system failure settings? 
1) Right-click the Start Menu icon
2) Select System
3) Select Advanced System Settings
4) In the "Startup & Recovery" section, select Settings
5) In the "System Failure" section, remove the check mark in the option box "automatically restart"
6) In the "Write debugging information" drop-down menu, select "small memory dump".
7) Select OK to save the changes and exit.
8) Restart your computer.

These changes will cause the computer to show a Blue Screen error, which will be handy if such errors are causing the restarts - and also to save a "minidump" file in the C:\Windows\Minidump folder. The error messages and minidumps can help track down the cause of the restarts.

Since there were two previous Critical errors (one in January and one in February .... then the sudden increase with six in the last three days) - if you can think of anything in common with the earlier episodes - that might provide a clue.

If the trouble produces Blue Screen errors, see if you can write them down & post them here. You can try a utility such as Who Crashed or Blue Screen View for a quick first try at identifying the suspects.

Could be anything from driver troubles, misbehaving apps, power supply problems, to overheating.

We'll stay tuned...


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## Potempkin (May 16, 2016)

OldGrayGray,

Thank you very much for you reply; I checked heat and it looks very stable...I also checked Bios and a memory setting was not set to auto. I changed this setting and so far its been stable for a day but I will follow the steps you outlined for me.

Appreciate your help and time.


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

We'll hope that the memory timings at default does the trick. We'll stay tuned, in case it turns out a bit more complicated....


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## Potempkin (May 16, 2016)

Hello OldGrayGray,

It has reared its ugly head...Her computer shuts down every time she goes to log in now. BIOS is only single beep. 

It seems to be a windows/software issue as I did manage to boot into safe mode and am able to enter and alter the bios. 

How do you access the log file we enabled in your previous steps?


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

PC Hell: How to View Minidump Files and Decipher Them


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## Potempkin (May 16, 2016)

Thanks Corday!


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

Hi again 

If we are unlucky, the errors might not produce the "minidump" files that we asked Windows to store for us. It's a little worrisome that the system is crashing/shutting down without showing a blue screen with some error information on it. 

Glad that you've been able to get to things in Safe Mode. If things seem to be deteriorating - and if you have valuable data on the PC that isn't backed up - this might be a good time to copy the data to a safe spot (USB, DVD, external hard drive, online storage) ... the local options you can do from Safe Mode.

Let us know if you have questions.

(....and thanks, Corday, for the instructions link!)


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## Potempkin (May 16, 2016)

OldGrayGray you are correct last dumpfile was in January; I have managed to back everything up and do have a recovery point/back-up made.

Another thing I noticed is when it was in the reboot loop it was occurring after selecting the log in user...it occurred on both a use and administrator account so I suspect its something with the OS...

Easier to just reformat/recover? I kind of want to discover the root cause but my wife just wants her PC back lol :banghead:


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

Hi again

Very glad to hear that you have files backed up externally. If you have the setting for "system failure" set to create "minidumps" (the smaller kind), and the system is crashing without creating these - it can point to hardware trouble rather than software trouble. It's a probability, though, not a sure bet.

It might be a low percentage probability, but the fastest repair is to use the Reset option [Start menu - Settings - Updates & security - Recovery - Reset this PC]. You can try this with the option to "save files" ... that will keep you documents intact, & you won't have to restore them from backups. The Reset won't cure things much (if at all ... and then: only temporarily) if the problem with the laptop is due to faulty hardware. The Reset might even not be able to start or to finish.... But you can try it: it is the fastest option. You might be lucky!

If the trouble is hardware, diagnostics might be able to track down the problem, if it is with a part that is testable using common diagnostics. If you can find a user guide from the manufacturer, it should mention if your model has built-in diagnostics (often available by pressing a function key at system power-on). If so, run those as thoroughly as possible. If a faulty/failing part is identified, and the laptop is under warranty, copy down the error number (or message) from the diagnostics - you'll want to pass that information along to the warranty techs that will repair/replace the laptop under the terms of the warranty. If the model is out of warranty, post the error info here, and we can help you determine if the part is worth replacing yourself, or what other options are available, and what they are likely to cost.

If the laptop has no built-in diagnostics, you can try running diagnostics from bootable diagnostic CDs. I use several of these, one that I can recommend (free, and works OK) is the "UBCD" ... it's been around a long time, has a handy memory diagnostic, and includes hard drive diagnostics from several manufacturers. It has all the intructions on how to use it and how to create it on their website:
Ultimate Boot CD - Overview

Use MemTest86+ to test the memory, and use the diagnostics from the manufacturer of the hard drive inside the laptop (SeaTools for Seagate hard drives, DataLifeGuard for Western Digital hard drives, etc.).... The diagnostics don't cover all hard drives, if the UBCD doesn't have a diagnostics that works for your laptop, you can visit the support site for the manufacturer of the hard drive inside your laptop & download their diagnostics directly from them. Some drives are hard to find workable diagnostics for (such as some Toshiba branded drives). Let us know if you can't locate a workable diagnostic.

It can be tricky to get newer laptops that have a newer system for starting up than older laptops to boot from a CD/DVD. [The old startup method is often called "BIOS" and the newer method is called "UEFI" ... BIOS = Basic Input/Output System, UEFI = Unified Extensible Firmware Interface].... The easiest way to know how your laptop will boot from a CD is to look in the user manual for your model. Some guides are better than others, so if your user guide doesn't mention how, here is a link to a generic guide to booting from a CD:
https://www.winhelp.us/computer-boot-order.html

_______________

Let's hope you are on a lucky streak, and it's not a hardware problem, and the Reset fixes Windows enough for your wife to happily use her laptop again.

We'll stay tuned.....

P.S. ... if the Reset goes OK ... it might be a good idea to follow up the repair with a thorough anti-malware scan - to make sure that if malware had a hand in the former trouble - it gets removed before having an opportunity to create more havoc.


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## Potempkin (May 16, 2016)

Look like your suspicions were correct; Post Reset about an half hour in it rebooted again. 

I built them both (My wife's and my PC's) at the same time with the same components; So I swapped the PSU and will run the diagnostics you recommended...will let you know what I get.


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

Hi again

The good thing about home-built computers ... it's easier to replace parts! I built all the desktops for my family and my repair business for years, but now everyone is using laptops, and the parts aren't standardized enough to drop the price to the make-it-yourself level. The laptop motherboards, since they are so customized per model, are just crazy expensive. 

Hopefully, if you find a part that needs replacing, it will be one still under warranty (PSUs, hard drives, memory ... these all generally have multi-year warranties). 

We'll stay tuned ...


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## Potempkin (May 16, 2016)

Hey Old GaryGary,

Hope you are doing well this week; Post the PSU swap memory and HDD diagnostics passed; The good news is the Kernel 41 error followed to my PC from my wifes with the PSU. 

Its been 5 days now since the swap with no Errors; I will wait another week or so but right now It appears to be a marginal PSU. I will follow your advice and seek a replacement since we built these in November.

Hopefully we have isolated the root cause...:thumb:


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

Good work - seems like the Corsair PSUs are pretty highly rated these days, if you watch the sales, a discounted price can make things even better.

Cheers


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