Both laptops and desktops will start to power up and then will power themselves down after a few minutes. We had a Dell XPS had that symptom this week. With our free diagnostics, we determined the fan had failed. It is simple and inexpensive to replace a CPU fan. Modern microprocessors generate a significant amount of heat. This heat needs to be removed or the microprocessor can die much much earlier than when it would normally fail under normal conditions. Therefore there is a heat sensor mounted on the microprocessor (CPU) to shut the entire computer if the microprocessor is getting too hot.
If the fan fails then the CPU will overheat and will shut down to prevent damage. In a desktop, it is usually pretty straightforward to tell if the fan has stopped working but with laptops it may be more difficult. We have software that allows us to monitor the temperature of the CPU. We can use this to determine other thermal problem issues. A somewhat common issue in laptops is the heat pipe which carries the heat from the CPU to the fan can crack. A cracked heat pipe will no longer function correctly.
Therefore if you are having this problem, do not despair – it probably is a straight forward fix.
As always – we offer to provide a free diagnosis of your problem. We are conveniently located in Cary for customers in Apex, Cary, Morrisville, Holly Springs, Raleigh, Garner and Durham.