laptop shuts down out of no where

[jlee031]

so i didnt know where to put this but my friend has a compaq presario 2100 and i started i t up this morning to fix the wireless but the laptop says the powers full so i un pluged it and moved it by the router i then started to work on it but it unexpectently shutdown it wasent overheating and it went to a screen i think look liked a windows 98 screen flashed for a seconed and he is runing xp home. now it has the active desktop recovery thing on the desktop and has happened a couple times since my first specultaion n is a virus what u think

[Panama Red]

Does it do this only when the power converter/charger is unplugged? In other words, does it only do it when running on battery power?

Moving to proper forum.

[jlee031]

only when on battery i didnt think its a bad battery is there a way to make sure if its bad or a way to make it better

[Panama Red]

When you switch to battery power and you try to run an app, check the battery status and see if it falls rapidly. Sounds like a failing battery - one that's unable to hold a charge. You might also remove the battery with the pc turned off and then reinstall it. This might improve the battery connection.

[jlee031]

i got a new llitle twist for u so i had the power plu g out for a while and doin different things then i wento put the linksys wireless g card in and the thing happend again i dont think the power went u think its the processer or somthin

[Panama Red]

I doubt it's the processor but check the fan area and make sure it's not full of dust. Is it sitting on a hard surface, like a desk, when it shuts down? Or is it sitting on a soft fabric surface like a blanket? A cloth surface will prevent proper air circulation and cause shut down to prevent overheating. Also, check the fan when the pc is running and make sure the fan is working. Will plugging in the wireless card also shut it down when it is running on ac power?

[jlee031]

it was on his lap so that might be the prob and the card shuts it only when its unpluged

[Panama Red]

You should us the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon by the clock before you unplug the card. Left click on the icon with the green arrow. Select the device to unplug (there may be more devices connected like usb's) and wait for the notification that it's now safe to remove the device.