Many avid gamers quite often encounter the problem that when starting games (not all, of course), a spontaneous constant restart of the computer is sometimes observed. Typically, most users begin to blame the installed operating system and video card for this. Yes, indeed, sometimes the reason may be precisely in them, but not always. Let's look at typical situations and try to find a way out of each of them, using the simplest means and methods for this.
Why does the computer restart when the games start?
In general, before deciding to fix such crashes and errors that sometimes even cause the appearance of blue screens of death, it is first necessary to find out the cause of this phenomenon. Among all the situations described by users most often, one can meet the following:
- problems with power supplies;
- overheating of the central and graphic processors;
- disturbances in the work of RAM and hard drive;
- Outdated or broken graphics drivers
- BIOS firmware obsolescence, entailing problems with support for the newly installed hardware;
- Installed unlicensed copies of operating systems and games;
- exposure to viruses;
- equipment breakdown.
Power problems
So, first of all, we will start from considering problems of a purely physical nature, since they are most often encountered. As already clear, if the computer restarts spontaneously and constantly when starting the games, first check the characteristics of the power supply. It is possible that it simply does not provide sufficient power and power (this situation most often manifests itself when the computer configuration is assembled manually). As an additional tool, you can advise installing an uninterruptible power supply or at least some simple stabilizer to prevent negative effects of power surges on the computer.
Note: sometimes for games it helps to activate a special game mode (Win + G), which, however, can be used exclusively in Windows 10, which allows you to disable all unnecessary system services that affect system resources and establish a power scheme with maximum performance.
Checking the temperature of the processor and video card with fixing the problems found
Overheating of some important components of the computer can be called a no less common problem. In particular, this applies to the processor and video card. It is impossible to verify such indicators using Windows-system’s own means, since their use is simply not provided (except perhaps in the BIOS). To determine the current temperature of the "iron" components, it is best to use programs like CPU-Z / GPU-Z, AIDA64, etc.
When critical temperatures are identified, the simplest method to eliminate them is not even to replace or upgrade the cooling system (although specialists can do it without problems), but to install additional software like a small utility SpeedFan, which can programmatically control the speed of fans using automated or user settings.
Testing RAM and Hard Drive Problems
Now there are two more common causes associated with malfunctions in the RAM and hard drive, which can also lead to the computer restarting when the game starts. What to do in such a situation? The answer is obvious: it is necessary to check the operability of these components. As the simplest tools, you can use standard tools of Windows-systems. You can check the disk from the properties section in the "Explorer" or through the command line (which is much more preferable).
To test the memory, the mdsched tool is used (the command of the same name is entered in the Run menu). But third-party applications like Victoria HDD and Memtest86 / 86 + are considered more effective.
Updating graphics card drivers and BIOS firmware
Sometimes the computer restarts when starting the games also because the video card driver is outdated or simply inoperative. Most often, blue screens remind us of this, in which, when describing the failure, a link to the file of the failed driver is issued along with the stop code. Many people try to reinstall the appropriate control software through the “Device Manager”, but in this case, the accelerator’s recovery is not fully guaranteed.
It’s best to update drivers using automated programs like Driver Booster, or use highly targeted applications directly from graphics chip manufacturers.
Updating the BIOS yourself can also be done, however, it should be noted that the installed firmware must fully correspond to the existing primary system, since its incorrect replacement can adversely affect the entire system. In the case of the UEFI update, everything is much simpler, since the installation file can be run on behalf of the administrator directly in the Windows environment, and the firmware update will be performed when the computer or laptop is rebooted. But you need to download the necessary assemblies of such software exclusively from the official Internet resources of motherboard manufacturers or developers of primary systems.
Missing Windows license key and installing pirated copies of games
Finally, if the computer restarts when starting the games after completing all the above steps, pay attention to your own copy of the operating system. Unlicensed or non-activated versions can cause such crashes.
If you don’t have an activation key, use activators like KMSAuto Net, and in one of the stages give consent to create a task for continuous re-activation (usually every ten days) in the “Task Scheduler”.
Actually, pirated copies of games themselves, launched in official modifications of Windows, can cause similar phenomena. In this case, either disable all the protective functions of the system (which can be very problematic), or download and install the official release of the game.
Note: when using all the described software methods, do not forget to first check the computer for viruses, as some of their varieties can also cause such crashes and errors, not counting equipment breakdowns, which also need to be taken into account.