Maceman, you have my sympathies. Unfortunately, many things can cause your symptoms. I am an EE with a few decades experience, and imo you do not need Win 10. You can follow the restore instructions, but one thing you might watch out for is if you have a lot of peripherals attached; i.e. disconnect all external equipment during restore/reboot.
Even though you have a refurbished PC it may still be the problem, since many PCs are built with limited-lifetime components (particularly capacitors) that, as they age, cause intermittent internal power problems that cause shutdowns.
If the above do not help, I would contact Dell again.
Good luck.
If it is the latter, as in my case, it could be a faulty battery. Either the connection is loose, or the battery itself is not charging.
Try plugging in the laptop without the battery and see if it turns off.
Anything in the Event Log?
Yes, older laptop fans can get clogged with dust bunnies, cat hair, etc. and slow down, struggle or even stop, which then causes overheating. Overheating can be caused by other hardware like heat sink faults. Sometimes you can overcome this by directing a fan straight onto the hot side of the computer to cool it down.
If the computer just turns off, along with all the indicator lights, you may have a heat problem. The cheapest and quickest way to address this is to remove the keyboard and spray the vents with a can of compressed air to get the dust bunnies out. Run a fan over the whole shebang for about 10 minutes to make sure the condensation/propellant has dried, then put the keyboard back in. This manual should provide detailed disassembly instructions:
http://topics-cdn.dell.com/pdf/latitude-e6540-laptop_Owner’s%20Manual_en-us.pdf
How do I get rid of this virus Microsoft put on my computer that keeps telling me to install Windows 10?
Random shutdowns in a laptop are sometimes heat related. Be sure the cooling vents are not blocked.
IMHO, Win 10 is not ready for prime time. Don’t upgrade yet. There are millions of Win 7 users who have no plans at all to upgrade to Win 10.
install these before you even ask another question
Avast.com
MalWareBytes.com
CCleaner
Clean and Scan your system with all three of them
they are all free for home use
IF you still have issues after this, and you have done all windows updates, then it is hardware - probably disk drive
It’s caused by unconfessed sin.
Does it say anything before shutting down?
An over heating problem can cause shut downs.
Don’t update ANYTHING.
Did DELL provide a system disk? Disk/information is available either through your computer, Dell online (somewhere in the crap that MS has provided) or through Dell direct for purchase (or not, might depend on system, other).
Also... try clearing everything in your browser, history, et. al.) ***
If you have a virus/other, updating won’t clear it in the current registry.
Make sure you have current anti virus/malware things and run them (and again after each runs their programs).
Try them first.
Don’t go to a re-start point until you’re clear of any possible corruption (it may/will follow).
Depending upon your files stored, consider a format/reload, which would require system files, program files and anything else that you deem needed.
*** age/competency test: if none of the above work, put your keyboard or mouse in a paper bag and swing it over your head and scream like a chicken (may be copyrighted, so close your blinds)
Is it getting hot?
My guess is that there is a hardware failure that is shutting it down but I would try and make a Ubuntu Live CD or USB and see if it boots up. If you can run it with Ubuntu I would then proceed to re-install windows.
I had a shutdown issue with my HP. The heat sink for the processor was covered in dust. Cleaned it and no problems, since. Easy to check. Probably have a small panel covering that area.
Check your System Restore. Find a ‘critical update’ that is just before you started having the shutdown problems, and restore to that.
I do not allow MS to auto-update my Win7. I still get ‘critical updates’, however, and they can play havoc. I do the System Restore and that seems to take care of the problem.
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I had a SamJUNK laptop and was one month out of warranty. It started shutting down as soon as I could press the ‘on’ button. I finally too, it to a local computer shop. They determined it was the motherboard. They contacted Samsung to see what one would cost and where/when they could get it.
Apparently, Samsung does not make replacement parts for their Junky laptops. I now have an $800 doorstop.
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If the problem persists, I hate to say... it could be the motherboard.
Overheating. Get a cooling pad at your local Staples/Office Depot/Walamrt, etc.
Mine does the same thing sometimes, especially when running on battery power. I think it has something to do with the fan not kicking in when it needs to. You can download “RealTemp” and keep an eye on the temperature to see if it’s related.
You could need more memory.
And shut down all the bells, whistles, animations, etc.