Purchased a 15" laptop from Walmart a little over a year ago. It randomly shuts down and re-boots

[BubbaAZ]

laptop randomly shuts down and re-boots regardless of activity (checking emails, online classes, or amazon).  Took it to a local expert and he quickly looked at it and said we had a "Doomsday Computer" and that it would cost more to repair it than what I paid for it.

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @BubbaAZ 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

Got it — thanks for describing the behavior. A newer laptop that randomly shuts down and reboots (even at light loads like email) usually points to hardware instability or power/thermal management issues. 

Since yours is just a little over a year old, it’s right around the point where warranty may just have expired — but let’s troubleshoot step by step.

Common Causes

Overheating – Dust in cooling system, failing fan, or thermal paste breakdown can cause sudden power-off.

Power Supply/Battery Issues – Bad AC adapter, loose power connector, or failing battery can trip protection circuits.

RAM / Storage Errors – Faulty RAM or SSD corruption can cause spontaneous reboots.

Driver / BIOS Problems – Outdated firmware or buggy drivers can trigger watchdog resets.

Windows Power Management Settings – Aggressive sleep/hibernate/fast startup settings can mimic “shut down.”

Things to Try

Run HP Hardware Diagnostics

Shut down laptop.

Press Esc repeatedly at power-on → F2 → System Tests.

Run System Test (especially Memory Test and Hard Drive Test).

Check Event Viewer

Press Win + R → eventvwr.msc → Windows Logs → System.

Look for Critical errors (usually Kernel-Power 41 if it’s a sudden shutdown).

Thermal Check

Install HWMonitor or use HP Command Center / Omen Gaming Hub (if supported).

Watch CPU temps — if it spikes past ~95°C, thermal shutdown may be the cause.

BIOS & Drivers Update

Go to HP Support → enter product number → download latest BIOS + chipset drivers.

Battery / Adapter Test

In HP Support Assistant, run the battery and power adapter diagnostic.

If the adapter is flaky, the laptop can abruptly lose power.

RAM Reseat (if you’re comfortable opening it)

Pull out RAM sticks, clean contacts, and reseat.

If you have 2 sticks, try booting with only one at a time.

If It Persists

If diagnostics find no faults, but shutdowns keep happening, the issue may be with motherboard VRMs or power delivery.

Since it’s only a year old, you might still qualify for a warranty extension (some Walmart purchases include 2-year protection) — worth checking your receipt/plan.

Do you want me to walk you through checking Event Viewer logs so we can narrow down whether it’s a hardware power cut vs. a Windows crash/restart? That will tell us which direction to go.

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Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye