How to Fix Random PC Crashes or Restarts

This morning, I had a difficult conversation with one of our customers. His PC has been with us for several weeks while we’ve been working to resolve a mix of different issues. It was crashing randomly, sometimes refusing to turn on when he pressed the power button, and showing all sorts of errors in the system logs—issues ranging from solid-state drive errors to USB connection problems. To top it all off, there was a grinding noise coming from the PC when powered on.

A real headache, right?

Now, I completely understand the customer’s frustration. He’s been dealing with these problems for a long time, probably months, before bringing the PC to us. He expected that, as professionals, we’d be able to diagnose and fix everything instantly. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work like that. And that’s why I’m writing this—because I want to be transparent about what goes into diagnosing and fixing these kinds of intermittent PC issues.

The Reality of Diagnosing a Faulty PC

When we get a PC with multiple issues, we have to approach it logically. We can’t just look at it and instantly know what’s wrong.

We start with the most critical problem first—the one that’s preventing the PC from working properly. Once we’ve resolved that, we move on to the next. It’s a step-by-step process, because often, fixing one problem will reveal another. And since modern computers are extremely complex systems, there’s no universal, one-size-fits-all approach.

The Biggest Challenge: Intermittent Issues

Some problems happen randomly. The PC might crash once every few hours, or maybe only once a week. Customers will often say:

“It crashes randomly, I can’t tell you exactly when or why.”

And that’s the hardest kind of problem to fix. If the issue doesn’t happen while we’re testing the PC, how do we find it?

We rely on:

• System logs to see if there are patterns in crashes
• Customer descriptions of when it happens (gaming, browsing, during boot, etc.)
• Stress tests to push the PC to its limits and see if we can force the problem to appear

Even with all that, sometimes the issue just won’t show up while it’s in our workshop. And then, two weeks after we return the PC, the customer calls back saying “It’s still crashing.” That’s frustrating for both of us, but it’s not something we can always prevent.

Why We Can’t Always Spot the Issue Immediately

Sometimes, a problem that seems obvious—like a PC not turning on—isn’t caused by what you’d expect.

For example, when a PC refuses to power on, most people assume it’s a power supply issue. But that’s not necessarily true. The power supply distributes electricity to every component in the system, and any of those components can cause a failure if they develop a fault.

Likewise, if a PC crashes during gaming, people often assume it’s the graphics card. But it could just as easily be:

• A failing power supply that can’t handle sudden power spikes
• An overheating CPU shutting itself down
• A bad RAM stick causing blue screen errors
• A faulty motherboard triggering instability

Each of these components can fail in a way that looks identical to another issue. That’s why diagnosing PCs takes time and a methodical approach.

Case Study: The Strange Crash Issue

Here’s a perfect example of why diagnosing a faulty PC can be so tricky.

A customer got in touch with us because his PC was randomly shutting down. We ran every possible stress test—high CPU loads, GPU-intensive tests, extended memory tests—and nothing. The PC worked perfectly fine in our workshop.

We returned it to the customer, but two weeks later, he called back—“It shut off again!”

This time, we asked him for specific details about when the shutdowns were happening. He mentioned that it seemed to occur more often when playing a particular game. That was the first big clue.

We set up the game, played it for a while, and after some time, boom—the PC shut down!

Digging into the logs, we found something interesting:

• Every time the PC crashed, the GPU was suddenly demanding extra power
• The power supply was triggering a safety shutdown

Even though the power supply passed all our previous tests, there was something about that specific power spike that triggered it.

So, we swapped out the PSU with a new Be Quiet! power supply, known for its reliability. The issue never happened again. A year later, the customer still has a perfectly working system.

This is exactly why diagnosing PC faults takes time—sometimes, the issue only appears in a very specific scenario, and we have to hunt it down.

Another Real-World Example: The Random Blue Screen

Another case involved a PC that kept blue-screening at random times. The customer had taken it to multiple repair shops but nobody could find the fault.

We suspected it was the AMD CPU—because we’ve seen certain AMD models develop intermittent faults more often than Intel. Sure enough, replacing the CPU fixed it instantly. The customer had spent months dealing with crashes, support calls, RMA requests, and all it took was a CPU swap.

External Devices Can Also Cause Issues

One of the strangest cases we ever had was a PC that randomly crashed when browsing the internet. We couldn’t find a hardware fault, but looking at the system logs, we noticed a USB error happening just before every crash.

Turned out, the customer had a faulty USB headset.

We asked, “When did you buy the headset?”—he replied, “A few months ago.” That was exactly when the crashes started.

He replaced the headset, and the issue disappeared.

Sometimes, it’s not even the PC itself that’s the problem—it’s what’s connected to it.

Final Thoughts – Let’s Work Together

We get it—you want your PC fixed as quickly as possible. And we’re here to do exactly that. But the reality is, complex issues take time. Some faults take days (or even weeks) to show themselves.

What we ask from you is trust and patience.

We’re on your side. We want to fix your PC properly, not just slap a temporary solution on it. That means working together—sharing detailed descriptions of what’s happening, letting us take the time needed to diagnose it, and understanding that some problems don’t have instant fixes.

At Manchester PC, we pride ourselves on honesty, transparency, and quality repairs. If you trust us with your machine, we’ll do everything in our power to get it back to you running better than ever.

So next time your PC is acting up, don’t panic. We’ve got your back. Just be prepared for the fact that some problems take time to solve—but we’ll get there, together.

Thanks for reading, and if you ever need help with your PC, you know where to find us!