Why does my Windows XP system automatically shut down every 3 t 5 minutes.?

I have a Gateway system with Windows XP Pro on it. Every three to five minutes, the system automatically shuts off and will not turn back on for about another three minutes. During the time that the system is shut down, the green power light is still on, but when I press the power button nothing happens. As soon as the green power light goes off, I can hit the power button and the system will boot back up for about another 3 to 5 minutes. I have checked the power setttings and everything seems to be correct. I set the hard disk to go off never, but this problem still occurs. I ran a Norton Virus Scan and Windows Defender scan and came up with nothing. Interestingly enough, the system did not shut off during the time that the scans were running. I plugged the power supply into another system and the system stayed on with no problems. The power light staying on is interesting to me. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Why does my Windows XP system automatically shut down every 3 t 5 minutes.?windows messenger

From your description it's probably safe to say your problem has nothing to do with Win XP.

Is your computer's clock keeping proper time? If not then check the cmos battery - looks like a giant watch battery on your motherboard. A computer acts really wonky when that battery starts dying.

Try disconnecting everything - hard drive included - and see if it'll boot through and stay on longer than the 3-5 minutes. Leave only the keyboard connected. Disconnect the monitor, hard drives, cd/dvd drives and anything else. You mentioned about the power light staying on - disconnect the led cord for this as well. This will help you eliminate what is causing the problem.

Also, is it that your hard drive shuts off before the rest of the computer? Or that your computer shuts off and then dials down the hard drive?

I think another person's suggestion about the heat lvls is possible as well. Have you checked the resting temp in the BIOS?

If you've tried the elimination and it still turns off with absolutely nothing connected by the power supply %26amp; keyboard, then I think it's safe to say it's likely something with the chip/motherboard whether it's heat related, CMOS battery (you can try replacing this since those batteries are pretty cheap), etc.

Good luck with this!

Why does my Windows XP system automatically shut down every 3 t 5 minutes.?microsoft works internet explorer

My guess is either battery problem or the power supply.
Have you checked the inside of the computer and made sure the power was going to the motherboard correctly? Also check the hard drive and see if everything is plugged in to it correctly.
In simular cases i have seen a computer overheat. Make sure you have blown out the processor fan and the rest of the case.

With no error code it has to be one of a select set of problems. Heat or powersupply or a damaged or chipped processor.

Ram would do it also but if it boots then that is most likely not it.
I go with the overheat problem too.
-Check your motherboard settings in BIOS. Your computer may have been programmed to turn off in every 5 minutes...

-Another possibility might be that the CPU cooler fans might not function properly or not at all. If the fans aren't running, your CPU will get too hot and will turn off automatically by itself.

Take your PC to a PC hardware store where they can fix the problem. These two things are the only advices I can give you...