An irrecoverable hardware or software problem may cause your computer to shutdown or restart automatically. At times, you may see a blue screen with an error message similar to the one given below:
"Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer."
Vista may also prompt you to look for a solution to the problem.
The following are some of the tasks that you can perform to resolve your error.
Use Check For New Solutions Feature
As a first troubleshooting step, you may let your Windows Vista operating system search for a solution to your problem. To do this, click Start and then in the Start Search box, type problem reports. Next, select Check for new solutions in the Task pane.
If possible, Windows will provide you with a method to resolve your problem. You can use the method to get your PC back up and running. However, if no solution is provided, then continue with the steps listed below.
Install Windows Updates
Microsoft releases regular updates to patch up bugs and include additional functionalities in their products. These updates help make your system more secure and reliable. If you fail to install these updates, error may occur.
Therefore, to ensure that your Windows Vista computer is updated on a regular basis, ensure that the Automatic Update feature is always enabled on your PC.
Also, to update your PC manually, in the Start menu, select All Programs and then select the Windows Update command.
Update your Device Drivers
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Device drivers are required to establish communication links between the hardware and software components on your computer. Hardware manufacturers, release regular updates to include new functionalities in the driver and to make them more secure. So, if you do not have the latest drivers for your hardware, your computer is likely to face problems. To avoid these issues, you must update your drivers on a regular basis. To do this, you may visit the Website of manufacturer of your computer and other hardware and search for, download, and install all required driver updates.
Use the Startup Repair Utility
To make troubleshooting Windows errors easier, your Windows Vista operating system comes with a recovery tool, called Startup Repair.
To use this utility, insert your Windows Vista disk in your DVD drive, click the Start button, click the arrow next to the Lock button, restart your computer and when prompted choose to boot with the Windows Vista DVD. When the PC restarts, select your language settings and then click the Next button. Next, click Repair your computer and then select the operating system installation you want to repair and click Next. Finally, on the System Recovery Options menu that is displayed click Startup Repair. Follow the repair process and provide the information the tool asks for to identify and resolve the problems with your PC.
Perform System Restore
System Restore is a Windows tool that takes regular snapshots of your PC configuration and saves them as restore points. If you encounter a system configuration related problem, you may use the System Restore utility to revert your computer to a restore point that was taken before the problem started with your PC.
To use System Restore on Vista, click the Start button and then type System Restore in the Start Search box. Finally, select System Restore from the program list that is displayed.
Follow the screen instructions on the System Restore dialog box to restore your PC to the selected restore point.
Perform Clean Installation of Windows Vista
If nothing else works, you may use the system recovery disk to revert your computer to the software that came pre-installed with your new PC.
If you do not have a recovery disk, you may use the Windows Vista installation disk to perform a clean operating system installation on your computer.