Q: Computer was running extremely slow. Now it turns off after a few minutes. Ran a virus sweep. Found at least 5 viruses, but computer turned off on its own before sweep could finish. I've had it for about 5 years now. It's an HP Pavilion running Windows XP. Is it salvageable? Should I give in and buy a new one?
A: Does it just randomly shut off or does it shut down first and then shut off? I had a Compaq desktop computer that did that every few minutes and we found out it was because it was overheating. We had to install a new fan to have it work. It would run for 10 minutes and just shut off. Then if I turned it back on right away, it would shut off in a minute. The computer was trying to cool itself off. Anyways, the virus might be another problem that isn't even related to the computer shutting off. Check to see if your fan is working inside the computer... it could be overheating.