A user reports that her Windows 10 desktop stays powered on for only a couple of minutes after booting, then shuts off with no warning or blue screen. When she immediately powers it back on, the shutdown happens even sooner. You suspect the operating system is protecting the hardware from overheating. Which action would best confirm this suspicion before replacing components?
Disable Fast Startup in Windows power-management settings.
Check the CPU temperature in the system UEFI/BIOS hardware monitor.
Boot into Safe Mode and execute the sfc /scannow command.
Run the Windows Memory Diagnostic from the recovery environment.
Frequent, sudden shutdowns that occur sooner each time the system is restarted are classic symptoms of a thermal shutdown. The quickest way to verify that the CPU is overheating is to enter the computer's UEFI/BIOS setup utility and view the hardware-monitor screen, which shows real-time temperature readings. Memory diagnostics, Fast Startup settings, and system file checks can reveal other problems, but none of them verify an overheating condition.
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What is UEFI/BIOS, and how do you access it?
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What are the signs of thermal shutdown, and how does it protect the hardware?