My windows 8 is randomly logging off on its own, bug?

Hi,

Thank you for writing to Microsoft Communities. From your problem description I understand that you’re computer is turning off automatically. Please correct me if I have misunderstood.

I understand how frustrating it could be when things do not work as expected. Please do not worry I will try my best to resolve it.

1)       Were there any recent changes made to the computer prior to the issue?

2)       Does this happen while working on any particular application?

I would set your computer in clean boot state to check if there are any third party application/programs that is causing this issue.

Follow the steps to perform clean boot:

**Step 1:**a) Press the ‘Windows + R’ key on the keyboard.

b) In the ‘Run’ windows type ’MSCONFIG’ and click ‘Ok’.

c) Click the ‘Boot’ tab and uncheck ‘Safe Boot’ option.

d) On the ‘General’ tab, click to select the option ‘Selective startup’, and then click to clear the option Load startup items check box.

e) On the ‘Services’ tab, click to select the ‘Hide all Microsoft services’ check box, and then click ‘Disable all’.

f) On the ‘StartUp’ tab, click ‘Open Task Manager’. In the Task Manager windowunder **startup tab,**right click on each startup item which are enabled and select ‘Disable’.

f) Click ‘OK’, and then click Restart.

Step 2: Enable half of the services a. Follow steps 1a and 1b to start the System Configuration utility.

b. Click the Services tab, and then click to select the Hide all Microsoft services check box.

c. Click to select half of the check boxes in the Service list.

d. Click OK, and then click Restart.

**Step 3: Determine whether the problem returns.**If the problem still occurs, repeat step 1 and step 2. In step 2, click to clear half of the check boxes that you originally selected in the Service list.

If the problem does not occur, repeat step 1 and step 2. In step 2, select only half of the remaining check boxes that are cleared in the Service list. Repeat these steps until you have selected all the check boxes.

If only one service is selected in the Service list, and you still experience the problem, the selected service causes the problem. Go to step 6. If no service causes this problem, go to step 4.

Step 4: Enable half of the Startup itemsIf no startup item causes this problem, a Microsoft service most likely causes the problem. To determine which Microsoft service may be causing the problem, repeat step 1 and step 2 without selecting the Hide all Microsoft services check box in either step.

Step 5: Determine whether the problem returnsIf the problem still occurs, repeat step 1 and step 4. In step 4, click to clear half of the check boxes that you originally selected in the Startup Item list.

If the problem does not occur, repeat step 1 and step 4. In step 4, select only half of the remaining check boxes that are cleared in the Startup Item list. Repeat these steps until you have selected all the check boxes.

If only one startup item is selected in the Startup Item list, and you still experience the problem, the startup item that is selected in the list is the service that is causing the problem. Go to step 6.

If no startup item causes this problem, a Microsoft service most likely causes the problem. To determine which Microsoft service may be causing the problem, repeat step 1 and step 2 without selecting the Hide all Microsoft services check box in either step.

**Step 6:**Resolve the problem.****After you determine the startup item or the service that causes the problem, contact the program manufacturer to determine whether the problem can be resolved. Or, run the System Configuration utility, and then click to clear the check box for the problem item.

Step 7:

Note: After you have finished troubleshooting, follow these steps to boot to normal startup.

a) Press the ‘Windows + R’ key on the keyboard.

b) In the ‘Run’ windows type ’MSCONFIG’ and click ‘Ok’.

c) On the ‘General’ tab, click the ‘Normal Startup’ option, and then click ‘OK’.

d) When you are prompted to restart the computer, click ‘Restart’.

Please perform these recommended steps and post back if you are still experiencing the issue.

this JUST happened to me again.  Once i logged in and tried to reply to this post i had to log in to Live again.  Rebooting seems to solve my issue for a while but im sure it will be back later today or tomorrow :-(

This has been happening to me also.  One time it logged me out and started installing updates  - I was in the same application all day actively working when this happened :-(

It just happened again, in front of my eyes.

But this time (and it must have been the same reason as those first two times), I have a clear idea of why it happened. My CPU/RAM was getting overloaded. (not CPU overheated - it was mostly RAM that was getting filled up) - i think a program started hanging (a browser, IE i think) and then suddenly the screen started going a bit beserk with windows flashing and distorting and trying to regain themselves, before the screen going to a blank black for a few seconds - all looking kind of like when the video driver crashes and it then goes black, before defaulting to a basic windows built-in vga driver or whatever.

BUT THEN IT ALSO DECIDES IT WANTS TO LOG OFF YOUR WINDOWS SESSION, LOSING YOUR WORK IN THE PROCESS.

I do NOT like this behaviour in Windows 8. What a stupid design - it sounds like the design of a tablet, not a workstation. Hmm, wonder why. If Win7 got overloaded, it'd just keep hanging/being frozen until you DO something about it. I want to be able to do my something about it. I want to be able to go to the task manager, force kill things and SAVE, MY WORK.

And if it's bad enough to have to turn the computer right off, I want to have that OPTION. Because usually it ISN'T that bad, I'm used to it and it's what I want, I expect overloading and me dealing with it to HAPPEN on my hardcore workstation.

Is there some documentation on this and information on how to disable this behaviour? What is it, might it be somewhere in the Group Policy area?

This is AWFUL and if I'm right about my theory of this being a tablet-oriented design choice, then I hope enough people appeal to microsoft to make them stop compromising their desktop product and I really hope this is able to be disabled because I might just be forced to go to the mac desktop OS after all these years if I keep losing my work like this.

It just happened again, in front of my eyes.

But this time (and it must have been the same reason as those first two times), I have a clear idea of why it happened. My CPU/RAM was getting overloaded. (not CPU overheated - it was mostly RAM that was getting filled up) - i think a program started hanging (a browser, IE i think) and then suddenly the screen started going a bit beserk with windows flashing and distorting and trying to regain themselves, before the screen going to a blank black for a few seconds - all looking kind of like when the video driver crashes and it then goes black, before defaulting to a basic windows built-in vga driver or whatever.

BUT THEN IT ALSO DECIDES IT WANTS TO LOG OFF YOUR WINDOWS SESSION, LOSING YOUR WORK IN THE PROCESS.

I do NOT like this behaviour in Windows 8. What a stupid design - it sounds like the design of a tablet, not a workstation. Hmm, wonder why. If Win7 got overloaded, it'd just keep hanging/being frozen until you DO something about it. I want to be able to do my something about it. I want to be able to go to the task manager, force kill things and SAVE, MY WORK.

And if it's bad enough to have to turn the computer right off, I want to have that OPTION. Because usually it ISN'T that bad, I'm used to it and it's what I want, I expect overloading and me dealing with it to HAPPEN on my hardcore workstation.

Is there some documentation on this and information on how to disable this behaviour? What is it, might it be somewhere in the Group Policy area?

This is AWFUL and if I'm right about my theory of this being a tablet-oriented design choice, then I hope enough people appeal to microsoft to make them stop compromising their desktop product and I really hope this is able to be disabled because I might just be forced to go to the mac desktop OS after all these years if I keep losing my work like this.

Thanks for your reply.

The problem with it is that it's really random. It's only happened twice so far, but I'm a very advanced user and I just can't think of what app or process would deliberately log out of windows without me having commanded it - apart from malware which I'm sure I don't have.

I've simply been installing all my usual windows 7 apps in setting the computer up and to be honest, the recently-installed program that is likely to be causing the problem here? It's a big one called windows 8. :-)

Hence this topic. I wanted to see if others are having this issue as the OS is only at RTM stage (even if there was that big update the other day).

I appreciate it but it's impossible to effectively test those troubleshooting steps because it's not a predictable repeatable event that happens. I'd likely be waiting for hours and nothing happens.

I just hope it doesn't occur again and if it does, I'll have to come back here again. In the meantime I'll just stay subscribed to this topic and be glad to hear any ideas or further thoughts.

I do like windows 8 - I just hope whatever the problem is it'll be solved.