Computer keeps locking automatically

Anonymous
2019-11-17T16:41:28+00:00

My computer keeps locking up. Ill try to run something and a blue screen will pop saying "locking..." And it will completely shut down. How do i fix this?

***Modified title from: my computer (dell, windows 10) keeps locking up, how do I fix it?***

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Performance and system failures

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2019-12-05T19:26:00+00:00

Solved!!!!!

I have confirmed my critical battery level action suspicion I described before.  To test it I set my critical battery level higher and unplugged my PC to run it down to that level.  As soon as it reached that point, the blue "Locking" screen popped up and it went into hibernation just like it's set to do.  There was also another very quick notification screen/message but I'm not certain what it said.  I think it might have said something about critical battery level but, again, I'm not certain.  I am 100% certain that I saw the mysterious "Locking" message on a blue screen exactly as I'd been seeing it before all those times. 

So anyone else who is having this same problem, you most likely have a really old battery that drains super fast when you're working your PC hard and using a lot of energy.  Or your battery may be malfunctioning but leading to the same issue.  It's draining so quickly there's no time for the other power level notifications and it's going straight to the critical battery level action. 

There is another thread somewhere else where the Windows "expert" states that he is not aware of any screen or message that says "Locking" in Windows 10, which we now know is incorrect, and that is probably causing a lot of confusion for those of us that are experiencing this rare issue.  I even noticed that the font for this "Locking" message was the same Windows font we're so familiar with.  And since I read somewhere else someone was having this same issue on a Dell laptop, we can be certain that it is indeed a function of Windows 10. 

Now that I've confirmed it myself, I can stop worrying about malware or a virus causing it.  That would be a very weird thing to be causing anyway since there's no other issues related and I can always restart, or bring out of hibernation, my laptop no problem.

Well, I hope anyone else that's having this same, strange issue reads this and finally finds some clarity.  If you do happen to read this all and changing the battery does solve the problem, please post a response here if you don't mind.  Even though I'm 100% now that I've found the answer, I'd still like to get outside confirmation and also know if my efforts have helped anyone else.  This is such a rare, weird issue that even the Windows experts have been stumped.  It would be great for my ego to know I did, indeed, solve this mystery.

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  1. Anonymous
    2020-04-06T14:02:58+00:00

    I have the same issue on my Dell 7746 laptop. Random shutdowns with the message 'Locking' in a blue screen. My father, who has exactly the same laptop, doesn't have this issue.

    So far I've established:

    • It's not due to power settings. Mine is set to never shut down when connected to a power supply.
    • It's not malware - or it it is then it's malware not detected by Norton 360 or Windows Defender full scans
    • It's not an overheating problem. The shutdown can take place within minutes of cold starting or sometimes not at all during the day even after using load causing applications and games.
    • It's NOT a battery issue. I use the laptop connected to the power supply. My battery has been replaced in the last month and the shutdown occurred both before and after that. (The old one was swollen and definitely needed replacing.)
    • It's NOT Quickstart64 (one suggestion I found) I removed that.
    • It's NOT 'needs a graphics driver update - both the Intel(R) HD Graphics 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce 845M drivers are the latest versions.
    • It's NOT bad memory - memory test shows no errors even using the extended test.
    • It's NOT BIOS needing an update - I'm using the latest version available.
    • It's not lack of disc space. About 1/3 is free space (344 Gb)
    • It's NOT lack of RAM I have 16 Gb

    Possible next checks:

    1. Could this be some joker who has managed to get past my firewall and randomly shutting me down? If so the must be able to track the IP address I use which renews when I restart my router. I'm using Steam, Twitch and Epic.
    2. Could this be a Windows 10 bug or corrupted installation? If so maybe I can re-install Windows to fix it?

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  2. Anonymous
    2020-03-14T16:38:12+00:00

    It just says locking for me as well

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  3. Anonymous
    2020-02-29T14:12:58+00:00

    It's very likely the battery.  Are you running your taxing your processor hard by doing several things at once?  Or otherwise making your PC work hard when it happens?  I've found that when it's an overheating issue, when it starts back up, I always get a notice telling me it was a thermal shutdown which I will be addressing very soon.

    NancyHamm2, what you're describing is exactly what I was experiencing.  My battery had never been changed and it was always plugged in.  Even so, when it was working hard, apparently it had to dip into some of the battery's power where it quickly depleted it so fast it went past all the other warnings and settings and just popped up the "Locking" blue screen very briefly before hibernating.  Since hibernation is so similar to restarting, I didn't notice the difference at first but when it came back on my stuff would be saved so I knew it wasn't just restarting.

    Anyway, I hope this is helpful to you.

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  4. Anonymous
    2020-02-26T17:36:16+00:00

    I'm experiencing exactly the same thing.  Locking / Blue screen appears momentaril and then shuts down.  Not sure if it's a battery related issue beause my laptop is permanently plugged into the mains ?  Maybe it's just age related ?

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