Computer keeps locking automatically

I have an HP Laptop. I forgot to plug it in. After about an hour of use, it quickly displayed the blue screen and indicated that it was "locking". I suspected a virus. I removed the battery and waited a minute or so. Installed the battery back in place. The computer did not respond at all. It was then that I noticed that I had not plugged it in. After having plugged it in, I was able to turn the computer on and resume where I had left off.

Just for grins and giggles, I turned the computer off; then unplugged it, then removed the battery, then plugged it back on again. With the battery removed from the computer, it came on and is working fine while externally plugged in with no battery installed. I'm not sure all laptops work the same way, but for mine, it's an easy way to isolate and determine the cause of this problem.

From the posts that I have read, my situation may be different than what others have experienced. I am no IT or computer expert by any means, but it just sounds logical that the battery was the culprit in my case. I would imagine that my external power source could also have caused a similar problem if it was defective or disconnected (power strip turned off, etc.).

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.

Thanks for all your input, Brandon. I've had the issue several times and the last time it happened was last night. First a low battery, 15% remaining message, because it was accidentally unplugged. As soon as I plugged it back in it gave the Locking message and shut down.

Thanks for the information.

You are certainly not the only one. I have an Hp omen that I have spent a year trying to fix this issue. Replaced the battery, re thermal pasted, bought a lapdesk fan, set my fans to run at 100%, and many many more things. Nothing has solved the issue. To this day we (being my dad, my brother and I) have absolutely no idea what is causing it still, and while I will still be testing stuff to figure it out, I am getting a new laptop at some point. Tired of playing games and out of nowhere it just hibernating.

there is not an error code it just says logging out and the symbol of loading pops up the version is 2004 the model number is 2285349014 and no changes that I could see.

this issue only happens moments before I unplug the charger of the computer.