G73-SWRF Random Shut Down last night

[Scarfacek1ngofn]

Last night I was playing WoW and my computer decided to randomly crash. The screen went black, the HDD made its typical stopping sound and it powered down. It is the first and only time this has happened to my laptop. The problem looked identical to thermal issues I have had with laptops in the past. Upon the computer shutting down I examined the entire bottom of the laptop and much to my surprise it was cool to the touch (I would go as far as calling it "cool" as it felt a little below room temperature). I have my laptop on a chill mat at all times which arcs so that air can flow beneath the laptop. It also features a fan that constantly blows onto the laptop. The laptop turned back on as soon as I pressed the power button and ran WoW for at least another 45 minutes to an hour without issue before I shut it down and went to bed. This lead me to believe this is not a thermal issue.

I have also been experiencing some problems with the power supply. I have to seat the power cord just right in order for it to run on AC power/take a charge. Though it seems unlikely I'm wondering if the 2 issues are related in any way. For the record the battery was almost fully charged so even if the plug had come undone the computer should not have just gone to a black screen and shut off. As far as the power cord goes nothing has snapped off and it doesn't have to be pushed in excessively deep, it just has to be positioned correctly (usually have to leave the power brick on the floor so there is a slight downward pull on the cord). If anyone has any information on either of these problems I would be very appreciative. I have heard getting repairs on laptops can take up to a month. If this is my only option so be it but if there are other options out there I would like to explore them.

I should also mention that this laptop was purchased refurbished from best buy. It is still under the best buy 90 day refurbished warranty. If anyone knows how this effects my warranty status with ASUS and what it would mean should I need service (as far as wait times go) that information would also be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[Scarfacek1ngofn]

anyone got any ideas?

[BrodyBoy]

I don't think a single random shutdown, without additional diagnostic info or indication of other problems, can be considered a problem requiring service. Especially with games, there's a lot going on and all kinds of software conflicts can potentially wreak havoc.

The power jack issue seems more problematic to me. I had an HP with a power jack like that, and it only got worse, to the point that I had to tape it a certain way to get it to make proper contact. The jack itself was coming loose from the M/B.

Unfortunately, I think both the "refurbished" and "Best Buy" parts of your description do limit your Asus warranty coverage. (Even new, BB models are tied to BB coverage, and some of the Asus warranty features don't apply.) If I were you, I'd go to Best Buy and see if they will fix the power jack or replace the computer.

[Trijicon]

It sounds like to me that you may have a bad connector on your cable connector that plugs into your laptop... There is a small gold / metal pin that extends out in there in the very center that can get bent out of shape and eventually break off... I had this happen to me on a HP DV7 and I could not figure out for the life of me what was going on for the longest time. Sometimes it would work and sometimes it would not, sometimes show that it was charging and sometimes not. I for a while thought it was the power adapter on the motherboard or something as I would have to position the cable 'just right' (like you) to get it see it properly...

I actually was about to send in the entire computer for repairs when one day I was messing around trying to get the cable in that 'sweet spot' when the little metal pin totally broke off in there and plinked on my desk... This was a total relief to me as all I had to do was head down to the local store and pick up another power supply and it was totally fixed up. I am still using that DV7 for work and it's chugging along like a champ.

To me what is sounds like is that when you were playing it actually lost contact (lost that sweet spot) and you were actually running on battery power and then when she was drained she just shut down on you... When you got it plugged back in after your restart did you say it was fully charged then or was she fully charged when you started to play??

Either way I would look at that power supply and the plug that attaches to your computer, it may have issues. I would definately take it in and see if another power supply works in it without having to position it just right... That alone is an issue and should not have to be done and will just cause headaches later on down the road if you do not get it taken care of ASAP and while you are still in your 90 day warranty period.

Hope that helps and good luck!