My laptop shut down on me randomly recently; I tried to boot it up again, but it shut down on me after about thirty seconds.

Now, I can get it to boot, and run, for about 60-90 seconds, if I let it sit for awhile. Otherwise, it will start up, then shut down, after about thirty.

I have no hardware issues that are apparent, though I can't rule that out. I can't get system restore to run long enough to allow me to use it; I have thought about attempting safe mode and running a virus scanner, but again...I don't think it will run long enough for me to do it.

What do you think I should do? Should I format the HD and start from scratch? Should I send it to Sony? I've lived without for a little bit, so I could for a bit longer. But if I can fix it on my own, I'd obviously prefer that.

Any help is, of course, greatly appreciated.

Sounds like some sort of overheating issue. I wonder if you've cleaned it lately? It could be a chipset failure or something. try to install some sort of temperature program if you can. I'm willing to wager that it's running outside of the safe zone. Does it feel really hot?

It doesn't even get the opportunity to get warm now. It was getting hot before, but not overly so. That said, I did have a fan issue.

I have HWMonitor installed, but I can't get to the point that I can see it right now.

dola--

I was able to boot in safe mode, and begin running a virus scan. It shut down after about two minutes. Damn...thought I was making progress.

is it fully charged?

Is it doing a windows shutdown or a power shut-off? The easiest way to narrow down the problem is to load to BIOS setup at startup (hotkey varies by pc) and see if the computer stays on.

If it does stay on - likely a Windows issue requiring a re-install. If it shuts off while in BIOS setup, likely a hardware issue and you should send it in to Sony or take it to a repair shop.

is it fully charged?
This is my thought. Similar thing kept happening to me. I found out my charger wasn't working for me and I replaced it.

This is my thought. Similar thing kept happening to me. I found out my charger wasn't working for me and I replaced it.

Yup. Either a bad battery (sorta rare) and a bad charger, which is pretty common.

I have two batteries; both were fully charged. That's been ruled out.

I'll try to do the BIOS setup. I'm beginning to think this is more hardware. Sigh. I think I'm still covered, so I should be okay.

Is the fan spinning when you turn it on?

If the cooling fan is working, you might have a bad power board on the system board. You are probably going to have to send it in to have the system board replaced.