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"The device ran into a problem and needs to restart"

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2026-06-06T00:22:09.0133333+00:00

I bought a new Lenovo notebook from Alibaba.com in China and asked the seller to convert the OS to English. The device arrived with Windows 11 Pro in English and a local user account already created.

I did login to my Microsoft user account via that local user account, but then after some trouble, created a separate Microsoft User Account and deleted the original local user account.

Recently I've been having some random shut down and restart issues, and also the problem of the device restarting immediately it is opened.

I discovered that Lenovo PC Manager and Microsoft PC hadn't been installed （perhaps they would come with the factory installation） so did so myself. The Lenovo PC Manager did generate some updates, but the shutdown issues persist.
I also did a Command Prompt>scan now and the result was some problems were detected but couldn't be fixed.

I have chatted Microsoft Customer Service and they recommended reinstalling the OEM, which would mean losing my installed third-party apps. This seemed a heavy-handed response, so haven't done so yet.

I took it to a local Lenovo Service store and the staff member said he detected the memory wasn't the original, and he recommended replacing it. This seemed unlikely from what I knew, so didn't go any further.

Just to highlight I have Windows 11 Pro.

I would what my next steps should be to resolve this issue?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures
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  1. Gunasekar N 70,050 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-06-06T04:09:04.4833333+00:00

    Hello, thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

    Please check if your PC is creating any minidump files. I will look at them to find out what might be causing the crashes.

    1. Open Windows File Explorer.
    2. Navigate to C:\Windows\Minidump.
    3. Copy any minidump files onto your Desktop, then zip them up.
    4. Upload the zip file to the Cloud (OneDrive, Dropbox, etc.), then choose to share it and get a share link.
    5. Then post the link here to the zip file so we can take a look for you.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-06-06T00:22:25.1233333+00:00

    Random shutdowns and “Your device ran into a problem and needs to restart” indicate repeated stop code (blue/black screen) errors, usually caused by drivers, hardware, or system file corruption.

    Next steps, in order:

    1. Remove any new or suspect hardware
    • If any external devices were added recently (USB hubs, docks, external drives, etc.), disconnect them and test for a while.
    • If the notebook was upgraded (RAM, SSD) after purchase, temporarily revert to the original configuration if possible and test.
    1. Boot into Safe Mode and test stability
    • Start Windows 11 in Safe Mode: see Start your PC in safe mode in Windows 11.
    • Use the PC in Safe Mode for some time:
      • If it is stable in Safe Mode, the cause is likely a driver, third‑party software, or Lenovo utility.
      • If it still restarts in Safe Mode, suspect deeper system or hardware issues.
    1. Check Device Manager for driver problems
    • Right‑click Start > Device Manager.
    • Look for any devices with a yellow exclamation mark (!).
    • For each such device:
      • Right‑click > Update driver.
      • If that does not help, right‑click > Disable device or Uninstall device and restart.
    1. Ensure enough free disk space
    • In File Explorer, check free space on the system drive (usually C:).
    • Keep at least 10–15% of the drive free so Windows can create swap files and logs properly.
    1. Install all Windows 11 updates
    • Go to Start > Settings > Windows Update.
    • Select Check for updates and install everything offered.
    • Restart and see if the unexpected restarts continue.
    1. Run deeper system repair commands Since sfc /scannow reported issues it could not fix, run the DISM repair first, then SFC again:
    • Open Command Prompt as administrator.
    • Run:
      • DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
    • After it completes, run:
      • sfc /scannow
    • Restart and test.
    1. Use Windows recovery options instead of full OEM reinstall If problems persist and you want to avoid a full OEM reinstall that wipes everything:
    • Consider these built‑in recovery tools:
      • System Restore: roll back to a point before the issues started (if restore points exist).
      • Reset this PC: can keep personal files while reinstalling Windows, but apps will need reinstalling.
      • Startup Repair: if the device has trouble starting or loops on boot.
    • See the table of options in Recovery options in Windows and choose the option that best matches the situation.
    1. If restarts continue with the same stop code

    If none of the above stabilizes the system, using Reset this PC (keeping files) or the OEM reinstall becomes the most reliable way to eliminate software corruption from the previous customization and account changes.

    References:

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