johad

i'll resume the solution after 12 hours of testing with a clear install of 1.4 and after 16 hours with mods, with zero crashes, reboots, shutdowns etc. I used this http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=3211 It couldnt be applied initially so this is what i did. Antivirus off, then run skyrim, then patch with skyrim running. The 4gb patches sees that tesv.exe is already used, keep the patcher open, exit skyrim, retry to patch, patch succesfull, tesv.exe.bak created succesfully. Im using a core duo 2,66GHz E6750 on a socket 775 asus p5k permium motherboard 6gb pc-3200 ram nvidia gts 250 (1gb ram) running at 1920x1080x32 windows 7 64bit running skyrim with 26 mods enabled, some using scripts, many created with CK. Also some 2k retextures on high settings. What did not help. (solutions posted already in these 140 pages) 1)Changing sound input channels 2,4,6,8. and sound quality 2)Changed AA, AF, FXAA, display drivers 3)Removed all mods, clear install, clear start game, used alternative dlls, used ENB series dlls 4)Underclocked my cpu from 3,2 to 2, underclocked my FSB from 400 to 333, changed the multiplier, played with spread spectrum 5)Underclocked my gpu These did nothing. Plus i had no such reboots/shutdowns ever, less alone since release till 1.3 It started on 1.4 exclusively. Make sure that you belong to the REBOOT/SHUTDOWN and only at skyrim/no other demanding game category Let everyone know if that 4gb patcher helps you

@beudeuh this 4gb fix can be applied to the latest patch (just make sure it is actually applied, you'll see the .bak file created when it is). It's not about lying from bethesda side, maybe they did it wrong. And i think this fan made 4gb patch isnt actually only 4gb but unlimited depending on OS. Anyways there are so many parameters involved that we cant tell for sure, but when troubleshooting in my work, we start by identifying whos fault it is NOT, to minimize the possible causes. And i can say for sure that in my case and many others (not all), it is NOT the hardware. It's bethesda. Thats the only thing i can say with 100% certainty. And im not all out against bethesda, last patch gave me a fps increase and if it wasnt an amazing game i wouldnt be here would i? @althis does a save game work? you can get a save game from the nexus mod section. Do other games work fine? (spider solitaire doesnt count as a game :P ) . Did you try different graphics settings? Did you try reinstalling skyrim? You must make absolutely sure its skyrim specific through extended usage of your computer with various programs cause if its not i can think of countless hardware reasons that can completely shut down the computer

My bit of info, and i hope it prevents some people from destroying their computer. I get either reboots or shutdowns only at skyrim and only with the latest patch. I get them with or without mods. They are random, after minutes, or after hours, indoors, outdoors, while looting, while standing while doing anything. I play skyrim since release and besides some crashes here and there, never had a reboot or shutdown. Never had a reboot from any software to be exact since my first 100mhz pentium I 17 years ago...Im an nvidia user and had the same version of drivers since november. I updated them recently and the reboots in skyrim are the same. Also not only i play other games as well which NEVER ever caused any reboot, but i also play those with OCed CPU and GPU unlike skyrim which i run at default speeds. Add the fact that im an electronics and networks engineer, and i fix computers for a living. So let me conclude If you get REBOOTS or SHUTDOWNS (not freezes/crashes) only in skyrim, it's bethesda. The solutions posted by some, are workarounds, countermeasures, not real solutions, for example changing some graphic settings might prevent the triggering of the reboot, but the trigger is there, and its bethesda. Thats why they work on some and not on others, thats why these reboots are not OS/fan speed/drivers/chipset/voltage/OC/mod/PSU specific. Bad programming can kill computers, it has happened before, its a fact, dont go nuts with your pc guts :) EDIT: 12 hours of skyrim with no reboots so far. Used this http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=3211 which addresses a problem bethesda is supposed to have patched already (have they? and how bug free is it). I for one dont understand why make a software with a ram limitation like that and not let the OS handle it. The software issues a loop command to the cpu with a condition to stop. The cache holds the ram addresses to repeat those commands. Then the cache recalls them, the loop is there, the condition to stop is there, but the software blocks the stop condition as it suddenly decides its stored outside the boundaries of the 2GB. Cpu accepts the loop and loops infinitely. And the fail safe design of the cpu auto shuts it down to prevent it from turning into a boiler. No blue screen, no freeze, no CTD, just cpu off, plain and simple. This is just a scenario of the hundreds that can turn a cpu off cause of software. Change your hardware, bios settings, OS settings, a couple dll's and you might reduce the chance of this happening. But the problem is still there. Im sure bethesda is aware of this but dont expect them to admit it, as such things can toast computers. Just for historical reasons, same happened with sc2, not long ago, with an uncapped frame rate that fried some thousand GPUs Hope this helps you out.