Check your BIOS settings.
Also when in the BIOS see what the BIOS reports as the CPU Temperature.
Check the Event Logs.
Try a "Clean Boot"
How to perform a clean boot in Windows:
Troubleshoot a problem by performing a clean boot in Windows Vista, Windows 7 or 8
(Note: Select your version of Windows for the correct set of instructions)
A clean boot is performed to start Windows by using a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. This helps eliminate software conflicts that occur when you install a program or an update or when you run a program in Windows.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135
Perform a clean startup to determine whether background programs are interfering with your game or other programs
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/331796
One by one add back one application at a time into the boot list to find the offending software app.
============== Set of test utilities for DIY computer builders ==================
Note: If you are Overclocking or use any automatic overclocking or power saving BIOS features, start out by disabling them: Intel EIST, Turbo Mode, Cool and Quite and drop back to the stock speed as a starting point.
Disconnect any other (additional) internal hard drives and external USB devices.
Check for any loose hard drive power or SATA cables, Graphics card or other power cables.
First run Memtest86+:
This runs from a boot disk or CD and should eliminate or confirm if one or more of your memory
sticks are bad or the SPD values in the BIOS are correct.
Let it run for as long as you can: 2,4,6,8 or more hours (at least 3 full passes), if no errors by then your ram is OK.
http://www.memtest.org/
Memtest86+ Guide/How To's (use the .ISO to create a bootable CD)
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=409152
Hard drive Testing:
1) If you don't know your drives make / model number AND your computer is no longer able to load Windows:
a) Renmove the drive from your desktop and check the label for the make and model number.
b) Remove the bottom cover of your laptop, remove the drive and check the label for the make and model number.
2) If Windows is still usable, install "Speccy",it provides System/computer Information in detail about your:
OS, CPU, RAM, Motherboard, Graphics, Hard Drive, Optical Drive, Audio, Peripherals, Network.
Note: RAM option will show number of slots, DRAM Timing,
The speed (Frequency) your memory is running at. The rated frequency for your memory.
http://www.piriform.com/speccy
Test your disk drive - Create a Bootable CD:
(or connect the drive to anther PC and install the appropriate test software)
Note: Hard drive reliability has gone way down in the last 24 months and improved a bit lately depending on the manufacture.
Anywhere from 5 to 25%, (depending on the manufacture and model) of new hard drives are defective.
Drive manufacture's utilities list:
If you have a new Seagate hard drive the very next thing would be to download Seagate's Seatools
(the bootable CD) and check for bad sectors.
Seatools Info: http://www.seagate.com/support/downloads/seatools/
Seatools for Windows download: http://www.seagate.com/support/internal-hard-drives/enterprise-hard-drives/saturn/seatools-win-master/
Seatools for DOS download:
http://www.seagate.com/support/internal-hard-drives/consumer-electronics/ld25-series/seatools-dos-master/
For Western Digital drives download the WdDiag .iso file:
http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?groupid=613&lang=en
Samsung's Estool: http://www.samsung.com/global/business/hdd/support/utilities/ES_Tool.html
Samsung's Disk manager software: http://www.samsung.com/Products/HardDiskDrive/utilities/shdiag.htm
Hitachi's Drive Fitness Test software: http://www.hgst.com/hdd/support/download.htm#DFT
Diagnostic tool available for use by customers who feel they have a Fujitsu Branded Toshiba hard drive:
http://sdd.toshiba.com/main.aspx?Path=ServicesandSupport/WarrantySupport/SoftwareUtilities
Fujitsu's Notice of drive Utilities support: http://www.fujitsu.com/us/services/computing/storage/hdd/
Toshiba bootable CD: (DOS Diagnostic Tool Ver. 7.0 For IDE/ATA/SATA Hard Drives)
http://sdd.toshiba.com/main.aspx?Path=ServicesSupport/FujitsuDrivesUSandCanada/SoftwareUtilities#diagnostic
Also try Partition Wizard's free Home Edition 'Disk Surface Test' option:
http://www.partitionwizard.com/free-partition-manager.html
Surface test tutorial: http://www.partitionwizard.com/help/partition-test-surface.html
=============== SSD Test Software - Revised: 10/24/14 ==================
Intel® Solid-State Drive Toolbox
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=18455
Corsair SSD Toolbox:
http://www.corsair.com/en-us/blog/2013/may/the-corsair-ssd-toolbox
Kingston Toolbox:
http://www.kingston.com/us/support/technical/sandforce_ssd_toolbox.aspx
OCZ Toolbox: http://ocz.com/consumer/download/firmware
PNY Support: http://www.pny.com/support/contact-us
Samsung: http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/minisite/SSD/global/html/about/whitepaper07.html
Samsung Magican Review:
http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/5638/samsung-magician-4-2-first-look-new-ssd-toolkit-adds-rapid-mode/index.html
SanDisk SSD Toolkit: http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/9328/
Seagate: http://www.seagate.com/support/internal-hard-drives/laptop-hard-drives/laptop-600-ssd/
SSD Life: http://ssd-life.com/
===================== After Windows is installed ======================
Device Drivers: Did you install the motherboard manufacture's latest device drivers?
Check their support site for the latest drivers as the CD that came with the computer
or motherboard may be older and less stable drivers.
Check the Graphics card manufacture's download site:
Download and install the most recent Windows 7 or 8 drivers for your card.
ATI: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx
NVIDIA: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us
Also check out Nvidia's "Box of Smoke" test or other Demos: http://www.nvidia.com/object/cool_stuff.html#/demos
or ATI equivilent.
Prime 95:
http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft/
It's a stand alone .exe file contained in a .zip archive.
Just choose to run the "stress test" option for 8 hours or more.
If your PC can pass this test both your memory and CPU
are fine (close the case cover to maintain proper ventilation)
Core Temp:
Monitor the temperature of each core of your processor.
Note: For non overclockers using the stock Intel/AMD heatsink and cooling fan you can expect
a temperature range of 35 to 40C at idle and from 60C to 65C max when running Prime95.
http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/
CPU-ID (CPUZ): http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php
Shows the clock speed of the CPU under various load conditions
(when using Intel's EIST speed step technology).
Note #1:
CPU-ID has two tabs - 'Memory' tab which show the actual memory speed
and the 'SPD' tab shows the rated speeds for each memory slot that is populated.
Note #2:
Compare the two values, the actual memory speed should not exceed the rated speed of your memory.
CPUID HWMonitor: A hardware monitoring program that reads PC systems main health sensors.
voltages, temperatures, fans speed.
http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php
Speccy:
Advanced System Information tool for your PC.
Need to find out what's inside your computer?
No problem! Speccy will give you all the information you need.
Note: May or may not show the motherboard manufacture.
Overview: https://www.piriform.com/speccy
Free version: https://www.piriform.com/speccy/download
FurMark GPU (Graphic card) Stress Test:
http://www.ozone3d.net/benchmarks/fur/
PassMarks burn in test: http://www.passmark.com/
The Burnin test and their benchmark test both give a good workout of all the major parts of Windows.
HD Tune:
Provides drive info and has an option (error scan tab ) to test your drive.
http://www.hdtune.com/
CrystalDiskInfo:
http://crystalmark.info/software/index-e.html
User's Manual: http://crystalmark.info/software/CrystalDiskInfo/manual-en/
Monitors health status and temperature. Supports Solid State Drives (Tware value).
SpeedFan:
Monitors internal temperatures and has an online drive health analysis feature (SMART tab) for hard drives.
It will display your drives model number and compares your drive with other drives of the same make and model.
Note: Unfortunately now includes a lot of bloatware, be very careful when you install to opt out of bloatware.
http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php
GPU-Z:
A lightweight utility designed to give you all information about your video card and GPU.
http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/
PC WIZARD:
A powerful utility designed especially for detection of hardware, also some more analysis.
It's able to identify a large scale of system components and supports the latest technologies
and standards.
http://www.cpuid.com/pcwizard.php
MyEventViewer - An easy way to view your event logs:
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/my_event_viewer.html
J W Stuart: http://www.pagestart.com