BleepingComputer.com: Forced shutdown

Hi everyone,

I have an

Inspiron 1420 Dell computer
Windows Vista
32-bit operating system
2 gb RAM
Intel core 2 duo CPU @ 1.80 GHz

I am on the Dell reccomended power plan, which indicates equality between the use of battery and performance.

So here's my problem. I will leave my computer (plugged in or not doesn't seem to matter) alone for about 15-20 minutes. When I come back, the screen is black, and when I move the mouse, one of two things happens.

1. It stays black and I am forced to shutdown by holding down the power button
2. It goes back to whatever I was working on but then freezes- I can move the mouse around bu can't click on anything and am again forced to shutdown.

Anyone have any experience with this or know what to do? I've had some blue screens before as well.. I don't know if that is related or not.
I have absolutely no clue when it comes to computers... so I would appreciate any help.

Thanks!

Oh I wanted to add that I have tried ctrl alt delete, and that does not have any effect

Try new video drivers. I prefer the one's from the manufacturer of the video chipset (ATI, nVidia, Intel, etc) over the one's from Dell.

how would I get a new video driver? online or at a store?

They're free online.
Go to Start and type in "devmgmt.msc" (without the quotes) and press Enter
In the window that opens, click on the + sign next to Display Adapter.
Let us know what it says there and we'll be able to direct you where to download a new copy of the most updated driver.

I hate to butt in but it sounds like the poster's computer is going into sleep mode and not waking properly. If I recall correctly that's a Vista glitch and the sleep mode feature should be shut off to cure the problem.

Also check dust in the cooling system, this can cause issues like the black screen if it is getting too hot.
A low pressure air compresser or a can of compressed air should do the trick.
If it works, its an easy solution.

Okay I didn't know what "start" you meant, like the start menu and then type devmgmt.ms into the search bar, but that didn't work.

I did try disabling the sleep feature, and instead it now goes to my screensaver. So far I have only left it alone once, but it didn't crash. Here's hoping it keeps working. I'll test it again today and see what happens.

Feel free to butt in with suggestions. The more people that contribute, the more likely that we'll get the answer without fussing around for days and days!

And, it looks like it may have been the sleep issue - good call!