Hi! When a Lenovo computer needs frequent restart, the safest “quick help” is to figure out what kind of restart it is before changing anything.

A restart can be caused by:
• Windows Update / pending restart prompts
• a crash (sometimes with a blue screen, sometimes just a sudden reboot)
• power loss (loose charger/battery issue) or overheating protection

First question (symptom-based): when it restarts, do you see a blue screen, a Lenovo logo like it’s rebooting normally, or does the screen go black and it comes back like nothing happened?

Good description. “No BSOD + quick freeze + reboot” often behaves like a crash or a power/thermal reset rather than a normal restart request.

I’m going to ask one “timeline” question next: did this start after anything specific—Windows update, driver update, Lenovo Vantage update, adding a dock/USB hub, or using a new charger?

And risk check: is it happening mostly under load (gaming, video calls, lots of browser tabs), or even when it’s idle?

That mix (often during video/Zoom, occasionally idle) fits a few common Lenovo patterns people search as: random restart, Lenovo keeps rebooting, Windows 11 restarts unexpectedly, or Kernel-Power event.

Before we assume it’s “overheating” or “bad driver,” let’s grab two safe signals that don’t change settings:

1) Reliability Monitor: In Windows search, type Reliability Monitor (or “View reliability history”). It often shows “Windows was not properly shut down” or “hardware error” entries at the exact time of the restart.

2) Event Viewer clue: In Event Viewer → Windows Logs → System, look around the restart time for Critical entries like “Kernel-Power.” You don’t need to interpret everything—just tell me whether you see “Kernel-Power” and whether it mentions “unexpected shutdown.”

Can you check Reliability Monitor first and tell me what it lists on one of the restart days?

That’s very actionable information, and you did it safely—nice.

“Windows was not properly shut down” confirms it’s not a clean restart request. The “hardware error” entry doesn’t automatically mean a physical failure, but it’s a signal to treat this as either power/thermal or a low-level driver/firmware issue.

The “Lenovo.Modern.ImController” item is interesting because it’s associated with Lenovo system components (often tied to Lenovo Vantage / system services). I’m not going to say “uninstall it” blindly—we just note it as a pattern.

Quick safety check questions (different order now):
• Does it happen more on battery or while plugged in?
• If plugged in, are you using the original Lenovo charger, or a USB-C/third-party adapter? Any loose connection?
• Do you notice the laptop getting unusually hot, fans ramping up, or it restarting after it’s on a soft surface (bed/blanket)?

This is exactly why I asked about the charger and the surface. Frequent restarts on a Lenovo can be triggered by a momentary power drop (USB-C charger negotiating power, cable wobble) or thermal throttling/overheat protection when airflow is blocked on a bed/couch—even if it doesn’t feel “burning hot.”

Two safe, quick experiments (no permanent changes):

Test A (power stability): For one session, use the original Lenovo charger and a firm surface (table). If the random restart doesn’t happen during the same kind of Zoom/video workload, that points to power/airflow sensitivity rather than Windows corruption.

Test B (temperature clue): Right after a restart, feel the underside/vent area and listen: were fans loud right before it happened, or was it silent and instant? Overheating events often build up; power drops can be instant.

While you test that, I also want one more “Windows-side” clue: in Event Viewer, do you see Kernel-Power (Event ID 41) around the same timestamps?

Kernel-Power 41 is a symptom marker, not a diagnosis by itself—it shows “unexpected shutdown,” which can be power, thermal, driver, or even a rare hardware fault. So we still stay careful and gather evidence.

Since you mentioned Lenovo Vantage updates and an “ImController” crash, a safe next step is to review update history rather than roll back anything immediately.

Safe check: In Windows Settings → Windows Update → Update history, note what installed around the time this started (especially drivers or firmware items). In Lenovo Vantage, check whether it recently installed a BIOS/UEFI update, power management, or thermal management component. Don’t apply new updates yet just for this test—just observe what changed.

Also: do you ever see a “Restart to finish updating” message, or does it restart without any warning every time?

That’s a strong correlation: the timing aligns with a Windows update + a Lenovo system component update, and the restarts happen more during video/Zoom (higher power + heat). We still won’t jump to “it’s definitely X,” but we can narrow it safely.

Here’s the quick, low-risk triage path I’d use before any heavy actions like reinstalling Windows:

1) Environment test: original charger + hard surface for a couple of sessions. (Power/airflow is easy to rule in/out.)
2) Capture the pattern: next time it restarts, note whether you were on USB-C power, battery %, and what apps were running. Even 2–3 data points help.
3) Check “stop code” silently recorded: Sometimes Windows logs a crash without showing a blue screen. In Reliability Monitor, open the “hardware error” details—see if it mentions “LiveKernelEvent,” “BugCheck,” or a code. You don’t need to decode it; just tell me the label.

If you want a “quick help” answer right now: the safest first move is stabilize power/airflow and collect the crash markers (Reliability Monitor + Event Viewer) so you don’t chase the wrong fix.

Great question—and you’re thinking about it the right way.

If the charger/surface test doesn’t change anything, the next safest “no-regret” checks are:

• Confirm Windows is set to create crash info (so future restarts leave a clue) and check whether any minidump files appear after an event. (We don’t need to edit settings yet—just verify if logs exist.)
• In Lenovo Vantage, review whether any critical updates are pending (especially BIOS/power/thermal). Don’t apply a BIOS update casually—just note what it suggests and whether it matches your model.
• Check for obvious drivers involved in video calls: graphics/audio/camera drivers—again, not “install everything,” just identify what changed around the start date.

For now, do the controlled tests and keep the results (charger used, surface, workload, LiveKernelEvent label). With that, we can decide whether this looks more like power delivery, thermal management, or a driver/firmware stability issue—without risky guessing.