Bonnie -

As noted above you may be seeing "normal Win7 behavior."

Win7 is programmed to reboot to "repair mode" automatically to fix errors it thinks it has found. The reboot could look like a crash. (I haven't seen any comment about what warnings the OS gives when it does a "repair cycle," but it appears that they can be initiated by the machine without your request or permission.)

When it reboots to repair mode, it repairs the first error it finds during the restart and then completes the restart normally. (I haven't seen any information on what "dwell time" may occur while it looks for errors and initiates a restart.)

If another error is found, it is supposed to repeat a reboot to repair mode, but can only repair the first error it finds during that reboot.

The cycle continues. ... and according to some, it continues ... and then it continues. and then ...

One option is to turn the machine on and let it run until it quits rebooting (if that eventually happens for you). It's possible that a problem won't be found unitl a "conflicting program" is opened, so leaving the machine completely alone may not fix everything - using it may be required. Some reboots also may require you to tell the machine it's okay to restart, so you'll have to watch often enough to see if it's "hung" itself.

A second suggested choice is a complete reinstall of the Win7 OS on a reformatted drive. This method of course requires that you have a separate drive to backup your own stuff, and ability to reinstall any additional programs of course.

Users who have commented on the "perpetual cycling" problem don't seem to be convinced that either is assured of working.

John