Try reinstalling the chipset drivers. I had a Gateway E3400 do the same thing after I installed XP on it and before I installed all the drivers, it would reboot randomly.

I guess I didn't explain the problem correctly, it's not or hasn't rebooted by itself but the one time last night, after that it just won't let me shut it down using, as i said, the normal shut down procedures.

still recommend reinstalling all drivers, the adrupt restart may have screwed them up

Okay, how does one determine what chipset drivers they need and where do I find them?

Wizard, I got your PM.

That's a possibility... mine wasn't a Gateway, but an old system of mine acted similarly for a while and eventually refused to shutdown or reboot at all via the normal procedure... it had to be shut off at the wall because even forced shutdown via the PC on'off button wouldn't do it, either  I ended up taking it back where I had the rig built...turned out the mobo was faulty.

If you are also having trouble with feeze-ups and the CPU sounds like it's racing when this happens it could be your mobo is on its way out.  If so, it's best to have it checked/replaced as it could take out other components with it: ie, CPU, GPU, etc, thus making it a more expensive repair job

Hopefully it's not that and Wiz's fix does the trick.

Go to the gateway site,and look up your model number. If they had them for the 3400,they should have them for yours.

Okay, here is what seems to have happen, a power interruption did happend.  I got a PM from our favorite Duck, yrag and he had me go into control panel and make my way to systems and advanced setting, automatic restart had somehow got checked.  The shut down know works.  I now see a blue screen that says there was a problem and it suggests checking drivers and some other stuff,  so I will make my way over to the Gateway site and look for the chipset drivers.

Thanks for the replies and I will post back to let you know if the problem gets cleared up.

Okay the computer is back to working as it should.  Went to the Gateway side put in my serial number and found updates for lots of stuff, So I all read got through MS.  Check with yrag and he said unless it's broke and you know what is wrong don't mess with the bios.  There is a motherboard chipset update, just need to figure which one I need.

Again folks, thanks for the replies.

 It may live yet. (hard to kill)   Now go fill in the hole you dug in the backyard for it.

Glad you got help, Philly!

Good to hear.  I'm glad it wasn't your mobo needing replacement.

Hah. I used to have the exact same problem. My old system would reboot no matter what option I had selected. Nothing I ever did fixed it so I just shut it down by clicking the power button before Windows started booting up.

If all else fails......pull the plug.

That might be Ok for emptying the bathtub... but not ideal for shutting down a PC.  Once or twice, yeah, but when it's persistent damage can occurs and it's best fixed.... cos alternately I tried lullabies and they don't work.

I can sort that out for you, your problem is the lullabies are In English (or whatever) not Binary. You see youve got it all messed up. To 'lull' your PC all you need to do is turn it to binary, whack it in a notepad file and execute

......and if it still stays on, then it could be possessed.... 

I tried that... it failed miserably because I'm not familiar with binary code... and entered a thrash metal tune instead.

Hmmm, I thought the heads on some YouTube people looked a bit green and appeared to be doing 360's.

No wonder my mobo died... it couldn't handle the supernatural presence within.

I had the same problem with an HP. I did all the updates, etc. I think I even posted about it here, not sure..about 3 years ago.

It sleeps with the fishes now.

That's IF it's asleep.... might be posseessed like my old one... in which case, yours is in the deep terrifying fishes and octopii alike.

Mine was exorcised before burial in hallowed ground... to be sure it wouldn't come back.

Not to go off topic, but I have a compaq PC, and a Compaq Laptop. neither will wake from sleep mode. That is messed up. I have to hard boot to wake from sleep mode, so I do not use sleep mode...go figger.