Program self-destructs when streaming audio

[Telegram Sam]

I am running VLC 1.1.11. Mostly but not always I use IE 8, OS = Windows XP Home. I use VLC to listen to "The Arrow" (all rock radio - I recommend it!) on line.

It frequently happens that 5 - 10 minutes into a session, in a quite random fashion, the broadcast will come to a sudden end and - and - something causes my PC not to crash but to close down completely, power and all, as if I had shut it down myself. This happens very quickly and the process is not stoppable.

It seems to make no difference whether I am running VLC in isolation, or while using an internet browser for something else simultaneously.

If there was a fault with the radio transmission you would expect the streaming just to cease and nothing else.
I don't know if VLC uses by default any one of my web browsers, I have downloaded IE8, Firefox, Chrome and Opera, but tend to use the first. Whatever the connection I can't understand how the browser, if faulty, could cause my PC to shut down.
By a process of elimination I am assuming that it must be something to do with VLC.
Is there a bug with v. 1.1.11? Can I do anything about it?

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

VLC cannot, under any circumstances, shut down the system. If VLC was configured to power off at end, and an error would interrupt the stream... this would be expected. However this infrequently requested feature has not been implemented yet.

This smells more like a driver, hardware problem or a trojan infection.

[Telegram Sam]

The only evidence I have to go on is that this (shut down) has only ever happened when streaming via VLC, but it is quite common in these circumstances. I do regular virus checks and scans. It is difficult to know where else to start looking next! I am assuming that audio streaming does not put any great demands on the PC processor - mine is several years old and hardly "modern" by present standards, but seems to work adequately enough in normal circumstances.

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

I'd run a full memory check and verify that there is no hardware error in the ACPI log or wherever.

VLC itself can only crash its process. In exceptional circumstances, it could swap heavily and slow the system down. But not shut it off.

[Telegram Sam]

Thanks. But I am not "technical" and am unsure how to do as you advise - other than running the usual anti-virus and anti spyware scans. [I had formed the opinion that streaming audio did not put particular demands on the system - may be I'm wrong] >> Is there a program that would do your memory check / ACPI thing for me?