[Mr Content]

Hi guys, I have a pc (tower) that is turning itself off mid program. Its specs are AMD 2Core 4000, 2gb ram, Nevada 6100 nforce 405,   XP-Pro. We bought this just over a year ago. We sent it back for warrenty for this problem, 3 months after buying it, and they replaced the power supply, which seemed to fix the problem, but again it is now turning itself off. It does this mostly while the kids are playing games, or there are a few programs running. Is there a code recorded on startup that I can use to track down the problem, and where would I find it. Any thoughts anyone, or should I just replace the power supply with a better one and see what happens. Any thoughts?

Mr C

[Scott F.]

Try taking the case off and blowing it out with compressed, dry air. I had one that did the same thing and come to find out the insides were loaded with dust causing a heat buildup. Be sure to clean the processor and the power supply thoroughly.

Don't know if that is the real issue but its cheap and easy to try.

[Mr Content]

Thanks Scott, I run the pc with side off, hoping that it will help, but it doesn't seem to make any difference, Everything is very clean inside it, so I think its a hardware issue, but thanks for giving it some thought.


Mr C

[WGH]

Sounds like something is stressed to the max and it is going to take some testing to find out what part it is. Gaming is the most stressful use of a PC so a good power supply is a necessity.

More info is needed:

What brand power supply is in it now?
Is the PC a name brand or made by a Mom and Pop store?
How many hard drives?
Is the PC plugged into a UPS? Burps in the power grid or brownouts will cause a shutdown.


Bad parts usually run in batches, so they might have replaced a bad PS with another and not know it. I use only PC Power and Cooling power supplies and have never had a problem, they are the best but don't fit into everyone's budget. Antec's are also good and quiet too.

But you can always throw money at a problem and not fix it, so having an idea what is wrong is always helpful. Stress tests can pin down the possible culprits.

If a video card is running out of power, then a video card benchmark like Futuremark 3DMark will bring it to it's knees.

Memtest will test your memory.

SiSoftware Sandra will stress test everything.


Keep us posted.

Wayne

[lcrim]

Check the Power Options in Control Panel.  You may have a wrong setting.

[mgalusha]

As the others have mentioned it really sounds like it's overheating. In some designs running with the case open will cause them to run hotter as the airflow is not properly controlled. Really hard to say but my old Dell desktop isn't happy with the cover off, it relies on he suction from the rear fans to pull air past the hard drive. The CPU is OK but without the cover there is no airflow over the disk or video chip.

Make sure none of the fans are seized up.

You might want to grab a copy of PC Wizard. This little gem will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about your pc and it's free. http://www.cpuid.com/pcwizard.php

mike

[WGH]

In some designs running with the case open will cause them to run hotter as the airflow is not properly controlled. Really hard to say but my old Dell desktop isn't happy with the cover off, it relies on he suction from the rear fans to pull air past the hard drive. The CPU is OK but without the cover there is no airflow over the disk or video chip.

Good point Mike.
A box fan on high blowing into the open case helps.

Take out the video card and blow compressed air through the vents, it may be filled with dust bunnies. Re-seating the card also makes sure the connections are good. Might as well re-seat the memory too as long as you are inside. Remember to unplug the computer before sticking your hands inside, not for your safety but for the sensitive parts inside. The smallest spark will kill a part.

[BrassEar]

Spontaneous shut down or rebooting is almost always caused by memory issues or motherboard failure. Pull the memory and reinsert. Check the PC. If it persists, try and borrow similar RAM and see if that fixes the problem. If it is not RAM, the motherboard is your most likely cause and not uncommon.

[mjosef]

I had my computer suddenly rebooting some months ago...got a new power supply, same thing happened...eventually found that the friggin' graphics card fan had stopped working causing the protective shut down and reboot sequence. Replaced the card and problem solved. THe old card still works, but not in warmer weather.
It sure sounds like heat build up somewhere during stressful conditions(gaming or multiple open programs). If its not any of the above mentioned problem areas, you should monitor the system temperature(CPU, RAM, Graphics, SB....) immediately after a reboot...not all MB offer this option in the BIOS, check your MB manual for instructions.

[Mr Content]

Thanks for all the help, this gives some things to try, we have to leave tonight to go for a funeral. So I wont be back to try them until early next week. I will report back then. Thanks again

Mr C