Computer keeps turning off while running normally

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by koppinjo, Jan 14, 2005.

  1. koppinjo

    koppinjo Private E-2

    Hi, I posted a couple weeks ago about my PSU's that kept shorting out. well, I got a 500W PSU with protection against short circuiting and power surges, etc. Yesterday, my computer turned off 3 times. It does this while I am in the middle of a game, or while I'm laying on my bed, or while I'm out of the room. I opened up the case again and checked all the connections which seem to be in order. I can turn the PSU off, wait a few seconds, flip the switch on the back back on, then push the button in the front and the computer starts up again as normal. I was wondering if this is a mobo problem or what?! If so then I'll have to get a whole new rig which would suck because this computer was new as of july of last year! The mobo is an 'Asrock' and the rest of my gear is pretty well-known

    160gb seagate HDD
    40gb maxtor HDD
    Benq CD-RW
    ATI Radeon 9800 pro
    P4 2.8ghz, 800 fsb
    512mb pc 3200

    I also cleaned the case out after the second time it shut off yesterday, moved the ram into a different slot after dusting it of course, and everything else I could think of. THen about 2 hours later the computer shut off for the third time. Any advice would be extremely appreciated! I don't like having to worry about multiple, unpredictable shut-downs!

    Thanks in advance,

    -Joe
     
  2. Turcoloco

    Turcoloco MajorGeek

    The only 2 mobo brands I'd recommend that starts with the letter 'A' are: Asus and Abit...Asrock is a new one, not yet reputable enough for me to comment on. May be some other members could comment on its quality/reliability.

    As for your problem since you believe that it is not the PSU, the only other two culprits would be (as you suspected) the mobo or the CPU. Although it is not common for a CPU to go bad after the first few months if you were having this problem from the earlier days then I'd say you might also have a defective CPU but please make sure your CPU and Power related settings in t
    he BIOS are not the cause of it, if not sure repost the related settings and let someone comment on it. Also make sure your system and especially CPU is not overheating even with a big box fan blowing in to the case from an open side doesn't guarantee an ideal working condition for a CPU that lacks an adequate heatsink/fan.
    If the culprit is the mobo (and very well could be) then not much you can do but to replace it...
     
  3. mcadam

    mcadam Major Amnesia

    Could also try by resetting the bios - take out the small round battery on your motherboard, wait about 30 secs then reinsert it and see how your computer behaves then.
     
  4. Phatsta

    Phatsta Corporal

    I'd check for heating issues. If you open the case and keep it open while running, then when the computer shuts off like this, is any of the cards hot? I mean hot as in very hot, you should almost burn your hand on it. My guess is the memories or the graphics card are hot as hell. If so, check all fans and see if everyone's spinning. If not - check connector and replace as needed.
     
  5. koppinjo

    koppinjo Private E-2

    Alright, I'm gonna try taking out the battery to reset the bios. Thanks again guys, I'll let you know how it goes.

    -Joe

    If I do end up having to get a new mobo, will I lose all of my stuff ('stuff' meaning data on HDD's)? Or could I just have all my gear (CPU mainly) transferred with no problems (ideally)?
     
  6. mcadam

    mcadam Major Amnesia

    No because your data is stored on your hard drive. However if you're replacing the motherboard then you may have to reinstall your O/S.
     
  7. Phatsta

    Phatsta Corporal

    What? Of course he wont have to
     
  8. mcadam

    mcadam Major Amnesia

    Depends if you're getting exactly the same motherboard and replacing or a new one, such as changing from ASUS to Abit.
     
  9. Turcoloco

    Turcoloco MajorGeek

    If he did get a DIFFERENT mobo, (on the new system) he could simply boot in 'Safe Mode' uninstall all absolute device drivers, boot normal afterwards and install the new ones. A re-install is not needed unless he has some major issues.
     
  10. koppinjo

    koppinjo Private E-2

    Could a program cause power short?

    Well, this morning I started up 'Limewire' to download 'chapelle show' episodes...about 5 minutes after I started it up, ker-plunk...the computer shut off and it had only been on for ~10 minutes. I restarted it and it ran fine for awhile -until I started up Limewire again (after the computer had been running for a good hour or so). This happened a third time only because I was toying with the idea that this program could be the source (I don't know what the logistics could be, but the program and shut-down seemed related). So, I uninstalled the program and the computer has been fine all day, running strong for ~ 9 hours (college students = computer on all day).

    Could the program be the source of the shutdown? If so how does that work? Any further advice would be greatly apreciated!

    On another note, if I do get a new motherboard (as suggested) it'll probably be an ASUS, and my current one is an asrock. Any advice on ASUS mobo's? I don't know much about them, but I don't want to spend over $125.00.

    Thanks guys!

    -Joe
     
  11. mcadam

    mcadam Major Amnesia

    ASUS make good motherboards, as do a company they "fight" against, so to speak, named "Abit".

    Both make good motherboards, as I have found with some of their products, and should do you well.


    Sorry Turcoloco, haven't been thinking straight this week, I knew what I meant but couldn't write it down in my stressed state! Man work is annoying!
     
  12. Doby

    Doby Sergeant

    There was nothing wrong with your suggestion of reinstalling the os, a good clean reinstall is never a bad thing, however as Turcoloco suggested there are easier ways around this.

    In this case I don't think koppinjo needs a new mobo unless there are other problems, it seems its software related, I don't know anyting about limewirer so I can't comment any further.

    Rick
     
  13. Turcoloco

    Turcoloco MajorGeek

    Yeah, Mcadam no worries, I do like a clean install myself as well but since I synchronize my files between 4 computers on my network, a fresh install on any systems means 2-3 hours out of my day nothing more..but for someone who has been accumulating data on their one and only PC a re-install is often a tedious process, not to mention files that get forgotten to be backed up etc. Again don't feel bad, I read some of my own posts that I wrote on one of those 'bad' days and knew I didn't do a very good job of conveying my thoughts.
    As Doby stated the problem is software generate so a mobo replacement is extreme, but he has to search to web (google) to find out if this is a known problem with Limewire, if not and my guess as well, there is a combination of factors such as 1 or more programs installed on his system along with Limewire creating the problem, possible OS patches or may be some other service running in the background It could be as simple as a wrong settings in Limewire (but unlikely I believe).
    So workaround would be: do away with Limewire and never install it.
    Fix: Search web and try to find some info relating to your problem. Also check Limewire's own site.
    Good Luck.
     
  14. goldfish

    goldfish Lt. Sushi.DC

    Personally I'd rather re-install. Much less greif on my part.

    Anyway... I doubt Limewire has anything to do with it, although some seriously wee..arrd things were happening because of that program on my desktop. Easy way to confirm this: Uninstall it! :p

    I can't say much for Asus, the last Asus board I bought was a PII or PIII, so my info isnt exactly up to date! :p
     

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