pc keeps shutting down on its own :(

and i don't know what to do


any help please?


os: Microsoft Windows XP Professional - Service Pack 3 (5.1.2600)
cpu: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5400+ (x86) at 2805MHz
gfx: ATI Technologies Inc. ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series 512MB
ram: 445/2046.4MB DDR-3 887mhz
mobo: gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H


pretty please >.<


thanks

 

Had same problem with my granddaughters pc. XP Pro sp2, AMD 3800 cpu, 2gig ram, maxtor 160 gig hd, ATI x800gt vid card. PC would just turn off, no blue screen or error message. After I would restart, it would run anywhere from 2 min. to about 20 min. If I would leave it off for about an hour and restart, it might stay up for a couple of hours. I noticed that sometimes upon reboot it would try to run chkdsk, but would say "cannot lock volume for direct access". I set up chkdsk to run when I rebooted and it done the same thing. Tried chkdsk from a command line with same result. popped in my Win. cd and tried to run chkdsk from recovery console and the pc would shutdown before it could finish. I booted in bios and let in run and sure enough, it shutdown after a few minutes. I decided to start simple and plugged in another power cord, it still shutdown after a few minutes. Installed another power supply and that didn't help. I disconnected the power and data cables from the harddrive and rebooted into bios, it stayed powered up for 18 hours before I manually shut it down. I ordered a new harddrive and hope to transfer everything over to it, if it will stay powered up long enough. I have never heard of a pc powering off because of a harddrive going bad, but, it appears to be the problem in this case. Hopefully this helps you with your problem. Good Luck.

 

What you should do is run an HDD diagnostic program, if it will stay running long enough. Usually, I like singular applications for diagnosis, but even though I resisted a bit at first, this has grown on me:

http://majorgeeks.com/Ultimate_Boot_CD_d4981.html

You simply run the .exe file you have downloaded to make a CD-ROM, a.k.a. burn an ISO. Make sure your primary boot device is your CD drive, insert the disc from a cold start.

It has every diagnostic you can imagine, and if you need help using it, just ask. It spells out the options very well, though. Post your results if you'd like, it would probably help.

If you do need to replace the hard drive, your best bet is to "slave" it, which means you make it your secondary hard drive, and then copy and paste your data folders from drive to drive. You cannot transfer Program Files and applications however, these must be re-installed. Just make sure that any data you want to transfer is not in a private User folder, you usually will be denied access to those when the drive is secondary. Move all your useful data to a C:\ folder if it is somewhere on the User directory tree before you slave it under the other drive.

Hope all goes well...

And jeepdriver, you did damn good, just check or (shudder) disconnect the HDDs first next time. If you slave it, chances are the PC won't restart, because the OS will now be functioning on a new drive, but I've seen stranger things...

 

It is rare for a failing HD to cause the computer to shut down, unless there was a significant electrical malfunction - or serious malware infection.

Sudden reboots and shutdowns can be caused by many things. Before pulling drives, I would make sure the interior is clean of heat trapping dust and dirt. Make sure all fans are running properly. Inspect the motherboard for bulging or leaking electrolytic capacitors. These failed or failing capacitors are a common cause of sudden, but seemingly random system lock ups and reboots. The capacitors look like tall soda cans, many of which surround the CPU socket.

All older motherboards, and many of today's less expensive motherboards use electrolytic capacitors containing a liquid electrolyte. Failing (including flawed and/or abused/over-heated) capacitors literally bulge at the seams due to excessive internal pressures. Extreme (and very rare) cases result in a firecracker type explosion that can really stink up a room. Typically, electrolyte just oozes from the pressure relief point, which appears as a symbol or letter stamped in the top of the capacitor casing. The electrolyte can be caustic to motherboards and flesh. Look for white to dark-brown, dried liquid or foam on the tops or bottoms of the capacitors. Bulging capacitors are a sign leakage is about to occur.

A motherboard with bulging or leaky capacitors can be repaired, but often it is more cost effective in the long run to replace the motherboard.

Be sure to first power down, unplug the computer, and keep yourself discharged by touching the bare metal of the case before reaching in.

Make sure your temperatures are normal.

Swap in a known good power supply.

You can test RAM using one of the following programs. Both require you to create and boot to a bootable floppy disk or CD to run the diagnostics. Using the floppy method is generally easier (and another reason to include floppy drives in new builds). However, the CD method is just as effective at detecting RAM problems. Allow the diagnostics to run for several passes or even overnight. You should have no reported errors.

Windows Memory Diagnostic - see the easy to follow instructions under Quick Start Information.
or
MemTest86+ (for more advanced users) - an excellent how-to guide is available here.​

 

Love Memtest86, and I did forget to ask if the BIOS was throwing up any thermal errors, but he did not mention it beeping, or the error. Since the hard drive was considered suspect, I felt we should eliminate that possiblity outright if we could. Less distraction. Running the memtest is a proper diagnostic procedure as well, and one of the basics. This board does have solid capacitors for the CPU, but the rest would not appear to be. Any possible signs of leakage will be near the PCI bus or memory slots. I have had a Maxtor do what you are describing in the past, but as Digerati mentioned, it really doesn't happen alot. Read up, do the diagnostics, and let us know...

 

If the hard drive is damaged enough, then it may cause a crossed circuit, tripping the PSU overcurrent protection.