Hi, I have the following system:
PIII 733EB Coppermine
Gigabyte GA-6VX7-4X
256MB PC133 RAM
Hercules GeForce256 DDR DVI
Creative SB Live! Value
2 HDD
1 CD0ROM
Diamond Supra Max USB Modem
USB Keyboard
Win98 (Dun know 2nd Ed or not how to check?)


My system will auto reboot sometimes and randomly whenever I am surfing the net, why? This has caused more of my fare share of fustration and data loss. I have updated the bios, chipset drivers and other drivers to thelatest version, scanned for viruses, secure the power cables again, check memory error using norton troubleshoot it shows that nothing is wron. Pls help!!!!! Thanks!!!!!!

Did you try running a virus scan on your system ?

Also read this article.
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/sys/crash-c.html


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RM

The #1 reason for sudden reboots is an overheated cpu.......open your case [with power plug out!] locate the cpu fan.......start up the system and watch the cpu fan.....or better yet, check the rpm's if possible in the bios [the tab is usually "health status" or something like that. I bet your cpu fan is dead or dying and the cpu is overheating which results in a sudden reboot which protects the cpu (ie- power is cut to it to prevent it from burning up). If the cpu fan is OK, post back and someone will take you to the next likely thing it could be.

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Will XP save Me ?

Hi, thanks for the fast reply, read through the guide and tried most of the things, so far I can rule out conflicts, memory and virus problem. My CPU fan is 4964RPM the last I checked. The auto reboot occurs only when I am surfing the web! Funny isn't it, (I am using IE 5). The problem may be my modem as it is a Supra Max at COM 3 and I think it is a soft modem (yah yah call me stupid as I realise it way too late http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/mad.gif ). So what could be the problem?? Thanks!

Go to http://www.diamondmm.com/ and see if there is any driver update for your modem.


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RM

Sorry, done that already the firmware and the drivers r the latest already. I have also check with their tech support (somehow they r under some Sonic Blue thingy) and they did not help much, their most helpful advice was change the modem. I would have done that if I have the dough! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/mad.gif

Couple of things you can check.

If the machine is dusty inside-clean it out. I use a soft camera brush and take it outside to avoid getting dust and lint on everything.

What is the wattage of tha power supply and how old is it? From the compponents you listed I wouold think a good 300W power supply would be a good thing, and if the current one is 300W or less and old, it could be getting weak.

Reliable voltage at the wall outlet-if the voltage is fluctuating it could be dropping the power low enough to shut the machine down.

I think power supply is most likely. You're running a winmodem, which uses system resources, so when you're online the machine has to work harder. The CPU does more which requires power, the swap file is most likely more often in use and therefore the hard drive is working harder...More power...and the Internet means graphics...so the video card gets a good workout too. Check your power supply and the voltage at the outlet.



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My power supply is only 250W, so it looks bad rite???

I think you hit the nail -- 250 is a little low, what with the 2 HD's and that video card.
Might want to add a case fan too, if you don't already have one.

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"I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."
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