problem: my PC keeps shutting down randomly and unexpectedly. examples... sometimes while booting up, it just shuts down even after less than a minute after i've turned it on. on other occasions, i'll have it up and running for about 10 minutes and then it shuts down suddenly by itself. other times, i've had it on for hours and all of a sudden it shuts down while i am surfing or browsing through folders on my hard drive.

at first i thought it may be a virus, but the most recent version of norton anti-virus showed no viruses. after that i re-installed windows 98, fr-formatting without completely wiping the hard drive. so i still had old files left on the drive. even though i re-installed windows it is still shutting down at random times, by itself.

does anyone know with confidence that this is a hardware problem? has anyone seen anything like this before? i would really like advice from anyone who has strong suspicions/experience with such problems. any help would be greatly appreciated.

thanks - drmpadilla@msn.com

First thing we usually think is heat. Shut it down, remove the case cover and remove all the dust inside. some people say use a small vaccuum and be very careful NOT to suck up any jumpers, I use a small camera brush and clean up the remains with a vaccum.

Next possibility is power supply. If it's going bad, it will often cause random shut downs. Heat is usually more likely, but both are possibilities.

Check your CPU and case fans and be sure they are running. Check the power supply fan too, and run it wirth the cover off and a small fam blowing inside. If you have a heat problem the fan trick should prove it. If the computer is usually run in a desk with a compartment for it, having it inside a small unventilated area could cause heat problems too. Never run it with the door closed, if it has a door. You might even have to put a fan there to help.

------------------
So many idiots, and only six bullets...
Note: Please post your questions on the forums, not in my email.

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

Are you having any AC power problems? Lights flickering or anything like that?

If you use a surge strip, plug directly into a wall outlet for a while to see if the shut downs stop.

Just curious. How do you format a drive and leave old files on it?

------------------
"I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."
-- Charles Babbage, mathematician, computer pioneer, analytical engine designer (1791-1871)
-- (Question: 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?')

"Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand."
-- Homer Simpson

thanks for the advice so far. the weird thing though is that it shuts down sometimes even after only 30 seconds... for example, let's say it's been off all night, then in the morning when i turn it on it might shut down unexpectedly even while booting up - this means it's shutting down without even really being hot. i did remove the cover and yes there is quite a bit of dust in there.

i did have it connected toa power strip, and there are no problems with other things connected to the same power strip, ie.e the monitor is ok, so is a flourescent lamp connected to the same power strip. i did then connect directly to the wall outlet and still the same thing happens.

regarding re-formatting: my boot disc has several options for re-formatting/re-installing windows: choice 1: wipes the hard drive and starts from brand new. choice 2: restores windows, but leaves old files (like all my mp3 albums, software, etc) intact.

at this point i am going to try formatting the entire thing with choice one. here isanother strange thing: sometimes after it shouts down, after a few minutes, it will re-start again by itself. very strange.

could there possibly be any fuse type of mechanisms in the cabinet?

thanks again for the help. i'll be back.

drmpadilla

Hi Mike

Definetly do the clean install on the hard drive. It's either a software or hardware problem and once the clean install is done you should be able to rule out software. The hardware will be trickier to diagnose. Possible disable or replace with some older cards you have - such things as modems, network cards, video, audio etc. I used to have a similar problem and it turned out to be the modem albeit it never turned itself back on just off.

Greg

Mike
First off what do you meen by shut down?
You might also want to check your power management profile in the control
panel.

It also could be in your bios settings under advanced power management(APM).
reinstalling windows will not change either of these settings!!!

I would be shocked to learn it was ANYthing to do with your software or operating system..........This is almost certainly a Hardware issue....most likely the power supply or a motherboard issue.

------------------
Will XP save Me ?

I had a bad power switch on an AT system cause a similar problem. If you have an AT supply, its restarting on its own seems to point to the power supply as a suspect. If you have an ATX supply, then the motherboard is also suspect.

I would advise plugging the fluorescent lamp into a separate outlet if possible. They can generate spikes when starting up.

------------------
reido@my-deja.com

Friends don't let friends install Windows ME

[This message has been edited by Reid (edited 06-16-2001).]

I agree with Randy, it's very unlikely to have anything to do with software or operating system. I don't think reinstalling is necessary, and think it's extremely unlikely it will help solve the problem. If you haven't already reinstalled, save your self some time. Reinstalling is only recommended as a last resort. We're not out of ideas yet...

Spontaneous reboots are almost always hardware related, usually either power problems or heat. Happening 30 seconds after a cold boot is not that unusual, the CPU can overheat in 10 seconds, a weak and failing power supply can cause reboots at any time. Power problems or overclocking can cause the video card to overheat in 30 seconds or less, resulting in a reboot...those are just a few possibilities...

------------------
So many idiots, and only six bullets...
Note: Please post your questions on the forums, not in my email.

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

update: first, i certainly do appreciate the response so far. i have opened the thing up and actually disconnected the power supply to inspect it. after 2 years of say 12-16 hours a day with power on (this is a very rough estimate), it has collected quite a bit of dust and i suppose mileage. i noted also it was warm after only a few minutes being on, but that is not really new.

i have reformatted from scratch (wipe the hard drive clean, so now it's brand new) and i still do get the sudden shutdowns, even after a few seconds into bootup. now, i am considering replacing the power supply. at one time i noted the fan was not even spinning while it was on. i cleaned out quite a bit of dust and it is working right now.

i have an emachines 400i with a celeron processor, so far it has served me well in these past 2 years. i am tempted to just replace the power supply (cost $50) and see what happens. or does anyone think it would more likely be one of the circuit boards? is there anything that i should inspect to that might make us think that it is NOT the power supply? if it is the motherboard would it be worth it just to get a whole new computer?

If Fan looked dodgy I would definetly buy a replacment first as a dodgy Fan can cause the problems you are having.

I was installing a Win ME on a new HDD I kept getting only 20mins into the install when I had problems and had to restart. (half dozen attempts later I eventually decided to look inside and there was my fan sticking and stuggling).

Wont necessarily be THE fault but it is a Fault and definetly worth a try considering what it would cost.

http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/cool.gif

Err......... I may be wrong here but I agree with the majority of the answers. It is either heat or power supply. Other than that try to disable any power management thingy.

Just curious, can it be a memory problem???

update: i have had no spontaneous shutdowns in the last 48 hours, with max uptime about 14 hours. i have the power supply outside of the computer case, not hanging, but supported by some small books. the only real thing i did was i opened the power supply and blew out all the clumps of dust. also wiped clean the fan blades.

so i suppose it was due to heat and dust....? anyone have any furthur thoughts about this? later today i'll put the power supply back into the case and see what happens.

My sister and I have an emachines computer. She had the same problem you were having. (I think the emachines power supplies are terrible!) I'm 99% sure that the power supply is your problem. I replaced my working power supply in her computer and it worked fine. I also put her power supply into mine and it did the same thing. I just bought a new case (cheaper than a power supply in most cases). Plus, it's hard to find a power supply that will fit the emachines case.

More recently I purchased a $15 case from Tigerdirect (the case is worthless, small --- only room for 3 things, power supply is in the way of processor fan), but I noticed that the power supply looked like an exact replacement for the emachines! So far it has worked fine in the emachines case. For just $15 plus shipping --- but, not sure how many watts your power supply is: this one was just like my emachines a 145w.

i ended up replacing the power supply. just hooked it in 5 minutes ago. no problems, quick boot up. although i initially thought the problem was gone, i had shutdowns after only 20 seconds of turning on my computer. does power supply integrity affect speed (like surfing or opening programs etc?) it almost seems to me things are just a bit quicker.

thanks to all for the advice and help given,
drmpadilla

If one of the things that is wrong with the power supply is under voltage then yeah...

------------------
mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/highrise/11/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.

If you are still having problems, take out your ram chips and have them tested at the local computer store. While I agree that this appears to be a power problem of some kind, flaky memory chips can also cause random re-boots.