need help power issue

[blakegallagher]

My computer that I build (2.8 p4 800 fsb)(abit motherboard) worked fine untill recently it had a few random power shutdowns. At one point windows(xp) said that it had lost power or recieved a reset signal.... I figured it was a power supply problem so I had an extra power supply(400watts) that I hooked up. worked fine for a couple day then the same thing .. a random lockup/shutdown and then cant make it to the boot sequence. monitor shows up in a scramble when I try to boot .... I dont think its power supply unless both were bad which is a slight possiblity since I got them in same place but i would think unlikly .... any suggestions ... thx tons ..


blake

[Budfred]

There are some power supplies that could easily be bad from the start, but I am guessing it is more likely related to the power in the wall. Are you using good surge protection or, better yet, an uninterruptible power supply? If you live in the area that just had the blackout, you could have a problem from that as well. If you have a multimeter and know how to use it, it is probably worthwhile to test out the power.

[blakegallagher]

thx for the quick reply ... what exactly to you mean by Uninterruptible power supply? I do have a surge protector but havent had any blackouts ... Im on another computer in the house so if it was bad power it would have to be constricted to my room ...

[Budfred]

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is basically a battery that you hook up to your computer and it will keep the computer from crashing and losing all your data in a power loss. However, the other thing it does that is really nice is that it cleans up the power coming into the computer so that it is nice and even. This prevents surges, but also prevents incremental damage that can occur over time. Many surge protectors don't really do this at all, especially if they are the cheap kind. If the surge protector you are using is not the kind that comes with insurance covering about $25,000 worth of equipment (or more), it is probably not much protection.

Power in a home can vary from outlet to outlet and sometimes even between 2 plugs on the same outlet.

What brand are your power supplies?

[blakegallagher]

yea I use to have a good power supply but recently moved to college .... im about to go eat now and will swing buy bestbuy and pick up a "good" surge protector ... and If I understand you right there are some that have the battery in the protector? thx for info and ill post again with new surge protector ... once again thx for the fast responces

[blakegallagher]

thx tons for the advice on a UPC I went to the store and purchased a APC 6-slot UPC with a 50,000 insurance thing and a 2 year warrenty for 65 dollars after tax .... may have been higher than elsewhere but my computer seems to be working fine now and once again pcguides has saved my day :) ...... thx once again budfred Ive had 2 problems and you also were one of the people that helped me with my last one... thx for your time and effort





Blake

[blakegallagher]

Of course it couldent of been that easy ..... It worked fine but possibly just because I had unplugged all cords and reconnected them. After about an hour the same thing happened... started with the computer locking up,then on reboot windows told me it had either lost power or recieved a signal from the reset button ... Im at a loss here .. I have a powermax 400 watt powersupply and now have a UPS surge protector... all ideas are welcome



thx blake

[Jhorner1]

This could be a heat issue (the motherboard may have overheat protection). Open your case, blow out all the fans and heat sinks. With the side off, start it up and make sure all the fans are running. Put the side back on, and run it for a while. If it still acts up, open the case and try blowing a fan on into the case.

[blakegallagher]

ok will do ... the side is off now but I will try running a fan on it .... dont think this is issue though as it acts up immediatly ... any more suggestions welcome



thx blake

[Budfred]

I am not sure if PowerMax is the same as PowMax. I know that PowMax power supplies are garbage. One way you can get some idea is by seeing how heavy it is. The heavier a power supply is, usually the better it is. Another way to see if it is a power problem is to disconnect a couple of things you don't use as much, like the floppy drive or CD drive and run it like that. If it works okay, it means the power supply is probably overtaxed. The fact that it ran better for a while with a UPS suggests that power could be the issue.

Heat is also a reasonable possibility, so keep trying the fan and see if there is any improvement.

If you are right that disconnecting and reconnecting things made it work better, it is a clue that it is a connection problem and you need to triple check everything to make sure all cards are seated properly and the cables are firmly plugged in....

[mjc]

Heat related problems can crop up in mere seconds...(10 or less to cook an unprotected CPU). so do no't discount heat until you test.

[Whyzman]

I would also take a careful look at the capacitors checking them for bulging...

I'm also wondering if it might worth a look-see at the thermal interface between your heatsink and processor...

If your system cranks up long enough, I would try to enter the BIOS and monitor your CPU temp from in there...You might need to check in your manual to see where exactly it is located since you might not have much time to access before it shuts down on you...

[blakegallagher]

I checked and it is powmax .... whats a powersupply that wont break my bank but will be reliable? I also disconnected my cdrom as it is one of the only extras I have my power on and and it booted up but that was letting it sit all night so it still could be a heat issue.... I got to cmos settings and looked at temps and they read system 28/82 cpu 46/114 pwm 32/89 ..... after it had sit for a few minutes it had warmed up to system 35/95 cpu 48/118 and pwm 38/100... Im not sure my next step ... someone mentioned my paste on the chip.... I just used the pasted that comes with the retail box for pentium 4 2.8 800mhz .... figured it would be sufficient but maybe it ising .... all responeses welcomed and appreciated...





thx blake

[Whyzman]

Blake, if those temps are reading in Celsius then your processor appears to be extremely "hot!" I realize that the P4s have a thermal safety built in...but I would not use the machine for right now...

I would check the interface and perhaps pick up some Arctic Silver (I prefer the Ceramique). Since you would be pulling things apart I would suggest "Lapping" the heatsink before using the Arctic Silver...

http://overclockersclub.com/heatsinklappingguide.php

I realize Budfred is a "bit hesitant" to recommend using PowMax PSUs, but I've had one for some time without issue. The price was right and the 12V rail is capable of sustaining today's overly abundant 12V requirements (CPU, extra fans, etc.,)

[Budfred]

I am guessing that you are giving the temps in Centigrade/Fahrenheit?? If that is the case, your temps are fine, but that doesn't tell you the temps for the video card.

This (http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/20021021/index.html) is a good article reviewing power supplies and here (http://firingsquad.gamers.com/guides/power_supply/default.asp) is a good discussion of what to look for. Antec or Enermax are 2 of the ones available readily that seem to be quite good.

[blakegallagher]

yes those were the cent/farinheiht readings... I guess my next step would be to check the video card temp and possibly get a new power supply ... how would I go about checking the video card ... is software the only way or is there somewhere in my bios .... thx again




thx blake

[Budfred]

The fan running on the card is the easiest way and if it is still having trouble with the fan, it is probably not the card.

With the CD drive disconnected, is it still stable??? If it is, a power supply is probably the way to go....

[Whyzman]

Are you able to sustain power up while in CMOS settings??

If no freeze-ups I would suggest attempting a RAM check...

Most freeze ups and reboots are RAM, Heat, or PSU related...

http://www.simmtester.com/PAGE/products/doc/docinfo.asp