Computer restarts without warning

[sargietek]

Hi all

I have a problem that is starting to get on the proverbial mammories! After reading other threads on the forum i decided that rather than buying a Windows XP Pro upgrade for my Windows ME existing system i would buy the full version, wipe the, hard drive & start from a clean install. I did this with no problem at all, except that now the comupter shuts itself down for no apparent reason, restarts & then carries on as normal until it decides to do it again. I have chacked various other forums & they say to clear the "automatic shutdown" box from Computer management so as it writes an error to the event viewer. It then says that i should then see a blue screen that tells me what's causing the problem. Unfortunately, there is no blue screen & once restarted there is no entry in the event viewer. I am sure this is hardware & i suspect either the video card (NVIDIA) which has always ran slow, or the power supply. I don't want to start spending money without some inclination as to where to start. Has anyone out there encountered the same? Shall i just bin it & buy a new system? My computer is AMD Athlon, 512MB Ram, 40GB HDD & NVIDIA Graphics card, i am assuming it's an NVIDIA chipset.

Best regards

Sargietek.

 

[tfg13]

Are you in any applications when it shuts down? If you just let the PC sit with nothing other than Windows processes, does it shut down? What processes are running? Have you attempted to download any updates?
It could be a hardware issue, but could be a hard thing to track down if you are not able to have the PC up long enough to "test" some things. Try going into the PC in safe mode (press F8 at the windows startup screen) to see if you can find out any issues.

 

[gpalmer711]

I also have a similar spec machine, and have found that the latest Nvidia Drivers that you can download from the windows update site do not work correctly. If you use the latest drivers from the Nvidia site these work great.

Do you get any messages to say that the system will restart and get a 60 second timer? If so this could be a worm, take a look at What are Good Virus/Spyware?Update/Firewall Practices? faq779-5240 as it gives removal instructions.


Greg Palmer
Free Software for Adminstrators

http://www.palmersoft.co.uk

 

[MasterofNone]

Given the extra load XP places on the processor, this could be a heating issue. When I've had problems with pc's shutting down at inopertune moments, and for no specific reason, is normally down to heating.

After your computer shuts itself down. Reboot and go into the BIOS and you should have a health tab which will show the system temperature.

 

[sargietek]

Hi Guys

Thanks very much for getting back to me so quickly. Ok, to tfg 13, there are no applications running whatsoever save for what runs from normal boot. Norton Internet Security also runs in the Systray but i always used it with ME with no problem. I have all the latest updates for Xp Pro, the computer runs for a couple of hours before shutting down so i'll try your suggestion of safe mode, thanks again. Gpalmer711, i'm sure it's not a virus or spyware because i've just rebuilt the machine from scratch & i use Norton Internet Security & always have the latest virus definitions & updates. I down loaded all my NVIDIA drivers from the nvidia site, i do however run automatic live updates for XP, do you think there could be a conflict? Masterofnone, i think you may be on the right lines here, because the machine runs a good couple of hours before restarting but then once it's done it once, it's away every 10 minutes or so!!!!!! Not sure if my BIOS has this feature & can't find a BIOS upgrade for my machine, Time are a right shower, i'll never buy from them again! Assuming it does, do you know what normal system temperature should be??

Best regards & thanks again

Sargietek

 

[gpalmer711]

If you go to the windows update site

http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com

Scan your PC for needed updates, are there any Driver Updates needed? If it does not list one for Nvidia then it means you have the one I am having problems with. Try redownloaded the driver from the Nvidia site. So if that makes any difference.

If you suspect a heating issue, you can try removing the sides of your case. This will give you a bit of help with the heat disapation. I have normally found that this will stop your Processor from over heating. If you do not get any restarts, or it takes longer for the restart, then you should look at purchasing a new Heatsink and Fan.

As you have a "Time" machine im guessing that you are in the UK. If so

http://www.ebuyer.co.uk

should give you a good selection at very reasonable prices.

As for not been able to see your CPU Temp in the BIOS, you can try downloading the MotherBoard Monitor software from

http://mbm.livewiredev.com/

However I would do it quickly as the developer has unfortunatly decided to call it a day.

Greg Palmer
Free Software for Adminstrators

http://www.palmersoft.co.uk

 

[satrow]

Time machines usually have the lowest powered PSU they can get away with. If you can get your hands on a decent PSU, it may cure it - if it fits in your case....

Andy.

 

[sargietek]

Thanks for all your help so far all, you've been great. Ok, the plot thickens, ran the computer now for a good 18hours in safe mode as advised by tfg13, no sign of any restarts or anything. Stable as you like. Where do i go now? In response to gpalmer711, i ran windows updates, tells me there are no critical updates i need for my computer. I installed the latest driver from NVIDIA anyway just to say that i'd done it, thanks again. I suppose this is just gonna be a case of trial & error till i find it?

Best regards & many thanks

Sargietek

 

[tfg13]

18 hours with no shutdown does not sound like a heating issue unless your PC has some additional programs that uses the PC's processor to a point of overheating. There are no entries in the event log? You can try to get the monitor that Greg Palmer suggested, as most of the stuff he finds is very good.

 

[MasterofNone]

Using the processor in safemode is not exactly going to place it under any stress so the chances of overheating are slight and would suggest the cooling in the pc is extremely inadequate.

Try running the pc in normal mode, but do not use any programs and see if you get the same result. If the machine is still up and running after 24 hours, start a processor intensive app (a FPS game is a good test). This will get the processor running constantly at a high percentage (if not 100%).

 

[tfg13]

MasterofNone,
Using the processor in safe mode is the point. Only programs needed to run the operating system are used. Once you come up in "normal" mode, with the additional programs running does it have a problem. That is why I stated "18 hours with no shutdown does not sound like a heating issue [blue]unless your PC has some additional programs that uses the PC's processor to a point of overheating.[/blue]".

 

[robatwork]

Probably reiterating points made before, but:
o Time PCs are awful
o Overheating can causes reboots and spurious problems. Does it happen if you remove the side and run a fan to cool it?
o Viruses can cause it. Run a check and download Spybot and run that too
o Ditch Norton and get something decent. I use Zonealarm and F-Prot. Heard good things about Kerio as a firewall too
o Run msconfig and disable everything you don't like the look of at startup and see if that helps.

-Rob