Help! Computer restarts itself when installing new software.

[roloexe]

Ok here it is, I have been trying to install new software on my workstation and somehow, it fails with no error messages and restarts itself. I've tried everything, disabled applications running in the background (pcanywhere, antivirus, etc.), updated all service packs and cumulative/security patches, everything and still no luck. I know its either hardware or OS. But I can't pinpoint it. I am running Windows 2000 SP4, IE 6.0, RAM at 1GB, Proccessor is P3 1Ghz. Thanks so much for the help.

 

[aldog]

Check to make sure your fans are running and that the cpu is being properly cooled. Many random restarts are caused by overheating/insufficient power.

Also, your system may have the option to automatically restart when there is a system error. I'm not sure about Windows 200, but I would check to make sure the computer is not automatically set to restart after an error.

 

[Mertous]

I think this is a power problem.

Unplug anything you don't need (additional cdroms, harddrives, pci cards etc). This will hopefully free up some power for your hard drive and more importantly - your processor, so your pc hopefully won't restart.

If this turns out to be the case, get a better power supply (look to be spending about 50 quid from an online retailer [like ebuyer or aria for example. newegg if you're in the states]).