PC keeps rebooting 2

[meckeard]

Hi All,

I have a PC that suddenly starting to reboot. Here are the stats:

Abit KA7 Motherboard (default settings)
Classic Slot 750mhz Athlon CPU (Used & untested)
20 Gig Maxtor 7200 RPM drive
256 SDRAM
NVIDIA GeForce2 TI 32MEG
Windows XP Pro

The PC ran fine for about 6 months. I did experience a similar problem when the CPU went bad. But I don't want to jump to conclusions and just go a new one w/o knowing it's the problem.

I replaced the power supply with 3 other ones and no luck.

I replaced the video card with a brand new ATI 32 meg, no luck.

I swapped the RAM, no luck.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[meckeard]

Hi All,

I will try and boot from disk. I don't have a boot disk for XP, so if anyone knows of a site I can get one, I would be most appreciative.

I don't have a second CPU to test. It's an older classic slot Athlon. I don't even know of anyone who has one!

I did go in to the Bios and the CPU speed was set correctly at 750mhz. And the CPU fans do start running when the PC turns on.

I can't remove anything from the drive, as it reboots prior to fully launching XP.

I plan on:

- Switching outlets
- Booting from disk

I will see if this has any affect on the PC and reply tonight.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[jdunderhill]

Yep i've downloaded a set of XP boot discs before from the below site and they did work:

http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm

It took up 6 Floppys to create them, if the site has no luck try Microsoft as an alternative

Good luck

Jamie

 

[BadBigBen]

Hi guys,

if it reboots in BIOS... then forget about trying to boot from a Floppy or such... cuz that aint where the problem lies...

its definetely a heating problem, where the Mobo shuts down to prevent the CPU from overheating and damaging... it looks like a reboot...

so look at the CPU heatsink and Fan... check if the fan is functioning correctly by removing the dust etc... another thing to check for is if the paste hasn't worn off or cracked away etc... replace the paste if necessary... but don't use too much...

Ben

PS... the other option is simply that your CPU has a crack and when it heats up it looses connection in the DIE and thus reboots/hangs/etc...

 

[meckeard]

Hi,

I have switched the CPU fan & heat sink with another one that I have. They both produce the same results.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[meckeard]

Update:

The PC won't even stay on long enough to boot from the disk.

I do have a spare MOBO and CPU, but the MOBO only handles up to a 1gzh Duron & my CPU is a 1.1ghz. Do you think there would be a compatability issue if I were to use them together?

Mark.

 

[Accessdabbler]

I've lost track, did anyone suggest a memory problem?

Try taking out all memory except for one stick. If it happens again, swap it for another stick.

 

[meckeard]

Accessdabler,

Yes, memory was addressed by me at the top. I tried that already. Thanks.

Well, I didn't want to blindly purchase a new CPU without knowing that it wasn't the problem. Of course, the only 2 parts that I have not replaced is the CPU and MOBO.

I had another CPU & MOBO that were brand new. I didn't want to go through the hassle of replacing both, but didn't have much choice.

Anyhow, to make a long story short, it seems to be working now with the new CPU and MOBO. I still don't know what caused the problem, but I would lean towards the CPU.

I want to sincerly thank all those that read & responded to my post. It's always a pleasure to get such quick and helpful feedback.

Regards,
Mark

 

[masayko]

even thou you have solve your problem i have seen simalar prob's with fauly capacitors on the mobo it's self and a-bit have release some board's with these capacitors on them
anyway it's just a thought

 

[Accessdabbler]

For those who are interested, here is a link to an explanation of the motherboard problem:

http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/resource/feb03/ncap.html

 

[meckeard]

Accessdabbler,

Interesting article. But what affects does the leaking capacitors have on the board? Can I assume that my problem fits the desription of a leaking capacitor?

Mark.

 

[Accessdabbler]

Sorry, I don't know much about this problem. You could spend a bunch of time trying to determine whether your board is affected. However, even if you do, the time and effort to sort this all out probably doesn't make it worthwhile. Best to just get a new board when your budget allows.

 

[meckeard]

Accessdabbler,

It was a faulty capacitor. Just wantes to let you know.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[SQLScholar]

Sorry to continue this post further then it seems necessary, but i am just curious how you found it was a faulty capacitor.... i am just really intrested.

Dan

----------------------------------------
There are 2 types of computer, the prototype and the obsolete!!

 

[meckeard]

Accessdabbler posted this link:

http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/resource/feb03/ncap.html

2 days later, I was looking at my MOBO (I had replaced it with a different one) and I could see that one of the capacitors had oozed some dark brown stuff through the top. Just like the article.

Coincidentally, 1 day later, I recieved my monthly issue of Maximum PC and guess what they talked about? You got it. Bad capacitors.

It does appear that was my problem. But, since it was an older slot Athlon CPU, it's not worth fixing. But I do have a 750 slot CPU for sale. Anyone interested??? Just kidding.

Mark.

 

[Accessdabbler]

I've added a star for Masayko, he reminded me of the capacitor problem. Glad I could help.

 

[malialou]

Greetings First time poster here with a very similar problem. I installed a Nvidia GeForce 2 MX card on a friend's PC that runs Win 2000 (using supplied Win 2K drivers). Now the PC just reboots over and over - I can't get past the loading screen. I can get into the BIOS and have reset the defaults there, but to no avail. I've read elsewhere that incompatible drivers can cause this issue to crop up, but if I'm unable to get into Windows how can I get rid of the drivers? If I slave the hard drive to my PC that runs Win XP I can browse the files on the drive with no problem, but can't seem to find where the Nvidia software was loaded. Any help here would be greatly appreciated, before she kills me

 

[motherboad69]

power supply trouble.

 

[Dreamland]

malialou - The specific problem here was traced to bad capacitors on the motherboard, not the video card drivers. Start another thread with nVidia Win2K drivers in the title so someone familiar with the problem can help you.