Windows XP Restarting Intermittently

[Shen786]

Hi

I have just upgraded my PC - ECS mobo 1.8GB, 256 DDR RAM pc1000, 40GB IBM Hard Disk, 32MB DDR Radion Graphics card. However, my PC intermittently restarts for no apparent reason. Is this to do with XP or the hardware installed?

Many thanks in advance,

Shen

 

[chaosinc]

i would say that you found another glitch in the xp platform. i have found many here. like when the dang thang dials the internet on its own. try a fresh install. if it waas hardware it would most likely be more consistant. hope this helped.
peacce love and happiness

 

[mikey69]

Don't know which version of XP you are using. I run both and have found them very stable, so I'd be suspicious of your hardware.

 

[paparazi]

I am also inclined to agree with mikey69 and say it is much more likely to be a hardware problem.
Top suspects are: Overheating! with an Athlon XP? 1800+ you need a good heatsink/fan rated for 2gig+ and fit two extra case fans (a must for good air through put) check your maximum temps don't exceed 60C.
It should be quite easy with a reasonable cooling setup
(just a good heatsink/fan and extra case fans) to get your absolute max in the low 50's C.
PSU: generic power supplies are not recommended "full stop" but if you have one it should be 300watts +
Swop out PSU for another unit and run some rigorous tests, a faulty PSU's can give this exact fault.
There is always the possibility of a software conflict causing a problem like this but try the hardware route first. Martin
Please let members know if there advice has helped any.

 

[Yohee]

My experiance has shown both versions of XP to be more prone to reacting to hardware issues that other OS's. I would either say this was one of the many XP bugs (my personal feeling is that XP is the new Win Me.. stick to 2k I say...), or the result of it interacting with some itermitant hardware issue.

The steps that I would take would be as follows:

(a) run a burn in application (a program that an OEM distrubtor uses to test PC's before sending out). You should be able to find one at downloads.com

(b) replace the PSU - a very cheap and easy way to rule out an issue.

(c) Try and effectively log when the station restarts - is it just in one application/while connected to the internet/when playing d3d games, or totally randon - and use this info to troubleshoot the specific fault.


failing all this..

(d) Format and install good ol' Win 2k

Cheers
JH

 

[Shen786]

Thanks a lot for your comments guys - they have given me some food for thought.

 

[gargouille]

Event viewer should provide a clue.

 

[mikey69]

I like the power suply suggestion and the overheating theory. Are you running home or professional XP?

 

[Shen786]

I am using Professional

 

[gargouille]

You might also go to Control Panel/System/Advanced/Startup and Recovery/Settings and uncheck restart automatically. It should "blue screen" you with a cryptic error message when it crashes...that may give more clues to the nature of the nastiness that's causing this.

 

[NEMS]

I do have the same problem with my wxp but after running the norton utilities many times specially the norton disk doctor, the problem just disappear. I am not really sure yet about the cause. As of now I am considering this type of problem, somehow caused by a bug! Need more observation. NEMS