XP Machine works for awhile, then shuts down. 2

[Designware]

Hi,

I have a Dell XPS 200 that has an interesting problem. It boots up and works / prints / browses fine. But after a period of time (varies), it shuts down. Well, not exactly completely shuts down, but the power light is a FLASHING amber color, and you cannot revive it with the keyboard or mouse. The only way to get it back is to hold the power button in until it shuts off, then turn it back on again. Then you're fine for awhile.

I have shut off ALL power saving functions.

Your help is appreciated.

Dale

 

[sjs1717]

could be overheating.i know you said the time varies but is there a specific task that you are doing or running in the backround?


Steve
We're doing this stuff for the wealth and fame right?

 

[Designware]

There's not a specific task that I'm doing when it quits. Could be Word, or Internet Explorer, or simply sitting at the desktop.

I don't think it's overheating, since sometimes I start it back up immediately after it shuts down ... and the system will run for 4 or 5 hours.

Other times, 20 minutes.

Thanks.

Dale

 

[webrabbit]

That's pretty much the symptoms I was having until I got the dust off the CPU fan.

 

[DrLar]

I will recommend a BIOS upgrade to see if that works, or leave it at safe mode for a while, if it shuts down in safe mode it must be a hardware issue.

 

[wahnula]

Dell describes the flashing amber light as an "internal power problem". This is consistent with the symptoms, as random lockups/shutdowns are either caused by a faulty power supply or overheating.

Check the motherboard for swollen or leaky capacitors, other than that I would invest in a good PSU tester that fits Dell PSU's, which are non-standard for some inexplicable reason.

http://www.pcpower.com

has Dell replacement PSU's, but it might be worth a professional assessment first. As for myself, I'd just buy a new PSU, justifying the purchase as a "power saving" move, as newer PSUs are more efficient and use less power

Tony

"Buy what you like, or you'll be forced to like what you buy"...me

 

[Designware]

DrLar .... tried it in safe mode, and it shut down there too.

Wahnula, I took your advice and ordered a new power supply. It now boots into safe mode just fine. However, I cannot get into normal Windows anymore. I got into Windows before the new power supply ... I'm really confused as to how a power supply could cause the BSOD.

The BSOD error message I get is DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

ALL the hardware is the same as before apart from the PSU.

I tried looking at the event log in safe mode, but it would not let me.

By the way, the computer now does NOT turn off when it's in Safe Mode. Progress there at least.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Dale

 

[wahnula]

The BSOD error message I get is DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

Designware,

Sorry about the bum steer, but at least we've eliminated the PSU . I blame Dell and their lame "flashing amber light" diagnostic. Is that still happening?

What are the hex codes (0x000 etc) and is there a specific file referred to in the BSOD message? This info will really help nail down the issue. One more thing: are you logged in as Administrator in Safe Mode?



Tony

"Buy what you like, or you'll be forced to like what you buy"...me

 

[kmcferrin]

Have you added hardware to it since you bought it? It could still be power related if you don't have a powerful enough PSU. Getting an official Dell replacement of the same capacity wouldn't help either.

Just for grins, blow it out with compressed air and make sure that there's not any monster dust-bunnies hiding in there.

Usually the symptoms that you describe are caused by heat or power issues. The "DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL" error usually is driver related though. It's entirely possible that one of your crashes corrupted some needed driver files. You could try booting into Last Known Good and that might help get you there. It won't hurt to try it anyway.

If you wanted to get really crazy you could try updating/replacing all of the drivers while in safe mode, or deleting all devices and let PnP find them again when the system boots. I'd make sure that I had some sort of backup first before I did that though.

Actually, the "DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL" usually lists the name of a driver file in the error message. That would tell you which driver needs replaced if that is the case.

 

[LawnBoy]

I agree with kmcferrin, your original problem was the PSU which is now fixed. You now have some files corrupted on your hard drive due to the multiple unexpected shutdowns.

Personally I would reload Windows, probably faster in the long run.

 

[Designware]

Thank you everyone for your answers. My friend absolutely cannot find her operating system CD. The key code is on the outside, but I do not have a Windows Media Center CD to use with her key code.

So I guess I'll have to try and do the driver reload. When I go into Safe Mode, I cannot access the device manager at all. It is completely blank. How can I uninstall / reinstall if I can't get to the device manager?

Thanks.

 

[kmcferrin]

You should still be able to get to do Device Manager from within safe mode. If you can't then I recommend doing a scan of the system files. Get to a command prompt and run:

SFC /SCANNOW

 

[wahnula]

To determine a machine's key code, you can use a little, safe utility called keyfinder:

http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml

This will present the system's key code, which you can then write down and re-use. Best of luck!

Tony

"...an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind" - M.L. King

 

[Designware]

Thanks for the responses!

kmcferrin, I am unable to run sfc /scannow in safe mode. It tells me the RPC server is unavailable. When I go into the services screen, it states the RPC is "started" but the RPC Locater Service is "stopped". I try to start the RPC Locater Service, but it errors and tells me that it cannot run in safe mode.

Where do I turn next?

Thanks.

 

[kmcferrin]

Can you run it from a repair console? I don't recall if that's possible.

 

[dglienna]

Keep in mind that the CD prolly didn't come with SP2 anyways, so it's all but useless, unless you want 4000 updates to do

-David
2006, 2007 & 2008 Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (VB)
2006 Dell Certified System Professional (CSP)

 

[Designware]

Lawnboy,

You were right on. I took out the hard drive, attached it to another PC, fixed the driver errors, put it back in the original Dell, and it works OK now. It appears that all those unexpected shut downs caused some physical problems on the disk.

Anyone know where I can get her a copy of Windows Media Center ... since she already has the keycode. It would have been helpful to boot off of that to fix the drive.

Thanks for everyones help.

 

[LawnBoy]

Glad you got it working. The credit belongs to kmcferrin, though.

It's entirely possible that one of your crashes corrupted some needed driver files.

I'll give him a star for you.