XP Pro reboots

[bwarner]

I don't know if this is a hardware or software problem. This PIII 800 MHZ PC has XP Pro loaded on it. It runs fine, but occasionally (every few minutes) it just reboots -the PC acts as if I just pushed the reset button. This seems to happen after I click somewhere with the mouse. For example, I put a CD Rom in the CD tray. As soon as I clicked on My Computer, the screen went black and the PC rebooted. Again, it only seems to happen when I'm doing something on the PC - if the PC is just sitting there it's fine. Any ideas would be appreciated.


Barry

 

[franklin97355]

Could be a memory problem. What have you done so far to find the problem?

 

[paparazi]

I would suspect a weak power supply or a poor connection somewhere.
I recently had a couple of Gigabyte KT400 motherboards that burnt out the 3.3Volt connections on the main power plug to motherboard connection.
This poor connection/high resistance created heat in the socket and melted the pins.
The symptoms were very similar to yours.
Memory is also a possibility, try running memory timings less aggressively and turning off all the fast writes, if this improves the frequency of the restarts then memory may be the caurse.
Martin


Replying helps further our knowledge, without comment leaves us wondering.

 

[bwarner]

Thanks for the responses. I suspected the memory, but I wasn't sure how to test it. I guesss I'm not quite technical enough to understand how to "run memory timings less aggressively and turn off all the fast writes" Could you give me some more details on how to go about this. I suppose they're BIOS settings?

Barry

 

[ceh4702]

Make sure the fan on the CPU or chipset isnt giving up on you and that you have them plugged in. Sometimes dust makes a processor too hot also.

If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.

 

[Freestone]

Both of these memory testers will create bootable diskettes that automatically start their respective memory tests upon boot:

http://www.memtest86.com

http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

Note that these tests require a bit of time to run, so pick a time when you won't need your PC for a while. Also,
manual intervention is required to run extended tests, which will add even more time.

Another thing to try is to look in your Event Viewer, System Log for any error entries that may have been logged at the time of the reboots.

 

[viol8ion]

It is definately a hardware problem, a software prob will not cause XP to reboot or crash. I would suspect a memory problem as your #1 culprit, Freestone has you on the right track!

Let us know what you find.

When in doubt, deny all terms and defnitions.

http://www.wuli.com

 

[bwarner]

Thank again for all the replys. I think what I'd do is just switch out the memory first with known good memory and take it from there. I will let you know how it turns out, but it may take me a couple of days to get to it.

Barry

 

[GOLDENCHILD]

This part of one of your replies "" I guesss I'm not quite technical enough to understand how to "run memory timings less aggressively and turn off all the fast writes" ""
implies that you suspect tampering with the memory timings.

But your memory description is absent....

The obvious thing to do if you suspect tampering of timing is to load BIOS default values settings in BIOS...

You could also be mixing memory modules in an undesireable/wrong way.
Rule 1 : If you board supports more than one type of memory then NEVER run more than one type at a time. (e.g. do not mix SD-RAM with DDR-RAM modules)
Rule 2 : Always check your manual to see if your board supports the RAM type you use (not all boards can run both double side and single side modules and not all boards are equally satisfied with specific mixes)
Rule 3 : There are features about RAM such as electrical differences varying from manufacturer to manufacturer (Especially pre DDR) and these features seems undocumented therefore though you have done your "homework" you can always get a problem anyway even so bad that your computer won't start with a specific module installed. (in that case get a module from another producer)
Rule 4 : To check if your system has got a problem with a specific module then install one module at a time and boot your computer and use with each module alone.
Rule 5 : If system acts flaky and you wish to see if a module tests defective on your system then you may use Memtest86 (

http://www.memtest86.com/

)
Rule 6 : Some older NON-intel chipset have problems if you use more System memory than 500 MB , especially if you also use graphics cards with like 16MB RAM and up.... this is due to some overlapping of memory adress control space in windows. (use 500MB or less System Memory)

Regards...

 

[Paulies]

Another quick check is to turn off the mode reboot on critical error. this will then give you the BSOD if there is one, then you can attempt to trace why your system is rebooting

You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from completing this procedure.

Open System in Control Panel.
On the Advanced tab, under Startup and Recovery, click Settings.
Under System Failure, select the check boxes that correspond to the actions you want Windows to perform if a Stop error occurs:
Write an event to the system log specifies that event information will be recorded in the system log.
Send an administrative alert specifies that your system administrator will be notified.
Automatically reboot specifies that Windows will automatically restart your computer.


Paulies

 

[bwarner]

It appears to be bad memory. I took out all the memory and repalced it with a single 256 MB chip that I knew was good. All is well so far, so looks like it is fixed. Thanks again for all the replys and suggestions.


Barry