Something for the techies - my PC reboots itself!

[KDLarsen]

Ok, this is starting to get annoying, and I've just about cleaned out all other options.

What happens is, whenever my PC has been shut down for a longer period (usually over an hour or so), and I start it up, it chops along for a few minutes (if I watch a DVD it will stutter) before it finally reboots itself. And after that it works a-ok.

I've tried replacing the CPU cooler, thinking that it might be a heat problem. Didn't work.
I've added 4 coolers to my cabinet (2 in front to suck in air, 2 in the back to push the warm air out). Didn't work (although it did provide for quite a lot of dust on the front grill).

What else can I do? It's quite annoying, and it won't be long until I replace most of my hardware, though that is due to a whole different reason (as in: 2 of the 3 RAM slots have gone tech & I'm going for a faster CPU).

[GOPisEvil]

1. Could the power supply be set to the wrong voltage?

Seriously - I had a similar problem. The PC would just reset itself periodically. What happened was while I was moving it one day, I hit the voltage switch on the back of the PC. Once I put it back on 110, everything was fine.

Good luck!

[Hawkeye-X]

2. Hmmm

Run a virus scan lately? My wife's computer did the same thing two months ago, and I ran a Norton AV and cleaned up a lot of Blaster viruses that way. Maybe you have the Blaster virus, and didn't know about it?

There are a couple of free AV's out there. If you DU search for a antivirus, you'll be pointed to an article written about a month ago.

Hawkeye-X

[KC]

13. That's exactly

what that last worm/virus thing did. I watched it happen on several PC's at work...they would just reboot themselves.
I bet that's what yours has too.

KC

[Kamika]

3. It can be your graphics card

My graphics card got too hot and it either froze my computer or rebooted.

[KDLarsen]

6. You might be onto something..

.. I have thought about getting a better GPU cooler instead of the one that came with the card.

As for the PSU, I'll also have a look at that. I run Virus Scans every 2 weeks and every 2 days when a major virus is on the loose, so I doubt it's that.
Beside, my PC was used to download the Blaster fix for quite a lot of my friends :D

[Kamika]

10. the weird thing is

We got a new computer and the graphics card worksgreat in this one, so it was a mix of the old computer and the card that was bad

[Andy_Stephenson]

4. Bad Power supply was my

first thought. Mine was doing the same thing. Replaced the power supply and now all is good.

[cprise]

5. A component has a heat-sensitive flaw

It's probably the motherboard. It sounds like you're due for a new system.

[KDLarsen]

7. Yeah..

.. which I would love to get, if it wasn't for my economy being in the not-so-good end of the scale. I do have a saving of around 11.000 $, but I'm saving those for when I go back to College in a year or two.

[judge_smales]

8. What kind of machine?

How old?

[KDLarsen]

9. About a year..

.. bought most of the hardware after a summer of non-stop working.

[RoonShark]

11. Network Booting?

If you have a network card, it's possible the BIOS is set for network booting. I can't tell you where to reset that without knowing the machine you have, but maybe you can find it yourself. As the system comes up, hit the F1 or F2, possibly even Ctrl-Alt-Esc to get the BIOS settings. Look for network booting and set it to "Disable".

You might also get a surge suppressor that shuts off power to the machine. It's quick and dirty, especially if you're trying to save for college.

[KDLarsen]

12. A little clarification..

.. overhere, it costs nothing, zero, nada, zippo to go to College. And I even get money from my government to support myself (not a lot, but it's money).

What I'm saving money for is to buy books, if I suddently find myself without a bike etc., ie. money to use when I need to buy something now and I can't wait until the 1st of the month.

As for the surge suppresor, I doubt it would be useful, since the electric grid overhere is VERY stable (he says, only a few weeks after a major blackout that lasted 6 hours).

[RoonShark]

14. Pull the Plug Out of the Wall

I recommended a surge suppressor because the power switch shuts off power to the machine. It has the same effect as pulling the plug out of the wall, but you don't have to keep bending over.

I'm really lazy about computers now. When I solve the presenting problem, that's it! I don't need to do anything else. It comes from doing it for a living.

[toddzilla]

15. may be the blaster worm

it does this to a system.

go to symantec or mcafee or wherever.. they have a free proggy called fixblast

[KDLarsen]

16. About the Blaster

.. I thought it would only reboot when you connected to the web? At the moment, I'm not connected to the web at home, so I doubt that's it. Besides, as I mentioned earlier, I've always been clear of the Blaster threath due to my obsession with NAV.

[Deja Q]

17. Reseat ALL memory, expansion cards, CPU could be overheating too

The CPU is probably fine, but re-seat it if you've reseated everything else and the problem remains.

Could also be a CPU overheating issue. Have you checked the CPU's temp? DO reseat the CPU's heatsink after cleaning then applying a fresh coat of thermal paste onto it (I recommend Arctic Silver III).

Power supply may be going bad as well, but I'd reseat the whole kit'n'kaboodle first.

[Xithras]

18. Power supply

FYI, your power supply has two voltage feeds to the hardware inside your case...a 12v and a 5v. If the power supply is failing and can't deliver more than 11.5 and 4.5 volts, the first sign is usually random rebooting.

The second sign is a loud pop, followed shortly by you replacing most of your computer (when the PS completely fails, it will often surge and fry everything else in the case). My suggestions: Get the power supply tested...you can do this with a simple digital voltmeter. Until you do that, DISCONNECT those new fans you just added. You already know they're not helping the problem, and if your PS is having problems the extra load from them is probably making things worse.

[KDLarsen]

19. Actually...

... I bought the PSU after I got those fans, since I knew it would be an extra load. I think it's a 500W PSU, and it's driving an Athlon XP1800+, 1 DVD drive and the usual stuff (and of course, the various fans).