random computer shutoffs, no bsod or errors

  • Thread starter Thread starter johnnyg963
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J

johnnyg963

This is becoming a serious and frequent problem so i hope someone can
help.

We have a computer that we bought from a computer show in boston and
the manufacturer did not leave us with easy support. Here is the
problem:

At random times when the computer is booted into windows xp the
computer will shutdown. Sometimes it happens during startup and other
times it happens when you're doing something important. I don't know
much about hardware (which is probably where the problem resides
because we have clean sweeped our hard drive a few times). Anyway, this
is kind of annoying because it corrupts files. Today something popped
up in the taskbar and told me that firefox's config file had been
corrupted.

Anyway, if anyone could point me in the right direction as to fixing
the problem of sudden shutoffs I would greatly appreciate it. I think
it's hardware, but which piece should I be looking at?

Thanks in advance,
John
 
This is becoming a serious and frequent problem so i hope someone can
help.

We have a computer that we bought from a computer show in boston and
the manufacturer did not leave us with easy support. Here is the
problem:

At random times when the computer is booted into windows xp the
computer will shutdown. Sometimes it happens during startup and other
times it happens when you're doing something important. I don't know
much about hardware (which is probably where the problem resides
because we have clean sweeped our hard drive a few times). Anyway, this
is kind of annoying because it corrupts files. Today something popped
up in the taskbar and told me that firefox's config file had been
corrupted.

Anyway, if anyone could point me in the right direction as to fixing
the problem of sudden shutoffs I would greatly appreciate it. I think
it's hardware, but which piece should I be looking at?
Click to expand...

There's no way for us here to tell you what the issue is without looking at
the machine except to agree that the problem is almost certainly caused by
failing hardware. Here are hardware troubleshooting steps to go through:

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Hardware_Troubleshooting

Testing hardware failures often involves swapping out suspected parts with
known-good parts. If you can't do the testing yourself and/or are
uncomfortable opening your computer, take the machine to a professional
computer repair shop (not your local equivalent of BigStoreUSA).

Malke
 
Thanks for the link. I think the problem lies in my power supply. I am
planning on replacing it to test it (although i'd have to buy one
because i don't have any extras.) So, I was wondering if anyone had any
suggestions for a cheap power supply that will definitely do the job.

I don't know how many watts I need, either. The one we are using is
labeled 400W MAX.

Please, let me know if anyone has any advice.
 
John said:
Thanks for the link. I think the problem lies in my power supply. I am
planning on replacing it to test it (although i'd have to buy one
because i don't have any extras.) So, I was wondering if anyone had any
suggestions for a cheap power supply that will definitely do the job.

I don't know how many watts I need, either. The one we are using is
labeled 400W MAX.
Click to expand...

Buying a cheap power supply is always a mistake. A decent psu will cost
$45-60USD and is worth it. A really good psu - which you would want if you
are a gamer or have a mission-critical system - will cost closer to $100.
If you don't have extra parts with which to test, then consider taking the
machine to a local professional.

Malke
 
Malke said:
Buying a cheap power supply is always a mistake. A decent psu will cost
$45-60USD and is worth it. A really good psu - which you would want if you
are a gamer or have a mission-critical system - will cost closer to $100.
If you don't have extra parts with which to test, then consider taking the
machine to a local professional.

Malke
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice and the quick replies.
 
This is becoming a serious and frequent problem so i hope someone can
help.

We have a computer that we bought from a computer show in boston and
the manufacturer did not leave us with easy support. Here is the
problem:

At random times when the computer is booted into windows xp the
computer will shutdown. Sometimes it happens during startup and other
times it happens when you're doing something important. I don't know
much about hardware (which is probably where the problem resides
because we have clean sweeped our hard drive a few times). Anyway, this
is kind of annoying because it corrupts files. Today something popped
up in the taskbar and told me that firefox's config file had been
corrupted.

Anyway, if anyone could point me in the right direction as to fixing
the problem of sudden shutoffs I would greatly appreciate it. I think
it's hardware, but which piece should I be looking at?
Click to expand...

If it's an instant and total shutdown I would suspect the power
supply.
 
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