Random Rebooting

  • Thread starter Thread starter Alias
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A

Alias

Have an XP Athlon 2200 with 512MB RAM, a DVD reader, floppy drive and a
CDROM burner. Windows Home. No printer, no scanner and a non mulitmedia
keyboard and a wired non-optical mouse. Video, audio and NIC onboard a
QDI 7G-6AL.

Problem: where I am doing something or the computer is just sitting
there, it will reboot randomly, no set time frame. It will do this in
normal mode, safe mode and in the BIOS.

I have run Spybot, AdAware and Trendmicro's anti virus scan which all
came up empty. I have checked all the connections inside the box and
they're fine.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Alias
 
The system could be overheating. You will need to open the PC case and check
the CPU fan is working correctly. Chances are it is covered in dust. Also
check the power supply fan to see if that is covered in dust too.
The inside of the PC is very delicate so you will need to earth yourself
before delving into the PC. Do this by placing one hand on the pc case and
another on a radiator or other metal object. You only need to touch the two
for a second or two just to discharge any static in your body.
If the fan is covered in dust gently clean it with a brush ( the type women
use to put on makeup/blusher is ideal because it is soft. make sure it is a
new one, though) You can also gently blow around the motherboard to dislodge
any dust. A spray can of fresh air is better to dislodge dust, but a quick
blow will probably get you sneezing everywhere.

--
John Barnett MVP
Associate Expert
http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org

The information in this post is supplied "as is". No warranty of any kind,
either expressed or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy,
reliability or content of this post. The Author shall not be liable for any
direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use
of, or inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this post..
 
John said:
The system could be overheating. You will need to open the PC case and check
the CPU fan is working correctly. Chances are it is covered in dust. Also
check the power supply fan to see if that is covered in dust too.
The inside of the PC is very delicate so you will need to earth yourself
before delving into the PC. Do this by placing one hand on the pc case and
another on a radiator or other metal object. You only need to touch the two
for a second or two just to discharge any static in your body.
If the fan is covered in dust gently clean it with a brush ( the type women
use to put on makeup/blusher is ideal because it is soft. make sure it is a
new one, though) You can also gently blow around the motherboard to dislodge
any dust. A spray can of fresh air is better to dislodge dust, but a quick
blow will probably get you sneezing everywhere.
Click to expand...

The fan on the case and on the processor are as clean as a whistle. I
air sprayed the power supply and rebooted and will leave it on and see
if it lasts ... but I am not optimistic.

Alias
 
Alias said:
The fan on the case and on the processor are as clean as a whistle. I
air sprayed the power supply and rebooted and will leave it on and see
if it lasts ... but I am not optimistic.
Click to expand...

Unless you cleaned your CPU fan very recently, it
should not be "clean as a whistle". Did you check to
make sure that it's actually working?

-- Bob Day
http://bobday.vze.com
 
With the case open boot the pc and check that the CPU fan is actually
working.

--
John Barnett MVP
Associate Expert
http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org

The information in this post is supplied "as is". No warranty of any kind,
either expressed or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy,
reliability or content of this post. The Author shall not be liable for any
direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use
of, or inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this post..
 
Alias said:
Have an XP Athlon 2200 with 512MB RAM, a DVD reader, floppy drive and a
CDROM burner. Windows Home. No printer, no scanner and a non mulitmedia
keyboard and a wired non-optical mouse. Video, audio and NIC onboard a
QDI 7G-6AL.

Problem: where I am doing something or the computer is just sitting
there, it will reboot randomly, no set time frame. It will do this in
normal mode, safe mode and in the BIOS.

I have run Spybot, AdAware and Trendmicro's anti virus scan which all
came up empty. I have checked all the connections inside the box and
they're fine.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Alias
Click to expand...

Have you tried a program like Speedfan to monitor the temperatures and
voltages before one of these crashes? Maybe the heatsink is not
properly installed or the power supply is dying. Neither of these would
be obvious from a visual inspection.
 
Michael said:
Have you tried a program like Speedfan to monitor the temperatures and
voltages before one of these crashes? Maybe the heatsink is not
properly installed or the power supply is dying. Neither of these would
be obvious from a visual inspection.
Click to expand...

I laid it on its side to get some numbers off the MB to see if I could
update the BIOS and it hasn't rebooted for over six hours. I am going to
leave it on all night with a Word doc. open so I know if it rebooted
while I was asleep. Would the mouse cable coming loose provoke a reboot?

So mysterious.

Alias
 
Alias said:
Have an XP Athlon 2200 with 512MB RAM, a DVD reader, floppy drive and a
CDROM burner. Windows Home. No printer, no scanner and a non
mulitmedia
keyboard and a wired non-optical mouse. Video, audio and NIC onboard a
QDI 7G-6AL.

Problem: where I am doing something or the computer is just sitting
there, it will reboot randomly, no set time frame. It will do this in
normal mode, safe mode and in the BIOS.

I have run Spybot, AdAware and Trendmicro's anti virus scan which all
came up empty. I have checked all the connections inside the box and
they're fine.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Alias
Click to expand...

Have you tried testing if your power supply was at fault??
 
Evolution54 said:
Have you tried testing if your power supply was at fault??
Click to expand...

No, but I have left it on all night, on its side, and it hasn't rebooted
so I think it was just the mouse chord slipping out of its socket. And
all the virus, malware, hardware and software tests I did do ...

Alias
 
Alias said:
I laid it on its side to get some numbers off the MB to see if I could
update the BIOS and it hasn't rebooted for over six hours. I am going
to leave it on all night with a Word doc. open so I know if it
rebooted while I was asleep. Would the mouse cable coming loose
provoke a reboot?
Click to expand...

Did you build this system yourself or have a friend or local company
build it? It sounds like maybe a motherboard standoff wasn't put in
where needed and the m/b is shorting out. Or maybe the m/b is touching
the case. I'd strip the machine down to the bottom, go over everything
carefully - including those all-important standoffs - and only add one
card at a time, testing after each addition.

Malke
 
Malke said:
Alias wrote:




Did you build this system yourself or have a friend or local company
build it? It sounds like maybe a motherboard standoff wasn't put in
where needed and the m/b is shorting out. Or maybe the m/b is touching
the case. I'd strip the machine down to the bottom, go over everything
carefully - including those all-important standoffs - and only add one
card at a time, testing after each addition.

Malke
Click to expand...

A friend built it. Are you saying this because I left it laying on its
side? It still hasn't rebooted after being left on all night long, about
16 hours straight. The mouse is USB but I am using a converter and
plugging it into the mouse port. The USB and the coverter/adapter do not
fit in snugly.

Thanks,

Alias
 
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