Shutdown problem

  • Thread starter Thread starter Will
  • Start date Start date
W

Will

Hi,

I'm using Windows XP. Recently my PC has taken to shutting itself off
inadvertently, sometimes when I'm using it and sometimes when it is idle.

I can only think of it getting too hot perhaps, but that's only a guess
because it's not treated any different to my other 2 machines.

Any ideas?

Regards,
Will.
 
The most common reason for this is corrupt ram. Download memtest86 and run
a full test:
http://www.memtest.org/

Also do a full virus scan just in case (not a likely cause).

Then open the case and make sure all your cables are properly seated - a
loose connection to a hard drive may cause this also (this solve it for me a
few days ago - you may find my post here if you search). At the same time
check all your fans are clean of dust and spinning well.

Now try running the computer with the case open - if that solves it then
heat may be the problem. Bigger fan or better connection of the heat sink
to the CPU may solve it. there are free utilities that will tell you the
CPU temperature. Anything over 60c should worry you although most CPU's
will run at 80c for a while.

Finally you could try a new power supply but there is no way to test if that
is your problem except changing it and seeing what happens.
 
Hi Will, my name is Kaja and I would like to try to help you. Although my
knowlege of XP is limited, and I am unsure of the exact cause of your
problem but one reason I know may be this. Your power scheme settings. So
to check this in XP go to: start, contol panel, power options. Now there you
will see your power scheme settings. Turn off monitor, turn off hard disc,
and system standby are the options there.

This shows when the computer goes to screen saver how long , when the screen
shuts down, when the HD shuts down and if the computer is set to hibernate.
If you go through these options you will see drop down boxes with selections
and time durations and one option is "never". If you select never, which is
your preference if you choose then the monitor will never go off
automatically, you will have to turn it off manually. As far as hibernate,
again you choose the setting. Go to the Hibernate tab in The power options
screen and you can uncheck it if you want the computer to never hibernate.
Please let me know if this resolves your issue.
Best regards,
Kaja
 
Kaja said:
Hi Will, my name is Kaja and I would like to try to help you. Although my
knowlege of XP is limited, and I am unsure of the exact cause of your
problem but one reason I know may be this. Your power scheme settings.
Click to expand...

Yes, your second sentence is true. While your desire to help others is
admirable, consider finding a non-technical venue more suited to your
personal skills instead. It doesn't help anyone to give them technical
advice based on no knowledge of the subject. I'm not saying this to hurt
your feelings, but your unfounded guesses may actually hurt or hinder
someone who follows your advice.

The power schemes in Windows have nothing to do with the OP's problem.
Lorne's advice to the OP to troubleshoot the hardware is spot on.

Malke
 
Will said:
Hi,

I'm using Windows XP. Recently my PC has taken to shutting itself off
inadvertently, sometimes when I'm using it and sometimes when it is
idle.
I can only think of it getting too hot perhaps, but that's only a
guess because it's not treated any different to my other 2 machines.

Any ideas?

Regards,
Will.
Click to expand...

An actual Shut Down, not a Restart? No error messages at all?

It could be a heating problem but could be a few other things too.
Usually if it's a heat problem, it'll occur some period of time after
being started up and with reasonably but not exactly repeatable periods
of time.
If it's the microprocessor overheating, turning off power to the
machine (actually unplugging it so the fans can't run) for about 30
seconds will almost always result in a refusal to boot up. But after a
few more minutes of being plugged in, it will start fine when the
components have cooled sufficiently.

Try putting a desk fan blowing into the front of the machine and see if
that makes it stop shutting itself off or makes it take a lot longer to
shut off.

Heat is one of the easier things to eliminate as a rule. If it does
seem to be a heat problem, then you may have a fan that stopped (or
stops) working. Let the machine warm up, turn it off and pull the cover
off. Start it agian and observe the fans; especially the fan on the cpu
should be running.
If it's full of dust & grime blocking the fan exit vents and air
entry vents, turn the machine off and clean those out. If you decide to
blow out the debris, leave the machine plugged in but not running so
that the static protection all remains in place.

Then comes memory as a possibility.
then the motherboard components and so on.

Best of luck,

Twayne`
 
Lorne said:
The most common reason for this is corrupt ram. Download memtest86
and run a full test:
http://www.memtest.org/

Also do a full virus scan just in case (not a likely cause).

Then open the case and make sure all your cables are properly seated
- a loose connection to a hard drive may cause this also (this solve
it for me a few days ago - you may find my post here if you search).
At the same time check all your fans are clean of dust and spinning
well.
Now try running the computer with the case open - if that solves it
then heat may be the problem. Bigger fan or better connection of the
heat sink to the CPU may solve it. there are free utilities that
will tell you the CPU temperature. Anything over 60c should worry
you although most CPU's will run at 80c for a while.
Click to expand...

This is a common misconception although it may still show the problem to
be heat related. Running a computer without a cover or with the case
open as the case may be, can remove the designed "chimney" effect of the
internal designs. The same can be true of running a computer in any
orientation it is not intended to sit in. Hot air rises so it needs to
move toward the fans where possible. Removing the cover lets the air go
anywhere it wants to and not directed into the fans for expulsion. In
some situations it can cuase the cpu to overheat when with the cover on,
it would not do so.
Yes, I have experienced it inadvertantly when running machines with
covers off for trouble-shooting purposes.
With heat problems it's usually the loss of a fan or a fan control,
or plain old blockage of the in/out air vents.
Finally you could try a new power supply but there is no way to test
if that is your problem except changing it and seeing what happens.
Click to expand...

If a person has even mediocre experience with using a multimeter, it's
very easy to monitor the power supply outputs to see if the power supply
is the culprit. You start with +3V, then 5V, ±12, and so forth if you
know which appears where. Monitor until the machine quits; is the
voltage still there?
If you don't know what sould appear on a pin, just start checking in
a logical sequence until you've checked them all. While the computer is
working well, the volatges will be correct so all you need to watch is
that that voltage remains there after a shut down problem happens.

But if you have a power supply handy of at least equal wattage or
watt-amps on the labels, it's quickler to just switch it out and see
what happens.
Do not run a power supply without the computer connected; open ckts
with a switching supply can damage the cheapies that aren't protected
from an open ckt. They are all protected from short ckts.

I suspect the OP will find a cpu overheat for whatever reason or he
would likely see an error message as it went down or something strange
on the screen.

There is of course always the possibility of dirt & dust being
conductive enough to do something that would kill the cpu too.
Complete, sudden cessation is almost always going to have to do with
somethning around the cpu.
DO NOT remove the heat sink from the cpu unless you know how to
handle heat transfer compound to spec for the cpu! Very important.

HTH,

Twayne`
 
Lorne said:
The most common reason for this is corrupt ram. Download memtest86 and run
a full test:
http://www.memtest.org/

Also do a full virus scan just in case (not a likely cause).

Then open the case and make sure all your cables are properly seated - a
loose connection to a hard drive may cause this also (this solve it for me a
few days ago - you may find my post here if you search). At the same time
check all your fans are clean of dust and spinning well.

Now try running the computer with the case open - if that solves it then
heat may be the problem. Bigger fan or better connection of the heat sink
to the CPU may solve it. there are free utilities that will tell you the
CPU temperature. Anything over 60c should worry you although most CPU's
will run at 80c for a while.

Finally you could try a new power supply but there is no way to test if that
is your problem except changing it and seeing what happens.
Click to expand...

To add on here, it wouldn't hurt to get a can of compressed air and blow
the dust out of the case. It would be a good thing to concentrate on
the CPU heatsink just in case there may be any dust bunnies clogging up
the fins of the heatsink, and blow some air through any opening of the
power supply.
 
Will

Does the computer automatically restart without user intervention?


--


Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Hi,

I'm using Windows XP. Recently my PC has taken to shutting itself off
inadvertently, sometimes when I'm using it and sometimes when it is idle.

I can only think of it getting too hot perhaps, but that's only a guess
because it's not treated any different to my other 2 machines.
Click to expand...

Check the cooling fan for the CPU.

Those on AMD chips, especially, tend to give trouble.


--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://khanya.wordpress.com
Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com

The instruments of the churl are evil: he deviseth
wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words,
even when the needy speaketh right.
But the liberal deviseth liberal things;
and by liberal things shall he stand (Isaiah 32:7-8).
 
Will said:
It switches itself off just as if you've pulled the plug out the wall!

Will.
Click to expand...

After it shuts down, can it be restarted by the front panel
button, or does the AC have to be cycled off and on by
either the back power supply switch, or unplugging?
If you have to remove AC, it means that there has been
a dead short on the load side, or an internal power supply
failure. If the PSU is a number of years old, it could have
failing capacitors. If it restarts with the front button
there could still be a PSU problem. Failing capacitors in
the motherboard power inverters can also cause instant
hard shutdowns. As stated by Lorne, the best way to
eliminate the PSU, is to try a replacement.

Don't bother with Event viewer logs, etc. With instantaneous
hard shutdowns, it's highly unlikely anything has been written
to logs. Also, recent CPUs, especially Intel can't overheat. As
the temperature approaches the threshold limit, the CPU will
start to throttle, (slow down), as required to maintain a safe
temperature.

Go to Control Panel>System>Advanced>Startup and
Recovery>Settings, and make sure Automatically restart
is cleared, in System failure. This prevents an automatic
restart in the case of a normal blue screen, which, of course,
is not your situation . There is another type of blue screen
that indicates a fatal error, with shutdown as the only option.
When this message displays, the system is already halted,
but the message can provide clues to the cause. This will
only occur with OS detected issues, not hardware problems.
 
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