Computer Problem

sabotai · 01-05-2008, 01:24 AM

A few days ago, my computer shut down as if the power button had been pushed (Windows Vista suddenly went through its shut down procedure). I booted back up and everything was fine, but the same thing happened last night.

Then tonight everything went weird. It happened again, but this time my computer turned on by itself afterwards, and after a few seconds, powered off again. It kept doing this. Power on for a few seconds by iteself, and then shutting down. It'll keep doing this until I pull the power plug.

I have not been able to figure out what is going on. Anyone have any ideas?

bhlloy · 01-05-2008, 01:35 AM

Sounds to me like the power supply unit is either overheating or dying a slow death. Either way, they don't cost anything to replace.

DanGarion · 01-05-2008, 05:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Sounds to me like the power supply unit is either overheating or dying a slow death. Either way, they don't cost anything to replace.

The quality ones do...

dawgfan · 01-05-2008, 06:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabotai

Anyone have any ideas?

You haven't been pissing off claretonmyshirt lately have you?

PilotMan · 01-05-2008, 08:27 AM

Is the case hot when it does this, and when it is cool does it stay on longer?

My PSU fan stopped and I ended up with something similar.

Icy · 01-05-2008, 08:40 AM

Agree with the others, it looks like overheating, check both the power supply fan and the CPU fan to see if one of them is not spinning because having dust inside. If it's the case, you can try first to just remove the dust and maybe appling a little bit of 3 in 1 oil (or whatever you call it in USA) in the fan central axis.

MizzouRah · 01-05-2008, 10:39 AM

What Icy said. I would suspect the power supply, but check the processor fan as well.

Autumn · 01-05-2008, 01:05 PM

It sounds like you have a poltergeist. Or perhaps The Invisible Man. Do you know anyone who has been dabbling in forbidden scientific research?

sabotai · 01-05-2008, 02:51 PM

CPU temp is fine, as is MB temp. The case is not hot, either. I'll take a look at the power supply. Thanks everyone.

sabotai · 01-05-2008, 03:11 PM

dola,

The Power supply did not feel hot at all. I did notice one of the connections was loose, so here's hoping that was the cause...

Cringer · 01-05-2008, 03:21 PM

A continuous reboot cycle?

One of my laptops had this. This happened at the same time the monitor broke at the hinges and the wires got messed up. Sent it in for repair, came back fine. The reboot cycle started happening again 1 day later. Sent it back in and they said it was because of a 1gb RAM chip I had put in almost a year ago and had never had any problems with. I guess the RAM chip was not compatible even though I swore I had matched them up exactly with what was in there. Anyways, it is back and working with no problems with the RAM chip out.

I can't say what your problem is, but maybe a hardware conflict is something to look at and try to rule out.

MizzouRah · 01-05-2008, 03:25 PM

You can also see if there is any events logged in the "event viewer" in the control panel under administrative tools.

sabotai · 01-05-2008, 03:26 PM

It's been running for about 15 minutes now, so looks like it was the loose connection.

sabotai · 02-11-2008, 09:57 PM

bump

Well, it doesn't do the continuous reboot thing anymore, but it still will spontaneously reboot at times. I changed the power supply, so that's not it. All of the tempuratures are fine. All of the fans are on. I have unconnected and reconnected every wire in the computer. No idea as to what could be causing this...

DanGarion · 02-11-2008, 10:14 PM

I think you test your memory for awhile (ie hours if not 24).
http://www.memtest.org/

Atocep · 02-11-2008, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabotai

bump

Well, it doesn't do the continuous reboot thing anymore, but it still will spontaneously reboot at times. I changed the power supply, so that's not it. All of the tempuratures are fine. All of the fans are on. I have unconnected and reconnected every wire in the computer. No idea as to what could be causing this...

Reboots can becaused by any number of things. Since its made it this long I'd cross Hardrive off as a possibility, though. Since PSU wasn't the problem I'd lean toward the Motherboard being an issue. Hard to say with any certainty, so if you have a way of testing the MB without buying a new one, I'd try that.

Atocep · 02-11-2008, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dangarion

I think you test your memory for awhile (ie hours if not 24).
http://www.memtest.org/

This is another potential (and often overlooked) cause.

ThunderingHERD · 02-11-2008, 10:24 PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague

weegeebored · 02-12-2008, 10:02 AM

Does the PC spontaneously reboot if it's idle or only when you are using it? Somebody pooh-poohed a hard drive problem but if you have bad sectors and Windows needs a file that happens to be on one of those sectors it could shut down the machine and then restart. So if it reboots when it's idle that would (probably) eliminate an hd problem...

Normally spontaneous reboots are heat or power related, but next would be memory. As dangarion mentioned try memtest, or if you have multiple mem sticks you could put them in one at a time to see if one of them is bad.

sabotai · 02-12-2008, 05:45 PM

Ran a memory test for several hours and it didn't find anything wrong.

I did swap the old power supply back in, and while I was doing that, I unconnected and reconnected just about every wire and part in there, so hopefully it was (another) loose connection.

It doesn't seem to reboot while it's idle, but then again I never just sat here and watched it be idle. I guess I'll start checking the hard drive if it starts doing it again.

MizzouRah · 02-12-2008, 08:50 PM

Memory tests don't always tell you everything.

The only test I ever trust is a HD test. I've seen pc's pass intensive memory tests and the memory was still the issue.

sabotai · 02-12-2008, 10:28 PM

Checked the hard drive and it's fine. Well, I guess it's down to motherboard, CPU or it could still be the memory.

Here's something. Touching the PC seems to cause it to reboot. I pushed my PC to the side a bit to make room for something, and it rebooted (no, I didn't kick it or anything

Just gently slid it about an inch or two). I waited for Windows to load back up, pushed the PC a bit again and it rebooted again. Seems to always reboot whenever I push the PC a bit.

MizzouRah · 02-12-2008, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabotai

Checked the hard drive and it's fine. Well, I guess it's down to motherboard, CPU or it could still be the memory.

Here's something. Touching the PC seems to cause it to reboot. I pushed my PC to the side a bit to make room for something, and it rebooted (no, I didn't kick it or anything

Just gently slid it about an inch or two). I waited for Windows to load back up, pushed the PC a bit again and it rebooted again. Seems to always reboot whenever I push the PC a bit.

Ok, that would rule out the memory. I would say power supply, but you've changed that already. Hmmm.... CPU's are the LEAST replaced part in a pc, so my next thought is system board.

Is it plugged into a power strip? Have you changed power cords yet?

sabotai · 02-12-2008, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Ok, that would rule out the memory. I would say power supply, but you've changed that already. Hmmm.... CPU's are the LEAST replaced part in a pc, so my next thought is system board.

Is it plugged into a power strip? Have you changed power cords yet?

Yes and Yes.

DanGarion · 02-13-2008, 12:15 AM

If touching the case causes it, then it could be some type of loose solder or something on the board... Maybe.

MizzouRah · 02-13-2008, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabotai

Yes and Yes.

Ok, my guess would be system board.

sabotai · 02-14-2008, 03:21 PM

Hey, guess what!? Not the motherboard...

*sigh*

DanGarion · 02-14-2008, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabotai

Hey, guess what!? Not the motherboard...

*sigh*

I think you got a ghost in your case. I had a problem like that before. I changed the power supply, the mobo, and ram, and things still went honky, until I got a new case...

Do you have two sticks of ram? If so just run it with one and see if the problem still happens, if it does try the other stick.

sabotai · 02-14-2008, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dangarion

I think you got a ghost in your case. I had a problem like that before. I changed the power supply, the mobo, and ram, and things still went honky, until I got a new case...

Hmmm. Could it be one of the wires going from the power or reset button to the motherboard? Perhaps sending a faulty signal to shut off and reboot?

I have an old case here I could try out. That'll be tomorow's project...

EDIT: Yeah, 2 sticks of RAM. I'll try em out individually tonight.

DanGarion · 02-14-2008, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabotai

Hmmm. Could it be one of the wires going from the power or reset button to the motherboard? Perhaps sending a faulty signal to shut off and reboot?

I have an old case here I could try out. That'll be tomorow's project...

EDIT: Yeah, 2 sticks of RAM. I'll try em out individually tonight.

If you got the time try it out. I know it's a pain in the ass.

MizzouRah · 02-14-2008, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabotai

Hey, guess what!? Not the motherboard...

*sigh*

Ok, replace the pc.

Man, that sucks.

cartman · 02-14-2008, 05:13 PM

Back when I was working at a reseller, we did custom builds for the clients. One of the guys was working on a laptop. It refused to boot up on his bench. He could walk it 10 feet to another bench, no problem. Take it back to his bench, no boot. Anywhere else in the office it would power on, except at his place. It was the strangest thing I'd ever seen.

If moving it around causes a reboot, and you are sure all connectors are snug, then it might be a grounding problem.

sabotai · 02-14-2008, 06:15 PM

I decided to just go ahead and put it in the old case. I'm so sick of this problem, I was ready to spend all night on it.

I put the old mobo in it (since the new one I got was a slight downgrade), put it all together and it booted up fine. Anytime I put a new piece of hardware in the old one (or switched it around as I was trying to figure out this problem), it would several boots for it to finally "take".

I booted it up this time in my old case, and it went through perfectly fine the first time. I'm been pushing the PC around a bit, as well as pushing on the desk a bit, and so far so good.

It must have been something that has been building up since I first put this PC together since I remember having a hard time getting it to run the first time I put it together in the then new case, even though this rebooting thing started just a few months ago.

So my last question is, do you think I could sue newegg.com for selling my a haunted case?

DanGarion · 02-14-2008, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabotai

So my last question is, do you think I could sue newegg.com for selling my a haunted case?

Hahah. Wow a bunk case, probably some type of slight short in it on the wires that connect to the mobo, or maybe it's shorting on the mobo posts because of the case design. Dunno, but that sucks!

ThunderingHERD · 02-14-2008, 06:54 PM

Sounds like the motherboard wasn't seated properly in the old case.

01-05-2008, 08:27 AM	#5
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	Is the case hot when it does this, and when it is cool does it stay on longer? My PSU fan stopped and I ended up with something similar. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

01-05-2008, 08:40 AM	#6
Icy Pro Starter Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Toledo - Spain	Agree with the others, it looks like overheating, check both the power supply fan and the CPU fan to see if one of them is not spinning because having dust inside. If it's the case, you can try first to just remove the dust and maybe appling a little bit of 3 in 1 oil (or whatever you call it in USA) in the fan central axis. __________________ Last edited by Icy : 01-05-2008 at 08:42 AM.

01-05-2008, 02:51 PM	#9
sabotai General Manager Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: The Satellite of Love	CPU temp is fine, as is MB temp. The case is not hot, either. I'll take a look at the power supply. Thanks everyone. Last edited by sabotai : 01-05-2008 at 02:51 PM.

01-05-2008, 03:21 PM	#11
Cringer Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edinburg,TX	A continuous reboot cycle? One of my laptops had this. This happened at the same time the monitor broke at the hinges and the wires got messed up. Sent it in for repair, came back fine. The reboot cycle started happening again 1 day later. Sent it back in and they said it was because of a 1gb RAM chip I had put in almost a year ago and had never had any problems with. I guess the RAM chip was not compatible even though I swore I had matched them up exactly with what was in there. Anyways, it is back and working with no problems with the RAM chip out. I can't say what your problem is, but maybe a hardware conflict is something to look at and try to rule out. __________________ You Stole Fizzy Lifting drinks! You bumped into the ceiling which now has to be washed and steralized, so you get NOTHING! You lose! Last edited by Cringer : 01-05-2008 at 03:22 PM.

02-11-2008, 10:14 PM	#15
DanGarion Coordinator Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: The Great Northwest	I think you test your memory for awhile (ie hours if not 24). http://www.memtest.org/ __________________ Los Angeles Dodgers Check out the FOFC Groups on Facebook! and Reddit! DON'T REPORT ME BRO!

01-05-2008, 01:35 AM	#2
bhlloy Coordinator Join Date: Nov 2003	Sounds to me like the power supply unit is either overheating or dying a slow death. Either way, they don't cost anything to replace.

01-05-2008, 10:39 AM	#7
MizzouRah Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Troy, Mo	What Icy said. I would suspect the power supply, but check the processor fan as well.

01-05-2008, 01:05 PM	#8
Autumn Head Coach Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Bath, ME	It sounds like you have a poltergeist. Or perhaps The Invisible Man. Do you know anyone who has been dabbling in forbidden scientific research?

01-05-2008, 03:11 PM	#10
sabotai General Manager Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: The Satellite of Love	dola, The Power supply did not feel hot at all. I did notice one of the connections was loose, so here's hoping that was the cause...

01-05-2008, 03:25 PM	#12
MizzouRah Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Troy, Mo	You can also see if there is any events logged in the "event viewer" in the control panel under administrative tools.

01-05-2008, 03:26 PM	#13
sabotai General Manager Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: The Satellite of Love	It's been running for about 15 minutes now, so looks like it was the loose connection.

02-11-2008, 09:57 PM	#14
sabotai General Manager Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: The Satellite of Love	bump Well, it doesn't do the continuous reboot thing anymore, but it still will spontaneously reboot at times. I changed the power supply, so that's not it. All of the tempuratures are fine. All of the fans are on. I have unconnected and reconnected every wire in the computer. No idea as to what could be causing this...

02-11-2008, 10:24 PM	#18
ThunderingHERD College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: North Carolina	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague __________________ "I'm losing my edge--to better looking people... with better ideas... and more talent. And who are actually really, really nice." "Everyone's a voyeurist--they're watching me watch them watch me right now."

02-12-2008, 10:02 AM	#19
weegeebored High School Varsity Join Date: Sep 2006	Does the PC spontaneously reboot if it's idle or only when you are using it? Somebody pooh-poohed a hard drive problem but if you have bad sectors and Windows needs a file that happens to be on one of those sectors it could shut down the machine and then restart. So if it reboots when it's idle that would (probably) eliminate an hd problem... Normally spontaneous reboots are heat or power related, but next would be memory. As dangarion mentioned try memtest, or if you have multiple mem sticks you could put them in one at a time to see if one of them is bad.

02-12-2008, 05:45 PM	#20
sabotai General Manager Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: The Satellite of Love	Ran a memory test for several hours and it didn't find anything wrong. I did swap the old power supply back in, and while I was doing that, I unconnected and reconnected just about every wire and part in there, so hopefully it was (another) loose connection. It doesn't seem to reboot while it's idle, but then again I never just sat here and watched it be idle. I guess I'll start checking the hard drive if it starts doing it again.

02-12-2008, 08:50 PM	#21
MizzouRah Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Troy, Mo	Memory tests don't always tell you everything. The only test I ever trust is a HD test. I've seen pc's pass intensive memory tests and the memory was still the issue.

02-12-2008, 10:28 PM	#22
sabotai General Manager Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: The Satellite of Love	Checked the hard drive and it's fine. Well, I guess it's down to motherboard, CPU or it could still be the memory. Here's something. Touching the PC seems to cause it to reboot. I pushed my PC to the side a bit to make room for something, and it rebooted (no, I didn't kick it or anything Just gently slid it about an inch or two). I waited for Windows to load back up, pushed the PC a bit again and it rebooted again. Seems to always reboot whenever I push the PC a bit.

02-13-2008, 12:15 AM	#25
DanGarion Coordinator Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: The Great Northwest	If touching the case causes it, then it could be some type of loose solder or something on the board... Maybe. __________________ Los Angeles Dodgers Check out the FOFC Groups on Facebook! and Reddit! DON'T REPORT ME BRO!

02-14-2008, 03:21 PM	#27
sabotai General Manager Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: The Satellite of Love	Hey, guess what!? Not the motherboard... sigh

02-14-2008, 05:13 PM	#32
cartman Death Herald Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Le stelle la notte sono grandi e luminose nel cuore profondo del Texas	Back when I was working at a reseller, we did custom builds for the clients. One of the guys was working on a laptop. It refused to boot up on his bench. He could walk it 10 feet to another bench, no problem. Take it back to his bench, no boot. Anywhere else in the office it would power on, except at his place. It was the strangest thing I'd ever seen. If moving it around causes a reboot, and you are sure all connectors are snug, then it might be a grounding problem. __________________ Thinkin' of a master plan 'Cuz ain't nuthin' but sweat inside my hand So I dig into my pocket, all my money is spent So I dig deeper but still comin' up with lint

02-14-2008, 06:15 PM	#33
sabotai General Manager Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: The Satellite of Love	I decided to just go ahead and put it in the old case. I'm so sick of this problem, I was ready to spend all night on it. I put the old mobo in it (since the new one I got was a slight downgrade), put it all together and it booted up fine. Anytime I put a new piece of hardware in the old one (or switched it around as I was trying to figure out this problem), it would several boots for it to finally "take". I booted it up this time in my old case, and it went through perfectly fine the first time. I'm been pushing the PC around a bit, as well as pushing on the desk a bit, and so far so good. It must have been something that has been building up since I first put this PC together since I remember having a hard time getting it to run the first time I put it together in the then new case, even though this rebooting thing started just a few months ago. So my last question is, do you think I could sue newegg.com for selling my a haunted case?

02-14-2008, 06:54 PM	#35
ThunderingHERD College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: North Carolina	Sounds like the motherboard wasn't seated properly in the old case. __________________ "I'm losing my edge--to better looking people... with better ideas... and more talent. And who are actually really, really nice." "Everyone's a voyeurist--they're watching me watch them watch me right now."

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