What is the problem when a pc shuts down randomly?

[svcdentro]

Recently i upgraded my pc to an athlon 1.6 gb with a dfi motherboard, and the problems began...Sometimes the pc just shut down when i'm doing something, not always using the same program...
I first thought it was the ram but i can't be sure because i don't have any other for comparison,i bought it on two different shops and one is 256 mb and the other 128 mb, could be the different brands or clocks, how can i know the speed 133 or 266 of my ddr? It's my frst time using it so i dont know what can it be...
Please help me....

[rmatei]

Lack of power can cause that. What PSU do you have?

[sibe]

Could be a cpu heat problem. Check if your fan is still attached correctly. Although this may sound a little stupid, this does happen. :(

Sibe

[svcdentro]

Thanks i checked and that details seem fine, i heard that my antivirus monitor could be the problen and deinstalled it too, so any other suggestions?

[Kandor]

I hade a similiar problem and I solwed it by changing the cas delay on my memory in bios.
change it from 2 to 2.5
and the ram I use says 2 on them but anyway it randomly restarts the computer at cas 2.

[vcespon]

That's usually the result of using a cheap Motherboard (many problems with DFI on my job), or cheap RAM (that can hardly support 266 CAS 2,5) or a cheap CPU heatsink (allowing the CPU to reach 70º C or so).

[Maze]

I used to have the same problem, in my case it was Zone Alarm that was the source. After uninstalling it the restarts stopped.

[gerti67]

Hi svcdentro,

i think your problem is caused by the RAM modules. I sometimes build together a PC for friends and i had this problem twice, when i had to upgrade an old PC and they wanted to use the old RAM modules together with the new ones. (Some mobos are very picky about mixing single-sided and double-sided modules together.)

So you can just try if this also applies to your case by just using (testing) one module at the same time (start with the 256 MB one) and see if your PC runs stable with it.

If it runs just fine then test the other module and see if it runs stable. If this is the case then the two modules won't fit together and you could try to exchange one with another.

HTH,
gerti67

[theReal]

but also consider the PSU - I had the problem of a totally unusable system with an Enermax(!) PSU
It didn't have enough voltage on the 5V line for my Epox 8K7A+ Board with an Athlon 1.4GHz.

Take Motherboard Monitor or MBProbe and watch the voltages - my 3.3V line dropped to 2.85V (which was the last log entry before a spontaneous reboot)

[fisix]

if you are running win2k, yo need to turn off the automatic reboot option in system properties ->advanced->startup and recovery->system failure area.

your problem is something that makes the system unstable enough that win2k decides to shut down. if you overclock at all, or use wpcredit to increase your memory bandwidth, this will happen. if you turn it off, life will be better, and you probably won't notice whatever has been making you system unstable.

turn it off. if you still have random shutdowns, then its most likely due to heat or your power supply being bad or too low power. if it goes away, your memory or a hardware conflict was at fault.

my guess is that you have cheap, bad memory, but what do i know?

-jig

[cypher_soundz]

Wow this is a quite old question thought i would reply cuz im getting the same thing! i just brought a 1.3ghz durron (NOT THUNDERBIRD) and now my system keeps rebooting randomly .
(Well when i say rebooting i mean shuting down , with power still on but everything else off!! and not being able to turn back on to a normal state for a long time were at this point the bios eventualy beeps and boots normaly:scared: , i think it could be my kt133 via chip set freezing as i was told its bee ntested to a 1.1 but can go highier?)
i here it could be my psu as stated above , would any of you advise me to turn off the recovery option ...or would upgrading mobo be the best bet ?

[ReTroAcTive]

the first time i ran across a computer that was shutting down when it "felt" like it i replaced the cpu cooling fan and that fixed the problem. the next time i found it was due to a faulty battery backup system. the third time it was the cpu cooling fan once again, and the forth time it was only doing it while the computer was online and i tracked it down to a screwed up win modem.
so i would say you should start with cooling , maybe leaving your case open for a while and seeing if that helps. do you have a battery backup? it also could be power surges, or a faulty surge protector. just keep checking diffrent things till it stops.

[cypher_soundz]

i see , i used to think it was my cpu over heating as it does it about 30-40 mins in to a boot up (when it hasnt been on for a while) but the fan can go up to a 2ghz and mine is only a 1.3 so i thought it would be safe. the shut down happends evertime i start pc (~30 mins into it ) i have kept the same os/harddrive i.e i didnt format just pluged in new processor and booted , i hear this may cause this , any truth there? also the machine wont turn on for ages after it reboots/freezes !! yesterday i had to wait around 30-40 mins for it to boot again !!! its scaring me :scared: could it be a gremlin? that film was based on a true story right? ;) :p :D


Thinking about it its more like the machine it gonig in to sleep mode , its still on but cant respond (And no it isn't "going in to sleep mode ;)")

[RadicalEd]

Originally posted by Maze
I used to have the same problem, in my case it was Zone Alarm that was the source. After uninstalling it the restarts stopped.

same here, somehow zonealarm causes random restarts every now and then when signing on or off the internet :/

[cypher_soundz]

Strange? in my case i have cable access so t here is no signing in or out. i do use a personal firewall though (norton) but unless i know its os based i realy dont want to back up and re format.

[wakebrder]

I had the same problem with my p4. It kept shutting down randomly until finally it wouldn't power back up. It was the power supply. They're pretty inexpensive or you could just do a swap if you have access to another PC. (to see if that's the problem)

[ReTroAcTive]

norton infects your computer far more then any virus that has ever been written could. uninstall it,if you can and see if that fixes it. thats where i would start.

[cypher_soundz]

i sorted it out. it was my PSU !!! now everything ...is ...ok ...well it doesnt shut down any more ;) Thanks everyone for the help / sugestions. i think my kt133 chip set it still holding me back :D but its working :D

[cypher_soundz]

ok ok i was i little pre-optimistic , it seems like it only delays the “standby” mode . I have found 2 things that are very strange, 1) its been doing it only when I play a video 2) I cant turn the thing back on with out first taking out the new cpu and replacing it with the old one …were it still doesn’t turn on , I then have to put the new one back in turn it on and some times I then hear the BIOS beep and everything works, or some times I will have to put the old one back in :(. my psu is now 400watt , I upgraded my bios to 3.6 but it did it again after that im writing on my 650mhz at the mo….sniff sniff ½ the speed :(