I've been having this problem for a while now. Basically what happens is at random times my computer will lock up for about 2 seconds and then just turn itself off. If I try to turn it back on it will start up for about 3 seconds and then just shut down again. I usually have to wait like 5 minutes before turning it on again. I reformatted my computer today thinking it was just some crazy virus but it still does it. That leads me to believe the problem is possibily w/ my hard drive. Heres my system specs

Motherboard:
CPU Type AMD Athlon XP-A, 1300 MHz (13 x 100) 1700+
Motherboard Name Asus A7N8X v2.0 Deluxe (5 PCI, 1 AGP Pro, 3 DDR DIMM, Dual LAN, IEEE-1394)
Motherboard Chipset nVIDIA nForce2 Ultra 400
System Memory 512 MB (DDR SDRAM)
BIOS Type Award (05/14/03)
Communication Port Communications Port (COM1)
Communication Port Communications Port (COM2)
Communication Port ECP Printer Port (LPT1)

Display:
Video Adapter RADEON 9800 PRO - Secondary (128 MB)
Video Adapter RADEON 9800 PRO (128 MB)
3D Accelerator ATI Radeon 9800 Pro (R350)
Monitor Philips 107T4 [17" CRT] (BZ 80310083)

Multimedia:
Audio Adapter Creative SB0090 Audigy Platinum Sound Card
Audio Adapter nVIDIA MCP2 - Audio Codec Interface
Audio Adapter nVIDIA MCP2 - Audio Processing Unit (Dolby Digital)

Storage:
IDE Controller NVIDIA NForce MCP2 IDE Controller
Floppy Drive Floppy disk drive
Disk Drive IC35L120AVV207-0 (123 GB, 7200 RPM, Ultra-ATA/100)
Disk Drive WD CR HS-CF USB Device
Disk Drive WD CR HS-5-IN-1 USB Device
Disk Drive WD 1600JB External USB Device (149 GB, USB)
Optical Drive SONY DVD RW DRU-530A (DVD+RW:8x/4x, DVD-RW:4x/2x, DVD-ROM:12x, CD:40x/24x/40x DVD+RW/DVD-RW)
SMART Hard Disks Status OK

Partitions:
C: (NTFS) 117789 MB (107500 MB free)
G: (FAT32) 152588 MB (10517 MB free)

Input:
Keyboard Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse PS/2 Compatible Mouse

Network:
Network Adapter 3Com 3C920B-EMB Integrated Fast Ethernet Controller
Network Adapter NVIDIA nForce MCP Networking Adapter (130.49.59.77)

Peripherals:
USB1 Controller nVIDIA MCP2 - OHCI USB Controller
USB1 Controller nVIDIA MCP2 - OHCI USB Controller
USB2 Controller nVIDIA MCP2 - EHCI USB 2.0 Controller
USB Device Generic USB Hub
USB Device USB Composite Device
USB Device USB Human Interface Device
USB Device USB Mass Storage Device
USB Device USB Mass Storage Device

hi wat i think about this ;-
it might be a problem of your Ram slot try changing your ram in other slot
and if you have a lan connection then i m about 90% sure that it is a problem of typical lan virus which can be removed with help of any antivirus it is removed by symantec korgo remover i can provide you if you think you need it

and ya format the other partition using fat32

in my work I've had serveral problems with ASUS-motherboards, mostly these problems occur with the AGP foot on the board.
one board had this problem en I returned it three times for repair and it still doesn't work.
an other board show't this problem once and a while and after one year it didn't start up, at all.
so I don't think youre gone solve this problem without another or new motherboard.
if other whise, please let me know,
regards,
Adakke

Sorry, I didnt notice that this was a dead thread from last year....

How old is this PC.
A common reason for shutting down is the cpu is overheating.
Have you monitored the temp with a software tool...
Have you checked the temps in CMOS
Have you pulled the heat sink, cleaned it and reinstalled with thermal grease

My server shuts down and switches on whenever i turn on my hi - fi!

i have got the same problem with my computer. it randomly shuts down after about an hour or so and when i try and turn it back on it lasts about 1 minuit then it switches off again. after about 3 times trying to turn it on it beeps about 4 times then it says "cpu overheated" then some windows restore stuff then it switches off, at first i thought that it could be that the processor fan wasnt working because when i took the cover off the metal bits around the fan were very hot. i dont know what to do about this and i have no idea what is not working. i dont know why the cpu is overheating because the fan that cools the processor is spinning. if there is a fan on the power supply i dont think it is spinning because i cant feel any air coming out. my motherboard is an asus p5gdc and there is a a nvidia geforce pcx 5750 plugged into the pci-e x 16 slot and there is a modem which i have never used in one of the pci slots and two 256mb sticks of ram in the blue slots and thats all.

there is a fan in the back of the case, a fan covering the processor i think there is meant to be a fan in the power supply and there is a fan in the side. does anyone have any idea what this problem is and what can i do about it.

Ok i had this problem for a week now and finally fixed it! Here is what you do first. Scan your computer for viruses and spyware, i recomend AVG antivirus and Spybot Search & Destroy. Do that because there are spywares/viruses that cause this to happen so try that. 2nd if it is still doing open up your computer and get a can of compressed air look at the motherboadr and unscrew the fan and see if it is clogged with dust. that was my problem, the motherboards fan was clogged with dust so my computer shut down before the motherboard fryed. I hope this works for you,if not try a different outlet also. hope this helps

This is not a virus or other software-related problem. The reason it may SEEM to be a virus or regular hardware problem - randomly shutting off - is because your cpu has to try to access files fast enough to OVERPOWER the power supply. If its going to happen, its usually going to be when the cpu and the hard drive are at their maximum power consumption which CAN be caused by a virus eating resources. The virus itself does not directly cause the problem; it just shows the problem.

Yes, This is a power supply problem! check your voltages; an nforce 2 has voltage meters in BIOS and you can get software (nvidia nforce boards can use nvidia monitor as well as others) to monitor voltages; specifically check the 12v and 3v rails.

A virus will never shut off a computer with an intact file system! bascially, your computer would have never started windows/linux again if the virus caused the computer to shut off as it would have been done with its dirty deed.

yea i think i have the same problem my comp randomly shuts off im runnin a window xp i think it sucks ass dont know much bout this kind off stuff so any help would be great. problem is everytime i try to scan the computer for spyware and viruses it get to about halfway through the scan and shuts off. its really pissin me off so if u guys out there have and tips or info on how to fix this please feel free to write as much as you know cause any info would be great. thanks