Ad:

Troubleshooting Dead Machines Discussion Thread
Marked Solved
Views: 9248

Sep 25th, 2004

PC Spontaneously rebooting

Expand Post »

My PC has been spontaneously rebooting over the past few days. I've been running a hardware monitor to check temperatures, memory, and voltages, and everything is normal except the +12 V reading, which has been reading upwards of +13.1 V and higher. Could this be the problem, and if so, how can I fix it?

Also, my USB controller hasn't been working and the drivers that came w/ the board won't reload. Could it be related to the voltage problem?

I'd appreciate any thoughts.....

My System Specs:

AMD XP2000 Processor (no overclocking)
Asus A7V8X motherboard, VIA KT400 chipset
->onboard gigabit LAN, USB 2.0, sound (Avance AC'97)
512 Mb Samsung PC3200 memory (1 stick)
40 Gb, 7200 rpm IBM EIDE HD
48x24x48x (16x) Memorex DVD-ROM/CD-RW
Radeon 9600 SE 128 Mb video (no forced cooling)
Windows XP Professional

Similar Threads

rebooting from the cd in Windows NT / 2000 / XP

Zymz

Reputation Points: 10

Solved Threads: 0

Newbie Poster

Offline

5 posts
since Sep 2004

Permalink

Sep 25th, 2004

Re: PC Spontaneously rebooting

Have you used up to date antivirus tools and syware/malware detection tools to ensure your system is clean? Have you tried a refesh install of Windows to fix up any system file corruption, or even better a format and fresh install of windows so you can be sure it's not your Operating System and software which is causing the problem?

Most problems are sotware related, and are usually the result of system use. Most people blame hardware first up, but hardware is seldom the cause of problems.

Some viruses cause this behaviour, and device driver problems can cause it as well.

Catweazle

Team Colleague

Reputation Points: 229

Solved Threads: 149

Grandad

Offline

3,826 posts
since Mar 2004

Permalink

Sep 25th, 2004

Re: PC Spontaneously rebooting

I used to have the same problem untill I found out it was my ram that didnt support each other.

rcrevolution

Reputation Points: 10

Solved Threads: 2

Posting Whiz

Offline

317 posts
since Aug 2004

Permalink

Sep 25th, 2004

Re: PC Spontaneously rebooting

Quote originally posted by Catweazle ...

Have you used up to date antivirus tools and syware/malware detection tools to ensure your system is clean? Have you tried a refesh install of Windows to fix up any system file corruption, or even better a format and fresh install of windows so you can be sure it's not your Operating System and software which is causing the problem?

Most problems are sotware related, and are usually the result of system use. Most people blame hardware first up, but hardware is seldom the cause of problems.

Some viruses cause this behaviour, and device driver problems can cause it as well.

I regularly check for spyware and have Norton running in the background, as well as regularly updating Windows (although I intententionally stay 2-3 months behind the Windows releases). I'm actually pretty good about maintaing my computer and keeping the software free of bugs/viruses.

As for your recommendation to reinstall Windows or formatting, I haven't been able to do either without my PC rebooting or shutting down completely.

One other thing I forgot to mention, I built this PC by hand about 2 years ago, with everything but the video card and CD drive being original.

Zymz

Reputation Points: 10

Solved Threads: 0

Newbie Poster

Offline

5 posts
since Sep 2004

Permalink

Sep 25th, 2004

Re: PC Spontaneously rebooting

Zymz, if you can't even boot from CD and install Windows again, then it's DEFINITELY a hardware problem, and if it's arisen recently you should look at your system cooling first. Ensure that all fans are working and the dust is kept clear of cooling vanes on heatsinks etc.

After those safety-minded things have been attended to, check that power supply. Pull it out, borrow another from a mate and see if your system runs OK with a different power unit in it.

Catweazle

Team Colleague

Reputation Points: 229

Solved Threads: 149

Grandad

Offline

3,826 posts
since Mar 2004

Permalink

Sep 26th, 2004

Re: PC Spontaneously rebooting

I can tell you its not cooling problems. I have AsusProbe installed and its reading well below threshold temps(that's how I discovered the voltage fluctuations). When the problem first started, that's was one of the first 2 things I looked at, along with my motherboard possibly shorting to the case. I also cleaned all of the dust out and checked the fans, connectors, cables, etc.

Since its the weekend, I'm gonna have to wait before I can start switching around hardware. If it turns out it's not the power supply, is there anything else that it might be? That way, I can just sit down and try different things until it goes away(or end up building a new PC).

I appreciate the help you've given me so far, Catweazle.

Zymz

Reputation Points: 10

Solved Threads: 0

Newbie Poster

Offline

5 posts
since Sep 2004

Permalink

Sep 26th, 2004

Re: PC Spontaneously rebooting

Try a different RAM module.

Check for BIOS setup settings that might be conflicting with your ATi card. (They are notoriously unstable, and have a dislike for AGP 8x and AGP fast writes

)

Try a different display card.

Pull out all add-in components which use a 'slot' one by one, clean both the edge connectors and the slot itself (dust and lint can give you hell) and then ensure that they are all firmly seated when refitted.

Disconnect drives to leave only your hard drive and see if it becomes stable. Reconnect them one by one to locate which one causes problems if that proves to be the case.

Don't discount the unwanted intrusion either, despite your careful efforts. The vast majority of 'unwanted restart' problems are caused by infections. You can't eliminate the possibility unless you've formatted and installed fresh and clean.

Catweazle

Team Colleague

Reputation Points: 229

Solved Threads: 149

Grandad

Offline

3,826 posts
since Mar 2004

Permalink

Sep 28th, 2004

Re: PC Spontaneously rebooting

Quote originally posted by Zymz ...

My PC has been spontaneously rebooting over the past few days. I've been running a hardware monitor to check temperatures, memory, and voltages, and everything is normal except the +12 V reading, which has been reading upwards of +13.1 V and higher. Could this be the problem, and if so, how can I fix it?

Yes. There is a signal line from the power supply to the motherboard called PSG (power supply good). If the voltage goes out-of-bounds, the system may well shut down. the upper bound on the 12V line is about 13.5V, so it's entirely possible.

Replacing the power supply is probably your best bet. They are no longer economical to repair.

TallCool1

Team Colleague

Reputation Points: 149

Solved Threads: 45

Practically a Posting Shark

Offline

865 posts
since May 2003

Permalink

Oct 18th, 2004

Re: PC Spontaneously rebooting

Well guys, I ordered a new power supply and it appears to have fixed the problem. Thanx all for you help.

Zymz

Reputation Points: 10

Solved Threads: 0

Newbie Poster

Offline

5 posts
since Sep 2004

This thread is solved

Either the thread starter or a moderator has marked this thread as solved. You can most likely trust the responses and answers given. There is most likely no reason for any further responses to be posted here. If you have a related question, please start a new thread in this forum instead.

This thread is more than three months old

No one has posted to this discussion for at least three months. Please let old threads die and do not reply to them unless you feel you have something new and valuable to contribute that absolutely must be added to make the discussion complete. Otherwise, please start a new thread in this forum instead.

Previous Thread in Troubleshooting Dead Machines Forum Timeline: Cannot Startup

Next Thread in Troubleshooting Dead Machines Forum Timeline: Question on internet speed.

DaniWeb Message

Cancel Changes

User Name
Password