Any Computer Hardware Techies in the House?

[Calvinator]

Well, I thought I'd give it a shot here before embarking on what could be fruitless net searches and wasted time buying stuff.

My computer keeps resetting. It just turns off momentarily and reboots.

I've checked for viruses.

I've replaced the Power Supply with a new one.

When it starts, I get the POST 1 beep indicating everything is fine. I have got this every time except one time, where I got a long beep followed by a short beep indicating motherboard error.

Mostly it resets when I load video media or pages that contain lots of gifs, which makes me wonder if it could be a graphics card problem.

Any advice before I go spending $$ on a new Mainboard and/or graphics card? I have a multimeter, but I'm not sure how or what to test on these components.

 

[Sketcher]

Have you done a full, up-to-date scan for viruses and malware?

 

[paul1149]

For starters, I would run a program to monitor temperatures during various activities. Then I would blow the dust out and see if it makes a dif. I also would clean as many contacts as I could with spray cleaner, with the unit unplugged and battery out. If you're getting a blue screen and want to read it, you can turn off auto reboot.

 

[Calvinator]

Have you done a full, up-to-date scan for viruses and malware?

Yes, my computer is virus free and the problem remains.

For starters, I would run a program to monitor temperatures during various activities. Then I would blow the dust out and see if it makes a dif. I also would clean as many contacts as I could with spray cleaner, with the unit unplugged and battery out. If you're getting a blue screen and want to read it, you can turn off auto reboot.

I'm not running at high temps. The applications I use when this frequently happens are as simple as Firefox and nothing else. Not running any games or high cpu/video card usage applications when it happens.

I completely dusted out the Mainboard and other components (including fans) when I replaced the Power Supply using a compressed air duster.

 

[Cush]

I recently replaced a computer with similar symptoms. You tested for viruses and came up clean. Unless you have spare parts laying around to swap in and out until you find the culprit, it's anyone's guess, some educated some not.

I used to be a big fan of overclocking - water cooled cpus ect - and I can tell you just because you replaced the power supply doesn't mean that there isn't a voltage problem. There are voltage regulators for the North and South Bridges, ect, and testing them with a multi-meter, well, you'd need a pretty thorough schematic.

I ended up purchasing an all new All-in-one computer where the computer is built into a flat screen - totally satisfied. My days of overclocking are done, that is, I like my computer to be transparent and out of mind, so that I can do what needs to be done.

Wish I could be more help, but you're on the road to having purchased a new computer by time you "hang parts" on it.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

What power supply, and what did you replace it with?

What are the rest of your system specs?

Have you tried using Memtest? Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool It checks for memory errors, it should be left to run at least 8 hours. If nothing's wrong, then it probably means that your memory is alright. If it throws an error, then it definitely means something is wrong.

Have you tried playing a game? If it's a GPU (or CPU, for that matter) problem that shows on video playback then it will definitely show up after gaming.

 

[Echolipse]

I know it's already been said, but I would double check your computer for dust. I fixed a friend's computer and it took me a few times to actually SEE all the dust packed into the processor fan and heatsink. I would suggest taking off the fan and looking at the heatsink itself. I was truly amazed at how much dusted was PACKED into that small space.

 

[BelieverX]

A diagnosis will be difficult without full specs.

 

[NiobiumTragedy]

One of the most common issues with this problem is improperly seated RAM. Try taking your sticks out and putting them back in.

Heat may also be a factor even if you're not running a ton of intensive apps, if the processor fan isn't seated correctly or if there is dust blocking the airways for fans, these parts can get very hot very quickly. I don't really think it would be the gpu overheating because you'd likely see the screen flashing and lots of glitches. Easy way to check that is to plug your monitor directly into the motherboard and disable (remove) the gpu.

 

[Mazzaroth]

Well, I thought I'd give it a shot here before embarking on what could be fruitless net searches and wasted time buying stuff.

My computer keeps resetting. It just turns off momentarily and reboots.

I've checked for viruses.

I've replaced the Power Supply with a new one.

When it starts, I get the POST 1 beep indicating everything is fine. I have got this every time except one time, where I got a long beep followed by a short beep indicating motherboard error.

Mostly it resets when I load video media or pages that contain lots of gifs, which makes me wonder if it could be a graphics card problem.

Any advice before I go spending $$ on a new Mainboard and/or graphics card? I have a multimeter, but I'm not sure how or what to test on these components.

1. What operating system are you using? (I assume you're using Windows XP or 7.)

2. What is your motherboard model and other specs (graphics card, cpu, RAM, overclocked y/n)? If you don't know how to do this consider getting CPU-Z or something similar.

3. Do you know how to view memory dumps? Consider getting blue screen viewer if you don't have it or something similar to it already. This will greatly help yourself or others to understand what's going on with your computer, because even if your computer is shutting down instantly it still may be bluescreening.

4. How old is your hard drive? I was getting errors similar to this and strangely enough it was because of a faulty/dying HD.

5. Have you made any updates to the BIOS recently/at all (flashed)?

6. If you have changed the settings in the BIOS, have you tried running with default settings?

7. Have you updated the operating system or any programs recently?




Unless we can view the stop error code(s) there is no way to properly diagnose this problem. It sounds like overheating but it could be anything, so if you have a temperature sensor and it's not overheating then it could be anything (I use SpeedFan).


Edit: I know that this is generally not the place to inquire about hardware issues but as long as I frequent this forum I will be glad to help if I can. The information and tools I have provided will make problems easier to assess in the future.

 

[pgp_protector]

One thing you can do to see if it's Hardware Vs Software, is get a Linux Live CD/DVD & Boot that, if the system still dies you've got a a confirmed Hardware problem. If it runs without issue, something gone wrong in your windows install.

 

[terbo826]

Well, I thought I'd give it a shot here before embarking on what could be fruitless net searches and wasted time buying stuff.

My computer keeps resetting. It just turns off momentarily and reboots.

I've checked for viruses.

I've replaced the Power Supply with a new one.

When it starts, I get the POST 1 beep indicating everything is fine. I have got this every time except one time, where I got a long beep followed by a short beep indicating motherboard error.

Mostly it resets when I load video media or pages that contain lots of gifs, which makes me wonder if it could be a graphics card problem.

Any advice before I go spending $$ on a new Mainboard and/or graphics card? I have a multimeter, but I'm not sure how or what to test on these components.

Hi

I read your posts many times and realised that you "know" your computer stuff. I was impressed by your posts. OK...check your power supply first, alright? Your new power supply may not be sufficient. Get a more powerful one...600W at least...pure...not RMS.

Having read other posts here, I thank God that you came to a good place...where you have many others willing to help.

Yes, dust can settle on your motherboard components but I do not think that your problems stem from those.

And yes, this is a simple problem...just need to find the source. Many thanks for allowing us to try and help you.

God bless...

 

[Calvinator]

Just wanted to thank everyone for their replies. Problem isn't solved yet, it's very intermittent. Can be up and running for hours, then shuts down. Can happen within a few minutes of booting the system.

Yesterday I got a continuous beep after a shut down and reboot. Rebooting after that I got the POST 1 beep and everything was fine.

Seems to me a card is loose or there is a RAM problem. Gonna check that in the next few days. If there was a Mainboard short then I don't think it would work at all. Course someone suggested a hard drive error. Could be that as well.

Thanks for all the suggestions.