PC randomly rebooting.

[simonk1969]

My PC started randomly rebooting yesterday, no Blue Screen Of Death just reeboots as if I'd pressed the reset button. I've changed the option in Vista to show BSOD and not reboot upon error.
My initial thought was that it was the Power Supply, so I've swopped that out, I've cleaned out the dust from PC case and graphics card.
But still it is randomly rebooting, sometimes it will take hours and sometimes minutes.
I would have thought that I would get a BSOD if it was a fault with HD, DVRW, processor or MB.

Any ideas what else to try to narrow it down ?

 

[techquest]

HD, DVRW, processor or MB won't always cause a BSOD. Are you saying it sometimes reboots after hours or mins of use or it sometimes takes hours or mins to reboot?

 

[simonk1969]

HD, DVRW, processor or MB won't always cause a BSOD. Are you saying it sometimes reboots after hours or mins of use or it sometimes takes hours or mins to reboot?

It sometimes will stay on working perfectly for hours before it just reboots itself, other times just minutes.
It was a clean install a couple of months ago, running Vista Ultimate 64 bit. Never had any problems with it until yesterday and been running 64 bit on this machine since it came out !
I've removed the reset button cable off the motherboard, still the same.
And literally a couple of minutes ago I have taken out my Radeon 9600XT dual head graphics card and using the onboard graphics.

 

[Purity]

Either a driver issue or program causing your machine to crash

Is there any minidumps in the c:\windows folder

I had a similar problem recently and it turned out to be MSN Messenger causing the problem! Something to do with the file sharing option

 

[robc11]

Sounds like it could be the PSU mate, i had a problem a while back where something was pushing the wattage over what my psu could handle. It was only because i'd been upgrading and my old psu was only something like 250w :banana:It could maybe also be a thermal cut out, where if it gets too hot it automatically shuts down to protect it. If your not getting a bsod they it sounds like it may not be a hardware error imho, as thats when you usually get them. Is the computer old, or have you bought any new parts for it recently.

 

[simonk1969]

Sounds like it could be the PSU mate, i had a problem a while back where something was pushing the wattage over what my psu could handle. It was only because i'd been upgrading and my old psu was only something like 250w :banana:It could maybe also be a thermal cut out, where if it gets too hot it automatically shuts down to protect it. If your not getting a bsod they it sounds like it may not be a hardware error imho, as thats when you usually get them. Is the computer old, or have you bought any new parts for it recently.

I think I built it beginning of last year with new components.
It's Intel P4 D 3.00ghz, 2gb Ram, IDE HD, 2 X DVDRW, Radeon 9600XT dual head graphics card. It did have a 450W Power Supply in it but I done a quick calculation this morning before changing it and worked out that I should be able to use a 300w that I already have. Do you reckon 300w is OK ?

So as mentioned I have swopped the PSU, removed the dual head graphics card, removed the reset switch cable from motherboard.
I've changed nothing over the last few months on it.

 

[robc11]

I cant say for sure mate as im not clued up on what wattage components use, but imo 300w should be ok. It may not be that mate if its been ok for months but it could be the thermal cutout, but if you have the 450w lying about just pop it in to try it. I maybe wrong but im just talking from my past experience, I think i went to a 450w or 500 and ive had no trouble since.

 

[simonk1969]

I cant say for sure mate as im not clued up on what wattage components use, but imo 300w should be ok. It may not be that mate if its been ok for months but it be the thermal cutout, but if you have the 450w lying about just pop it in to try it. I maybe wrong but im just talking from my past experience, I think i went to a 450w or 500 and ive had no trouble since.

I pulled the only 450w PSU I had out of the machine this morning assumed fault and put the 300w in as it was all I had around.
If I can't figure out what is wrong by tomorrow I guess I'll go out and get one.

 

[techquest]

I have done some quick calculations based on the limited ionfo you supplied opn your PC. Based on that info you need 198Watts, the CPU being 100Watts @ 100% load. Therefore your 300 Watt rated supply will be ok. But bare in mind that this is juast a quick calculation not a thorough one. I doubt though that it will be much different.

Should you want to calculate you power consumption yourself then you could use the calculator @ tha addy below to give you piece of mind.

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

If you need any more help let us know.

 

[simonk1969]

It went from bad to worse yesterday, whilst I was trying to resolve the problems with this PC the other half decided that she would watch some telly. Turned the telly on and switched on the media box and it sat there trying to comunicate with my SageTV server in the loft.
Went to the loft and the harddrive with the o/s on had failed :Chainsaw:, couldn't get anything off it either. I do however have a curent backup of the SageTV configuaration and HomSeer, but I still have to get new drive and reinsatll all the o/s programs etc. This server runs the 3 media box's and provides the tv, films, music and everything for the house, the kids aren't impressed !
I think I'll built it with hardware raid this time and take a regular image of the drive and store on another disk or pc.

 

[techquest]

Sad to hear that m8, what next!

Good idea on the raid front and the backup is always a must.

Maybe you can get data of the failed disk though by using GetBack or something similar. Also use the manufactures utilites for the drive, which you can get off their site, to see if you can at least get it back to working order.

 

[simon2490]

Hi just read this post and i too have had a similar issue with my second pc. Was rebooting at random times. even post boot it would sometime reboot again as if i had hit the reset switch. Was running an abit mobo with AMD4600 on board graphics with 3 sata 2 ide drives 1 stat dvdrw drive. PSU is a tagan 450W so that was fine. OS is vista ultimate 64bit all patched up.
I even reinstalled the OS without joy. Ended up being the mobo firmware and needed flashing again with the original version on CD not the one from the manufactuers website. Give it go mate i was supprised when it worked!

good luck
Simon