Computer turns off

[bigpturgeon]

..My computer has recently started turning off while being idle in
Windows XP Home for no more than 5 min. If I play a game the computer
will stay on with no problems but if I close the game and let the
computer sit there idle it will turn off. it will also stay on if I
enter the BIOS. I have tested all the hardware and none of it is bad I
have no clue what it could be. any help would be great.

 

[Guest]

Is this a laptop or desktop?
Have you installed a new screen saver?

 

[Ronnie Vernon MVP]

Check the settings in Control Panel/Power Schemes.

 

[bigpturgeon]

Nothing in there. It doesnt go threw a shut down prosess it just turns
off.

 

[Ronnie Vernon MVP]

Does it actually shut down completely or does it restart?

Normally, if it shuts down completely, I would say that you are probably experiencing something like the CPU overheating, but the fact that it doesn't shut down when you are playing a game nullifies this problem.

You might be better off taking the computer to a local repair shop.

 

[bigpturgeon]

Yea it just turns off without warning liek there was a power outage..
Ive put together and worked on allot with computer and can allmost
allways figure out the problem but im stuck with this one the inside is
spotless its cleaned once a month so its not a heat issue te power
supply i brand new so that cant be it i reinstaled all hardware one at
a time and none of that was it all cables are good.. here is the kicker
i cleared the cmos by removing the jumper on the MB it has stoped it
from turning off allmost completly but still does it so it may be a MB
issue.. But it wont shut down when im in a game or if i go in the bios
and let it run in therer for an hour. So could it be a MB issue if it
is why does it only turn off when windows is idle. if i cant figure it
out ill get a new MB but this problem seems to be right in front of me
but i just can figure it out.

 

[Ronnie Vernon MVP]

As you have already discovered, problems such as the one you are experiencing can be very difficult to track down. Without physical access to the system, the only thing anyone here can do is guess at the cause. I would suggest that you take the system to a local repair shop and have a circuit check performed on the MB. The only drawback is that this may prove to be more expensive than the cost for a new MB?