PC keeps turning off as if power has been cut

[John Gudgin]

Please can someone help me with this very irritating problem my PC seems to
have developed.
The problem is it intermittently turns itself off.
No warning, no logging out or saving settings. Just a complete closedown as
if the power had been turned off at the mains switch.
When I try to turn PC back on by front button, I get no response.
The only way to turn the thing back on is to turn off the mains supply for
about 5 seconds first (either by socket or by switch on back of the tower
unit).

I have checked power settings and have them set to stay on, so I don't think
its the power settings.
I have done a chkdsk, just in case there was something wrong with the hard
drive, but it gets the all clear.
I have also done a virus scan, but that comes back all clear too.

Sometimes the PC can be on al day with no problem.
At other times (like today), the thing can decide to switch itself off 2-3
times in an hour.

I am running Windows XP Home SP2 with an AMD Athlon processor.

Are there any more tests that I can get the PC to perform to help me out.
Has anyone had a similar problen and found a fix.

I would be grateful for any help received in this matter

Many thanks in advance,
John.

 

[Guest]

Hope you get an asnwer. Mine starting doing the same thing about 3 weeks
ago. It randomly just shuts off. I have a firewall, antivirus - both AVG
and Ad-Aware. I cannot find a reason for it.

 

[shegeek72]

Please can someone help me with this very irritating problem my PC seems to
have developed.
The problem is it intermittently turns itself off.
No warning, no logging out or saving settings. Just a complete closedown as
if the power had been turned off at the mains switch.
When I try to turn PC back on by front button, I get no response.
The only way to turn the thing back on is to turn off the mains supply for
about 5 seconds first (either by socket or by switch on back of the tower
unit).

I have checked power settings and have them set to stay on, so I don't think
its the power settings.
I have done a chkdsk, just in case there was something wrong with the hard
drive, but it gets the all clear.
I have also done a virus scan, but that comes back all clear too.

Sometimes the PC can be on al day with no problem.
At other times (like today), the thing can decide to switch itself off 2-3
times in an hour.

I am running Windows XP Home SP2 with an AMD Athlon processor.

Are there any more tests that I can get the PC to perform to help me out.
Has anyone had a similar problen and found a fix.

Sounds like a power supply problem. How old is the PS, what's the
output (watts)? Have you added any new hardware? If you bought the
computer pre-assembled (Dell, Gateway, etc) it probably came with a
low quality power supply.

If you do decide to buy a new PS, you don't need to spend a lot. I
just bought a new 450w PS for $40 and I have an AMD 4200+ X2 system.
Unless you're a gamer, or need a high-end system, spending $100-plus
isn't necessary and you're likely paying for the name anyway.

 

[Guest]

Please can someone help me with this very irritating problem my PC seems to
have developed.
The problem is it intermittently turns itself off.
No warning, no logging out or saving settings. Just a complete closedown as
if the power had been turned off at the mains switch.
When I try to turn PC back on by front button, I get no response.
The only way to turn the thing back on is to turn off the mains supply for
about 5 seconds first (either by socket or by switch on back of the tower
unit).

I have checked power settings and have them set to stay on, so I don't think
its the power settings.
I have done a chkdsk, just in case there was something wrong with the hard
drive, but it gets the all clear.
I have also done a virus scan, but that comes back all clear too.

Sometimes the PC can be on al day with no problem.
At other times (like today), the thing can decide to switch itself off 2-3
times in an hour.

I am running Windows XP Home SP2 with an AMD Athlon processor.

Are there any more tests that I can get the PC to perform to help me out.
Has anyone had a similar problen and found a fix.

I would be grateful for any help received in this matter

Many thanks in advance,
John.

Have you checjed ti see if the unit might be over heating? It could be a
ventilation problem. Open the case and clean the dust out, see if that helps.

larryo

 

[shegeek72]

Have you checjed ti see if the unit might be over heating? It could be a
ventilation problem. Open the case and clean the dust out, see if that helps.

Quite possible, especially if there are no other fans besides the PS
and CPU fans. There are (some free) MB/CPU/HD temp monitors. Some MBs
(like gigabyte) come with temp monitoring software. Also, there are
sometimes temp monitors in the BIOS that can be set to a certain temp
and sound a warning if CPU temp exceeds a certain limit.

And yes, all computers should be opened every three or four months and
have the dust blown out (I use a vacuum cleaner on reverse). Also, if
you smoke it can coat your puter's innards with an almost impossible
to remove coating.

I used to volunteer at a computer recycling center and found dirt,
even rocks, inside some computers. Don't ask me how they got there - I
don't know.