PC turns itself off on booting

[Pod]

Good Morning

Sometimes when I switch my pc on it goes right through the booting process
and then turns itself off. If I press the on/off button again it boots and
stays on. Any ideas please.?

The pc is a Dell Dimension 9200 running XP Media Centre Edition with 1GB of
RAM

 

[Gerry]

Is there any error message?

Disable automatic restart on system failure. This should help by
allowing time to write down the STOP code properly. Right click on
the My Computer icon on the Desktop and select Properties, Advanced,
Start-Up and Recovery, System Failure and uncheck box before
Automatically Restart.

Do not re-enable automatic restart on system failure even after you have
solved the problem as it's better disabled. Check for variants of the
Stop Error message.

An alternative is to keep pressing the F8 key during Start-Up and select
option - Disable automatic restart on system failure.

If you are using a wireless keyboard and the F8 key does not work
substitute a wired keyboard and mouse for this exercise only.

--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Pod]

Is there any error message?

Disable automatic restart on system failure. This should help by
allowing time to write down the STOP code properly. Right click on
the My Computer icon on the Desktop and select Properties, Advanced,
Start-Up and Recovery, System Failure and uncheck box before
Automatically Restart.

Do not re-enable automatic restart on system failure even after you have
solved the problem as it's better disabled. Check for variants of the
Stop Error message.

An alternative is to keep pressing the F8 key during Start-Up and select
option - Disable automatic restart on system failure.

If you are using a wireless keyboard and the F8 key does not work
substitute a wired keyboard and mouse for this exercise only.

--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for your reply. No there's no error message. When I turn it on I
watch the screen as it goes through the boot process and just when I expect
the desktop to show the screen goes blank & I see that the pc is now off.

As you suggested I have selected my computer/advanced/.......system failure
and see that the Automatically Restart box is already unticked..

Pod

 

[Gerry]

Does the computer boot in Safe Mode?

Have you tried booting with only keyboard, mouse and monitor connected?

What type of Windows XP CD do you have? How is it described on the CD?

What is your computer make and model?

--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Pod]

Does the computer boot in Safe Mode?

Have you tried booting with only keyboard, mouse and monitor connected?

What type of Windows XP CD do you have? How is it described on the CD?

What is your computer make and model?

--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks Gerry. It will actually boot in ordinary mode much of the time. It
is just that sometimes after the boot sequence has finished, but before the
desktop opens, the pc turns itself off. Switching it on again it generally
boots with no problem. Even less frequently the switch on the computer does
nothing at all so I turn the power off at the wall & turn it back on again.

I haven't tried booting with only keyboard & monitor connected as the
problem is usually solved by just switching on again.

The Windows XP Cd is a Dell DVD simply called Reinstallation DVD MS Windows
XP Media Center Version 2005 with Update Rollup 2.

The Computer is a Dell Dimension 9200

 

[Gerry]

Pod

When switching off you should use the Power Off button or remove the
power plug from the power socket. You will damage your computer. Always
use Start, Turn Off Computer, Shutdown. In an emergency use the Reset
button. That was my original thought but I cannot now see where a Reset
button button has been provided. You will see a caution in Service
Manual concerning use of the Power Button to switch off much along the
lines I originally wrote.

How old is your Dell Computer?

What exactly do you mean by turning itself off? Are any activity lights
on the Tower illuminated?
http://support2.jp.dell.com/docs/systems/dim9200/en/SM_EN/adtshoot.htm#wp1056411

A Dell Computer has Diagnostic lights -same page but further down
http://support2.jp.dell.com/docs/systems/dim9200/en/SM_EN/adtshoot.htm#wp1056411

Run Dell Diagnostics -further down the same page
http://support2.jp.dell.com/docs/systems/dim9200/en/SM_EN/adtshoot.htm#wp1059422


--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Pod]

Sorry Gerry I think I'm confusing the issue. I only use the power on button
on the pc to turn it on, never to turn it off. Sometimes the power on
button doesn't work in which case I turn off the power at the wall & then
turn it on. Annoyingly there is no reset button.

The computer is 2 years old.

I'll study the articles at
http://support2.jp.dell.com/docs/systems/dim9200/en/SM_EN/adtshoot.htm#wp1056411
and watch very carefully what happens when I boot up. I suspect now that
the problem won't recur for a few days.

In any event I will run the Dell Diagnostics program & see whist it throws
up. I don't want to reboot however at this moment as I've ordered something
online & am waiting for confirmation that my purchase has gone through
before closing the browser.

I am grateful to you for your continuing assistance but, for the reason I
have just given, may not come back to this ng tonight.

Pod


As for turning itself off there are no lights on the tower when it turns
itself off

 

[Unknown]

That has all the symptoms of a bad power supply.

Sorry Gerry I think I'm confusing the issue. I only use the power on
button on the pc to turn it on, never to turn it off. Sometimes the power
on button doesn't work in which case I turn off the power at the wall &
then turn it on. Annoyingly there is no reset button.

The computer is 2 years old.

I'll study the articles at
http://support2.jp.dell.com/docs/systems/dim9200/en/SM_EN/adtshoot.htm#wp1056411
and watch very carefully what happens when I boot up. I suspect now that
the problem won't recur for a few days.

In any event I will run the Dell Diagnostics program & see whist it throws
up. I don't want to reboot however at this moment as I've ordered
something online & am waiting for confirmation that my purchase has gone
through before closing the browser.

I am grateful to you for your continuing assistance but, for the reason I
have just given, may not come back to this ng tonight.

Pod


As for turning itself off there are no lights on the tower when it turns
itself off

 

[Pod]

The Dell diagnostic prog threw nothing up & for the last few days it's
behaved itself so I wonder if, as unknown suggested, the power supply could
have been dodgy.