On Thu, 6 Jul 2006 18:04:55 +0200, "roman modic"
I have Windows XP.SP2+ all updates, clean install.
Motherboard is ASRock P4S61 (SiS 661FX with
onboard graphics), latest BIOS
Memory is DDR200 (256 MB) - MemTest reports no errors
CPU is Celeron Northwood 2400 MHz
Disk is (single master) Excelstor 40 GB (set to
DMA 2 = UDMA33) - no bad sectors...
No additional PCI cards.
The problem is that PC randomly restarts while working
(copying files, listening internet radio, playing internet games, ...)
First thing: What pattern of restart? Is it...
- immediate restart with no errors or attempt to shutdown?
- restart after a system error (BSoD STOP, etc.)?
- restart after a countdown prompt?
- normal Windows shutdown?
What could be the most possible cause of random reboots???
By duhfault, XP will automatically restart on system errors (the
second of the above list) and whenever the RPC service fails (the
third pattern, along with LSASS failures).
So you want to disable that, as follows...
- rt-click My Compter, Properties, Advanced tab
- Startup and Recovery section, Settings button
- [_] Automatically Restart (i.e. UNcheck that damnfool setting)
- OK
- rt-click My Compter, Manage, Services and Applications
- click into Services, scroll down to Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
- double-click RPC, click Recovery tab
- set all "Restart computer" to "Restart the service"
- OK
You may still crash, but at least now you can see the BSoD STOP error
text, or know that it is RPC failures that are causing it. You're
SP2, so you shouldn't be open to the old Lovesan and Sasser style
attacks on RPC and LSASS, respectively.
I have disabled automatic restart on errors and there are
no BSOD-s and no errors in event log ...
OK; that points away from most patterns of failure and towards the
first; immediate restart. Causes of that are usually power or
(sometimes) heat related, though malware can do that too.
Generally bad hardware will more usually give a mix of errors (some
BSoDs and hangs to go with the restarts). Heat problems may give
fewer BSoDs but you should see more lockups.
Power problems may be:
- bad mains power
- bad mains wiring, including power strip, lead, plug at PC etc.
- bad power supply unit
- bad motherboard power circuitry
- bad motherboard capacitors
- other, e.g. shorts, gunk, cracked tracks, etc.
On bad caps, see...
http://cquirke.mvps.org/badcaps.htm
Unlike RAM and HD, there's no test for PSUs and motherboards, though
it may be worthwhile leaving the PC running MemTest for 24 hours with
some other boot disk in place, so that if it does reset, it won't
reboot MemTest again. If that test fails, it suggests a hardware
issue rather than malware, or something else wrong in the Windows
installation and its various add-ons.
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Drugs are usually safe. Inject? (Y/n)
