XP Hardware/Software Problems

[SHawn]

My computer restarts unexpectingly i dont know why or how
it does it i dont notice a change in system or anything i
have reformatted twice.

I have a Athlon xp 2400+ 798MB Ram 120GB Nvidia Geforece
FX5200 128MB ram hd cable internet and i cant tell whats
causing it. if you think its a more serious issue thats
never been heard of tell me even if you dont konw whats
wrong.

THanks

 

[Krooz]

Could be one of several things. Some reasons for restart I have read here
are - overheating, bad ram or outdated driver/s. Check for updated drivers
first, then maybe download & run Aida32. That will help you determine if
there are any faulty "bits". Also, you could look at your event log to see
if you can pinpoint what was running at the time - Control Panel >
Performance & Maintenance > Administrative Tools > double click Event Viewer
K

 

[bronco7]

SHAWN, How does it feel above the clouds with the fastest
and most cantankerous machine? Yours is near close to
mine. By reformat what do you mean? Have you had full-
blown crashes as I've had 6 times in last 14 months? I
have not yet had your problem of random fireup. You've
two choices: pull a 12 guage, kill it. Or, learn to
realize the leading edge you are on comes with a price.

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi SHawn,

Two major causes of sudden restarts:

1) Software or driver conflicts. These can be diagnosed two ways:

a) Start/run eventvwr.msc and check the system and application logs for
clues to the files involved in the crash.

b) Control Panel/System/Advanced tab/Startup and Recovery settings, uncheck
the line to automatically restart on system failure. This will cause the
system to create a blue screen the next time it fails with an error message
containing clues to the cause of the crash. These clues can be used to
research the problem.

2) Random reboots can also be a sign of over-heating. Things you can do:

a) Open the case and make sure all fans are operating, especially the cpu
fan. While you're in there, get a can of compressed air and blow out the
dust bunnies.

b) Make sure the drive tower is well ventilated and not stuck in some
department store computer desk pc cabinet with only a little vent hole in
the back.

c) Visit a local pc shop and have them add an intake or exhaust fan. This is
not something you should do on your own unless you are familiar with the air
circulation pattern inside your machine. Adding a fan can be
counterproductive if not done correctly.

d) If you are overclocking, stop now! before you ruin anything else.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone

 

[Paul Birch]

Hey Shawn,

I had a similar problem whereby my PC started rebooting
after some 2-3 mins, and appeared to start happening
following a WinXP upgrade.

I looked at the Application Log as provided by the Event
Viewer as part of MMC (Microsoft Management Console in
Admin Tools) and found the last application to have
started was (in my case) the Fax Service. I then went
into 'Services' as provided by Services and Applications
as part of MMC, found the Fax Service and stopped this
service. Problem solved instantly !!

NOTE: One had to be quick as I only had 2-3 mins
available before WinXP rebooted on me.

It's worth a try, so give it a go.

Best regards,

Paul Birch

 

[Guest]

There are 2 things that come to mind when someone says
random reboots and WinXP in the same sentence. #1 is the
Blaster32 worm and #2 is a processor brownout caused by a
faulty power supply or erratic power coming from your wall
outlet. If you have the virus, save yourself some time and
just re-install. You can get a power supply cheap if that
is the problem. If your house electricity is at blame, get
a UPS (battery backup) for your PC.

 

[Guest]

REBOOTING AT RANDOM AFTER INSTALLING "NVIDIA DISPLAY SOFTWARE UPDATE OCTOBER 06-03"
ALTHLON SYSTEM W/Nvidia GF/* card

Was having the same problem. My syst. athlon1700+ w/GF2 vido card. problem started in last 30-45 days. thought I had a bug, antivirus scanssiad no. The problem got so bad that I would have to boot in safe mode,then restart to get into windows. Got tired of that ran full system restore. Went to windows up date and ran all updates that were recomended.
Problem returned. started over agen,this time only leading updates one at a time.loaded all critcal all xp patches ect... no problems started on driver updates (4) recomended loaded one at a time After loading then rebooting
"NVIDIA DISPLAY SOFTWARE UPDATE 10-06-03 The rebooting started all over, got in to "SAFEMODE"- System Restore-Restored system to befor "NVIDIA update" so far have not yet rebooted. I'm net an "IT" guy just understand about half of this stuff,make no promises but it seems to have fixed my system.

----- SHawn wrote: -----

My computer restarts unexpectingly i dont know why or how
it does it i dont notice a change in system or anything i
have reformatted twice.

I have a Athlon xp 2400+ 798MB Ram 120GB Nvidia Geforece
FX5200 128MB ram hd cable internet and i cant tell whats
causing it. if you think its a more serious issue thats
never been heard of tell me even if you dont konw whats
wrong.

THanks

 

[Guest]

Ok i know im not overheating and i havent overclocked it
i am runnin at a steady 23 Degrees celsius and the proc
is runnig at 38 degrees celsius i got nvidia's drivers
for my card off there site and i have tried different
ram. the proc is brand new its a Athlon XP 2400 Thorton
core.

 

[Guest]

It was my memory i hada bad 256MB stick of ddr memory

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Glad to hear you found the problem, and thanks for the feedback.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone

 

[Shawn]

thank you for the help it worked when u said to not have
it restart it gave me the error and then i searched on
google and they new exactly what it was now its runnign
at peak performance.

Thanks Much