Help me please...computer keeps restarting itself

Tindirt · Officer Joined: 04 Dec 2003 Posts: 182

/Hello out there. Trying to figure this out so I can play, I have a hp a200n, 2.4 gig Celeron w/ 256 meg DDR that likes to restart itself. It can happen at anytime, doing anything. Sometimes it will stay on for a few hours before it does it, but usually it's just a few minutes between restarts. I've disabled auto restart in system properties, ran virus & spyware scans with nothing showing up. This happened before a couple of weeks ago & I ended up having to do a complete reinstall. Any help would be appreciated, I'm going bald trying to figure this out or should I say balder than normal Wink

Geadiin · Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2004 4:10 pm Post subject:

Hi Tindirt.

Couple questions for you.

1. This may sound silly, but are all of your power connections good and tight?

2. When it restarts, does it seem like you're doing CPU intensive stuff (like EQ)? Do you hear the CPU fan running? I'm wondering if it's overheating and restarting if the fan is dead.

3. Does it still restart after you did the complete reinstall?

4. Do you get any error messages or blue screens when it restarts?

5. during the power on self test, do you notice any messages that may indicate the problem?

5. Do you have complete memory check disabled in the bios? If so, try turning it on so it can do a complete memory hardware check on restart to see if you have bad memory.
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Tylandi · Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2004 6:45 pm Post subject:

In My experience this is most oftem a Power Supply or Motherborad Issue.
,But could also very well be overheating.Start the system up and remove the side cover and examine all the fans to make sure they are all running, noting especially the CPU cooler fan.Also check your video card to make sure it is seated properly (unless you have a built in card of course).Remove and re seat your memory chip(s) to make sure they are properly seated. If you have access to a multi meter might want to check the output of your power supply leads also to see if youre getting proper voltage to everything.Finally I would also re seat the CPU (Chips can suffer from something called chip creep which can loosen them over time)
Hope this helps a bit : )

Shiloch Veneficus · Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2004 10:16 pm Post subject:

Tindirt · Officer Joined: 04 Dec 2003 Posts: 182

Thanks for the replies.
Geadiin,
1) power cords are secure 2) It restarts whenever it's in the mood too...it can happen either playing EQ or just playing solitare Rolling Eyes

3) worked for about 2 days after reinstall then started happening again 4) No error messages or blue screens...just a click then hp loading screen 5) I did a memory check, everything is fine.

Tylandi,
CPU & power supply fans running, removed & reseated memory to make sure it was properly seated.

Shiloch,
Installed Windows updates immediately after reinstall, ran Norton AV after updates, Windows ICF & D-Link router firewall enabled. After restarts started again checked for Sasser & Blaster variations on Windows site, nothing detected.

BonlainyT · Member Joined: 08 Jan 2003 Posts: 3942

Have you tried kicking it? Probably won't solve the problem but will make you feel much better. Razz

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Aoineko · Member Joined: 17 Sep 2004 Posts: 57 Location: Hawaii

Wow, someone ELSE has a self restarting system? That's amazing, I thought I was the only one. My problem actually was dust. Alot of dust that I didn't know accumulated so quickly. Yours is probably more technical tho if you actually opened up your comp.... good luck trying to find out what it is! I had done the same as you... virus scans and reinstallations galore. Totally understand... Wink

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carmelle · Member Joined: 08 Nov 2003 Posts: 378

I have an HP pavilion and it did the same thing when i decided to leave it on all night. i called the help desk and they told me to unplug everthing and then to hold the power button down for 60seconds and when that was done i was instructed to connect only the power supply, keyboard, mouse, and monitor. then i started the computer. and haven't had a problem since. they said it had something to do with static buildup in the system.
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ZigonZagoff · Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2004 5:55 pm Post subject:

They should have told you to Unplug the computer. Slam the power cord against the floor and plug it back in. This eliminates the stray electrons that build up on the power circuits.

(its good for a laugh)
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Hildar · Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2004 6:36 pm Post subject:

Dust accumulating inside the CPU box can cause all sorts of problem. Dust is actually a fairly good conductor of electricity. Most of the air flow inside the CPU box is meant to keep the CPU itself cooled off as well as the power supply. The air flow patterns can create a contition where the dust particals turn in to dust bunnies (this is where they hide when ou vacuum under your bed). Conductive dust can create a drain that is detected as a low power condition and cause a reboot.

Solultion for this is to clean out the CPU box and get it at least 4 inches off the floor with someting that lets air flow underneath. Next, do not block or obstruct air intakes and leave enough room behind the PC to let the fans exhaust properly (6 to 10 inches should be a minimum).

Also, disable anything related to power management or energy star.

Are you running a over clocked system? If so back off the over clocking or don't use it.

Another possibility I have experienced is really crappy power coming into the house. This can put a real strain on the power supply. I had my 110v vary between 75v and 130v. Most PC power supplys will hork between 101v and 105v on the low end and 115v and 122v on the high end. A power supply reset will cause a PC to reboot.

Tindirt · Officer Joined: 04 Dec 2003 Posts: 182

Just a quick update. Kicking it worked, Bon Rolling Eyes

(actually it worked for about 6 hrs. then restarts began again).

tenri · Member Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Posts: 939 Location: Chicago IL

Hey tindirt the PC case should not be used as a litter box you do know that right

LOL hey Tin
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Daneloire · Posted: Fri Oct 29, 2004 10:23 am Post subject:

Tindirt · Officer Joined: 04 Dec 2003 Posts: 182

Problem solved....the thingamabob wasn't copulating properly with the doohickey that made the hamster run faster. Shocked

In other words, the connector from the mb that powers the drives doesn't connect properly.

Geadiin · Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2004 11:37 pm Post subject:

woot! cool. Glad to see it's fixed.
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Akselo ~ 70 Bard
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