Topic: computer keeps shutting off and restarting.

[braweave]

the thing wont stop restarting, it is completley random and it is doing it quite often. any idea on how to stop this??

I have an hp a1330n 2.2ghz athlon, 1gb ram, 250gb hd, running xp media center edition.

thanks
brandon

[dank]

many times, a poorly seated RAM stick will cause funky behavior like this.

open up your case, take out the RAM and put it back in and make sure its firmly in place.

thats the first thing i try when this comes up for people i know

[MattD]

Overheating can also cause this, as can a failing power supply (or one that's being pushed to its voltage limit).

[BWolf]

i actually had this problem with my lappy recently.  played with RAM, didn't fix it.  sony replaced RAM, didn't fix it.  finally sent it to them, and the processor had a short in it    it was causing errors and making the computer either shut down or causing windows the blue screen and crash.  sony couldn't even figure it out, they have my computer for 3-4 weeks. 

[itook2much]

Update & run virus scan.  I had symptoms of one start the same way, repeatedly I would clean it & it would come back (obviously hiding in cache).  By the end of it, it wiped out my C partition, had to use the rescue discs.

May not be your issue, but wouldn't hurt to check.  Good luck.

[JoeKiller]

We need more information if you really want help.  But judging by the random shut downs, without a blue screen, it isn't your ram, its your power supply.  What happens is your computer gets under load, ps doesn't give enough power and it just restarts due to a loss of current.


Over 10 years of tech support here.  Check it.

[dgodwin]

I've been having similar random restarts on my computer, since I installed a second stick of ram AND a SATA hard drive.  I should pull one out, and see if I'm still having problems. 

If it's the power supply, would it be worth while to go from an ANTEC 350w to a Thermaltake 430w?  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153023

[braweave]

i am not getting a blue screen. It is just randomly restarting. its really really weird. It will just be running then kick off, restart and be fine.

Thanks to all that have replied so far.

on the power supply it is the standard one that came with the system, I have not added anything (ram, hd, vid card or otherwise)

should I replace the power supply now or just let it go and replace it when it goes bad??
thanks again for all the help
brandon

[flipp]

HP is notorious for putting in a barely adequate power supply. If you add anything to your comp you have probably overtaxed the power supplies ability to provide enough constant power to keep the comp running smoothly. Most PS labels will list the maximum wattage they can supply, not what they supply on a continuous basis. Granted you'll probably only need that maximum power when booting or when your processor is running 100%, but it's nice to have some headroom.

One of my favorite tools for calculating how much power your computer needs is http://journeysystems.com/power_supply_calculator.php There are other online calculators you can find through google but I've found this one to be pretty accurate.

<edit> I see you haven't added anything else to the box so you may not be overburdening the ps; however if it is on it's way south you can verify that with a DVOM. Search for how to check voltages and the tolerances the ps should be supplying. If any readings are out of tolerance i would recommend replacing the ps sooner than later. Also make sure the CPU fan and case fans are working correctly and that the blades and case intakes are not caked in dust. If you have temp monitors, make sure everything is running in spec. </edit>

[braweave]

HP is notorious for putting in a barely adequate power supply. If you add anything to your comp you have probably overtaxed the power supplies ability to provide enough constant power to keep the comp running smoothly. Most PS labels will list the maximum wattage they can supply, not what they supply on a continuous basis. Granted you'll probably only need that maximum power when booting or when your processor is running 100%, but it's nice to have some headroom.

One of my favorite tools for calculating how much power your computer needs is http://journeysystems.com/power_supply_calculator.php There are other online calculators you can find through google but I've found this one to be pretty accurate.

<edit> I see you haven't added anything else to the box so you may not be overburdening the ps; however if it is on it's way south you can verify that with a DVOM. Search for how to check voltages and the tolerances the ps should be supplying. If any readings are out of tolerance i would recommend replacing the ps sooner than later. Also make sure the CPU fan and case fans are working correctly and that the blades and case intakes are not caked in dust. If you have temp monitors, make sure everything is running in spec. </edit>

if it had a lot of dust could that have been causing the problem. I actually just today took the computer outside and used some compressed air to clean out all the dust, and there was a decent amount (ive only had the comp for 6 months) I should prob note that since i did this it has not restarted yet. (its only been like 6 hours so we will see tonight)

[flipp]

If all that dust was interferring in the normal airflow and causing the comp to overheat it's quite possible that was the cause of the seemingly random shutdowns. If you tax the processor and the box remains running tonight, add dust removal to your maintenance schedule. Also make sure the comp isn't in a location that's conducive to sucking in large amounts of dirt. In other words don't set the box on the floor, particularly if it's sitting on a deep-pile rug since that could block some of the air intakes.

[kskreider]

BEst thing to do is turn it off, disconnect the PS, ground yourself, and start unseating and reseating all of the removables.  HDD cables, Ram ships, PCI cards, large IDE cables connected to mobo, you name it.  Blowing it out sounds like a great idea.  You may want to consider adding a fan or two.  If none of those work, check to see if there is a BIOS update, or some other 'critical' update at HP's site.  It sounds to me like it is either overheating, or you mobo maybe bad.  I saw very similar behavior in a Dell laptop that had a bad mobo.  But also seen it while running hot temps, after replacing RAM, or trying to get a failed hdd to fly. 

Mr. Godwin, if you ever plan on upgrading your PC it is wise to get the biggest, beefiest PS you can afford.  The Antec's are decent.  I went low and got a Thermaltake 430w when I bought my parts about 4 years ago now.  Today I would try to get a 500w, just to be safe.

[rdflash]

Had a similiar problem, week later the whole thing crashed, put hard drive in another computer to salvage my data...wouldnt even do that...whole thing was fried, but this was a lappy and from carrying to class etc.

[Roving Sign]

Heat and dirt...

Be careful - that dust in computers is nasty...

[ScottT]

Thermal event was the first thing that popped into my mind.

Have you checked your system event log to see if there are any pertinent messages?

Microsoft's page on how to use event logs in Event Viewer
In Windows XP the easiest way to launch it is to Right-Click on My Computer then click on Manage.  The logs are under System Tools> Event Viewer.