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Mon, 31/08/2009 - 22:08
PC shuts down unexpectedly
PC shuts down unexpectedly
Hi there,
Been experiencing a few issues with my desktop PC where it shuts down unexpectedly. To be exact, I will switch the pc on, it works for awhile, then it shuts down, but the power led on the front of the pc flashes slowly. I tried to press the power button again, but it did nothing. I then disconnected the main power & the power led continued to flas for a few more seconds. After reconnecting the power, I pressed the power button & the pc fired up again. Now sometimes it will happen after a few minutes, but on other occasions, the pc works for hours & then shuts down again. My operating system is Windows XP SP3. Can anyone please help with a possible diagnosis.
Regards
Rob
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Unexpected shutdowns
In my experience the number one cause for this is a dust blocked CPU cooler. Intel (and AMD) introduced features to ensure their CPU's didnt get cooked due to overheating. If your CPU heatsink and fan are not keeping it cool enough it will simply shut your computer down and will not let it work again until the CPU is cool enough.
First time post here, :)
PC shuts down unexpectedly
Yeah, most probably your overheating at least one component in your tower; CPU or power supply are both particularly prone to dust build up. Your best best is to carefully vacuum any dust out, be sure to remove it, not just rearrange it inside (don't blow on it!). Make sure you clean, as best you can without opening it, the power supply box. Try leaving the tower case off and run it while manually cooling it (open a window, set up a fan, turn the air con on, etc).
If it works then overheating was your problem.
Oh, and make sure your not overclocking your graphics card. That too can overheat a PC.
All the best.
Thanks for your advice
Just a quick thanks to the 2 people who responded to my query. Thanks for that. Will check to see how dusty it is inside the tower & will endeavour to clean it ever so carefully.
Cheers
Rob
Still shutting down
Hello out there,
After an extensive clean of all the dust in the tower, especially the cpu, the pc is still shutting down. Will try to replace the power supply & see how it goes.
Will keep you all posted.
Cheers
Rob
Power supply
It still sounds like a temp related issue, if it's as random as you say. Does it cut out more while graphics intensive stuff is going on, like videos (even on youtube) or video games? Did you run with the case off while cooling manually?
Has a fan failed or got stuck, say for example, on the power supply or graphics card? Again, run with the case off and take a peak inside.
If you're sure the comp is ice cool, we may be barking up the wrong tree. I hate to sound obvious, but you have checked for viruses and malware right?
Keep us informed dude.
Cheers.
PC Shuts Down Unexpectedly
I just went through the same thing. It turned out that the fan on the power supply had stopped working, and as a result the power supply was overheating which apparently caused the shut down. The fan is on the bottom of the power supply, so I didn't see that it had stopped working. I took the power supply apart and gave it a thorough vacuuming and cleaning. I did the same for the fan and oiled it while I was at it. I put everything back together and it seems to have solved the problem.