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99XLTon20s
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Vehicle: 1999 Ford F-150 XLT
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From: LaSalle Michigan
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 Posted - April 2 : 6:47p
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Just to make it clear, I'm a moron when it comes to computers, I can work my way through a few programs....but when it comes to the "guts", I'm clueless. This isn't a name brand computer, just a "union built PC" which is a small company in my union. It a may be 5 years old or so.
Here is the deal, it just shuts off after a little while for no apparent reason. Sometimes it will stay on for 5 minutes, sometimes 20. It acts like you pull the plug out of the wall ( and I have tried using a different outlet on a separate circuit). After 20 minutes of no activity, the computer goes into sleep mode. In sleep mode, it will stay on for hours. But once it wakes back up and you try to use it, it is a matter of minutes before it shuts off.
If you restart it right back up after it shuts off, sometimes it won't even stay on long enough for windows to load. If you let it sit for an hour more, normally it will stay on for 5 minutes atleast.
It all started about a month back, my moniter was going crazy so I pulled the computer out of the desk to see if it wasn't plugged in all the way. After I put it back in the desk, it started doing what I described.
I pulled the outer case off of the computer to look for an obvious short somewhere, and to make sure all the fans were working because I thought it may have been overheating...as far as I could tell, it all looked normal ( but keep in mind I'm an idiot when it comes to this stuff). All of the fans are working, I cleaned all of the dust out of the case, and it has plenty of room around it...
Im getting burned out with this thing, I already backed up all of my files to an external hard drive and I'm ready to head to Best Buy for a new one....but I thought I should try here for a little help first.
Anybody have any suggestions for what else I could try?
Thanks,
Kyle (from my iPod)
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Edited by - 99XLTon20s on April 2 6:50p |
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Tom in Tacoma
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Posted
- April 2 : 7:13p
| Kyle - from what you're describing I'd say your system is shutting down due to heat. It could also be the power supply is marginal in it's ability to provide the needed power.
That's all I got... | |
Screwd_Up
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Posted
- April 2 : 7:41p
| | I was gonna say heat too. My wife's comp shut down if it got hot. you may look at the back of it and see if it has a fan. If it does, make sure its clean. Maybe get a small fann and set it to blow into the back of your computer. Or just shell out a grand and get a new one... | |
99XLTon20s
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Posted
- April 2 : 8:05p
| | Isn't it strange for it to start all of the sudden though? Both fans (one in the main case, and one on the back of the power supply area) are both running like they always have. There is plenty of room around the computer to keep the air circulating too. I dont know, I just took the side of the case off and pointed a small house fan in there to see if it helps...it is blowing air all through the case and into the power supply box. |
Edited by - 99XLTon20s on April 2 8:06p |
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WhtNing
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From: Austin TX
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Posted
- April 2 : 9:41p
| What do you have to do to get it to powered up again? What Operating system are you running?
I think everyone is right on with your power supply is crapping out or it's getting too hot. Maybe a fan is flaking out causing the heat.
There's a free program I use to check CPU temp called Everest home edition. Neat little program that lets you check all kinds of information about your computer. I upgraded to a high dollar chip and I wanted to make sure my after market cooler was doing it's job.
Download it for free here:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4181.html | |
SCRWDRVR
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Posted
- April 2 : 10:22p
| | I have to agree with everyone I had the same type of problem with one of my PCs and it turned out to be the power supply | |
99XLTon20s
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Posted
- April 3 : 5:38a
| I guess the fan did the trick, it is still up and running good.
The computer is 4 or 5 years old, and is running windows XP. I have to push the power button on the front of the case to get it to start back up again. I pulled the power supply out and looked at all of the internals yesterday, and I couldn't see anything shorting out or burnt up...but that is kinda like me trying to read a paper written in French looking for spelling errors.
So what do you guys recommend, get a new power supply or just try a new fan for the back of it? | |
Screwd_Up
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Mark05KR
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Posted
- April 3 : 9:06a
| One more heat related issue to check.
Look at the heat sink and fan attached directly to the cpu. We had quite a few PC's brought into the store that showed the same symptoms. A lot of them had dust built up between the fins of the cpu heat sink and/or the cpu fan was not working.
You should pick up a can of compressed air from Radio Shack and blow off that cpu heat sink if it is clogged. You may have to remove the fan from the heat sink in order to get to the heat sink. If you are going to remove the heat sink from the cpu make sure to get some thermal grease for the re-install of the heat sink. You should be able to get that at Radio Shack as well. | |
Mark05KR
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99XLTon20s
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Posted
- April 3 : 8:10p
| | Thanks for all the tips everybody. Mark, I will tear into it more this weekend check what you said. It just seemed strange because it only started after I took the computer out to see if the moniter was plugged in all the way, I guess it was just a coincidence though. | |
Mark05KR
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Posted
- April 4 : 8:27a
| It is possible that moving the computer caused something that was a little loose to become more loose. Since the problem started with the monitor it's possible that the video system is having a problem. If you have separate video card (instead of on the motherboard) check the heat sink and/or fan on the card, if it has one. Make sure that the heat sink is clear of dust/dirt and that any fan on there moves smoothly.
While you have the case open you might as well perform some other maintenance items. Just make sure you ground yourself to get rid of static electricity before you stick your hands inside the case.
Unplug and re-plug all of the electrical connectors to your MB, hard drive(s), cd/dvd(s), floppy, etc. The contacts on these things can get tarnished, and unplugging and re-plugging can scrape through the tarnish. Do the same thing for the data cables at both ends. Do the data cables one end at a time and be gentle so you don't bend any pins.
Pull the memory simm/dimm(s) and plug them right back in. Make sure they seat properly and the tabs lock back into place.
If there are any heat sinks on the motherboard or on any plug in cards, make sure to give them a shot with the canned air.
Blow out the inside of the power supply with the canned air. Stick the nozzle extension into the slots in the PS case from inside the computer to try to blow the dust out through the back side of the PS. After that blow through the fan from the outside of the PS. You may want to do this outside if possible, or at least somewhere where you don't mind getting things dusty. You may be surprised by the amount of dust that comes out.
Check all the air vents in the case itself. The fan in the back of the case and in the PS pulls warm air from inside the case. That air comes in through the vents and pulls in dust, dirt, pet hair, etc., just like a vacuum cleaner. Make sure all of these vents are clear of any debris.
Use the canned air to clean off dust that has settled on any electronic components. You can also use the canned air to clean out the inside of the cd/dvd drives. Just use short bursts of air.
When you get everything as dust free as possible turn the computer on with the side cover still off. Listen to each of the fans. They should sound nice and smooth, If you hear any squeaking or rattling or off balance sounds, consider replacing that fan. It probably won't improve over time and fans are cheap. | |
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why does my computer keep shutting off?
