Carmelenigma

Ive encountered a strange problem since i built my pc about a year ago. It semi-randomly restarts itself. The monitor seems healthy, nothing wrong with it. I say semi randomly because my roomate can trigger it by trying to transfer too many files from me via our network. However it can occur with me doing nothing at all, no downloading or anything. Sometimes the restarts occur more frequently than before, and that becomes very annoying. Im almost positive it is a hardware issue, because ive installed windows hundreds of times on it since ive gotten it. I am at a loss as to which piece of hardware could cause this problem for me. Can anyone help me??

Sarkast

Many diffrent things could be the cause of the problem but if you didnt actually change any hardware lately then i would assume its a component that is getting "old". My first suspect in a case like this is the powersupply.
Do you know what type it is ?
If its a "noname" (came in the case type) PSU - possibly even with a low output i am quite sure we found the culprit already.
It could also be the memory or possibly a cooling problem - maybe your case is clogged with dust/ CPU heatsink/fan is full of dust or the fan is dying. (if you cleaned your PC on a regular basis and know the CPU fan is running fine then we can already forget about this).
But untill you let us more details i'd go with the PSU first. Keep posting.

Carmelenigma

Yes my power supply did come with my case, so i dont know which kind it is. If i were to go and buy a power supply which brand would you suggest?

I dont think its dust inside my cp, I just dusted in there and picked all the stuff out of the fan and it is still being problematic. This has been going on since day one, so i suspect i had faulty hardware from the beginning. Pinpointing what it is has proven to be difficult. Sometimes it even restarts and displays nothing but a black screen with the specs for my video card in white at the top... I found that to be strange

Sarkast

Well if it was a problem that existed from the beginning then it could be something besides the PSU.
I always suggest running memtest86 whenever there are problems with freezes/ restarts etc because it can tell you if you have memory issues.
You could try that one and post here if it found any errors.

But if you want to check out the PSU then i recommend getting a brand name. They are not necessarily expensive (my 420W Thermaltake was only 36$) - just stay away from the 10-20$ OEM boxes.
One thing though - i hope you have a regular ATX case and not a mATX - because then you could run into problems finding a PSU that'll fit.

Carmelenigma

I ran it this morning, and i found TONS of errors. It wasnt even done before i stopped it. i didnt understand where most of the problem was though. Does this program just test RAM? or other kinds of memory.

Sarkast

Yes this program tests the RAM. Is there any other memory ??? ;-)
If it find errors than that could mean the RAM is not running at its intended speed (too fast - but unlikely)... the timings for it are set to tight (depends on you motherboard and somewhat unlikely) -- or the RAM is bad (likely).

You never posted the exact specs of your PC (CPU, RAM, etc) but depending on what memory you have (ammount of sticks, size etc) it might be necessary to get new memory.

I also dont know what motherboard you have but if it has the option to set your memory timings you could try and relax them and maybe that will make it stable. If you post more of your systems specs it would help enormously.

Carmelenigma

Processor : Pentium 4 2.40 Ghz
Motherboard: Syntax S648 8xAGP 2GB of ram supported 5PCI slots
RAM: OEM 512mb DDR
Video Card: Raedon 9200 SE 128mb
Sound: On Board
HD: Seagate 160mb 7200 rpm

The powersupply came with the case, the manufacturer is unknown.


Connected to internet via LAN

Sarkast

Well i still think its the memory. Is there any way you could borrow some RAM (a working stick) from a friend - even if its a smaller stick (256Mb). Then run the tests again and see if your errors disappeared.

If you cant borrow one maybe you have a store around that doesnt charge restocking fees if you return an item. Then try the same.

If you decide to buy new memory i'd spend the extra few $ and get some brand name RAM - corsair, kingston etc.