My computer keeps turning off!!!!

JagrSpeed · 11-27-2006, 07:11 PM

My computer (but not the monitor) shuts-off every now and then randomly. Any ideas what could be causing the problem? It's driving me insane (not to mention it scares me to death that I'll lose everything on my hardrive)!!!

Thanks :)

**twajetmech** · 11-27-2006, 07:24 PM

Hello and welcome to the forum. Sounds like it may be overheating....turn it off....using a can of compressed air blow out all the dust and such, pay particular attention to the cpu heatsink and psu,,,,make sure all the fans are clean and spin freely....turn it back on and see if all the fans spin. You can use speedfan or your mobo's diagnostic software to monitor the temps and volts....post back what you find, and list all your components like you see i my sig.

**TheMatt** · 11-27-2006, 07:47 PM

Hi,

twajetmech has got it, it is probably a heat or power problem. To expand on that, please use Everest from my sig to post all the system information (you can use this as a guide) and please download SpeedFan and post all the temps and voltages you see. Remember to post all the info about your power supply as well.

JagrSpeed · 12-02-2006, 08:52 AM

How do I know if I have "overclock"????

Power Supply: Thermaltake SIlent Purepower W0014RU ATX12V 480W Power Supply
Motherboard: Asus P4P800 SE (5 PCI, 1 AGP, 1 WiFi, 4 DDR DIMM, Audio Gigabit LAN)
ASUS P4P800SE Socket 478 Intel 865PE ATX Intel Motherboard
CPU: Intel Pentium 4, 3200 MHz (16 x 200)
Intel Pentium 4 3.2E Prescott 3.2 GHz Socket 478 Processor
RAM: 1024 MB (PC3200 DDR SDRAM)
CORSAIR ValueSelect 512MB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM 400 (PC 3200) Desktop (two of these)
Video Card: Celestica Gold Edition RADEON 9600XT (256 MB) (it's ATI)
SAPPHIRE 100575-RED Radeon 9600XT 256MB DDR AGP 4X/8X Video Card -OEM
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JB 250 GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 (partitioned) (plus another similar hard drive)
Operating System: Windows XP Pro
DVD Burner, DVD Player, and Floppy Drive too
Tower: COOLER MASTER Praetorian PAC-T01-EK Black All Aluminum Alloy ATX Mid Tower Computing Case

**carsey** · 12-02-2006, 08:55 AM

You know if you have overclocked by changing settings in the BIOS. They are usually changed by enthusiasts to get a bit more power out of their system. It also creates more heat so it has to be a careful process.

Looking at your specs above it does not appear that you have overclocked.

JagrSpeed · 12-02-2006, 09:53 AM

I can't get Everest to work so I just posted the specs up there.

ps. I got the speedfan and it said:

Temp 1: 32C
Temp 2: 52C
Temp 3: -48C
HD0: 27C
HD1: 27C
Fan1: 2123 RPM
Fan2: 2679 RPM
Fan3: 0 RPM

What's with the 3rd fan?!

Why is one temperature negative???

Temp 2 is now 52C, but it slowly climbs (and was in the 70's before I got some compressed air and sprayed in around in the tower)

Should I not have used the air everywhere?

cpu heatsink and psu ought to be sprayed too? Is that the part with the fan on the inside?

**twajetmech** · 12-02-2006, 11:06 AM

You can ignore the 3rd temp sensor and fan....since you don't seem to have them installed or monitored (which is normal, and why you get the eroneous readings) all your temps are fine except for the 52C which I guess is your cpu....if that is for idle then that is way to high. You should spay around the cpu heatsink....yes, the part with the fan inside. I would suggest however that if you are using the stock heatsink that came with the Prescott cpu that you upgrade to a better one. The Prescott cpu's are well known for really high temps. A Zalman 7000B or 7700 (if it will fit) or even better a 9500 (if it will fit) would do much to bring the cpu temps down. You can check the Zalman website for which one is compatible with your mobo. Be sure to use some Artic Silver 5 thermal compound as well. Also make sure that Q-fan is disabled in the bios, that will allow the cpu fan to run at 100% rpm for better cooling. Oh, and have you had a bsod since the temp droped to 50C ?

Tumbleweed36 · 12-02-2006, 11:10 AM

Duplicate of Twa's post - Therefore not needed and deleted.

JagrSpeed · 12-03-2006, 04:01 PM

I couldn't figure-out how to use the zalman website so as to find the right thing for my pcu (cpu?) (what's a mobo, by the way?). How do I tell which one of the things fits? I did, however, figure-out that BSOD is blue screen of death! (black?) How do I do the 'q' bios thing? I'm hopeless-sorry. I really appreciate everything!!!

**twajetmech** · 12-03-2006, 07:05 PM

Ok, a mobo is short for motherboard, q-fan is a function in the bios that allows the bios to regulate the cpu fan to keep things quiet, disabling q-fan will allow the cpu fan to run at 100% rpm at all times for best cooling. The Zalman 7000B will fit your mobo, it is an improved version of the same cooler I'm currently using the 7000A......if you do go for the zalman get the 7000B-Cu, it is the all copper version with slightly better cooling characteristics than the 7000B-AlCu which is a combo of aluminium and copper. On the Zalman site just move the cursor over to Intel cpu's, a bunch of coolers will appear, click on one, and then select socket 478 compatability to see if your mobo is listed. Have you had a shut down since blowing out the computer....what are your temps now ?

**Kalim** · 12-04-2006, 10:16 PM

I was getting this 4 months back and it was the same mobo - turned out pretty clearly to be overheating CPU. What happens is while your in the middle of regular computing, it switches off completely as though there was a short circuit and it was done for safety. However at times, it didn't happen - times where I had the side case off with a table fan blowing.
I'd follow their ^ advice and get the paste, a heatsink and a fan.

You might even like th look of it: Zalman 7000B-Cu LED CPU Cooler Review

Quote:

- Dimensions : 109 (L) x 109 (W) x 62 (H) mm
- Weight : 755g
- Base Material : Pure Copper
- Dissipation Area : 3,154 cm2
- Bearing Type : 2-Ball
- Speed : 1,350 ~ 2,600 rpm ¡¾ 10%
- Thermal Resistance : 0.27 ~ 0.20 ¡ÆC/W
- Noise Level : 18.0 ~ 27.5 dB ¡¾ 10%

Thats the LED version of it BTW

**TheMatt** · 12-05-2006, 08:18 PM

You should definatley look into a new HSF, as the Prescott P4s get very hot. Zalman makes nice HSFs, and the 7000 is a great pick. Also, are using the thermal pads that came with the CPU, or did you use Arctic Silver 5? You should use that instead of the thermal pads.

~~BuffaloChips~~ · 12-05-2006, 09:37 PM

Do any of you people realize we live in a fahrenheit world not celsius? you can configure speed fan to show that in degrees fahrenheit.

Remember that your computer needs to be cleaned out frequently depending on where you live. Here where I live it really needs to be done monthly because there is a LOT of dust in the air. I live in a granite industrial area.

You are very lucky that MB's have the overheat feature these days. A few years back I got lazy and forgot about keeping mine clean and it cost me a MB and CPU.

**twajetmech** · 12-05-2006, 10:12 PM

Actually most of the world is metric, only the US and a few other places are holdouts

~~BuffaloChips~~ · 12-06-2006, 12:50 AM

Well, that is what i meant. We, as in Americans. The metric system is meaningless to me. especially in this sense.

**TheMatt** · 12-06-2006, 07:47 PM

I live in the US, and I use metrics for measuring most things related to computers, since many members at TSF are not in the US, and, as twajetmech has pointed out, only the US and one or two other countries use the English system.

Use this for conversions:
http://www.digitaldutch.com/unitconverter/

Now let's stay on topic.

11-27-2006, 07:11 PM	#1 (permalink)
JagrSpeed Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 6 OS: WinXP	My computer keeps turning off!!!! My computer (but not the monitor) shuts-off every now and then randomly. Any ideas what could be causing the problem? It's driving me insane (not to mention it scares me to death that I'll lose everything on my hardrive)!!! Thanks :)

11-27-2006, 07:24 PM	#2 (permalink)
twajetmech Moderator Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: LGA, NYC Posts: 2,364 OS: XP-Pro Sp2 & XP-Pro Sp2 Tablet Edition, Vista Ultimate My System	Hello and welcome to the forum. Sounds like it may be overheating....turn it off....using a can of compressed air blow out all the dust and such, pay particular attention to the cpu heatsink and psu,,,,make sure all the fans are clean and spin freely....turn it back on and see if all the fans spin. You can use speedfan or your mobo's diagnostic software to monitor the temps and volts....post back what you find, and list all your components like you see i my sig. __________________ PSU Selection/Info // Bench test // Thermal Paste // Memory Selection // Bios Beep Codes // CPU-Z// Posting System Specs

11-27-2006, 07:47 PM	#3 (permalink)
TheMatt Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,615 OS: Windows 3.1, 98, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	Hi, twajetmech has got it, it is probably a heat or power problem. To expand on that, please use Everest from my sig to post all the system information (you can use this as a guide) and please download SpeedFan and post all the temps and voltages you see. Remember to post all the info about your power supply as well. __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides

12-02-2006, 08:52 AM	#4 (permalink)
JagrSpeed Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 6 OS: WinXP	My specs How do I know if I have "overclock"???? Power Supply: Thermaltake SIlent Purepower W0014RU ATX12V 480W Power Supply Motherboard: Asus P4P800 SE (5 PCI, 1 AGP, 1 WiFi, 4 DDR DIMM, Audio Gigabit LAN) ASUS P4P800SE Socket 478 Intel 865PE ATX Intel Motherboard CPU: Intel Pentium 4, 3200 MHz (16 x 200) Intel Pentium 4 3.2E Prescott 3.2 GHz Socket 478 Processor RAM: 1024 MB (PC3200 DDR SDRAM) CORSAIR ValueSelect 512MB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM 400 (PC 3200) Desktop (two of these) Video Card: Celestica Gold Edition RADEON 9600XT (256 MB) (it's ATI) SAPPHIRE 100575-RED Radeon 9600XT 256MB DDR AGP 4X/8X Video Card -OEM Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JB 250 GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 (partitioned) (plus another similar hard drive) Operating System: Windows XP Pro DVD Burner, DVD Player, and Floppy Drive too Tower: COOLER MASTER Praetorian PAC-T01-EK Black All Aluminum Alloy ATX Mid Tower Computing Case

12-02-2006, 11:06 AM	#7 (permalink)
twajetmech Moderator Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: LGA, NYC Posts: 2,364 OS: XP-Pro Sp2 & XP-Pro Sp2 Tablet Edition, Vista Ultimate My System	You can ignore the 3rd temp sensor and fan....since you don't seem to have them installed or monitored (which is normal, and why you get the eroneous readings) all your temps are fine except for the 52C which I guess is your cpu....if that is for idle then that is way to high. You should spay around the cpu heatsink....yes, the part with the fan inside. I would suggest however that if you are using the stock heatsink that came with the Prescott cpu that you upgrade to a better one. The Prescott cpu's are well known for really high temps. A Zalman 7000B or 7700 (if it will fit) or even better a 9500 (if it will fit) would do much to bring the cpu temps down. You can check the Zalman website for which one is compatible with your mobo. Be sure to use some Artic Silver 5 thermal compound as well. Also make sure that Q-fan is disabled in the bios, that will allow the cpu fan to run at 100% rpm for better cooling. Oh, and have you had a bsod since the temp droped to 50C ? __________________ PSU Selection/Info // Bench test // Thermal Paste // Memory Selection // Bios Beep Codes // CPU-Z// Posting System Specs Last edited by twajetmech : 12-02-2006 at 11:08 AM.

12-02-2006, 08:55 AM	#5 (permalink)
carsey Moderator, TSF Articles Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hunwick, Co. Durham England Posts: 9,414 OS: XP Pro SP3 My System	You know if you have overclocked by changing settings in the BIOS. They are usually changed by enthusiasts to get a bit more power out of their system. It also creates more heat so it has to be a careful process. Looking at your specs above it does not appear that you have overclocked.

12-02-2006, 09:53 AM	#6 (permalink)
JagrSpeed Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 6 OS: WinXP	I can't get Everest to work so I just posted the specs up there. ps. I got the speedfan and it said: Temp 1: 32C Temp 2: 52C Temp 3: -48C HD0: 27C HD1: 27C Fan1: 2123 RPM Fan2: 2679 RPM Fan3: 0 RPM What's with the 3rd fan?! Why is one temperature negative??? Temp 2 is now 52C, but it slowly climbs (and was in the 70's before I got some compressed air and sprayed in around in the tower) Should I not have used the air everywhere? cpu heatsink and psu ought to be sprayed too? Is that the part with the fan on the inside?

12-02-2006, 11:10 AM	#8 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 12,816 OS: XP Professional	Duplicate of Twa's post - Therefore not needed and deleted. __________________ ---------- Last edited by Tumbleweed36 : 12-02-2006 at 11:14 AM.

12-03-2006, 04:01 PM	#9 (permalink)
JagrSpeed Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 6 OS: WinXP	Thanks for the help! I couldn't figure-out how to use the zalman website so as to find the right thing for my pcu (cpu?) (what's a mobo, by the way?). How do I tell which one of the things fits? I did, however, figure-out that BSOD is blue screen of death! (black?) How do I do the 'q' bios thing? I'm hopeless-sorry. I really appreciate everything!!!

12-03-2006, 07:05 PM	#10 (permalink)
twajetmech Moderator Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: LGA, NYC Posts: 2,364 OS: XP-Pro Sp2 & XP-Pro Sp2 Tablet Edition, Vista Ultimate My System	Ok, a mobo is short for motherboard, q-fan is a function in the bios that allows the bios to regulate the cpu fan to keep things quiet, disabling q-fan will allow the cpu fan to run at 100% rpm at all times for best cooling. The Zalman 7000B will fit your mobo, it is an improved version of the same cooler I'm currently using the 7000A......if you do go for the zalman get the 7000B-Cu, it is the all copper version with slightly better cooling characteristics than the 7000B-AlCu which is a combo of aluminium and copper. On the Zalman site just move the cursor over to Intel cpu's, a bunch of coolers will appear, click on one, and then select socket 478 compatability to see if your mobo is listed. Have you had a shut down since blowing out the computer....what are your temps now ? __________________ PSU Selection/Info // Bench test // Thermal Paste // Memory Selection // Bios Beep Codes // CPU-Z// Posting System Specs

12-05-2006, 08:18 PM	#12 (permalink)
TheMatt Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,615 OS: Windows 3.1, 98, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	You should definatley look into a new HSF, as the Prescott P4s get very hot. Zalman makes nice HSFs, and the 7000 is a great pick. Also, are using the thermal pads that came with the CPU, or did you use Arctic Silver 5? You should use that instead of the thermal pads. __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides

12-05-2006, 09:37 PM	#13 (permalink)
~~BuffaloChips~~ Register user Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: South East Posts: 82 OS: XP Pro sp.2	Do any of you people realize we live in a fahrenheit world not celsius? you can configure speed fan to show that in degrees fahrenheit. Remember that your computer needs to be cleaned out frequently depending on where you live. Here where I live it really needs to be done monthly because there is a LOT of dust in the air. I live in a granite industrial area. You are very lucky that MB's have the overheat feature these days. A few years back I got lazy and forgot about keeping mine clean and it cost me a MB and CPU.

12-05-2006, 10:12 PM	#14 (permalink)
twajetmech Moderator Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: LGA, NYC Posts: 2,364 OS: XP-Pro Sp2 & XP-Pro Sp2 Tablet Edition, Vista Ultimate My System	Actually most of the world is metric, only the US and a few other places are holdouts __________________ PSU Selection/Info // Bench test // Thermal Paste // Memory Selection // Bios Beep Codes // CPU-Z// Posting System Specs

12-06-2006, 12:50 AM	#15 (permalink)
~~BuffaloChips~~ Register user Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: South East Posts: 82 OS: XP Pro sp.2	Well, that is what i meant. We, as in Americans. The metric system is meaningless to me. especially in this sense.