PassedOutGuy Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 It seems that our computer now has a mind of its own... at any time it will beep and then shut down and restart on its own... the only changes that we have made were installing soulseek a music sharing program ... we have since uninstalled it... the shut downs started after putting in a discs of pictures we had taken... our anti virus cant find anything and im starting to be at a loss... im a little worried with Leese going back to school Monday and i worry she may lose work... any ideas would be greatly appreciated... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PassedOutGuy Posted December 31, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 thanks for the tip Megs.. ill pass that on... I know Leese is pretty diligent when it comes to her assignments... its just I worry if it shuts down before she gets any chance to save... oh and for all you that may be able to help.. we use XP pro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weezy Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 My guess is that your motherboard is toast. Random shut-downs are often a tell-tale sign of this. If you're comfortable with opening up your computer, then go ahead and have a look at the diodes on the motherboard (the small round things with the 'X's on them in the pic below) If any of them look rounded at the top like they are trying to burst open, then you need a new motherboard. Try to grab all the data you can now because the problem will only get worse. You will have to re-format and re-install everything once you replace it. G'luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bokonon Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 could this also be attributed to a lack of ram to power all the running programs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weezy Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 oh yeah.. it could also be: - an overheating problem (clean the insides of the computer, especially the CPU fan and power supply fan) - a bad RAM module (switch them, try new ones) - or a bad power supply (get a new tower case w/ new power box) hopefully it's one of these cheaper, easier to fix problems... (I always start with the worst case scenario) Buenas suerte! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PassedOutGuy Posted December 31, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 thanks for scarin me weezy... but hey thanks for the ideas... we tried the fan earlier and it is running a bit better but had 2 random shut downs though both were around burnin a cd... i plan to try to clean the fan even more... keep em comin folks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Gruvsten Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 definitely overheating. If it's beeping before shutdown then it's something the computer recognizes as a problem, so can't be diodes or actual parts, it's gotta be something with a sensor - RAM checksum could be a culprit but usually that shows at boot up. Power supply gone bad maybe but 99% chance it's overheating as that's where the sensors are. Get a can of spray air in there, blow out all the fans. Unplug the computer, use a small paint brush and brush the fans,heatsinks, then spray air the sh!t outta it. Take apart the power supply, do the same. Look at the intake in the front of the computer. clean it. boot it up, make sure all the fans are running. check to see that all heatsinks are firmly attached. good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PassedOutGuy Posted December 31, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 hey thanks Eric... like I said any help is appreciated... now to get a can of spray air... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secondtube Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 i also agree it sounds like overheating.... but depending on how its been happening, the damage could already be done.... Check if there is any smoke/sute on the motherboard.... I'd obviously spray it down, but also consider changing the powersource, fan, and heatsync. All could have been damaged... Kenny at PJC lost everything, and needed to buy a new system, because of this exact thing...'cept he kept restarting it after it shut down, until he virtually melted his components. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 Try a new power supply. I had similar problems for almost a year before I tried a new power supply and I haven't had any since. The difference though is that my computer would just randomly shut down. I tore my hair out for a year debugging the problem and in the end it was the power supply. You can get a cheap no-name power supply for about $15 so it can't hurt to give it a shot.Also, a friend of mine also had similar problems with two of his computers. I told him for about a year to change the power supply. When he finally took them into the shop and paid to have them fixed, guess what part they replaced?Edited to add that I tried spraying the dust out of my computer first but no dice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PassedOutGuy Posted December 31, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 thanks ollie... im gonna try the spraying thing first seeing as though i spent the money on it... cant seem to find any virus on the comp that would be causing this so it just may be the power suppy... could too many plugs in the computers power bar be an issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AD Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 I had a problem like this a while ago and it turned out that the video card wasn't firmly locked into the motherboard. If you've moved or jarred it recently it might not hurt to open it up while you're air-spraying it and making sure all the connections are tight.AD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secondtube Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 good advice AD, often cards get mislodged, making the computer do funny things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PassedOutGuy Posted December 31, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 thanks Alan... thats actually what I just did so lets see how she works now... fingers crossed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PassedOutGuy Posted December 31, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 well im thinkin its probably the power source... mind you the air dusting was definately necessary especially having three cats in the place..... i guess we'll see what she can do on Sunday... thanks again everyone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headygouda Posted January 2, 2005 Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 POG - Unfortunately, I believe that weezy is correct. The board is on its way out. My computer kept doing this 2 months ago, it kept it up for 2-3 weeks, then it never started again. couldn't even get to CMOS. It was a great excuse to get a new smokin' fast computer, but was a pain in the ass when it happened. You shouldn't lose any data since your HD will still be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PassedOutGuy Posted January 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 ya im starting to think that as well after talkin to Booch... i think ill try the power supply if i can today... if that doesnt work i guess we know where were at... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paan Posted January 2, 2005 Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 With my being in the computer field, this is an easy problem for me to diagnos. Demons. Your computer is possessed by demons. I have seen it a hundred times before. Get it to the nearest chapel, church, temple, or whatever the frig they call them now, and get one of those holy father guys to exorcise it. Its your only hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bONES Posted January 2, 2005 Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 With my being in the computer field, this is an easy problem for me to diagnos. Demons. Your computer is possessed by demons. I have seen it a hundred times before. Get it to the nearest chapel, church, temple, or whatever the frig they call them now, and get one of those holy father guys to exorcise it. Its your only hope. and those demons wouldn't arise if you'd stop downloading your amateur porn pics :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PassedOutGuy Posted January 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 I cant help it if I was looking for your pictoral you told me about after the Spades show... do you remember that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phunky Cauldron Posted January 3, 2005 Report Share Posted January 3, 2005 holy crap...as luck (or lack thereof) would have it, i'm having the exact same problem. My pc won't even get to the welcome screen anymore before shutting down. I'll try all the recommended solutions...thanks. I really don't want to lose all the digi pics i've taken over the last couple of years...that would break my heart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Posted January 3, 2005 Report Share Posted January 3, 2005 hey Phunky - is your PC beeping "strangly" on boot-up (ie: anything other than 1 short beep)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted January 3, 2005 Report Share Posted January 3, 2005 I am sure the data will be fine Phunky........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phunky Cauldron Posted January 3, 2005 Report Share Posted January 3, 2005 dang...okay, well tried dusting the poop outta the pc, after having taken the sucka apart...no luck. So, it's looking like muthaboard it is. Let me know if you find a good deal on a new board PoG. Maybe a group discount would apply Gawd I hope i don't lose my data...fingers crossed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Gruvsten Posted January 3, 2005 Report Share Posted January 3, 2005 skipped a step there-try the power supply thingie first. much cheaper option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now