PC Restarting all the time

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unwired

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Hi All

Hope you boffins can help me with this problem that I am experiencing:

I have a pc that has P4 3.0Ghz processor and 1G ram. Over the last few weeks I have noticed a troubling issue:

1. When i switch the pc off the normal way - after a few minutes the PC will just start up on its own.
2. When using the pc, either browsing the net or working on office - the pc will for no reason restart itself.

I have tried opening the case and cleaning it - there was a lot of dust and dirt inside especially in the fan itself and the vents. However that hasnt solved the problem and the pc just carries on doing that and it is getting a bit irritating now - it happens even if the pc has been on for only 5 minutes.
Dont know if it is a heat issue - checked both the cpu fan and the other fan and both are running fine.

I need some ideas as to what could possibly be going wrong.

Thanks
 
1 - When referring to the normal way what do you mean ? Power button or start -> shutdown ? Maybe your advanced power options put the system in standby mode ?

2 - Do you notice a brief bluescreen ? One common issue that causes PC's to restart is faulty RAM, or corrupt driver issue.

If its a heat issue then the computer would most likely switch off completely or lock up (from my experience).

Check your event logs Application/System and look for anything flagged in red that may indicate a problem. Right click on Computer -> Manage -> Event Viewer -> Windows Logs.
 
start up the BIOS and watch the temp monitors (Hardware monitors menu) then you will know if its over heating
 
Cube3 said:
1 - When referring to the normal way what do you mean ? Power button or start -> shutdown ? Maybe your advanced power options put the system in standby mode ?

2 - Do you notice a brief bluescreen ? One common issue that causes PC's to restart is faulty RAM, or corrupt driver issue.

If its a heat issue then the computer would most likely switch off completely or lock up (from my experience).

Check your event logs Application/System and look for anything flagged in red that may indicate a problem. Right click on Computer -> Manage -> Event Viewer -> Windows Logs.
Click to expand...

1. shut down - is via start button - shut down.
2. No blue screen

will check windows logs tonite. thanks
 
Last time i had similar problem was CPU overheating.
After a few minutes place your finger on cpu & tell me if its hot or not ;)
 
IceQB said:
Last time i had similar problem was CPU overheating.
After a few minutes place your finger on cpu & tell me if its hot or not ;)
Click to expand...

then call and amberlamps for 3rd degree burns
 
Disable "Automatic restart" in System Propeties -> Advanced -> Start up and Recovery. Then it should not automatically restart and instead show you a BSOD with an error. Google the error for fixes.
 
unwired said:
Hi All

Hope you boffins can help me with this problem that I am experiencing:

I have a pc that has P4 3.0Ghz processor and 1G ram. Over the last few weeks I have noticed a troubling issue:

1. When i switch the pc off the normal way - after a few minutes the PC will just start up on its own.
2. When using the pc, either browsing the net or working on office - the pc will for no reason restart itself.

I have tried opening the case and cleaning it - there was a lot of dust and dirt inside especially in the fan itself and the vents. However that hasnt solved the problem and the pc just carries on doing that and it is getting a bit irritating now - it happens even if the pc has been on for only 5 minutes.
Dont know if it is a heat issue - checked both the cpu fan and the other fan and both are running fine.

I need some ideas as to what could possibly be going wrong.

Thanks
Click to expand...

1. Not sure why it's starting up itself.

2. Judging by the date of this post, I can only assume you're running an evaluation version of Win7. It will continue to do a hard reboot every 2 hours or so until you get a proper copy, I'm afraid.
 
Voicy said:
1. Not sure why it's starting up itself.

2. Judging by the date of this post, I can only assume you're running an evaluation version of Win7. It will continue to do a hard reboot every 2 hours or so until you get a proper copy, I'm afraid.
Click to expand...

nope win xp sp3
 
unwired said:
Hi All

Hope you boffins can help me with this problem that I am experiencing:

I have a pc that has P4 3.0Ghz processor and 1G ram. Over the last few weeks I have noticed a troubling issue:

1. When i switch the pc off the normal way - after a few minutes the PC will just start up on its own.
2. When using the pc, either browsing the net or working on office - the pc will for no reason restart itself.

I have tried opening the case and cleaning it - there was a lot of dust and dirt inside especially in the fan itself and the vents. However that hasnt solved the problem and the pc just carries on doing that and it is getting a bit irritating now - it happens even if the pc has been on for only 5 minutes.
Dont know if it is a heat issue - checked both the cpu fan and the other fan and both are running fine.

I need some ideas as to what could possibly be going wrong.

Thanks
Click to expand...

had the same problem with my laptop.
i ran anti-virus software as well as registry cleaners, then i reloaded my windows.
laptop still running smoothly
 
I reckon its either a ram problem or a virus although im leaning towards ram.
Download this little app: http://www.memtest86.com/download.html
Once downloaded put the files onto a blank cd and burn.
Make sure the first boot device within the bios is cd rom and restart bios.
Press enter and start the test.
If you get even 1 error on memtest then your ram is faulty.

This app saved me just last week when the brand new ram i bought was faulty.
Ram is a fickle son of a b@#$$, it would appear to behave and randomly give you errors before finally kicking the bucket and forcing you to purchase more.
At the very least you will have peace of mind and look like a pro when diagnosing someone elses pc.
Is the machine on a LAN with the boot on Lan setting enabled?
Also take the lithium battery out of the motherboard if all else fails for about 5 mins or reset the cmos jumper from the motherboard.
Last resort is a clean install of windows which is a time wasting pain in the toekus.
 
Last edited:
one of the guys suggested checking system events - did that - and there was nothing there.
I thought that there might be dust in the fan - checked that - opened and cleaned it - still no impact.
Replaced the cpu fan and heatsink - and the problem still happens.

one thing i noticed though is that it happens when i am running something that may require additional power -
- when i insert a cd/dvd into the drive - within 2 seconds of that - it restarts itself
- when i watch a video on the pc - also restarts itself
could it not mean my power supply is packing up?

the machine is not on a lan.
will try the lithium battery option - have already backed up the pc - so last resort is a clean start.
 
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