Dodgy Computers
- Thread starter mistamick
- Start date
Yes, I have. These things can be caused by a number of things and it can be tricky to find what causes it. It can be a case of the processor being overheated. In that case you need better cooling or taking off the hood of the computer. It can also be conflicting hardware (which is tricky to find out). It can also be damaged hardware or faulty hardware drivers (also tricky to establish which one).
I wish there was an easy way to spot the cause and fix it, because I currently have the same issues with my computer. I have tried locating the cause without success and will now replace the computer entirely.
I wish there was an easy way to spot the cause and fix it, because I currently have the same issues with my computer. I have tried locating the cause without success and will now replace the computer entirely.
DragonPaint
Member
Track this type of annoyng bugs is my work
Most of the time you have to check two things: heat and power
heat: check if the computer has all the opening free, if you have the rear of the PC near a wall or under your desk check that the air from the power supply or the other fans can freely flow away. If you have something that interrupt the air flow the temperature inside the case can be too high and your system shut down.
Open your computer and check if all the fans (system, cpu, graphic card) are working and that your computer is clean, someting the dust can block the regular flow of the air. Check also that your cables are secured all toghether and away from the fans.
Of everything is ok, touch your power supply, if the power supply is too hot probably you have added some new device that drain too much power and you need a bigger power supply (more Watt)
If you can find another power supply try to change it and check if the problem is gone.
Hope it helps and sorry for the bad english, I\'m a bit in hurry to check it
Most of the time you have to check two things: heat and power
heat: check if the computer has all the opening free, if you have the rear of the PC near a wall or under your desk check that the air from the power supply or the other fans can freely flow away. If you have something that interrupt the air flow the temperature inside the case can be too high and your system shut down.
Open your computer and check if all the fans (system, cpu, graphic card) are working and that your computer is clean, someting the dust can block the regular flow of the air. Check also that your cables are secured all toghether and away from the fans.
Of everything is ok, touch your power supply, if the power supply is too hot probably you have added some new device that drain too much power and you need a bigger power supply (more Watt)
If you can find another power supply try to change it and check if the problem is gone.
Hope it helps and sorry for the bad english, I\'m a bit in hurry to check it
Try swapping keyboards with a machine which is working properly. A keyboard is one of the least obvious things that can cause such behaviour. Seriously.
A faulty power supply, one that seems to work fine, but has unstable voltages is yet another culprit. Unfortunately, the only way to really test this is to replace the power supply.
But before blaming anything in particular, clean the computer, like DragonPaint says. Dust can cause shorts in the connections, or prevent connections from happening at all. So when you clean the computer, remove the cards and connectors one by one, and re-seat them to try and make fresh contact.
A faulty power supply, one that seems to work fine, but has unstable voltages is yet another culprit. Unfortunately, the only way to really test this is to replace the power supply.
But before blaming anything in particular, clean the computer, like DragonPaint says. Dust can cause shorts in the connections, or prevent connections from happening at all. So when you clean the computer, remove the cards and connectors one by one, and re-seat them to try and make fresh contact.
Yes, i have noticed in this hot weather mine crashed, the manufacturer told me to up the allowed heat of the CPU, and its worked fine.
If your comps old, I used to wipe all info off andstart again, that clears all the unwanted stuff that is probably crashing it. or make sure you clear your cache and unwanted files regularly, if its not these think about replacing it. I had to in the end, good luck anyway
If your comps old, I used to wipe all info off andstart again, that clears all the unwanted stuff that is probably crashing it. or make sure you clear your cache and unwanted files regularly, if its not these think about replacing it. I had to in the end, good luck anyway
I had that problem a couple years ago. It turned out (like everyone else was saying) to be heat.
The CPU heat sink fan was choked with dust, and would slow, then stop, while I used the computer. When I cracked the case to look inside, it jarred the fan enough to get it going again, so I didn\'t identify the problem until I left the case open and ran the computer.
Solution, new CPU heat sink, but make sure you have some of that thermal paste in place. Bad things happen if the CPU can\'t effectively conduct its heat to the heat sink. (Yes, another experience related story.)
The CPU heat sink fan was choked with dust, and would slow, then stop, while I used the computer. When I cracked the case to look inside, it jarred the fan enough to get it going again, so I didn\'t identify the problem until I left the case open and ran the computer.
Solution, new CPU heat sink, but make sure you have some of that thermal paste in place. Bad things happen if the CPU can\'t effectively conduct its heat to the heat sink. (Yes, another experience related story.)
mine will restart itselfe from time to time... nothing i can do about it honestly... the thing that annoys me is sometimes it will take forever to boot.. after the boot screen it will restart itselfe.. took me half an hour to fight this a couple of times, altho last 2 boots have been good so mayb i fixed it lol
Sorry that\'s the wrong way around. You need to maintain the temperature lower than the environment for optimal performance.Originally posted by krom1415
That could be a heat problem, when your comps working at full stretch, try phoning a manufacturer, to see how to up the temperature of CPU, its worth a try
As has been stated check the fan, If you can get hold of a can of Air for cleaning the PC that should effectivly remove the dust from any moving parts. (Not bad for cleaning dust of models either)
WARNING:
The dust is not good for you, wear a mask.
But under no circumstances use an ordinary vacuum to clean the PC. There are very tiny jumper switches which can be sucked off the mother board (and Cards). If they go, you may as well buy a new Motherboard.
Duende
New member
It\'s only happened with my work computer. The tech guy said it was because of the two different virus programs that were conflicting with each other. My (new) computer, which is a Dell, came with Norton, but our network main computer has McAfee installed on it. I don\'t know it is was a load of BS or not, but it stopped happening after he completely uninstalled Norton from it. He said it\'s a common thing that different virus programs \"don\'t get along\" and can cause crashes and lock-ups like I was having.
Any computer-savvy people out there that can shed any light on this theory?
Any computer-savvy people out there that can shed any light on this theory?
No Such Agency
New member
You\'ve already received excellent advice, I\'ll still throw in a vote for \"check your power supply\". I started getting really bad shutdowns about 6 months ago, playing Counter Strike Source and Unreal Tournament 2004. Both VERY demanding games. I re-seated the processor heatsink with Arctic Silver thermal paste, added a second case fan, and it didn\'t fix the problem. It turned out my weak-ass 400W power supply was to blame, I bought a behemoth 550W unit and it\'s been fine ever since (except I need to Dremel my case a bit to fit it in properly!). But I\'d check the other stuff first, buying a new PS on faith might be a waste.
I think he meant \"increase the safety shutdown temperature setting for the processor\", if it is set unecessarily low you could get shutdowns when the CPU was not really \"overheating\". Anyway you can\'t keep processor temperature *below* ambient unless you use an actual refrigerated cooler, eg. a Peltier unit or running your water cooling through a bar fridge
Torn blue sky
New member
Sounds like a real job to fix! You can solve it by following 5 easy steps guaranteed!1. Carefully unplug all cables from your PC.
2. Remove the PC tower from the vacinity of its logings.
3. You need the following tools, a screwdriver, a multimeter and a hammer.
4. I lied about the screwdriver and the Multimeter...Smash the Sh*T out of it.
5. Buy a suitable replacement.
Hope this helps, have a nice day
