Computer Shuts Down.

illiterate · Joined: Mar 01, 2006 Posts: 4

Hi, every so often my computer shuts itself down without warning.

Once it has turned off like this, I can not turn it back on by simply pressing the power button.

I actually have to unplug the pc from the wall before pressing the power button will turn the pc back on.

I suspect it has something to do with my cpu fan not cooling enough.

My cpu fan/heatsink are most likely junk as I bought them in Egypt while I lived there.

Also, I hear there is supposed to be some kind of cooling compound that goes between the heatsink and the cpu, and mine does not have that.

Any help would be appreciated.

Debora · Joined: Mar 28, 2004 Posts: 1769 Location: Iowa

OUCH!! that's not good on the chip!!! You could, if not already, fry the thing!!! Get some "goo" to go between the heatsync and chip and turn off the pc until you do or risk having to replace the chip.

Second, make darned sure that the cpu fan IS working and working well. Anyone in the industry will tell you that the two most costly and most damaging things to the inside pc are ......

static electricity and heat!! One must ALWAYS be wary of either and both..........

the "goo" is called thermal paste and can be purchased about anywhere computer parts are sold, either retail or online....... costs only a few bucks at most, even for the silver kind..... get some quick!!!!

when it arrives, go online and visit a few sites (google for them) on the proper install technique for the chip and fan you have. Too little paste and you get no heat dispersion, too much and you have more problems....... just right and it probably will stop shutting down on ya!

Rons · Joined: Dec 07, 2002 Posts: 5667

If after putting on the 'goop', the problem persists, you may wsih to check your power supply. This will also cause a similar situation as you described.

And welcome to the forum. Cool

goretsky · Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2006 1:42 am Post subject:

Hello,

Are any of the capicitors on the motherboard bulging or have residue on the sides or at their bases? If so, those capacitors have ruptured and power may not be routed correctly around the motherboard to various components such as the CPU. The capacitors (or the motherboard) will need to be replaced to resolve the problem.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

micker377 · Joined: May 27, 2005 Posts: 994

rovingcowboy · Joined: Jan 26, 2003 Posts: 1279

no where do you say what type of system you have.?

do you have amd or intel.

amd needs the cooling or you will fry the cpu on the very first second of too high of heat.

intel will take a little more heat.

what is the cpu?

what is the os?

do you have any software cpu coolers?

you need to let us know all that so we can give you complete help.

i can say if you have amd then go to majorgeeks.com and look for the vcool program or what every they have now that will cool the amd by software. and use it.

if you have win98 with a pent. then you can get the rain software cooler version 1 as version 2 don't work.

but it will cool the cpu for you when the fan is out. and let you have some time to get a new fan in the mail.

vcool will work on amd on win98 or winMe. and it said on winXp also. but not sure its been 3 years since i got that program, there might be better one now for amd.

xp has its own built in software cooler. and dont need it mostly but some like to use one anyway.

the pent 4's are not so touching about the heat.

but like i said let us know what you have for a system.

:ohmy:

jereece · Joined: Dec 06, 2002 Posts: 567

Morbius · Joined: Sep 05, 2005 Posts: 1712

Werebo · Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 6:01 pm Post subject:

What I'm still a bit curious about is why the PC has to be disconnected from the socket before it will switch on again.....

Illiterate??? When it cuts out on you, will it switch back on if you pretend to unplug and plug it back in?? To determine whether the few seconds it takes is just enough for the CPU to cool, or if it actually IS a PSU problem :hmm: .....

illiterate · Joined: Mar 01, 2006 Posts: 4

Okay, let me start from the top.

There was nothing between the heatsink and the cpu so I went and bought some silver thermal compound and applied it.

I think my cpu fan is slowly dying because it takes a while to get spinning and slows down every once in a while. I plan to replace it soon.

I don't know what capictors are, but my motherboard looks normal.

My cpu is an intel celeron, and I use Windows XP SP2. No, I don't have any cpu cooling software.

And lastly, no, it doesn't matter how long the cpu is off once it shuts down it will not turn back on unless I unplug it from the wall first.

I applied the thermal compound yesterday and have only had my computer on for a few minutes so I don't know if that solved the problem, but I'm doubtful it will. Thanks for the help so far, and I'll tell you all if it happens again.

Debora · Joined: Mar 28, 2004 Posts: 1769 Location: Iowa

first off: "I think my cpu fan is slowly dying because it takes a while to get spinning and slows down every once in a while. I plan to replace it soon."

That means immediate... you never want your cpu fan to be "slowly dying". If it's at fault at all, change it out asap... they're fairly cheap considering the price you'll pay for a new cpu if it gets toasted...

Second... have you checked out your power supply to see if it's faulty?

Third.... capictors are little things on the mother board that look like tin cans about the size of a pencil or so.... they'll bulge and seep or leak if faulty

Werebo · Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 6:04 pm Post subject:

illiterate · Joined: Mar 01, 2006 Posts: 4

Ok, I checked and the capacitors don't appear to have any problems.

Yes, the fan is plugged into the motherboard, but when it slows down it makes a really loud noise so thats why I think it's dying (it sure sounds like it anyway).

The heatsink isn't very hot to the touch, but I plan to replace the fan anyway because it really sounds badly.

My power supply is a 350W, and I have just recently added a new stick of 512 ram, a new graphics card, and a new hard drive. Could the recent upgrades be my problem? Not enough power?

meecrob28 · Joined: Mar 09, 2006 Posts: 9

To put my two cents in, I would definately get a new fan asap and swap out the power supply with a known good one. As for the power, it depends on how many components you have.... For my system I'm running a 550W supply because I have 4 drives and 5 case fans.... it all depends on how much hardware you have. Personally, I wouldn't run a P4 system with anything less than 450W, always better to have more power than you need than not enough.... If you have more than 2 IDE devices (hd, cdrom, etc), I would suggest a more powerful supply.... If a supply is going out or being over taxed, it can't supply the power to keep the computer running and will shut down with no warning so as not to damage itself by drawing too much current.... Good luck!! Smile

Werebo · Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 8:50 pm Post subject:

Yep, it sounds like the fan bearings are worn out, the fan should be quieter when it slows down :laugh: ...

I'd recommend a 450W PSU, or if you're planning any further upgrades/additions later, a 550W one.

:thumbup:

Morbius · Joined: Sep 05, 2005 Posts: 1712

rovingcowboy · Joined: Jan 26, 2003 Posts: 1279

i should have read more carefuly i just jumped on the heat sink line and went that way.

did not pay attention to the unplug from the wall. line.

that tells me there is a switch in the power supply being heated or a cap. in it getting too hot and shorting out or crossing do to too much power being pulled through the unit.

kind of like a blinking christmas light that sticks until you put it from the socket.

but get that new bigger supply and a new cpu fan if the barrings are going out. that might have been the cause of the supply going bad.

Werebo · Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 5:24 pm Post subject:

illiterate · Joined: Mar 01, 2006 Posts: 4

Well, after I replaced the cpu fan, it still happened again.

So, I went on to the next thing, the power supply.

I bought a 420 watt because thats all the store had and it's been 2 days and it hasn't happened again so I think my problem is SOLVED.

Thanks, guys for all the help. :biggrin:

Werebo · Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 7:49 am Post subject:

Excellent news Illiterate Smile

You can take your ear plugs out too?? Wink

Thanks for the feedback on your success, it's always good to hear from our happy gnomies :thumbup: