Random Shutdowns

LoneWolfMage · Joined: Jan 16, 2003 Posts: 211

Greetings Gnomies-

sorry if this post is on the long side but i want to make sure i gave as much info as i could about a problem that is being experinced on my Freinds system
and i tried to be as decriptive as possible ..

First off ..the reason "shuts down" in the topic Description is presented that way its cause it Doesnt seem like a TOTAL shut down .. does it shut down ? YES it does with the exception of the fact that the HD activity light remains SOLID on the front of the case and the Power button has got to be pressed and held to acctually "shut down" no key strokes as in trying to "wake it" as if from stand by or Hibernate will work .. this is a pretty much Random occurance .. (save for the fact that sometimes it will happen IMEDIATELY upon a legitimate "wake up" call or from a legitimate Start up")

Thats is the best description of the problem that i can give Smile

Second .. there is NO WARNING what so ever in the way of a dialog box or ANYTHING ... ( yes windows is NOT set to automatically shut down when an error occurs) it just "dies" as described in previous section as well as the fact that it WILL reboot normally ( without going thu the "normal" Scandisk that windows kicks in with after an "abnormal reboot" and it is NOT listed in the even Log as far as i can determine)

Third.. Figuring it was Adware or Virus Based or a Possible Hijack i ran all required tests AND submitted a HJT log to the respctive area of the forum .. and once Die Hard helped me clear out some nasties it came back with a clean bill of health .. .. but that didnt seem to help still same "shut sown" problem occurs figuring also it MAY be an overheat problem i took the temp of the system and it runs at normal Temps

The ONLY thing i MAY have been able to ascertain is it MAY have been one of the updates that my freind did from the Windows up date site ...there are 4 of them that seem to coincide with the time the "shut downs" started occuring
they are as follows :(no other program installs seem to be done around this time either )

Saturday, March 20, 2004 DirectX 9.0b End-User Runtime

Saturday, March 20, 2004 Security Update for Windows XP (KB828028)

Saturday, March 20, 2004 Security Update for Microsoft Data Access Components (KB832483)

Saturday, March 20, 2004 Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 (KB832894)

sytem configuration ( basic ) is as follows:

HP Pavilion 513w
1.8Ghz Intel Celeron
254 Megabytes Installed Memory
80 Gb total HD Space
Win Xp Home Sp1

thanks for ay help you kind folks can give
LoneWolf

usasma · Joined: May 06, 2003 Posts: 5007

? Overheating? HP crams a lot of stuff into a little bit of case. Just a guess tho' Sad

LoneWolfMage · Joined: Jan 16, 2003 Posts: 211

usasma · Joined: May 06, 2003 Posts: 5007

Dunno, but if the HDD light is still on, and nobody's home - I'd suspect the video. Maybe updating the drivers with the reference drivers? (I had a problem once with an HP and the drivers from HP and Microsoft - I went to the reference drivers from nVidia and all worked fine after that).

LoneWolfMage · Joined: Jan 16, 2003 Posts: 211

gregofvt · Joined: Jun 23, 2003 Posts: 3700

Do these random shutdowns have anything in common? Is it possible that an iffy power supply is causing the problem?

GREG

ZEUS_GB · Joined: Jan 14, 2003 Posts: 5061 Location: UK

hooNos · Joined: Mar 22, 2004 Posts: 301

I don't know how old the computer is, but sometimes it's the smallest thing overlooked. Have you changed the motherboard battery? Just a suggestion.

Rons · Joined: Dec 07, 2002 Posts: 5667

Agree.....PS could be suspect. HP may use non-standard PS.

I would give HP tech. support a call. Smile

LoneWolfMage · Joined: Jan 16, 2003 Posts: 211

Rons · Joined: Dec 07, 2002 Posts: 5667

If you need a PS - check this link - you may be able to match the HP unit:

http://www.seasonic.com/product/pc_sfx.jsp

goretsky · Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2004 4:01 am Post subject:

Hello,

Does the computer have an "always on" broadband (cable, DSL, satellite and so forth) Internet connection? If so, does unplugging the network cable from the computer seem to make any difference with respect to the shutdown problem?

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

LoneWolfMage · Joined: Jan 16, 2003 Posts: 211

sorry for the delay in posting replies but heres how thigs are going :)

so far we have FORMATED verus restoring the system uing HPs format controls
and so far its been about 2 days since we have done that and it SEEM to have solved the problems..

what we DID figure out in the process of all this ( reseating cards and what not .. ) SOMEHOW the "system fan" (NOT the acctual processor fan but a factory installed case fan) became unplugged as well as the fact that her 15 year old son decided to help him self to one of the components (vid card) in the process of all this

soo any way the kid is on strict computing supervison ... and she has been shutting down the system herself versus putting it on stand by .. which SEEMS to be helping the problem ...

i will be CAUTIOUSLY installing the diffrent programs and updates that were on the system BEFORE this fiasco and will be CLOSELY monitoring the progress ..

if it seems to recur AGAIN .. then ill take other action ( may just for the sake of "safety" pick up a PSU depending on cost )

thanks again Gnomies for ALL suggestions .. the next time you will see this topic "bumped" will be if the problem presents itself again EVEN IF the PSU is replaced .. or if this thread gets "taken away " in the normal board maintenace which ever happens first in the latter case ill have to start it again )

Thanks again Lone Wolf

LoneWolfMage · Joined: Jan 16, 2003 Posts: 211

LoneWolfMage · Joined: Jan 16, 2003 Posts: 211

LoneWolfMage · Joined: Jan 16, 2003 Posts: 211

well on a whim .. and KNOWING that the system needed an INSIDE cleaning .. ( after seeing that the vid card went missing) .. i cleaned off the dust ALL WITHIN the case .. as happened to nitice .. that the capacitors that run along the side of the Processor LOOK like like they are either leaking or have slightly burst ...

the tops of them that i can see .. have a whitish colored deposit on them and it has the taste of like an acidic compound

i remeber hearing about faulty capacitors in systems .. just dont remeber if was for certain pre built systems ,,,, or certain motherboards....

and IF they are covered under warranty or some sort of xtended warranty vis either the "pre built company" or the manufacturer .. (the one year warranty that is included with the system on purchase has now run out )

any help on that subject would be appreciated or even what i can do about it

Rons · Joined: Dec 07, 2002 Posts: 5667

If you can locate the manufacture name, serial number and code [this is sometimes on the bottom of the last PCI or ISA slot on the mobo], it wouldn't hurt to contact them.

patio · Joined: Feb 03, 2004 Posts: 5598

I would immediately remove all devices from the system as irreperable damage can be done to the components.
Then take Ron's advice and contact the manuf.....

patio.
B)

p.s. the taste??? Razz

User: inactive Posts:

The MOBO is probably proprietary to HP. If you get one from them you will pay and arm and a leg for it. You can check third party vendors for compaible MOBO's. In the future I would stay away from HP computers. A friend of mine went through 5 of them in a 3 month period after purchase.

LoneWolfMage · Joined: Jan 16, 2003 Posts: 211

Well Gnomies-

the system is HISTORY ..well kinda

it still works ( limping along) but has been passed down to my freinds son .. ALL extra components that we installed on the system are removed .. so now its workin off everything that is ON BOARD ... and it wont be used for HEAVY computing

once it TOTALY dies some of the parts ( monitor, keyboard, speakers ) will be sold off for what we can get for it

we went out to our local Walmart and broke down and picked up a E Machines Model W-2888

we WILL NOT be going back to HP pre built systems for a LONG LONG time given what we went thru with this one ( no system disk, bad capacitors,etc)

I DO appreciate any and all suggestions that came in in reagrds to this system and all were tried and considered but in the end as i had said we ended up gettin a new system and "handing down" the old one

thanks again

LoneWolf