Computer Randomly Restarting

R

rummy666

CAG Veteran
Now I know you are probably looking at the title of this post and thinking, "Oh boy, another person with this stupid problem," but I have no where else to turn, so I figured I'd post on a forum with a bunch of people that probably know far more about a computers architecture than me. I ran into this problem recently. I changed nothing about my computer, it just started happening. My computer will randomly restart, or give me a blank blue screen, or one saying there is a hardware malfunction, but give me no other useful information. Now, I have swapped out every piece of hardware (RAM, video card, power supply etc) and I still get the same result. I just built this computer a little over a month ago and everything is brand new. I have tried reinstalling the drivers of everything and the problem still happens. I built this computer to mainly play games on (I have another to do work on). I am not sure what to do. Oh, I have also run all sorts of benchmark tests, memtest, 3dmark, sisandra, and nothing seems to be malfunctioning. The problem is very random (but since I usually use this computer for gaming it usually occurs while playing games, never while idle). My computers specs are as follows:
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Professional
OS Service Pack Service Pack 2
Internet Explorer 6.0.2900.2180 (IE 6.0 SP2)
DirectX 4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)
Motherboard:
CPU Type Intel Pentium 4E, 3018 MHz (15 x 201)
Motherboard Name Abit VT7 (5 PCI, 1 AGP, 4 DIMM, Audio, LAN)
Motherboard Chipset VIA Apollo PT880
System Memory 1024 MB (DDR SDRAM)
BIOS Type Award (08/27/04)
Communication Port Communications Port (COM1)
Communication Port Printer Port (LPT1)

Display:
Video Adapter RADEON 9600 SERIES - Secondary (128 MB)
Video Adapter RADEON 9600 SERIES - Secondary (128 MB)
3D Accelerator ATI Radeon 9600 XT (RV360)
Monitor ViewSonic E70f-5/E70fb-5 [17" CRT]

Multimedia:
Audio Adapter VIA AC'97 Enhanced Audio Controller

Storage:
IDE Controller VIA Bus Master IDE Controller
SCSI/RAID Controller VIA SATA RAID Controller
Floppy Drive Floppy disk drive
Disk Drive ST3120026A (120 GB, 7200 RPM, Ultra-ATA/100)
Optical Drive DVD-ROM DVD-16X6S (16x/48x DVD-ROM)
Optical Drive SONY CD-RW CRX230ED (52x/32x/52x CD-RW)
SMART Hard Disks Status OK

Partitions:
C: (NTFS) 114463 MB (93954 MB free)

Input:
Keyboard HID Keyboard Device
Mouse Microsoft USB Wheel Mouse Optical

Network:
Network Adapter NETGEAR 108 Mbps Wireless PCI Adapter WG311T (192.168.0.2)
Network Adapter VIA Rhine II Fast Ethernet Adapter (192.168.0.10)



My computer is not overheating. I have monitored my video, cpu and ram temps and insured that this is not the problem. Help!!
 
Now this may sound stupid, but have you used any virus scanner or spyware programs to check the files? Also how long has this been occurring? If possible do a system restore and also try booting into safe mode and see if the problem occurs and then trouble shoot.
 
[quote name='whoknows']If I remember correctly, the last person that had this problem was caused by their computer overheating.[/quote]

now that u mention it..u jsut reminded me, my friend has the same problem, i think her cooling fan or watever has to be replaced..try opening up ur comp, and see how the fan works..also be sure to clean out any dust and watnot (n00bish advice but ya never kno :) )
 
Had this problem a long time ago. You might have a burnt out CMOS battery. Easy to replace. Head over to your local Radio Shack and get one. It looks like the battery that they put in watches. Check your motherboard's manual. But first and foremost, I hope you have antivirus installed and checked to see if it's a virus or not. If you're sure it's hardware, my guess is to go for the CMOS. If the CMOS trick doesn't work, it might actually be the power switch itself. If not the power switch, then try the motherboard.
 
[quote name='whoknows']If I remember correctly, the last person that had this problem was caused by their computer overheating.[/quote]

yes, random restarts means the computer is NOT stable, usually this is due to video card overheating or the CPU itself overheating.

try leaving hte case open to see if the problem occurs less frequently. also add some fans or what not.
 
I have scanned for viruses and whatnot multiple times. That is not the problem. Currently I leave my case open all the time. Overheating is not the problem (I have monitored all the temperatures using multiple programs that all give me the same results). I will look into the CMOS thing, but this is a fairly new mobo, I am not sure that this is the problem. Oh well... maybe I'll just try reinstalling windows again... I'll check the power switch connectors as well. Thanks for all the help.
 
[quote name='whoknows']If I remember correctly, the last person that had this problem was caused by their computer overheating.[/quote]

THAT WAS ME :D

yea...i just added like 3 more fans for a total of like 4 or 5, lol...
 
[quote name='rummy666']I have scanned for viruses and whatnot multiple times. That is not the problem. Currently I leave my case open all the time. Overheating is not the problem (I have monitored all the temperatures using multiple programs that all give me the same results). I will look into the CMOS thing, but this is a fairly new mobo, I am not sure that this is the problem. Oh well... maybe I'll just try reinstalling windows again... I'll check the power switch connectors as well. Thanks for all the help.[/quote]

Just cuz it's a new mobo doesn't mean some parts won't arrive fully functional. You assume so because it tells you that you trust that particular manufacturer. But sometimes crap happens and you get the occasional defective new mobo. I had an incident in which I had to return 2 (yes, count'em 2) Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe mobos to newegg.com because they had problems w/ it. The 1st one had missing IDE cables (which I could've bought at a B&M but I paid a decent amount so I better get all the parts) and the 2nd one had damage on the DDR slots (FedEx's fault) but they finally got it right the 3rd time. Anyway, the CMOS battery can be popped out using a butterknife or similar lever (CAREFULLY of course). I think they run around $1-10 at Radio Shack. Here's more info on the CMOS:

http://www.computerhope.com/help/cmos.htm
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top