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Community Newsletter: Q&A: Help! My PC keeps rebooting every 10 to 20 minutes!
- 5/9/08 1:48 PM
PC keeps rebooting every 10-20 minutes!
by dakotaboy - 4/25/08 9:00 PM In reply to: Help! My PC keeps rebooting every 10 to 20 minutes! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Had the same problem. Replacing the power supply fixed it.
computer keeps re-booting.
by jayfurlong - 4/25/08 9:00 PM In reply to: Help! My PC keeps rebooting every 10 to 20 minutes! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I had the same problem on an older computer of mine
(pentium 2 400mhz 256Mb ram.) After several days of confusion I narrowed it down to a faulty power supply fan. After being on for a while, (10 - 20 min. ) the computer would unexplainabley shut down and re-boot. Once I replaced the power supply it worked fine. I attributed the problem to the power supply overheating when I noticed that the fan wasn't running. I assumed that the overheating condition was causing a problem and was right. Check to make sure that the fan on your power supply is working and take it from there. Hope you found this useful. Feel free to e-mail me if this does or does not solve your problem, jay.furlong@hotmail.com. Good luck!
Possible cause for reboot
by Dakota_Dick - 4/25/08 9:19 PM In reply to: Help! My PC keeps rebooting every 10 to 20 minutes! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Two things have caught me:
1 - Accumulated dust reducing cooling airflow
2 - An old, tired power supply
Either problem, and maybe a little of both, can cause a wide variety of odd failures.
If your system has not been opened up and vacuumed out lately, it's a good idea anyway. If the fans blades are really dirty, loosen the dirt with a small brush, then vacuum. Canned air mostly moves the dust around.
Intermittent reboots
by dminott - 4/25/08 9:20 PM In reply to: Help! My PC keeps rebooting every 10 to 20 minutes! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Sounds like a hardware or timing issue. I would first check the BIOS and if you have an option to set default parameters, I would try that first. It could also be an underpowered power supply (or one that is generating spikes.) That is a bit more difficult to troubleshoot.
If you have extra cards plugged into your motherboard (like a sound card, I/O port card, etc. and they are not needed for minimal boot-up, remove them and see if that cures the problem. disconnect all external I/O cables, such as printers, CAT5 (router), RJ-11 (modem cable), etc. as there may be an external spike coming in from the outside world!
Good luck.
Dave M.
keeps rebooting
by robertel13 - 4/25/08 9:28 PM In reply to: Help! My PC keeps rebooting every 10 to 20 minutes! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I would supect a heating problem or memory could also be the problem.the first thing I would do is change the memory.when your changeing memory check to see that all the caps are not swolen.also check the viedo card very closly,check for bad caps and if the fan is free and spinning.now check the cpu fan,is it free spinnig and free sping also.leave side off and turn on computer and watch to see if all fans are working.
if this does not fix the problem check power supply.
PC keeps rebooting
by gmwalker - 4/25/08 9:28 PM In reply to: Help! My PC keeps rebooting every 10 to 20 minutes! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
This happened at work once.
The microprocessor is over heating. Check the fan and see if its still working. If you haven't fried the processor by now try replacing the fan.
Re booting every 10 to 20 minutes.
by Johnl3840 - 4/25/08 9:29 PM In reply to: Help! My PC keeps rebooting every 10 to 20 minutes! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Santhsh K.
i have had this problem before on a coule of accasions. On one computer it turned out to the power supply, it seemed to have lost its full power,
and on a friends computer it turned out to be the cpu fan, runing slow and when the CPU got to hot it rebooted, Hope this will help you
Cheers
Johnl3840
hi.. here is the solution santhsh.k
by santoshmadigela - 4/25/08 9:29 PM In reply to: Help! My PC keeps rebooting every 10 to 20 minutes! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
its a common problem, reduce your task bar programs or extend your RAM..
or
go to CMOS settings and disable automatic restart.
Rebooting every 10-20 minutes!
by khenumm - 4/25/08 9:29 PM In reply to: Help! My PC keeps rebooting every 10 to 20 minutes! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Most of time it will happen due to the Temperature of your CPU, Northbridge Chip or VReg area. Check your CPU's Temperature. You better use SpeedFan software for this job.It will show you current temperature. If the temperature is more than 55'C You have to use special cooler (Heat Pipe Cooler or liquid cooler).
I recommend that You must check the Open case & closed case temps also. Put PC in a well ventilated area.
Not only the hardware issue this will happen due to bad or infected OS media's (I mean not the genuine versions eg: images/ pirated versions).
Re: My PC keeps rebooting every 10-20 minutes!
by royc - 4/25/08 9:31 PM In reply to: Help! My PC keeps rebooting every 10 to 20 minutes! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi;
It sounds like it could be a power supply problem.
Do you have a Digital Volt Meter? If not you can get 1 for about $20 at Radio Shack.
Now connect the meter to an extra Drive connector from your power supply (Red meter wire to the pin that goes to the Red wire on the connector and Black meter wire to the pin that goes to the Black wire on the connector ) and run the wires thru 1 of the vent holes in the case.
Close the case and turn on the computer. The meter should read about 5.00 +/- 0.05
Run the computer until it reboots watching the meter the whole time. If the reading does not change more than .1 repeat the test with the
Red meter wire to the pin that goes to the Yellow wire on the connector and the same Black wires. The meter should read about 12.00 +/- 0.25
Run the computer until it reboots watching the meter the whole time. If the reading does not change more than 0.35 the power supply is probably O.K.
But it could still be a power problem. The CPU uses a very low Voltage and uses the +12 Volt to create this low Voltage and it is regulated at the CPU socket.
I can not suggest that you try to check this Voltage as it has a very current, over 100 Amps.
Also the RAM runs on a low Voltage and uses the +12 Volt to create this low Voltage and it is regulated near the RAM sockets.
Good Luck.
Roy
reboot problem
by gospodaddy - 4/25/08 9:34 PM In reply to: Help! My PC keeps rebooting every 10 to 20 minutes! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
hi santhsh, am also experiencing the same problem with my laptop. it reboots after 5 to 20 min or even immediately i boot up. i think it is a hardware problem, i have taken it to some hardware experts and i should get a feedback next week.
Try replacing the hard drive cables...
by bllfnk - 4/25/08 9:35 PM In reply to: Help! My PC keeps rebooting every 10 to 20 minutes! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have had machines freeze and reboot and the two times I figured out the problem it was a bad drive cable. The other times I never did figure it out and got rid of the machines. The drives themselves were fine and worked on other machines, so I assumed it was a motherboard or processor failure.
My First Guess...
by XSYLUS - 4/25/08 9:41 PM In reply to: Help! My PC keeps rebooting every 10 to 20 minutes! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
My first guess would be that the computer is over heating. I assume that you've run both anti-virus and anti-spyware searches however I would guess that running a full test might be difficult with the computer shutting off and/or rebooting itself. My solution would be to either download a computer hardware monitor program that would show the temperature of the CPU and system as well as fan speeds. If you're comfortable with the more technical option you could access the computer CMOS settings usually by clicking either the F1, F2 or Del key during system boot; check your motherboard manual if you're not sure which key it is.
Another place you can check is the Windows event viewer. If you're running Windows 2000, XP or Vista you would right click on "My Computer" (in Vista it's just "Computer") and select "Manage" from there on the left side the first drop down option is Event Viewer click on one of the three logs listed; Application, Security, and System. Check each of those for error or warning messages. It's also possible that a hardware driver is causing the problem and it might help you at least narrow it down if that's the cause.
It's a hardware issue...
by Hawk Shango - 4/25/08 9:50 PM In reply to: Help! My PC keeps rebooting every 10 to 20 minutes! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
This answer depends on the age of the computer. If you had the computer for more than 5 years and use it daily, chances are it's time to start looking at a new computer. The motherboard and/or HardDrive is on its last leg. Better start backing up those important files now.
How do I know this? The exact same symptoms happened to me and now I've got a brand new computer with the same softwares and files from the old drive and the backed up files.
If your computer is less than 5 yrs and/or new, chances are you probably got a motherboard issue or your power supply is going bad. Take your computer to a computer repair place and ask them to check the power supply.
Either way, you might want to start looking at new computer and start backing up those important data.
Could Be Overheating...
by Launchpad_72 - 4/25/08 9:51 PM In reply to: Help! My PC keeps rebooting every 10 to 20 minutes! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hey.
Having *just* finished working on a PC having similar problems, I would suggest that your PC may be overheating. This can often be the case in older pre-built systems, most notably due to poor or improper heat dope application.
Basically, on top of your processor (which is the hottest-running component in your computer) is a large metal (usually aluminum) heatsink that pulls the heat away from your processor and disperses it throughout the rest of the PC. Now, because at the molecular level the smooth contact surfaces of the processor and the heatsink are actually very rough, you need a heat-conducting liquid to conduct the heat between those two rough surfaces. This goo is commonly known at heat dope or thermal paste. It is basically Silver powder suspended in a goo-like substance. If this is not in place or is damaged, the heat can't transfer, and the processor will instruct the computer to shut off so it doesn't burn out.
Unfortunately, as of late, computer manufacturers have been skimping on both the amount and quality of their heat dope, especially in the budget models (the low-powered HPs and Dells) and the budget brands (Acers and e-Machines come to mind). Also, if the motherboard has been warped enough to break the contact (i.e. pressing down too hard when seating RAM sticks), that can also damage the already shoddy heat dope, which tends to dry up, cake, and crack as it gets older.
A few things you can try to troubleshoot this problem is to leave the computer off overnight (preferably in a cool place), then turn it on and see if you get longer use out of it before it shuts off.
Related to this, keep an eye on what programs you are running at the time. The theory behind this is that more intensive programs cause the processor to run hotter.
Also, you (or a geeky friend if you're unsure) could try re-doping the processor. Keep in mind that this procedure will most definitely void your warranty, and possibly making the problem worse if done improperly. That being said, if you open up the computer, remove the heatsink (be careful, as you can crack the MoBo if done wrong), and take a paper towel (dry and lint-free) and remove all of the silver paste. Then, using a tube of heat dope from your favorite tech store (Best Buy should have a tube for about $10) apply a SMALL amount to the middle of the processor, srpead it around until you have a THIN layer. (You don't want ANY leaking over the sides, but you also don't want to use too little. This is a really touchy procedure.) Then, re-sit the heatsink (keeping it level so that the dope doesn't squish to one side), plug the fan back in, and give it a shot. If done properly, this should result in a working system.
Granted, this isn't the only possible cause. This could also be a video card/hard drive/RAM overheat issue, a problem with your power supply, or even a virus, although if you have good up-to-date AV software, that is unlikely.
As far a long term maintenance goes, if the re-doping the processor fixed it, it might be worth also installing another or better case fan to assist the cooling of your computer.
I hope my insight helps with your problem.
-Happy Computing!
Launchpad_72 aka IAmTheDonut
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